by Phil Sanders

Gospel meetings, seminars, and lectureships can be exciting times. The crowds are a little larger, and we usually see people we haven't seen in a while. The mealtime fellowship is heartwarming, and the singing has a little more spark. Smiles abound.

Gospel meetings usually have preaching that is different than the normal Lord's day sermons. Sermons at meetings are designed to persuade, to convert, and to bring change in the lives of those who hear.

We should come to a meeting with an open heart, ready to hear. Attitude makes all the difference in how much we get out of a lesson. People generally come away with what they look for. If you look for something meaningful to your life, something that will help you in the challenges you face, you will probably find some nuggets of truth that will help you.

If you come with an attitude of wishing you were somewhere else, desiring it to be over, you probably won't get much out of any sermon.

Bring your Bible, bring your interest, bring a smile, and bring a desire to learn God's will for your life.

Bring a willingness to change. The word of God stimulates, provokes, and challenges us to grow into better people. You may learn the need to forsake an attitude or behavior; or you may learn a new way of approaching an old problem. Your conscience may be pricked to begin (or begin again) a lifestyle closer to Christ than you've walked before.

What you get out of a sermon is what you put into it. If you have a heart full of love and devotion, a message can change your life. If you are resistant, you may leave in the same condition as when you entered.

"Come let us reason together," says the Lord (Isaiah 1:18-20).