Listen Up!: A Practical Guide to Listening to Sermons

A much needed booklet (only 32 pages) to help Christians listen well to sermons, especially in the days where a lot of sermons are available on the web. When we listen well to sermons, we can grow spiritually. This book contains tips not only how to listen to """"good sermons"""", but also dull and unbiblical sermons. I like how the author uses two type of Christians to illustrate his explanations in each chapter, and each chapter contains practical guide on how to apply what is being taught. Greatly recommended for all believers who want to grow spiritually by listening and responding well to sermons.

I think this booklet will cause people to think differently about preaching. It gives seven short (2 page) comments on how to listen to a sermon well. Ash starts each chapter with a story of two fictious people who illustrate what he wants to say in that section. I think many of the points he makes are important and will help people listen better to the Bible being taught (Be there week by week, Check the preacher says what the passage says etc. ). I think he reacts too strongly against listening to sermons in contexts other than in church week by week - his tirade against people listening to podcasted sermons needs some footnotes to explain what he means (I think he means, don't listen to podcasted sermons and ignore what happens in your own church). The final sections (how to get something out of a bad sermon, how to encourage preachers are equally helpful.

Most Christians recognise the importance of church. They also usually recognise the importance of hearing a sermon at church. And while there are many books written on how to preach, very few books are written on how to listen to preaching. \\r\\n\\r\\nAsh's Listen Up! is really covering a gap in the marketplace of Christian books and it covers the gap well. The book gives us seven ingredients for healthy sermon listening:\\r\\n(i) expect God to speak;\\r\\n(ii) admit God knows better than you;\\r\\n(iii) check the preacher says what the passage says;\\r\\n(iv) hear the sermon in church;\\r\\n(v) be there week by week;\\r\\n(vi) do what the Bible says;\\r\\n(vii) do what the Bible says today - and rejoice!\\r\\n\\r\\nEach 'ingredient' is carefully explained and then followed by practical steps for adding the 'ingredients' into your listening arsenal. At the end of the book is advice on how to listen to bad sermons and how to encourage good preaching. \\r\\n\\r\\nThe book is easy to read and has colourful highlighting of keywords and matching cartoons. It is also not really a book but a booklet (31 pages) which doesn't daunt the timid reader. I know this from experience as I gave copies as a gift to all our church members last year and received good feedback from the most unlikely readers. \\r\\n\\r\\nBuy a copy of Listen Up! and begin listening more effectively this coming Sunday (and because it so cheap buy a second copy and give it to a friend).