Pressing Into God, Not Just the MoG.

Earlier this year, I realized one of my greatest mistakes: I’ve been reading the Bible too fast—so fast that I’ve been missing so much of its richness. Slowing down has been humbling and rewarding.  


In our fellowship, we’re currently reading through the book of Luke as we close out the year. Today, we’re focusing on chapters 5 and 6, and slowing down has allowed me to notice the power in even the first words of any section of scripture.


Take Luke 5:1-2, for instance:  

"On one occasion, while the crowd was PRESSING IN ON HIM to HEAR THE WORD OF GOD, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets." (ESV)


Did you catch that? Pressing in on him to hear the word of God. This wasn’t a casual gathering. The crowd wasn’t there to see a show or snap pictures for social media (if they had it). They were pressing in—fighting for proximity—to hear the Word firsthand. They didn’t want secondhand reports of what Jesus did and said; they craved direct exposure to His voice. He has one. 


Now, here’s the uncomfortable truth: far too often, we don’t approach God in our fellowships with this same hunger. In our fellowship, we listen to the chapters as audio and then discuss them, answering questions like who, what, where, when, and why. It’s meant to encourage us to dig deeper into God’s Word ahead of time. Yet, not everyone takes the time to prepare. Why? Because we’ve become wrongly conditioned to prioritize what the man of God (MOG) will say over God Himself.  


We unfortunately eagerly show up for the stories, the charisma, and the personality of the preacher, but where is the eagerness for God’s Word? Can it be seen before the fellowship? Do you study scriptures prior to hearing sermons? Many of us are more tuned to the sermon than the Savior, more excited for the delivery than the message, and more drawn to the man on the pulpit than God himself.


Let’s be clear: this is a sad state of the church. Luke 5:1 doesn’t say the people were pressing in on the disciples or the Pharisees. They were pressing in on JESUS to hear GOD’S WORD. This is the heart posture we’re called to have.


So let's ask ourselves this: the next time we attend a fellowship, a church service, or a conference, what will our heart and ears be tuned to? Will they press in to hear from God directly, or will we settle for secondhand crumbs through another believer? It’s time to fix our focus—not on the pulpit, pastor, or pope—but on the One who is the Word.




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