If you were to categorize religious history in the United States in the 20^th-21^st century, you might divide churches into two categories:  Word and Spirit.  The “word” churches would be those who were committed to basing everything they did on careful biblical exegesis. They would emphasize Bible study as a primary duty of every believer and would bring an academic approach to their study with strict guidelines for interpretation. Every experience would be lined up against scripture and if that experience was not seen on the pages of the Bible in the correct dispensation, it would likely be discarded as unbiblical which means it was not of God.

Then there would be the “Spirit” churches that emphasize experiences with the Holy Spirit above strict interpretations of scripture. As  “word” churches seek after an increase in biblical knowledge, “Spirit” churches tend to seek after more experiences with God. “Word” churches emphasize truth, while “Spirit” churches emphasize power. Neither camp trusts one another to a great degree.  “Word” churches see “Spirit” churches as poor students of the Bible who are subject to emotionalism and subjective experiences (deception) that often do not line up with what they see in scripture. “Spirit” churches tend to view the “word” camp as being tied to intellectualism and a powerless faith because they are not Spirit-filled.

So who has it right?  Which of these approaches is correct?  I think they are both flying airplanes with one wing or at least one wing much shorter than the other which is usually not a good idea. I believe that committed believers should be seeking to know God’s word intimately while at the same time seeking Spirit driven experiences with him.  I believe we should go after both truth and the power of God with all of our hearts.

Experiences must be measured against biblical truth.  Does the experience violate any biblical principles, the character of God, or any clear commands?  If it does, jettison it.  But truth without experience is a two-dimensional walk with God rather than a three-dimensional walk.  Experiences inform us of a fresh and relevant way to understand scripture and make us aware of how God is manifesting himself in this season of history.

Experience without a template of solid biblical truth is like playing in an NFL football game with no rules, no game plan, and no sidelines.  The outcome is probably painful chaos. But biblical truth without experiencing a supernatural God is like filling blackboards with X’s and O’s while never going out on the field to see if your game plan actually works.  It’s like running the ball without the added dimension of passing. To win you have to know the rules, have a plan, use all your options, and play the game. The rules give you structure while playing the game will give you a new understanding of how and when the rules actually apply and a modified game plan for the second half.

Scripture emphasizes both. As you read the gospels you recognize how often Jesus quotes the Torah and uses the words, “It is written.”  He was totally committed to the idea that the written word of God was essential and eternal. But, he also knew that while  the Father would never contradict his word, he would often contradict man’s understanding of his word.  How often did experience give believers the capacity to understand the actual meaning of those written passages?

For instance, Joel 2:28-29 was, for the most part, indiscernible to Torah scholars until Pentecost.  It was the supernatural experiences of Pentecost that gave meaning and understanding to Joel’s prophecy – the written word. The experience informed the meaning of the scriptures in a new but very biblical way.  When Philip encountered the Ethiopian treasurer in Acts 8, the man was pouring over Messianic passages in Isaiah but could not understand the meaning.  It was only after men had experienced the death, the burial, and the resurrection of the Christ that those passages took on meaning. In the shadow of those experiences, Philip could fully explain the passages.

Jesus taught about healing, faith, and deliverance over and over as he preached the gospel of the kingdom while his disciples listened and watched. But when he sent them out alone to do the same, they returned with a much deeper understanding of the teachings they had received. Even with the Spirit of God in him, Peter never understood the biblical texts that spoke of all nations coming to God. Only after he experienced God through a vision of unclean animals being set before him and only after he experienced a “new thing” not “seen” in scripture before – Gentiles speaking in tongues (Acts 10) – did he understood that those passages referred to the Gentiles and that God was accepting all men in Christ.

Charismatic believers need the written word to establish parameters around experiences but evangelical believers need supernatural experiences to truly understand the passages regarding the ministry and power of the Holy Spirit. Surely if we can trust the Spirit to lead us into all truth, we should not only understand that truth as proper biblical interpretation but also as true experiences with God that give us deeper and more accurate understanding of the scriptures.

