Engage

“So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”John‬ ‭13‬:‭34‬-‭35‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Why is ‘so’ there? What came before? Jesus had been telling His disciples He was going away and that the disciples could not go with Him. Immediately after the two verses above we see Peter asking, “but why can we not go with you?” It is as if he did not hear the verses.

We can be like this. When we have our own track running in our minds and are interrupted. We can go right back to the track and not hear what has been said. This can be true about us hearing the word of God.

Jesus told us about hearing in the parable of the sower. The hearts were those with good soil, those that did not hear were of three types: hard soil, shallow rocky soil and thorny soil. These three types showed where the enemy of our soul works to take away the seed, quickly, should the soil not be good. Have you found yourself trying to read your Bible but anxieties are bugging you and you do not get anywhere with your reading? This means the word fell on thorny soil. If you are trying to read and thoughts about how to make more money are filling you mind instead, this is shallow, rocky soil. Satan snatches away the word, the seed that falls on hardened soil is when you hear the word and don’t understand it, and therefore dismiss it. It remains for us to maintain good soil. We do this through a hunger of the hearts. If Jesus is more important that life, entertainment and money, a hunger for Him and His word will cultivate good soil. Good soil produces good fruit.

I love watching Steve Furtik and TD Jakes, mainly because of the involvement of the congregation.  They stand when Steve or TD speak inspirational words to them. I watch Bill Johnson struggle to have his congregation engage with the inspirational word he speaks. If he spoke the same words in the south he would receive a different reaction perhaps. Australia sits through every preacher. I remember seeing TD and Steve in Australia, and looking back it must have been hard for them to have us sit through the entire message.

We need to show that we engage! Amen!