Listening to a Sermon Isn't Bible Study

One of the constants in church life is complaining about the sermons.  Pity the pastor!  It isn't an easy task to capture people's attention with the Bible. To many people in church, it's a totally foreign book that they don't believe they can understand.  Others think they've heard everything already, so their minds are prone to wander.

Since you are reading this blog, it is a sure bet the above doesn't describe you.  You want to learn Scripture and don't think you've absorbed all that there is to see in Scripture.  You come to church expecting to learn something.  That's all very good.  I just don't want you to fall into the trap (or pattern) of substituting the Sunday service for Bible study.

If you are the kind of person who takes notes during a sermon, you may wonder about where I am going here.  I am talking about the person who doesn't take notes - who is a completely passive listener.  I've known many people who, when asked if they study the Bible, think that's what they are doing when they talk about the sermon in a small group.  That isn't Bible study.  It's sharing opinions about what someone else thinks about a Bible passage.  Bible study isn't an opinion survey.

If you take notes during a sermon, you've already moved beyond the passive act of listening.  Taking notes during a sermon can convert sermon time into Bible study time.  I recommend it! However, I've known plenty of people who almost say it is a sin because "sermons are spiritual exhortations, not lectures."  A pious false dichotomy is still a false dichotomy.  Shutting off your brain in church is not a virtue.

Taking notes during sermons prepares you for Bible study. If you happen to be walking through the same passage in your Bible study, you can look up cross-references while you listen or jot down questions the sermon raises in your mind.  Even if you are not in that passage, if you take careful notes, you will be able to pick up your thoughts in the future when you study that passage.  You are way ahead of the curve if your notes are digital; those things are searchable!

So go ahead - make a sermon a time to sharpen some Bible study skills.  God won't mind.