Paul, at one time will warn us not to go beyond that which is written (1Cor.4:6) while at another time will warn of those who have a form of godliness but deny the power of that godliness (2Tim. 3:5).  He will applaud the Bereans who searched the scriptures daily to test Paul’s teachings (Acts 17:11) while also commanding us to eagerly desire supernatural spiritual gifts – especially prophecy (1Cor.14:1) and not to forbid speaking in tongues (1Cor.14:39).  Word and Spirit seem to be bound together as a necessary duo for fully understanding God’s will and God’s ways.

Serious study along with a pursuit of supernatural experiences with God seem to be the two-winged biblical pattern for truly knowing God as we trust the Spirit to lead us in both arenas. Study without experiencing God risks becoming Pharisees who only thought they understood the scriptures.  Spirit without the Word creates energy without form and direction which produces either nothing of value  or an unpredictable explosion.  I encourage you to go after both Word and Spirit relentlessly.  You will never truly know one without the other.

In the spiritual realm, authority is paramount. Those of us in Christ live under grace but the rest of creation, seen and unseen, operates under law.  Law operates on the basis of authority and the power to enforce that authority.  That is one of the reasons that the Spirit has gone to such great links to assure us of the authority of Christ.

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations … (Mt.28:18-19)

God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. (Eph.1:20-21)

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, proclaiming, “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Messiah, for the accuser of our comrades has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. (Rev.12:10)

While Jesus has all authority we often forget that the Word of God has authority as well. The Bible not only contains truth and principles for living but edicts from the King.  Prophetic statements and commands are not just insights into the future or words to live by but they must come to pass because the King has declared them.  Those who stand in opposition to the word of God stand in opposition to the power and authority of heaven.

The phrase “It is written” is repeated throughout scripture and it carries the weight of “this is what the king has declared so it must be carried our or fulfilled.” When the Hebrew writer declares that the Word of God is “living and active” (Heb.4:12) he is saying that the word of God is not just ink on a page but that the Spirit of God and the powers of heaven move to activate that word in our lives and in the earth.  Paul says that the word of God is the sword of the Spirit and is part of the armor God has given us to stand against the enemy (Eph.6).  Most of the armor named is defensive and protective but the sword is an offensive weapon as well.  The Word of God is to be used as a weapon to not only protect us against the enemy but to take ground from the enemy as well.

When Satan confronted Jesus in the wilderness at the end of his forty-day fast, Jesus rebuffed each temptation with scripture and began each response with,“It is written. “  Jesus not only was aligning himself with the Father but was activating the word of God by declaring it against the enemy.  Jesus did not get into a dialogue with the devil but simply declared the word of God over the temptation and the situation. Matthew ends the account by telling us that the devil left and angels came and ministered to Jesus.  Remember, Jesus was operating as Son of Man rather than Son of God. When we declare the word with authority over the enemy or a work of the enemy, we can expect the enemy to leave and angels to minister.

I believe deliverance is more effective when our commands for the enemy to leave are prefaced with the word of God.  “It is written, ‘I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you’”(Lk.10:18).  “It is written, ‘Every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord’” (Phil.2:10).  “ It is written, ‘these signs will accompany those who have believed: in my Name they will cast out demons’” (Mt.16:17) and so forth.

The word of God has authority.  Heaven will move to backup the edicts of the King with his power.  As you read through the gospels, Jesus spoke God’s word from the Old Testament over and over with authority.  You can sense from the passages that Jesus was absolutely convinced that if it was written it would surely come to pass and if it was written that was the place to take your stand. His example challenges us to know the Word and believe the Word as well. It is on the Word that we can stand and by the Word that we take ground, for it is written, “Man does not live by bread alone but be every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”  Every command, every directive, every promise that we stand has come from the Kings mouth and that word will surely fulfill its purpose.

