The Word, the Spirit, & You! Day 1

The Word of God. Scripture. The Bible. Somehow over the last decade, its preeminence in churches across the globe has lessened. We have exchanged the power of the gospel for self-help seminars. But unfortunately, without the power of the Word, any hope of spiritual transformation is impossible.

Paul charged Timothy thus:

"I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, being turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry" (2 Tim. 4:1-5).

Paul's exhortation was given to Timothy before Almighty God and Jesus Christ, reminding him of God's imminent judgment. Preaching the Word of God is not optional for those who stand in the pulpit. To the believer Paul would say, “Study the Word.” Lest you think this is in opposition to living by the Spirit, this is a continuation of the Spirit-filled Life series. There is a direct correlation between the work of the Spirit and that of the Word. You cannot say you walk according to the Spirit and ignore the Word. They work in tandem.

Why? Because both are part of the Trinity. Yes, Jesus is the Word made flesh (John 1:1-2). The Spirit imparts what is of Christ. The Bible is not just a historical account. It is a part of the Triune God. “For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one” (1 John 5:7). The Bible is the written Word, pre-existent before the world, the Creative Agent through which all was made (John 1:1-3). Understanding that Scripture is an account of the Word at work in humanity from the beginning of time and should alter our entire perspective. This Word and its work are brought to activation in my life by the Holy Spirit: Guide and Teacher.

I should add, that the other person of the Trinity, the Father, is the Great Initiator. He initiates all that the Son/Word has done, is doing, and will do throughout the world. If we have seen the Son, we have seen the Father. Jesus' explanation of His Oneness with the Father is recorded in John 14:7-13. The activity of the Son, who only does what He observes the Father doing, brings glory to the Father.

Anyone that knows me understands I am passionate about the Word. It is not because I claim any level of scholarship of Scripture above others, but because I am zealous for the Lord. Imperfectly zealous, yet daily being perfected by the Spirit and the Word. If your view of Scripture is simply academic or you believe it is only a historical account or letters to the church, you miss much. You miss the testimony of God, and that, my friend, is tragic. Jesus thought so, too. In fact, He told the religious leaders of the day, “And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me” (John 5:37-39). I am also passionate about a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit – My Comforter, Guide, Teacher, and Intercessor. Without Him, life would be less. So, over the next several weeks, let’s examine the how the Spirit and the Word work in humanity and restore their preeminence in our lives.