Hearers and Doers

The Power of Hearing AND Doing

Did You Know? 

In today’s world, we have no lack of things to hear. Every week we are constantly hearing. We listen to thousands of podcasts, we watch countless videos. We hear sermon after sermon, message after message, information upon information. Everyone is talking and we are endlessly hearing. But what really changes in our lives?

God is constantly sending His word, His help. We pray, God answers, He sends help, we listen, we agree, but we never do. As Christians, of course, we are taught that it’s important to agree, especially when two or more are gathered, and we think as long as we agree, we’re good. Touch your neighbor and say, “I agree”, right?

Isn’t Hearing Enough?

We develop a lifestyle of not doing and just hearing. We think that by hearing, we are all set, we’ve got it, we heard it, and we are good. “Oh yeah, I heard that word. I wonder why nothing ever changed. I guess the word just wasn’t right or true.” Well, there’s nothing wrong with the word, but something is absolutely wrong with you. We are hearing all the time, and then we daydream about the day that we become what we hear, but we never actually do anything. We love hearing, it makes us feel like we are important and knowledgeable. Hearing makes us feel better about ourselves. It’s weird, we think hearing is the same as doing. In our minds we are superheroes of righteousness, superdoers of the word, while we sit comfortably on our couches of course. 

Sitting around all day listening to preachers online will do nothing for you if you never respond and actually become the word they are speaking. You’ll just be full of knowledge, full of knowing, of information, which in itself is lacking in power. The real power of hearing comes from putting into action what you’ve heard. It’s as simple as, “Hey, you should really change what you’re eating. You’ll be much healthier.” And we respond, “Oh, I hear that word and I receive it.” And then a month later, why aren’t I healthier? I heard it, I received it, I agreed with it, and my neighbor was there, so there were two of us. Yeah, but you didn’t change anything. You didn’t do anything. You have to act on the word you received, you have to actually change what you’re eating and be consistent for you to reap the benefits of being healthier. 

Just ask your spouse. In your mind, you are probably a great husband or wife because you watch movies about great husbands and wives. But in truth, you never do anything to actually become a great husband or wife. We are people who watch other people who are doers, and then mistakenly think we are the same, and we can speak about what they are doing because we know all about it. Suddenly, we think we are experts in that area, but really, we are just puffed up with knowledge. We can’t even get off the couch, thinking higher of ourselves than we should, like our opinion is so important. 

Stop Fooling Yourself

In James, the Bible says, “…but don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.” In Corinthians, it says that knowledge puffs up or makes us feel important. The world is full of puffed-up, self-important people who freely offer advice on matters they have never actually done themselves. Just go on any social media platform and you’ll see what I mean. Nowadays everyone is an expert because they have read something somewhere or heard it from someone else. And the church is no different. The church tends to follow the patterns of the world. And in the church, there are so many know-it-alls that have spent years just hearing but never doing. Just ask them, they know it all, but their lives and actions certainly do not reflect it. 

We live a lifestyle of hearing and never doing, and constantly build up how great we think we are inside ourselves. The Bible is right. We are deceived. We all think way too highly of ourselves. Week after week we go to church, where we hear but never do. We treat sermons like New Year’s Resolutions. We are fat from hearing the word, and we have a high opinion of ourselves because we are constantly hearing. 

Crumbs Everywhere

Matthew 15:22-28 says “A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, Lord, son of David, have mercy on me. My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly. Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us. He answered, I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel. The woman came and knelt before him. Lord, help me, she said. He replied, it is not right to take the children’s bread and to toss it to the dogs. Yes, it is, Lord, she said. Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table. Then Jesus said to her, Woman, you have great faith. Your request is granted. And her daughter was healed at that moment.”

What did she mean by this? Well, she meant that the lost sheep of Israel that Jesus was sent to were fat on hearing. In fact, they were so fat that crumbs were falling everywhere. Hungry people wouldn’t let crumbs fall. But they were so full they had no room left. They were wasting what Jesus was giving them and it was falling to the ground because they only ever listened and rarely did. 

We Give the Wrong Impression of God

Pastors everywhere should say to themselves, “This week I’m going to preach a word, and we’re not going to get another one until at least 85% of the church is doing it, then we can move on.” Not realistic, I know, but a fun idea nonetheless. People waste their whole lives in church, only ever hearing the word, and never doing. I don’t want that for you; more importantly, God doesn’t want that for you. He is trying to help you. And honestly, we aren’t making Him look very good. I mean, come on, think about it. What is the image the world has of the church? That they are arrogant, self-righteous, holier-than-thou, judgmental people? Well, they aren’t that far off. That is what only ever hearing produces. We are just inflated with knowledge, feasting on word after word, and crumbs falling everywhere. If churches were chock full of doers, then maybe the world would think differently about God. Maybe we would represent Him better and appear less hypocritical.

By being a doer, we activate the power of that Word in our lives. It changes us. It starts producing in us. As a result, we are no longer just puffed-up hearers, but we are allowing God’s Word to have its intended effect in us. In a sense, we allow the Word of God to come to life in us and not just lay dormant. How can the world ever see how great God is if we never allow His Word to be alive and active? Currently, the world is full of dormant, hearing churches that give the appearance that God is no longer active or interested or has little power to help anybody. We have created the first church of only ever hearing. Doers are not welcome. A church full of puffed-up people, feeding on a steady diet of inactive words, who know everything but do very little. 

Doing Ended with the Apostles?

We have churches all over who believe that God himself isn’t a doer and that He no longer does the things He used to do. That all that ‘doing’ ended with the apostles or something. Of course, they think this. They have no power in their church because they are only full of hearers being led by people who only ever hear. They don’t even know God themselves, they have only ever heard of Him from someone else. But yet they talk as if they know so much. God’s word doesn’t stand a chance to ever be active there. Then, since the activity of God is so absent from their churches, they have to say something to cover up the lack of God. Like, “Oh well, God just doesn’t do that anymore.” And they go on only ever hearing. 

But That’s Not You

But that’s not everybody. A lot of people want to be better. And I’m not just trying to make you feel bad. I’m trying to get us to just be honest and say, you know what? You’re right. I have no intention of actually doing, I just mostly listen. I like the word, I like hearing it, It makes me feel better. But then life gets in the way and I never get around to doing it. And now, I have such a huge pile of word that I don’t even know where to start. I’m already overwhelmed by life.

You’re right, you are overwhelmed by everything, and all you do is keep piling word after word on top. Just stop, pick one thing, and start doing it. You don’t have to get them all right this instant. Just start doing one thing, one word, step out and do it, and keep doing it. And then, eventually, move on to another word. And keep doing them until the word of God is alive and active in you. Until you develop a pattern of actually doing, and not just hearing. And then find yourself a church full of doers, and not just hearers. It’s easier to be a doer when you’re surrounded by other doers. 

God is a doer and he’s looking for a people that not only hear but also do. Don’t just hear the word and fool yourself. Start doing it and watch the activity of God come alive in you. Open up your Bible and read about all the people who heard the word and then responded and did something. Read about the amazing things they accomplished for God and who they became. And don’t let anyone convince you that you can’t do great things for God anymore. And definitely do not listen to anyone who says God is no longer doing anything He once was. Break free from only ever hearing and become a doer for God today. 

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