Book Reviews -- By: Anonymous

Journal: Journal of Dispensational Theology
Volume: JODT 14:43 (Dec 2010)
Article: Book Reviews
Author: Anonymous


Book Reviews

Expository Listening: A Handbook for Hearing and Doing God's Word by Ken Ramey. The Woodlands, TX: Kress, 2010. 127 pp., paper, $10.99.

Expository Listening is a new book by Ken Ramey. Ken Ramey is the pastor of Lakeside Bible Church in Montgomery, Texas, and a graduate of The Master's Seminary. One of the hardest things to do is to listen, and one of the hardest things for church-goers to do is listen to sermons. Ramey sought to help believers in that endeavor. The back cover reads:

Expository Listening is your handbook on biblical listening. It is designed to equip you not only to understand what true, biblical preaching sounds like, but also how to receive it, and ultimately, what to do about it. You need to know how to look for the Word of God, to love the Word of God, and to live the Word of God. In this way, God and His Word will be honored and glorified through your life.

James 1:22 states, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” Ramey’s work was designed to help its readers to follow both of these commands from the Apostle James. In order to help, Expository Listening is divided into six chapters: Biblical Audiology: A Theology of Listening; Hearing with Your Heart; Harrowing (Preparing) Your Heart to Hear; The Itching Ear Epidemic; The Discerning Listener; and, Practice What You Hear. Early in this work, the author noted, “Almost every book of the Bible contains some reference to hearing and obeying God's Word” (p. 10). The authors of Scripture obviously thought that listening was very important. With just a few exceptions, every one of them addressed this priority.

According to the book, the authors of Scripture said that God has spoken to men and He commands men to obey what He has said. Secondly, they said that all fail to listen to God and obey Him, and therefore deserve to be punished for disobedience. Thirdly, they said that God grants the ability to listen to Him and obey Him by His Holy Spirit, who is received through faith in Jesus Christ. Fourth, the authors said that God promises to bless both now and for all eternity if one will listen to Him and obey Him. Concerning this last point, Ramey wrote,

Listening to and obeying God is the key to experiencing abundant life now and spending eternity with Him in heaven. Not listening to and obeying Him results in having to live a life without His help and hope and then being separated from Him forever in Hell (p. 21).

Expository Listening is highly recommended by this reviewer; it is a great reminder for pastors that, when they preach the Bible, they are preaching

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