"As for you, son of man, your countrymen are talking together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, saying to each other, 'Come and hear the message that has come from The Lord.' My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice." Ezekiel 33:30-32 (NIV)
After the prophet Ezekiel called for the people to repent, God revealed to him that the people hear his words but they do not put what they hear into practice. They continue in their sinful ways. They treat his words as a performance to be appreciated for the moment and then forgotten because it had not effect upon them.
The preacher is supposed to tell us what "thus saith The Lord." It is up to us to hear what he says and then to act accordingly. If he tells us and we do not put what he says in to practice, the he will not be held accountable for us. God will only hold him accountable for us if he does not tell us what God tell him to say. We go to church to hear the Word of God, but if we do not put what we hear into practice in our lives, then attending church did nothing for us. Exposure to the Word of God should produce a change in us, if it does not, then we should question our salvation. We need to put the Word of God word into practice in our lives.
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