Why do some people grow spiritually and others don't? They hear the same message and yet the results are different?
Is there anythign one can do about it?
These questions from a concerned believer in our church prompted me to prepare this message of which I give a short summary for your benefit.
How to benefit from preaching
2003/01/20
GK – 5166 { sugkeravnnumi }

AV – fill 2, pour out 1; 3

GK – 3042 { keravnnumi }

1) to mix, mingle
3) to pour out for drinking.

Shed/ pour
SACRIFICIAL OFFERINGS ? offerings brought periodically (sometimes daily; Ex. 29:38; Heb. 10:11) to God in Old Testament times by which people hoped to atone for their sins and restore fellowship with God. We abide in death because we are separated from fellowship with God and unable to restore that life-giving fellowship (Rom. 5:12; 8). God, however, provided a method by which our penalty can be paid and fellowship with God can be restored. This method is the sacrificial offering of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 9?10). Service
AV – service 3, ministry 2, ministration 1; 6

GK – 3311 { leitourgiva }

2) any service
3a) a service or ministry of the priests relative to the prayers and sacrifices offered to God
Minister
AV – minister 3; 3

GK – 3310 { leitourgevw }

AV – rejoice 42, be glad 14, joy 5, hail 5, greeting 3, God speed 2, all hail 1, joyfully 1, farewell 1; 74

GK – 5897 { caivrw }

1) to rejoice, be glad
2) to rejoice exceedingly
Rejoice
AV – rejoice with 6, rejoice in 1; 7

GK – 5176 { sugcaivrw }

Profit
GK – 6067 { wjfelevw }

AV – profit 1, advantage 1; 2

usefulness, advantage, profit

advantage, profit

Seed in good soil fell in hearts that understood and did what was preached and produced 100, 60, 30 fold harvests.

How to prepare your heart to receive the Word of God so that you can benefit from preaching:

Mixing the Word of God with Faith
If preaching does not affect the way you think you will not mix it with faith in your heart.

It makes the power of God?s Word null and void. The demonic spirits rob you of the seeds that can produce eternal results in your life while you are listening to the words that could produce faith in your heart!

The Stony Ground
If you have developed a stubborn streak against God and people you will find that the word of God will grow quickly but not produce fruit in your life. You need to repent and ask God to remove the stony heart and give you a soft heart towards him.
Learn to be hard towards the devil?s promptings rather than resisting God. You should resist the devil and submit to God and not submit to the devil and resist God. Pride resists God and God resists the proud. Humility is the right attitude towards God. If you humble yourself God will lift you up.
Jesus humbled Himself by becoming obedient to God and God lifted Him up by giving Him a Name that is above every other name!

The cares (merimnao) of this life, the deceitfulness of riches and the desire for other things entering into your heart and replacing the love for God are the thorns that choke the word of God in your heart. Cares are dealt with by humbling yourself before God and casting all your cares upon Him for He cares for you. 1 Timothy 6:6-11
The desire for other things entering into your heart replaces the love for God and becomes idolatry. Anything that replaces God in your life is idolatry. One of the great commandments of God is that you shall have no other gods before me. What occupies your thoughts in church while you listen to the engrafted word of God that gives eternal life? God calls them fools and they end up in the flames of hell like the rich man in the story of Lazarus and the rich man. The heart that understands is good soil. Paul prayed that the eyes of understanding in the Ephesian believers be opened that they might know the call of God in their lives and discover the riches in other believers as well as the power of God that raised Christ from the dead.
John 3:27
How to mix the Word of God with Faith
Mix the Word with Faith. Trust the Word. Check the Word in the Bible. When you hear the Word of God you should speak it and pray and confess it until it finds a lodging place in your heart.