I was thinking about the individuals in my congregation the other day and something occurred to me. Some of them are growing like weeds while others are stunted. Being the loving pastor that I am (I’m being serious), I began to ponder why this is so. I’d like to share my thoughts with you and then back them up with a little scripture.
First, let me say that I adore my congregation, every person in it. So this blog isn’t meant to call out certain people, for better or for worse. It’s simply me sharing an observation, and I’m going to oversimplify for the sake of brevity. With that said, here we go…
There are two kinds of practicing believers. Ultimately, we can tell which category a person falls into based on their rate of spiritual growth. Humility is the key. It always is. The first type of believer is what I’ll dub “the doer”, the second type is what I’ll call “the hearer.” Of course, I’m borrowing from Jesus’ brother, James.
But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.
But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.
— James 1:22-25
The “doer”, as James describes him or her, is the person who comes to church and actually takes all that they hear to heart and prayerfully, in humility, receives the Word implanted, setting aside their ever-looming flesh, giving way to the Holy Spirit. The results are wonderfully seen, as Paul described it.
Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
— 2 Timothy 2:21-22
The “doer” is the person who not only allows the convicting ministry of the Holy Spirit to take root, but also confesses their weaknesses and exhibits a heartfelt desire to be pleasing to the Lord. They might receive a Sunday morning message so deeply that their immediate inclination is to go home, open up their Bible, and do as the Bereans did, “Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11). I know for a fact that there exists a number of individuals in my congregation who exhibit this kind of thirst for truth. However, not all are like this, even among believers.
The “hearer” is the person who walks away from a convicting pulpit message and responds by simply leaving said conviction inside the four walls of the church. In other words, this is as far as they allow the conviction to take them. Strangely, they may even be the ones talking it up with other congregants afterwards over a snack or coffee, sharing how wonderful they thought the message was. Yet, when they go home, the last thing they are inclined to do is open up their Bible.
For this is the will of God, your sanctification.
— 1 Thessalonians 4:3a
God’s greatest desire is that His children be sanctified. To be sanctified means to be set apart for His special purposes, to be holy, “because it is written, “YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY” (1 Peter 1:16). In humility before God, the “doer” abides in this; however, the “hearer” merely understands it (if at all), but never really takes the steps necessary to see it through. This is why there is such a distinction in spiritual growth among practicing believers. Some of them are all in, while others simply aren’t. The prior are showcases for God’s grace, while the latter are setting themselves up to be walking proverbs.But it shall come about, if you do not obey the LORD your God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes with which I charge you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you…
You shall become a horror, a proverb, and a taunt among all the people where the LORD drives you.
— Deuteronomy 28:15, 37
My prayer is that everyone becomes a “doer” in time. It pains me to think about the delusions most “hearers” live under. Granted, such things are self-induced (frankly, they reap what they sow), but it doesn’t mean I can’t possess a real hope for them, because I do. Call it a shepherd’s heart. Whatever the cause, I’ve spent many a day hoping and praying that the “hearers” in my congregation join the “doers,” and sooner rather than later, for their own good. In fact, I’m often heard preaching about such things.
Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.
— Hebrews 13:17
Whenever the Spirit uses my pulpit to deliver convicting messages, my hope is that conviction turns into action, and action into righteous fruit that brings glory to God. We’re all practicing Christians, by definition…and as they say, “practice makes perfect,” right?…so, we might as well practice what we preach. Rejoicing over conviction is good, but it mustn’t die on the vine; rather, the objective is to bear fruit, that is, to grow.
Peter was very astute in the way he described our time here on earth and the opportunities we have to be “doers” rather than “merely hearers.” I’ll close with the following:
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.
Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.
Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.
— 2 Peter 1:2-11
Love in Christ,
Ed Collins