As a college teacher for nearly 20 years, I taught my students how to improve their English skills. But I knew that the brief sessions I had with them in the classroom weren’t going to be the primary thing that led to their improvement. I was giving them opportunities and methods for change, and what they did during the rest of the week was going to truly determine how much they improved.
Church is a bit like that as well. I don’t mean the time we spend worshipping God and fellowshipping with other believers—those are powerful events in and of themselves. But the sermon time is a bit like a class designed to help you improve in a skill: the skill of living out the word of God. Your pastor is leading you to a better understanding of scripture’s deep, life-changing truths. But those 30 or 40 or 50 minutes aren’t going to determine the way that you live the rest of the week. Scripture itself warns us that it’s possible to hear the truth and then walk away as if we never heard it at all.
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
James 1:22-25
We want to be active learners who engage with the truth and wrestle with how to incorporate it into our lives. This involves a certain mindset when we enter church and strategies while we listen.
We enter church as humble learners ready to follow how the Lord leads.
Some psychologists have noted the difference in the levels of learning in people who have what they refer to as a “fixed mindset” compared to people who have a “growth mindset.” The Bible describes something similar, but it clarifies that when it comes to spiritual growth, the proper mindset is a relational one. I have written before about how Proverbs says the key that unlocks our understanding of God’s word is the fear of the Lord. This isn’t about being afraid of God, but rather about acknowledging His authority and viewing Him with the reverence and awe His character deserves.
Another way to describe this spiritual “growth mindset” is in Matthew 5:
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Matthew 5:6
Jerry Bridges explains the benefits of hungering and thirsting after righteousness in his book on the Beatitudes, The Blessing of Humility:
“The perfect righteousness that we pursue is unattainable in this life. But if we hunger and thirst for it and diligently pursue it, over time we will grow more and more into the person God wants us to be.”
Growth starts with hunger, with a desire to change and the recognition that we need something outside of us to fuel that change. One beautiful thing about God’s word is that when we desire and pursue it, our satisfaction as well as our desire for it grow stronger and stronger.
The opposite mindset, that of the “fixed mindset,” the Bible describes as being self-satisfied and wise in our own eyes.
Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes?
Proverbs 26:12
There is more hope for a fool than for him.
As we drive to church, we battle many temptations—temptations to anger if we are running late or trying to manage unruly children, temptations to worry or fear what others might think, temptations to go through the motions and simply do our duty in showing up. As we prepare our hearts to worship, learn, and fellowship with others, let’s reject an attitude that is focused on ourselves. Let’s instead pursue the “growth mindset” that is characterized by gospel humility.
We listen as active learners who desire to learn and retain.
When my first two children were ages 0 to 6, I found Sundays to be the hardest days of the week. Quite the opposite of a “day of rest” and worship, Sunday was a battle ground, and I was usually so exhausted that I struggled to stay awake. Managing children in the morning while my husband did sermon preparation, and then guiding them to sing, and pay attention, and not distract everyone else in the room—these tasks took every ounce of strength and energy I had. I often fell asleep during the service or struggled to keep my mind on the sermon. Today, those difficulties have passed, and I pray for all the young moms still facing those days!
But I still struggle at times to focus on the teaching. Like a distractible student, I can be tempted to daydream or think ahead to what I have to do that week. What a waste of the invaluable moments that are truly going to prepare me for the upcoming days! When we feel this way, we must remember how Proverbs teaches us to approach seeking wisdom:
3 yes, if you call out for insight
Proverbs 2:3-5
and raise your voice for understanding,
4 if you seek it like silver
and search for it as for hidden treasures,
5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.
When I taught university students, I could tell by my students’ posture and what they had out on their desks which ones were going to get something out of that day’s lesson. A tired student could still benefit from class, but a slouching student who was hoping to get a nap wasn’t. A poor student trying her best to take notes was going to get as much as her mind could hold, but a “smart” student who was obsessed with her phone wasn’t going to get much at all.
