How ‘Word Without Spirit’ Ministry Is Killing Today’s Churches by BERT FARIAS for Charisma News
I love the Bible. I read it. I live it. I preach from it. I know it to be the inspired Word of God. But it is the voice of God and the Spirit’s witness in my life that makes it so. The Bible is not just a written Word but a living word.
Many more Christians need to read the written Word, but many also need to learn to commune with the living Word. There is a difference.
“who has made us able ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Cor. 3:6, author’s emphasis).
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It is the Spirit who gives life. The flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit and are life” (John 6:63, author’s emphasis).
“All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16, author’s emphasis).
The Bible is dead to those who do not have the life of God. Sermons are dead without the Holy Spirit infusing life into them.
One day a pastor decided to ask for input from his parishioners concerning his sermons. Since he spent a good portion of his week preparing sermons for his congregation, he was interested to know if his sermons were helping them. One woman raised her hand and asked him a provoking question.
“Pastor, if on your way to the pulpit God asked you to adjust your sermon and preach something else, would you be open to doing that?” Here is the pastor’s response:
“Well, how would I know that was God?”
In other words, this pastor knew the Bible to be God, but was doubtful about God speaking to him outside of the Bible. He knew the written Word but not the living word. He knew the Scriptures but did not really know the author of the Scriptures. He had the Word without the Spirit.
Isn’t that how it is with so many preachers, theologians and believers today? Many say that they’re sticklers for the Bible, but yet those same people don’t believe in the gifts and manifestations of the Holy Spirit and don’t have a real fellowship with Him. They don’t know the Spirit’s ways and are unfamiliar with His leadings.
