Ears to Hear (A Pastor or Pusher)

Well, it was time.

She was fed up with my asking her to repeat things.

My dearest bride was inflicted with two men in the household having hearing problems. One, her 84 year-old father who had severe hearing loss from Army artillery serving in the Korean War. The other was yours-truly - veteran of several years of large printing press operation and almost a decade of stage combat with black powder weapons in the Legend of Daniel Boone.

Add to that a life-long endurance of tinnitus -- morning to night crickets make sound mixing, playing music, concentrating when writing, and focusing during some conversations a challenge.

So a trip to Texas Tech Hearing and Balance Center revealed a significant hearing loss in my upper range of sounds. Now I'm the proud owner of a pair of nearly invisible hearing aids.

It's AMAZING what I've been missing! The clicking of my turn signal in the car. The shuffling of feet on pavement. How LOUD some people had gotten use to talking to me.

IRONICALLY, my pastor even spoke on Jesus instruction: "He who has ears, let him hear." (Matthew 13:9)

Taking a read back over what Jesus was doing earlier in that chapter, I found something I had apparently lost the ability hear in His teaching. Jesus actually told his disciples the reason he was speaking in these parables was because He DIDN'T want everyone in His audience to understand.

Could I be one of those He intended left out? Did I have a SPIRITUAL hearing loss as well?

I thought I knew the story -- The Seed and The Sower. I've even taught this in Bible studies.

This farmer (old style without a tractor and plow) goes out and just scatters the seed across the open ground to see if it will take root and grow. Some lands on the wayside (packed ground of a well-traveled path), some on stony ground (shelves of rock, light soil, seed sprouts but won't last), some the birds gather up (wicked influences), some on thin soil (seed spouts but can't put down roots), and finally on good soil where it flourishes.

One Sower -- ONE Seed --Various soil. Sounds simple.

A-HAH! I began to see a pattern of distortion being practiced in most Christian circles. Popular teaching wants to turn this story on it's head and make a business out of it. If you assume the soil is all the same, then you have to use different kinds of seed to overcome the soil resistance.

Just suppose we equate the soil with the people we try to fill our church pews. We, then, have to make the ministers sowers and they have to "successfully" sow the seed to get results.

Because pastors all over the world are hired -- not called or have a vision for their congregation -- churches go though the different processes of getting the highest qualified salesman to stand in the pulpit. Whether we realize it or not, it's the Business of Religion for the ministers to "sell" the story (Bible).

It's marketing! Instead of realizing there is ONE seed, we're pressured to creatively repackage the seed to keep people entertained, interested, and filling the seats. Salesmanship has become a big part of what is required in the pulpit. Their job is to overcome consumer resistance and sell you something you like.

HOW DIFFERENT, it was, when I recently heard of a pastor who made a rare admission to his congregation. After a couple of home Bible studies in neighboring communities, he announced intentions of the same in his church's home town. A home was volunteered. Things seemed to be set.

Then he suddenly met with the couple, saying plans had been cancelled. In a time of raw honesty he admitted that the previous Bible studies had been such of time of spiritual blessing it seemed to be a good idea and the logical next step to start one in his home town.

But, as he was going over those he was considering inviting to the 12 week study, he realized he was composing a list of people who would make great members of the church. Thinking back, he could not remember the moment when God had spoken to him to take this step.

"God has been doing a good job building His kingdom here in our congregation over the last 8 years," he told the members. "There is nothing wrong with inviting people, but He has been adding those He wanted here and doesn't need me to manipulate the process. He will send those who have ears to hear and not people who want to prove we are wrong."

That was evidence for me this man was a pastor-shepherd -- not a Bible-pusher.

What a great relief for the congregation.

The Business of Religion - Minister Marketing (Part Seven)