Today I want to start a mini-series about Hearing God.  I will admit that when I first believed God still spoke to his people I listened for a God-like voice in my head.  I assumed his voice would sound like the voice in Cecil B. DeMIlle’s old movie The Ten Commandments with Charleton Heston as Moses – deep, thunderous, mysterious. So I prayed and listened but never heard that voice. I think many Christians who have hoped to hear God speak may have had similar expectations and found themselves giving up on hearing from the creator of the universe.  But take heart.  God does speak to his people through his written word but also apart from it.  If you are uncertain about hearing God, these blog posts over the next few days may be helpful.

Let me tell you quickly why this is important. It is important because God wants to speak to his children personally like any father. The Bible is like letters from a Father to his family.  He gives the family history and writes down guidelines and wisdom for how the family should live and treat one another.  He even tells them some things about himself. But every parent knows that children are unique and have a unique destiny.  A good father will want to speak to that child personally in ways that his child can receive. He will want to speak to that son or daughter and tell them why they are so special.  He will want to speak into their unique destiny or give them counsel for their unique challenges. God is our Father.  He wants to speak to us as a family but also as individuals.

In addition, many of us carry wounds that are kept from healing by lies that the enemy has sown in our hearts.  Just as Christ verbalized words of healing to those he touched on the earth, emotional healing comes when God speaks to us about our wounds. Hearing or experiencing God in some other direct way is the most healing thing I know.  So…please spend some time reflecting on these next few blogs and consider a life of hearing God.

Hearing God

The majority of churches in America teach that God only speaks to us through His written word – the Bible. Many of us have been taught that God spoke directly to his people only in “Bible times.”  We were taught that all that we can now know is God’s general will for our lives from studying his word.  Then, we are left to discern His specific will for us from biblical principles. However, there are times when we need more.  Sometimes we face critical decisions.  Biblical principles can narrow down our options but sometimes we need specific direction. If we cannot hear from God about that situation, we are on our own.  Sometimes we don’t need direction but we certainly need encouragement or the affirmation of a father.  Even Jesus needed to hear, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.”  Sometimes we just need to hear from God the Father or Jesus the Son.  He is pleased to speak to each of his children and express his love to every son and daughter.

The apostles themselves faced a situation in Acts 1:15-26 in which they needed direction from the Lord.  There we find the apostles searching for another man to replace Judas as one of the twelve.  Jesus had given them the qualifications for one who would be an apostle.  In the end, they had two men who met all the qualifications but there was only one position. The will of God that had already been revealed was not sufficient to make this final decision. The apostles prayed and asked God to give them specific revelation for that one unique situation.  The apostles prayed and cast lots and through that process God directed them to the one man whose heart qualified him to be an apostle.  In our own lives there are times we need a little more than biblical principles.  There are times when we need to hear from God about specific needs or situations.  God is longing to speak to us about those things and many other things as well.

The biblical record is that throughout the centuries God has not only revealed His general will to His people through the written word but over and over he has also revealed His specific will to individuals so that they might step into the destiny He had established for them.    God’s heart, as revealed in the Bible, is very clear.  He wants to speak to His people as a group and as individuals and has gone to great lengths to do so. He wants to reveal not only his will but himself to us because knowing him in a personal way is essential for love, intimacy, and friendship.  God has shown himself to us in numerous ways.

• Through His creation.  (Rom. 1:20; Ps. 19:1-2)
• Through His prophets. (Heb. 1:1)
• Through His Son. (Heb. 1:2)
• Through His written word. (2 Tim. 3:16)
• Through direct encounters. (Gen. 18; Ex. 3; Ex. 33:7; 1 Sam. 3)
• Through the casting of lots and fleeces. (Acts 1:26; Judges 6:36-40)
• Through dreams and visions. (Acts 2:18)
• Through circumstances. (1 Sam. 14:6-12)
• Through visitations by angels. (Matt. 1:20; Luke 1:11, 26, 2:13, etc.)
• Through His people to one another. (1 Cor. 14:26-33)
• Through the Holy Spirit by prophetic words, words of knowledge, impressions, tongues and interpretation of tongues, etc. (John 16:13; Rom. 8:14,16)
• And more….

