Hearing vs Sharing: Rethinking How You Actually Learn
The phrase “freedom in Christ.”
You’ve heard it a million times—in sermons, small groups, or splashed across social media. Galatians 5:1 sounds great on paper: Freedom is a gift, not a goal. So why does it always feel just out of reach—dangling beyond the next “step”like some spiritual carrot on a stick?
If that sounds familiar, you’re not crazy. And you’re not alone. Maybe it’s time to rethink how we actually learn to live free.
For centuries, people have debated how humans grow and change. And in the church world, the answer has been simple: talk at them. A lot. Sermons, reels, conferences—turning spiritual formation into a never-ending supply of TED Talks for Jesus.
It’s efficient, easy to mass-produce, and great for sharing information or whipping up a good dose of inspiration.
But that’s where their impact stops.
Because when it comes to moving from hearing about freedom to actually living in it? Even the best sermons fall short.
The Disconnect No One Talks About
Somewhere along the way, we assumed that since preaching shows up in Scripture, sermons must be how we learn. But we never stopped to recognize that preaching and sermons aren’t the same thing.
Our brains cling to what’s familiar—a little cognitive bias called egocentric myopia. Meaning? We default to what we know and assume it’s the only way. But if we keep looking at living free through the lens of sermons and spiritual content, we limit our imagination and stunt our growth.
For instance:
The modern sermon—a polished monologue from a professional—didn’t exist in the early Church. It wasn’t the centerpiece of church gatherings until the revivalist movements of the 18th and 19th centuries.
The teaching pastor as a full-time job? Yeah, that’s a relatively new gig—just a small blip in the Church’s long history.
Now contrast that with Jesus.
Yes, He gave a few short talks (hello, Sermon on the Mount). But then what did He do? He walked away from that format entirely. He spent the next three years eating, drinking, and having unfiltered conversations—passing on relief like a friend, not a lecturer.
That matters. Because we’ve been told that preaching is for pastors and happens inside church services.
But in reality? Preaching is for everyone. And it doesn't look like a planned stage. It looks like unplanned, open-ended conversations.
Why?
Because Jesus Knew How We Learn
Every diet plan comes with a promise: Follow these steps, and you’ll be shredded in no time! But knowing a plan isn’t the same as following it.
If it were, we’d all have six-packs just from reading about them.
Jesus recognized this truth, and invited us into a way of life where experience comes into play—something known as: phenomenology. Focusing on how we perceive and interpret the world around us, phenomenology examines the structures of experience—providing the ongoing engagement needed for a level of retention that cannot be found in the consumption of content.
Perhaps the best example of this is how AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) sees learning. Knowing that alcoholism is a lifelong disease, AA doesn’t offer lectures on addiction. Instead, it creates a space for shared experiences, honest conversations, and mutual support for living sober.
Likewise, followers of Jesus, knowing the sin of self-reliance is a disease we cannot think our way out of, must move beyond content—realizing:
1. Words Alone Won’t Work
Hearing ideas is only the start. Having the right knowledge is powerful, but only when it’s practiced in faith. Without experience, understanding remains limited to what you think instead of impacting what you believe.
2. Experience Matters
Most Information can’t do the heavy lifting. It’s having the time to go learn what we know in the everyday moments of life that turns knowledge into faith. Transformation of the mind happens when faith is shared and felt in real relationships and real situations.
This 1-2 combination unites open-ended conversation with impromptu teaching that meets people where they are. No scripts, no lectures—just real stories, shared learning, and freedom unfolding in real time. It’s how Jesus did it, and it’s what makes every interaction unique and authentic.
Why This Matters for Living Free
Jesus wasn’t offering a better sermon series. He was offering a way of life.
This is why, when He handed His disciples the keys, He didn’t say: "Go and start preaching services."
Instead, He said: "Go and make disciples of all nations… teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you.” (Matt. 28:19-20)
Now, let’s be clear—this isn’t a call from Jesus because He needs us. As we see in Scripture, God once spoke through an ass, and Jesus wasn’t joking when He said the rocks could cry out if necessary (Num. 22:28-30; Luke 19:40).
So this verse in Matthew 28—despite all the weight and anxiety that’s been piled onto it—isn’t a burden. It’s an invitation to live free, and to keep living free.
And if we actually look at the original text, it sounds a whole lot different from what we’ve been taught.
In Greek, verbs can function as imperatives (commands) or participles (describing action). The word “go” here—poreuthentes—is a participle, translated “as you are going about your life.” Meaning? This isn’t a drill sergeant saying “Move out!”, nor is it about booking a one-way ticket to a foreign land. It’s about being a friend wherever life takes you.
The phrase “make disciples”—mathēteuō—doesn’t mean recruit converts or build a religious brand. It simply means “help others learn”—to see who Jesus already is for them. Unlike Him, we can’t “make” anyone anything. So discipleship? Less like running a classroom, more like introducing a friend to a perfectly grilled steak.
And this is where people tend to undo these words from Jesus—by twisting what He actually said next: “Teach them to observe all I commanded.”
The problem? “Observe” gets swapped out for “obey”—as if Jesus handed down a rulebook instead of a rescue. But the Greek word—tēreō—has nothing to do with strict obedience. It’s about treasuring, keeping, holding onto something precious. Like a well-worn letter from an old friend or that one song that always takes you back.
So Jesus isn’t saying, “Teach them to follow the rules.” He’s saying, “Help them hold onto what I’ve shown you—because it’s a treasure worth keeping close.”
And That’s Exactly What He Did.
Jesus didn’t just talk about this life—He lived it.
He made friends.
He shared meals.
He raised glasses.
He pointed people to the Father.
And He helped them see they were already free.
This is the Church as He intended—not a community weighed down by programmed services and endless sermons, but a global movement of friends learning to live free as they pass on freedom.
So the question isn’t whether you believe in freedom. It’s whether you’re willing to step into it—to trade the comfort of consuming content for the messy, beautiful, everyday work of passing on relief.
Because this kind of freedom?
You only learn to live it by passing it on.
To learn more about what this way of life looks like, watch this ever-popular episode on the Larkcast: Birthday Parties For Prostitutes.