I taught my students the value of notetaking. For me, notetaking and marking my Bible is a way for me to stay awake, record what I am hearing, and provide for further reflection on these truths. There are a few different approaches to taking notes that I have found helpful.
1. Taking notes in a wide-margined Bible, using different colors to highlight the themes in the text.
This is a great way to record smaller themes and short summaries of what your pastor teaches on a particular topic. The major benefit of this method is that in the future, whenever you read through that passage again, you will have previous teachings right at your fingertips, reinforcing the text with references and notes. I have written before about my own method for Bible journaling, so if you are interested in exploring that option, please read the tips I have for that.
2. Taking notes in a journal.
This is a great way to keep more detailed notes about the sermons you hear, and record them for future meditation. At my church, we have a set of reflection questions that we discuss after each sermon, and I have found that these simple questions reinforce my understanding of the text and help me to retain much more of the sermon. They act as a kind of parallel summary of the text, helping me to study it for myself as well as review what my pastor has taught. Here are the questions that we use:
- What was the main point of this text?
- What does this text teach about the character and nature of man? How do these realities show up in everyday life?
- What does this text teach us about God?
- What are some of the timeless principles of this text?
- How can I practically and specifically apply this text this week?
I have found the process of going back over these questions after each sermon to be quite helpful in making me a more active learner. Because of these benefits, I have created a sermon notes journal that has space for notes as well as space for these questions. I created a journal tailored specifically for my own church, but I also reached out to other congregations to see if their church could use a resource like this as well. The result has been 4 different sermon journals with slightly different emphases:
For each week, the Abiding in Christ journal has a 2-page spread for sermon notes, combined with a second 2-page spread for reflection questions, prayer requests (following ACTS format—Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplications), and Bible reading tracking throughout the week. See how this journal prompts reflection on the sermons you hear, not just on Sunday but throughout the week! (Contents include space for 30 sermons.)
The To Know Christ journal has 2 pages for sermon notes, and then another 2-page spread that gives ample room to answer reflection questions as well as a place for prayer requests and Bible reading tracking throughout the week. If you long to take time reflecting on sermons you hear, this journal will guide and prompt you in that. (Contents include space for 30 sermons.)
The Making Disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ journal is a compact version that combines notes pages and reflection questions into one 2-page spread. Its reflection questions end with a question to help you focus on outreach for the week: How could you explain this passage to someone this week? This book includes space for 60 different sermons.
The Set Apart journal gives space for sermon notes (2-page spread), a page for prayer (following the ACTS format—Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplications), and a page for reflection questions. This is a great journal to help you get started on reflecting on God’s word throughout the week. (Contents include space for 30 sermons.)
These notebooks were designed based on interviews with local pastors, who were excited to see the possibility of a resource designed to encourage reflection and meditation on these things throughout the week. I was struck by the thoughtfulness and care that each pastor took in considering the needs of his congregation. It reminded me of how much time pastors spend in preparing sermons each Sunday.
It’s such a privilege to be part of a church where the word of God is preached clearly and carefully each week. We can make the most of that by entering church with open hearts, ready to listen, and getting out our pens and Bibles and actively learning what the Lord has for us that day.
Suggested Reading:
“Esteemed and established author Jerry Bridges takes a deeper look into the Beatitudes to find a pattern for humility in action. He thoroughly explains what humility is, what the Bible says about it, and the different ways we can exhibit humility in a fallen world. A must-read for Christians in every stage of their journey with Jesus, The Blessing of Humility draws connections between Christ’s teachings, and shows readers how to put humility into daily action.” (Amazon description)
Kay Arthur’s book on using notes in inductive Bible study is a classic! Her method is what gave me the first ideas for using different colors to highlight themes in Scripture.
“How People Change targets the root of a person: the heart. When our core desires and motivations change, only then will behavior follow. Using a biblical model of Heat, Thorns, Cross, and Fruit, Paul David Tripp and Timothy S. Lane reveal how lasting change is possible.” (Amazon description)
Related Posts:
**This post contains affiliate links, meaning that—at no cost to you—I may receive a commission on qualifying purchases if you link through this site. Thank you for your support of my writing!**
