Trinity Mount Barker

James, the Lord’s brother, urged Christians in the first Century to “not merely listen to the Word and so deceive yourselves, do what it says” (James 1:22).  There are all sorts of traps that can keep us as “merely hearers” as some of the English translations put it; busyness, doubts, selfishness, sin, lack of accountability and so on.

To help us as a community of God’s people work hard at being “doers” of God’s Word and not merely hearers, can I encourage you to join with me in something new? 

This coming Sunday, on the Welcome Table, you’ll find copies of a booklet of daily readings to accompany our upcoming Building a Kingdom teaching series from 1 Samuel – 1 Kings.  I’d love you to collect a copy of the booklet this morning and, for five days each week, set aside a few minutes to read the passage allocated for the day and reflect on one or two of the accompanying questions.  In this teaching series we’ll examine some of the significant moments in the relationship between God and his people Israel around the time of the nation’s first kings and we’ll seek to learn how, even one thousand years before Jesus, God was preparing his people for the king whose kingdom would reign forever.  There are some great questions raised in these events about where we place our trust, who we turn to in times of trouble and how we view our relationship to God.  And since on Sundays we’re only able to pick up some of the most significant events, reading some of the related passages beforehand will help you make the most of what we learn when we’re together.

Of course, simply reading more of the Bible or reading it more often won’t prevent us being merely hearers.  However the more we immerse ourselves in God’s Word, the harder it is to ignore it in the way we live.  But even more significantly, because lots of people across our community will be reading about the same great works of God in the same passages and thinking about the same questions, we’ll have great opportunities to talk together about what we’re reading and to ask others how they're seeking to become a "doer".  Perhaps you’re planning on joining a Bible Study Group when they launch later in Term 1 (and I hope you are!), well, as you wait to hear about the groups forming in your area, here’s a great way to keep wrestling with God’s Word and to be able to talk about it with others.

Please collect a copy on Sunday or from the office next time you're in Mt Barker.

You can download a copy here.