February 13, 2023

The Bible records in the book of Acts 19: 1-12, for about 2 years, Paul taught about the Kingdom of God and duplicated the life of the spirit that had been built in his life to the students in the school of Tyrannus, so that the gospel news finally spread and shook all people in Asia. This is a powerful revival that has ever happened in the history of God’s church. But, if we look back at the story at the beginning, it all started when Paul arrived in Ephesus and found there some disciples who, even though they already believed but they did not know about the Holy Spirit.

The disciples had an attitude of heart that wanted to believe and accept the truth conveyed by Paul, even though they had never heard of it. They listened to Paul’s words and immediately responded accurately.

This is the key so that the process of duplicating the spirit occurs so quickly and produces the impact of a massive wave of movement for the spread of the Gospel throughout Asia. I believe that the disciples were not slow in understanding or practicing every teaching that Paul preached because their hearts were very open to the work of the Word and the Spirit. So, it didn’t take long for God to form and prepare them so they could begin demonstrating the power of the Kingdom to everyone they met.

This is inversely proportional to the conditions described in the Bible about the congregation of the Hebrew people.

Hebrews 5:11-14 (NKJV) of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you HAVE BECOME DULL OF HEARING. For though BY THIS TIME you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.  

It is interesting for us to think more about Paul’s words about DULL OF HEARING. The word “dull” itself is written with the Greek word “nothros” which means: “uncertain affinity” (uncertain interest or lack of interest); “avoid activity, lazy”.

A lazy attitude of heart in listening to the Word is formed by the habits or patterns of the congregation being lazy or passive (not showing any interest or passion) in hearing the Word. Conditioning the congregation to experience loss of spirit or levels of thirst and hunger for the Word, so that the heart of the congregation will find it difficult to be open to the work of the Word and the Spirit. If this continues to be allowed, then slowly but surely it will make the spiritual life of the congregation not grow and even experience spiritual ‘death’.

People who are slow (passive) in terms of hearing the Word are those who only like to hear the Word, but don’t have the effort or determination to do it. God really desires for each of us not only to be hearers, but to be doers of the Word. There is a desire and enthusiasm to dig up the truth that exists and even perseveres in it until the Word merges with our lives or in other words, we become doers of the Word.

Ps. Steven Agustinus

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