NBA Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas called out a player who fell asleep during his talk. It was former Dallas Cowboys rookie defensive tackle Trysten Hill. He had already arrived late for the meeting. It was a serious moment, and there was no laughter. “One of the key things when a guy is not up, either you progress, or you regress. I need a guy ready to go and not on his schedule,” defensive line coach Rod Marinelli said.

Acts 20 – Learn to Listen

Later, Hill was sent home. It should have been a wake-up call. He isn’t the first person to fall asleep during someone’s talk. Eutychus also fell asleep when the Apostle Paul gave his sermon in Acts 20. He didn’t just get called out but dropped out the window and was killed by the fall. Fortunately for him, Paul raised him from the dead, which showed the power of God.

Rather than point the finger at Hill or Eutychus, we should ask ourselves, “Do I know what a good sermon is and how to listen to it?” First, if you want to progress rather than regress in your faith, you need to know that a consistent diet of verse-by-verse preaching is the best way to explain the Bible, teach the Bible, and preach the Bible. Next, you need to listen with your heart inclined and willing to be taught by God’s Word. J. I. Packer wrote, “We complain today that ministers do not know how to preach, but is it not equally true that our congregations do not know how to hear?”

The Kingdom Coach and Athlete listen carefully to what God seeks to communicate with them through the Bible taught by faithful preachers. They look for the main point of the sermon and personal application.

Journaling helps you understand and respond to the Bible. As you journal, use the acronym HEAR to Highlight, Explain, Apply, and Respond to what you have read in the reading plan.

Bible Memory Verse – But I do not make my life of any account nor dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God. Acts 20:24 LSB

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