You've just heard a sermon. Your mind has been filled up with God's Word--it's truth, beauty, and relevance for your life. You sing the song of response with all of this still echoing in your minds. Then, comes the offering, the announcements, and the benediction. You stand up and . . . start talking about work, lunch, your kid's sports game, and more. What happened to the sermon? As we continue thinking about disciple-making on Sunday morning, consider what why we should be speaking God's Word to one another.
The Bible clear that God's Word brings spiritual change and every disciple is meant to be part of God's work in changing his people. Paul says that Christians should serve the body by "speaking the truth in love" (Eph 4:15). Understand what Paul isn’t saying. He’s not saying that sometimes you have to tell people the truth of their sin, or that they made a bad decision, so you do it with love to make the blow softer. No, he means that we are to speak the truth of God’s word—theological truth as an act of love for the encouragement of one another.
Paul says the way we mature, the way we experience growth and are conformed into the image of Christ, is by the continual correction and encouragement we get as other Christians remind us and teach the truth of God’s word. Even by hearing again and again the gospel itself—drawing our gaze again and again to our Savior. And Paul says, as we grow together by the Word of God, we will be equipped to help one another mature and reach the lost with the gospel, because we will no longer “be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes” (4:14).
Speaking God's Word can be done in many contexts--one-to-one Bible reading, family discipleship, home fellowship groups, informal Bible studies, and more. But it should always happen on Sunday mornings. Notice how Paul ties this Word-sharing with our weekly worship in Colossians: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God" (Col 3:16).
God expects that the ministry of the Word will be abound on Sundays. Not just in the sermon, but in the everyday conversations of his people. So, what might it look like to engage others with God's Word on Sunday mornings? Here are a few suggestions:
1. Reflect with others on the sermon
Let's go back to the beginning of this article. Several months ago, the service had just ended and suddenly one our member turned around and said, "You know, on that third point when Greg talked about..." and proceeded to share with me something impactful from the sermon. I didn't know this person very well as he was relatively new to the church. Yet, here he was was, echoing the truths of God's Word, affirming its power, and encouraging me--both by his attentiveness to the sermon and by the challenge he implicitly gave for me to take it seriously. What better time to talk about a passage from Scripture after all of the people in the room with you just heard a sermon on it? Just consider and share: what stood out, what was helpful, and how will you change.
2. Share something meaningful from your devotions
Speaking God's Word to others isn't dependent on the sermon. If you're consistent with your daily time in prayer and the Word, you will likely have something on your mind; it will be a passage that has become meaningful in the week or two before you show up on a Sunday morning. Why not share it with someone else? Why not share how God is using his Word to encourage your heart, sustain you in temptation, or comfort you in difficulty? The other person may need to hear it just as much (or more!) than you.
3. Ask what God is doing in the lives of others
Maybe you're tired and your mind is a little foggier than you'd like and having something to share is slow coming. Or, maybe you want to help others begin thinking about disciple-making on Sundays. Whatever the reason, ask someone like like: So, what have you been reading in the Bible lately? What's God been showing you in your Word? How have you been growing recently? What was the most helpful part of the sermon? Find something that sounds natural to you, but plan to ask others how they are being shaped by the Scriptures. And if they're not very consistent or haven't been reading, God may just use your question to prod their heart to greater intimacy with him.
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