Hearing the Bible taught at church is a major part of our faith. As followers of Jesus, we gather regularly around the teaching of the Scriptures. A lot of us hear the message at church, take in information, maybe even have our hearts moved a little and then never think about it again. I know I’ve done that. So, here are 5 tips I’ve learned that will help you bring the message into your personal time with God, actually reflect on it and apply it to your life.
1. Come expectant.
“But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.” (James 1:22-25)
I remember watching a message from a ministry I follow, and the pastor started the sermon by asking the congregation, “are you hungry for the Word of God?” It was a simple question, but I still remember how much it impacted me. I want to ask you the same thing. When you open the Bible alone or, as we’re discussing in this post, when it’s time for the message at church, are you hungry to hear from God through His Word?
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Approach the sermon time with expectation that this is a not just a quick jolt of Christian entertainment that will wear off in a few hours and be forgotten; this is a moment when God wants to speak to you and your brothers and sisters in faith as His Word is read and taught.
God’s word–whether read or spoken–is meant to be applied and obeyed. It’s meant to transform us. It’s meant to be more than just information for information’s sake. It’s meant to lead us into encounter with Jesus. It’s meant to encourage us and shape us more as His disciples.
Come to church with a heart posture ready to learn and expect God to speak to you through His Word.
2. Bring your Bible.
“And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth.” (Acts 17:11)
I’d encourage you to bring your physical Bible or to open up the Bible app on your phone and follow along as the Scripture passage is read. As the speaker refers back to specific verses and phrases in the passage throughout the sermon, look at those verses in your Bible.
This is important for two reasons. One, reading along in the Bible will help you to be proactive and engage with the message. Two, it’s always important to check what we’re being taught against the Bible through our own study. When we do that, we make sure what we are being taught agrees with the truth of Scripture and that we are forming our own convictions according to Scripture, not just believing things because someone else told us to.
There are many aspects to learning to study God’s Word for yourself, but following along with the Bible passage during a message is a great first step.
3. Take notes.
“Until I get there, focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers, and teaching them.” (1 Timothy 4:13)
I don’t know about you, but I have a tendency to forget things. Messages I hear at church are no exception. I’ve found that taking notes during the message, as we discussed earlier, helps me to be proactive and engage with the message, which helps me retain more of it. Notes are also great because it gives me something concrete to go back to for reference in the future.
Whether in a notebook, on your phone or on your computer (if you watch a lot of messages online like I do), write down key points from the message and what God is speaking to you.
How do you know what to write down? Great question! Here’s what I do.
- Date
- Message title/topic and Bible passage
- Speaker name
- Helpful facts about context of the passage
- Key concepts and application points the speaker makes (1, 2, 3…)
- Additional Bible verses referenced
- Things God speaks to me personally as I hear the message
- Comments and questions that come to mind as I hear the message
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Exclusive Content: To access my printable outline to help you take sermon notes, head to the Free Resource Library and download, How to Apply the Church Sermon to Your Life (Resource).
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4. Review your notes.
Notes are way more helpful when you actually go back and study them later. (things I learned the hard way in college 😉 )
Why not give this a try? Set aside time Sunday afternoon/evening or during your Monday devotional time to review the message notes, ask God what He wants you to take away from it and pray about the message.
Read over the Bible verses again. Talk to God about questions that came up or things that stood out to you and how that relates to your life. You may want to study certain themes or passage deeper with some of the Bible study resources mentioned in this post. Ask God: what’s one way I can start applying what I learned from the sermon to my life this week? The message at church is the beginning of a conversation with God.
Before you start to review the next week’s sermon notes, take time to evaluate and pray about how your application went from last week’s message. This is not to shame or guilt trip yourself but help inspire you to pursue a vision to live out what you learn as a lifestyle and to celebrate ways God helped you grow.
5. Talk about it with others.
“All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.” (Acts 2:42)
Talk with your friends or family who also heard the message. Share with each other what you learned and how you are applying it to your life (over coffee, lunch, text, in a small group etc.). Pray with each other over the truths and takeaways God has highlighted to each of you.
I would also suggest, if you’re able to, that it’s also great practice to talk with pastors or other spiritual leaders in your life about any questions you may have about things you don’t understand or guidance about how God is calling you to specifically implement the message into your life.
So much of our learning, encouragement and growth comes when we work out the truths of God’s Word in community with others.
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Exclusive Content: To access my printable outline to help you take sermon notes, head to the Free Resource Library and download, How to Apply the Church Sermon to Your Life (Resource).
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Let’s Talk: What’s one takeaway point you learned from a message you recently heard at church? Discuss this post in the comments below.
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