Summer of the Spirit: Listening

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The Summer of the Spirit: Part 9, Listening

Scripture: James 1:19, Proverbs 18:13, Luke 24:13-35, Philippians 2:1-8

Intro:

• Tiffany speaks on listening by the Spirit.
• Listening: seemingly simple, yet requires spiritual guidance.
• God’s invitation to grow in listening.

The Foundational Act of Listening:

• Listening begins in the Trinity, pre-creation.
• Humans begin listening in the womb.
• Listening is central to faith (Shema: “Hear, O Israel”).
• Discipleship begins and grows through listening.
• James: “Quick to listen, slow to speak.”
• Proverbs: “Answering before listening is folly.”

A Deficit of Listening:

• Culture prioritizes speaking over listening.
• Interruption, assumptions, self-assertion are common.
• Jesus: “Let him who has ears to hear, hear.”
• Isolation and division have worsened listening skills.
• Even Christians struggle to listen well.

God, the Listening God:

• Astonishing truth: God listens to us.
• God’s attention is a gift, not an obligation.
• Psalms: God bends down His ear to listen.
• God listens to our weakness, confusion, and lament.
• We learn to listen by experiencing God’s listening heart.

Listening Like Jesus:

• Jesus embodies God’s listening.
• Jesus had time, asked questions (Luke 24:13-35).
• Jesus’ patience, attentiveness, and playfulness.
• Jesus invited honesty, vulnerability, and intimacy.
• Jesus listened widely and deeply.

Self-Reflection and Humility:

• Examine motives for entering conversations.
• Silence ≠ listening (focus on self vs. others).
• True listening honors others (Philippians 2:1-8).
• Listening is an act of humility, laying down self.
• Listening requires dependence on the Holy Spirit.

Call to Action:

• Pray for the Holy Spirit to teach us to listen.
• Seek a deeper revelation of God’s listening heart.
• Grow in capacity to listen to God and others.
• Learn to hear the longings beneath the questions.
• Repent and make amends where needed.
• Offer our ears to God, to be a listening people.
• A life led by the Spirit is a listening life.

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