October 4, 2026
A Teflon pan has been designed so that things don’t stick to it.
You can pour something into it, heat it, stir it, even leave it there for a while — but when you clean it, very little remains. The surface is deliberately resistant to adhesion.
That can become a picture of what happens spiritually when we develop a “Teflon heart.”
We hear God’s Word. And we may genuinely listen. We may even understand it. We may agree with it. But somehow nothing sticks. The Word goes in — and slides straight off.
This week we continue the second part of our message on Nehemiah 8. In particular, looking at the reading of and our receptiveness to, God’s book, the Bible.
Last week we talked about how the Israelites listened intently to God’s word. For 6 hours! In our day though, many social and cultural factors work against our capacity to really hear God’s word – even for 5 minutes. Whether it’s woundedness or cynicism or the dulling effect of our online world, there are so many forces at work.
But whatever our circumstances, the call is still there for us to deeply listen. And its importance cannot be overstated. I said last week that “A TED Talk gives you something to think about. God’s word gives you someone to answer to…”
As a church who believes in the primacy of God’s written word, to read God’s word and apply it is one of our primary callings from God. We must not be like the pre-exile Israelites who refused to apply God’s word as it came to them in written form through the law of Moses and in prophetic form through people like Jeremiah, Elijah and others.
Let us be a people who read and perceive God speaking to us in this book. But not only that, let us not be Teflon coated. Don’t let the words bounce off you but sink in and frame who you are and shape what you do.
I suggested that this week you might read Matthew 5-7 and memorise a verse that leaps out at you as something you need to apply. Let us know if you have been able to do that.
Julian Holdsworth
