There’s a difference between being a hearer of God’s Word and a doer of God’s Word.

Our church has a mission statement that revolves around the Great Commission, and we communicate that mission every week. Previously, our services were structured, and our sermons were planned with the Great Commission in mind.

We were telling our people to go, but no one was going and making disciples.

Could it be that we had become hearers only, instead of doers of the Word?

Knowledge and obedience
The reality is that while we needed to keep teaching about the knowledge of the Great Commission, we also needed to teach people obedience to the Great Commission. For too long we believed knowledge would lead to obedience.

Now don’t get me wrong, knowledge is crucial to obedience because without knowledge how would we know what to obey? But people also need to be led in obedience, not simply told to obey. 



In light of this principle, we are repurposing our existing Wednesday night services to be centered around obeying what we learn during Sunday’s service. So instead of having a midweek Bible study at our church, we are in the community engaging our neighbors and doing Bible studies in neighborhoods and multihousing units. And all the while, as we are beginning to obey all that Christ has commanded, we are teaching others to obey as well.

We are beginning to see a renewed zeal for obeying the Word of God and an increasing passion for reaching others.

What we model and celebrate gets done, so let’s start modeling and celebrating obedience to God’s Word.

by Andrew Ivester  /  Pastor  /  Faith Baptist Church