God wants a relationship with you.  He wants intimacy and for that to occur there must be a dialogue where both parties listen and both speak – sharing their hearts with one another. God has gone to great lengths to do so and continues to share his heart, his will, and his ways with those who will listen.

Yesterday my wife Susan shared a story with me from the Internet about a tribe in Africa that takes a unique approach to tribal discipline.  When a tribe member breaks one of the tribal laws or social conventions, the assumption is that the individual is essentially good but broken. Instead of punishing the behaviors, they place the offending individual in the middle of the village and for two days, the rest of the tribe surrounds them and speaks positive things and good names over them.

The story didn’t report on the tribe’s assumptions about the benefits of the ritual so I’ll speculate on a few possibilities.  If they assume an evil spirit has corrupted the person, then perhaps they sense they can fight evil by speaking good over the person and in that way drive away the enemy.  Perhaps, they believe the person has forgotten his or her essential goodness and so two days of declarations reminds them of who they are or “reboots” them to their default settings. Perhaps, all the positive things spoken over the offender are simply designed to call them to a higher standard of living.  I have no idea if there as been any Christian influence in the tribe but there is something very biblical and very powerful about their approach.

Now, I am speaking about our tribe of believers only.  Ours is the tribe marked by the presence of the Holy Spirit living in us. Mankind, in general, is not essentially good because mankind has a fallen nature.  However, once an individual has been born again, is a new creation in Christ, and has the Spirit of God within…he or she must be considered essentially good. God says that we are priests and kings, holy and sanctified, sons and daughters in the household of God, and partakers of the divine nature.

Within each of us is the goodness and greatness of God.  This goodness and greatness is the reality that God has placed within us but it is often a reality that needs to be called out, nurtured, and developed. James says something interesting in regard to this truth.  He says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ja. 4:29).  Paul says that prophetic words spoken over believers should always strengthen, encourage, and comfort (1 Cor.14: 3). There is something about declaring positive things and good names over one another that builds up and even heals.

There are numerous other passages in the N.T. that have the same flavor. Nowhere do I see passages commanding the opposite.  The gospel of the flesh and the demonic would certainly contain commands and passages such as,  Be ye critical one to another; Be hateful and demeaning in all that you do;  Be quick to point out failure and remind one another of it as often as you come together; Shame one another daily;  Speak the truth one to another with great disdain and condescension. We could go on…but you get the drift.

The Holy Spirit, on the other hand, spends a great deal of his time telling us who we are in Christ.  He goes to great lengths to describe our new identity as children of the Most High God.  The writers of the New Testament speak that identify over the church in their letters. There is purpose and intentionality in doing that.  God declares, “So is my word that goes out from my mouth.  It will not return to me empty but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isa. 55:11).  We all know that God’s word carries creative power and that it is living and active.  It has the power to call forth something out of nothing and to shape creation to conform to God’s will.

Have you noticed that the word from God’s mouth was most often declared to creation through the lips of his prophets?  As God put his word in the mouths of prophets, they declared that word and nations rose and fell, kings were placed on thrones and removed.  Bones lying in desolate valleys rattled together and became standing armies as God’s man declared God’s word over the valley of death.

Our identity, our holiness, our strength, our glory, and our victories have all been spoken by God and written down.  His Spirit puts those words in our mouths and as we also declare the word of God given to us, his word once again goes forth.  As it goes forth, it accomplishes its purpose.  God calls us to be a tribe that surrounds those among us who are broken and declare good things over them.  We are to call out who they are in Christ and the destiny he has ordained for them so that God’s word will accomplish its purpose in their lives.

As we speak honor to one another, encourage one another, and speak only words that build up, we help to establish the believer’s self-image – the internal view we hold of ourselves. We typically conform to that view because it is who we believe we are.  But more than that, we activate supernatural forces that draw those things out of us and make them realities. The words we speak that are God’s words are prophetic in nature.  As we, like Isaiah, consistently prophesy over the wasteland of someone’s brokenness, life and holiness will come forth.  And, by the way, we should declare  that same word of God over ourselves until we see God’s goodness and greatness fully formed in us as well.