WORD OF GOD, 5

Romans 10:8-10,17 – ⁸But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: ⁹That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved…. ¹⁷Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.

            1 Thessalonians 2:13 – ¹³And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.

            Hebrews 4:12 – ¹²For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

      James 1:21 – ²¹Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

      1 Peter 1:23 – ²³For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

            As an overview of the Word of God series, have a healthy diet of both the milk and meat of the Bible, fill the heart (your inner sanctum) with Scripture, the goal of Bible reading is spiritual transformation, and the Word augments spiritual experiences. The last focus of the series is the power of God’s word.

The word is powerful because of the living God

            What makes Scripture “sharper than any double-edged sword” is the Author who stands behind it, the Lord God Almighty. You cannot separate the power of God’s word from the presence of God Himself. The pages of the Bible have no magical force.

            In a classic Hollywood movie, an Arab with an injured leg tore pages out of his holy book and placed them on the damaged limb, thinking healing was imminent. The leg was eventually amputated. Tragically, some followers of Jesus look at the Bible in a similar way. Healing and mending does not occur on account of constantly quoting Scripture or doggedly dwelling on the promises. Healing comes from the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.

            The Bible is not a book of hocus-pocus, where a person arbitrarily opens it for a mysterious answer. Wanting to discover God’s will, a man randomly opened the Bible, allowing the pages to aimlessly drop open, and he blindly put his finger on a verse: “Thus says the Lord.” He attempted the procedure again: “Trust Him and commit your ways.” Encouraged, he tried a third time: “Judas hung himself.” Confused, he gave one last try: “Go and do likewise.” The Bible is not designed for such a foolish way for receiving guidance and direction.

            The Bible is about the living God, a book of faith, trust and genuine love. The Book is the supreme love letter, revealing pure love that creates personal wholeness.

            Scripture is very candid about life and living. No other book is as down-to-earth and honest about the human condition. Some people accuse the Bible of even being vulgar. From its pages are such subjects as human sanitation, immorality, incest, promiscuity and the consequences of rebellious behavior. The book powerfully addresses all of life, including its tragedies and consequences, from the perspective of the living God.

The word is powerful for those who trust God

            God’s word, when entering the heart, develops trustworthiness. A follower of Jesus does not attempt acts of faith to fulfill God’s word. Scripture enters the heart and raises trust in the God who fulfills His every word.

            Some try to fulfill God’s word by personal optimism, negating the power of Scripture to produce faith. Some have a Biblical “mustard seed” faith, a Scripture-produced faith, seeing mountainous situations moved by the hand of God. Others have a “mustered-up” faith, a self-produced faith that cannot move miniscule situations if their life depended on it. Mustard-seed faith creates spiritual confidence regardless how things appear; mustered-up faith is saturated with emotional instability and uncertainty.

            Mustered-up faith leaves people in terrible bondage while mustard-seed faith brings freedom. Some, in an effort to be people of faith, are afraid of thinking negatively and constantly live in bondage. We are not asked to muster-up faith by trying to always think positive. We are called to a mustard-seed faith based on trusting God. Scripture in your heart produces living faith, a believing faith that works mightily, bringing wonderful results to God’s glory.

The word is powerful when acted upon properly

            The Greek words “logos” and “rhema” are translated “word” in the Bible. When given serious study there does not appear to be a clear distinction. Some are making too great a division between them.

            The Apostle John used the word “logos” in a more universal sense. The word “rhema” appears to be used during specific occasions. Logos could be “the word of the Lord” and rhema could be “a word from the Lord for a particular moment, event or occasion.”

            The prophet Elisha told Naaman to dip seven times in the Jordan River to be cured of leprosy. Does this mean all lepers are cured by dunking themselves seven times in the Jordan?  The word to Naaman was a rhema moment, a specific word to a single person for a particular time.

            “Jesus saves” is a universal truth, while “Jesus saves me” is the universal truth embraced by a specific person.

            Problems develop when attempting to use a universal word in a specific way without a clear basis for doing so. Isaiah records, “By Your stripes we are healed….” Some reinterpret this promise and say, “I am already healed,” even when there is no indication healing has occurred. The universal declaration about Calvary’s healing power, used as a word for personal healing, is mustered-up faith. For the universal provision of healing to become a personal promise requires a specific word from the Lord.

            When elders pray for the sick, they pray the universal truth that God can heal. The prayer is based on the pattern of James 5, with faith in God’s ability. The actual healing is left with Him. Prayer is offered with simple confidence in the gift of healing, according to His provision.

            Occasionally people pray based on a specific word. God does give Holy Spirit illumination to help a pray-er pray specifically. He gives divine inspiration and encourages the person being guided to pray.

            When my wife and I were dating, she regularly watched the pastor’s children. The pastor invited me one evening to be with her while she babysat. Their oldest son suffered regularly from croup and was in his crib, restlessly attempting to sleep.

            He was coughing hard throughout the evening. While watching television we kept hearing a hacking noise coming from his bedroom. I felt a clear nudge in my heart to pray for him. There was a strong sense that healing would occur. I hesitated! Finally I quietly slipped away to check on him and prayed, gently laying hands on him. I felt an unusual surge of power flow through my hands and instantly the coughing stopped. I was startled and quietly began praising the Lord. My confidence increased that God still speaks specifically to people.

            To force a universal truth into a specific situation is tragic. Faith becomes destroyed instead of built up. A good way to approach a word from the Lord is: the Word of the Lord always clarifies a word from the Lord; a word from the Lord never overrules the Word of the Lord. The only way you can know if a specific word is from God is when confirmed by His written Word.

            T or F – Thus says the Lord, “Be unfaithful to your spouse.” God’s word declares faithfulness. False!

            T or F – Thus says the Lord, “Commit suicide.” Scripture reveals self-annihilation destroys life and devastates loved ones. False!

            T or F – Thus says the Lord, “Receive healing.” Possibly true! Be sensitive to God’s guidance and pray expectantly! When you receive divine healing, have it confirmed and give testimony to the medical profession.

            One of the great privileges of being a believer who embraces the Pentecostal experience is readily recognizing the supernatural influence of God. He not only speaks through the written Word but to those open to His super-rational workings. He speaks through the pages of Scripture and through the voice of the Spirit. Be filled with the Spirit as well as know His declared Word. He longs to give a specific word in your moment of need. A special word from the Lord will always validate the written word.

            God’s word is powerful because of the living God. God’s word is highly effective for those who trust Him. God’s word is life changing when properly acted upon. In this coming year make Scripture a greater part of your life.