“But listening to preaching is something you do, and it is an act of worship when you listen with an eager mind and responsive heart. The reason it is an act of worship is that you are listening to God speak (through His Word). That’s why author and theologian J. I. Packer in The Preacher and Preaching: Reviving the Art in the Twentieth Century states, “Congregations never honor God more than by reverently listening to His Word with a full purpose of praising and obeying Him once they see what He has done and is doing, and what they are called to do.” 5 This echoes the conviction of the great church reformer of the 1500s, Martin Luther, who wrote: “The highest worship of God is the preaching of the Word.” 6 So don’t think of preaching as merely a time to learn about the Bible or to be galvanized to live more Christianly. God is speaking! Honor Him with your ears and soul as well as with your mouth.”
— Spiritual Disciplines within the Church: Participating Fully in the Body of Christ by Donald S. Whitney a.co/dRynBaG