How To Receive The Word of God (Part 1)

In a previous teaching, we learnt how to read the Bible by discussing various principles. In this article, we wish to discuss some practical ways by which Christians can receive the Word of God being preached or taught.

I believe the Lord Jesus Christ is the best person to learn these things from. We must learn how Jesus Christ received the Word of God when He was being prepared for public ministry.

The Lord conducted Himself well when He had the opportunity to be taught the Word of God. He was 12 years of age and was hungry for the Word of God, a spiritual food for the inner man. To satisfy this spiritual need, Jesus Christ ran into the temple where He knew He could be fed.

“After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions” (Luke 2:46).

If Christians today want to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ and be grounded in the faith, we must imitate our Lord, who is the best example for all. Peter, the apostle, tells even new converts to long for or desire the sincere milk of the Word so that they can grow into salvation. You cannot be born of God and not long for His Word which is food for the human spirit.

The Bible does not tell us if Christ Jesus had a parchment (a paper or book) in His hands to take down notes of what was being taught. There is the possibility, but if He did not, we know that our Lord was blessed with a great mind and heart not only to receive the Word but also retain it.

Those of us who do not have the ability to hear and receive greater percentage of what is taught at church meetings must take down notes, read and mediate on them. Taking down notes helps us to keep records of what have been taught and make future references.

Christians are called to follow Jesus Christ to know Him and grow in Him. I am not talking about just mentally agreeing to follow Christ. I am talking about a decision of the heart to imitate Christ. I mean, we must actually do what He did.

From the passage of Scripture we read in Luke 2:46, there are three things Jesus did in order to receive the Word of God which are worth considering, accepting and practising. It says Jesus was found in the temple sitting, listening and asking questions.

Sitting

The first thing Jesus did when He entered the temple was to sit down. Yes, Jesus sat down in the temple. It is not important for me to know whether He sat on a bench, mat or leather chair. All that the Bible tells us is that our Lord sat in the temple.

Let us get this sitting right; it was not just Jesus’ physical body that sat quietly, avoiding movement in the temple. His spirit man sat down too.

There are believers who may be physically seen sitting in a church meeting, but their hearts wander away from the auditorium. You can see their eyes fixed on the man of God, who is preaching or teaching as if they are attentive, but their hearts are attentive on something else. Oh, how the mind and heart of man like to wander!

But Jesus Christ’s mind and heart never wandered away from the temple. The whole of His Being – the body, soul and spirit – sat down in the temple, focusing on what was being said. He had nothing bothering His mind and heart.

He had no hidden sin (unforgiveness, envy, resentment, hurt, bitterness, hatred or lust) standing between Him and the message that was being delivered by the teachers of the Law. So, with a rapt attention, 12-year-old Jesus sat through the teachings to receive divine insights and revelations.

To be continued…

By James Quansah