Dear Partners and Friends,
Today, a concerning issue is rising, and we should talk about it. There is a cultural disregard for the Spirit-filled life. An awakening is happening all over the world, on college campuses, in the business world, and within political spheres. So many are looking for a deeper experience with the Holy Spirit, and it is showing up all over society. Still, alarming is the many issues leaving many believers hurt, swindled, lied to, and even abused by various leaders claiming to be God’s special anointed person. This is an issue that is being brought to light and addressed as it should be. Accountability, along with the protection of the innocent, is always the right thing to do in the eyes of God and scripturally. Here is the concern: once bad behavior is called out, and we continue to hear of a new horrific story emerging in the public square, it won’t stop there. An extreme is likely to invade our churches and pulpits, ultimately causing a pullback from the power of the Holy Spirit.
Believers seem to gravitate to extremes. A new movement comes out, and suddenly they take the teaching, the experiences, and the doctrine of the latest new thing to a heightened place, and that is not healthy. When the pendulum has swung as far as it can, what follows are the flaws in such behavior until the pendulum swings radically to the other direction, going to as much of an extreme as what was out of order in the previous direction.
Here is what is needed. A revival of the Bible, with the power of the Holy Spirit in action. The temptation amid controversy is to throw out all things Supernatural and lean into the wounds and challenges that bad, even sinful, behavior produced. We as a Body definitely need to deal with the issues that will always arise. We must heal the abused and confront the evils that are perpetrated by those claiming offices of authority in the Church. What we must also do is stand firmly on the foundation of the Word of God without leaving behind the power of the Holy Spirit in demonstration.
We need a movement of Word and Spirit. Let me explain.
Word and Spirit are the apex of all processes to walk in the fullness Jesus provided for the believer. Much like grace and faith, the believer must walk in Word, the foundation and source of all truth, but the Spirit is to be applied alongside the Word of God.
Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.”
—Matthew 22:29
Notice Jesus said to those questioning Him about the resurrection, specifically regarding the woman who was married to more than one man, with the final question, “Whose wife shall she be?” Jesus responded, saying, “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.” Jesus was answering their inquiry regarding who the woman would be married to in this hypothetical scenario; yet the response Jesus offered applies to many of the issues we grapple with in our walk as believers. Scripture and the power of God, or what we might call the Word and Spirit, apply to everything we navigate in life.
It is the Word of God that lays our foundation and is never to be violated (see 1 Corinthians 4:6); it is the highest form of thought, producing clarity and understanding. We are to study the Word of God to show ourselves approved, especially if we are going to be among those who handle the Word of God accurately, by giving it proper care regarding interpretation and application. Through ingesting it with our eyes and ears, we gain light with Godly understanding, both intellectually and by bringing order to our carnal mind.
For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.
—Psalm 36:9
Your light is a revelatory term, meaning the knowledge of God through His Word brings supernatural understanding. Psalm 27 again teaches us that the Lord is our light and salvation. Taking in the Word of God to whatever extent you are altered by it creates not only a revelatory connection to God the Father but also the foundation of discipleship.
A phrase I often use is “read the Bible until it starts talking back to you.” Where? Your inner person, your conscience, your beliefs, and all things that shape your worldview craft the very image of your innermost heart. Fundamentally, it will build you, correct you, and most of all nourish you inwardly.
Where many find themselves missing the highest purpose of the Word of God, it is only to approach it intellectually. Giving themselves to it mainly from the natural mind, a carnal study of dissecting it through study and academia, a place that has great fruit for knowledge. Yet as correct as this approach is, it remains incomplete. The Bible is not to be studied only as a historical document. Much to the contrary, the highest purpose of the written Word of God is to approach it as a living thing.
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
—Hebrews 4:12
I have had the privilege to walk in both arenas. In my earlier years, my studies in theology and textual criticism were not extensive but were enough to open my eyes to the thrill of engaging intellectually with the Bible from a historical standpoint and through hermeneutics. One of the Greek and historical professors I studied under took me aside one day and encouraged me to pursue a Ph.D. in textual criticism and Bible translation. This was due to my interest and grasp of the Bible at that time in my life. It appealed to me as a young student and was something I considered. Many questions came with that idea and the beginning point of that pursuit. What separates the Bible from all other ancient texts, and how do we know this really is God’s Word and not a normal document? These thoughts ran through my mind for a long time. It wasn’t until I was driving home from my classes one day that a brief but clear visitation happened to me. The Holy Spirit spoke so starkly to my inner man. Here is what I heard regarding my question about the Word of God being inspired and living, compared with other ancient manuscripts.
I heard these words in my heart and knew they were from the Holy Spirit:
“Either take the written Word by faith, or you will see it no different than Shakespeare.”
A simple statement when I write it out now, but at the moment, it was revelatory. I was being shown a choice: either embrace the written Word of God as truly God-inspired and alive, or fall back on my intellect, seeing it as a masterpiece to be studied scientifically, like an attorney. Nothing is wrong with that approach, as I still do so today for books I write and more. Yet the purpose of what was said to me was not to discourage that aspect of the Bible; it was to call me higher into the place of the ultimate relationship we are to have with Scripture, to know Jesus and God the Father. You see, the Bible is not written only to make sense; it is written to make faith.
This is why we need study that shows us approved in Scripture, along with a deep heart connection and faith in what you are reading, that it is eternal and true. By mixing Scripture with faith, even the things one may not understand when reading, one can still say, I believe this. Whatever I’m reading in this book, I believe it! Period, no argument. If something doesn’t seem to line up or would come across as contradictory, it gets worked out as you continue.
There is a point that was necessary for me, and I would suggest is necessary for all believers: not only read the Scripture with your mind, but you must read it with your heart. Fundamentally, this is where faith comes alive.
For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.
—Hebrews 4:2
Currently, I’m working on a book dealing with the origins of the canon of Scripture and which translations are dependable. I believe it will be a helpful resource when it is ready. But let us remember that the Word of God is a living thing, not only an intellectual document. This brings us to the second part: as believers, we must consider whether we are walking in the fullness of what God designed us for—the Power of God, the work of the Holy Spirit through the Church.
Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
—2 Corinthians 3:17
Only by combining these two realities will we walk in the completeness God has for us. Spirit power through the baptism of the Holy Spirit brings revelation, knowledge, and enlightenment to our inner man, causing us to walk in the Spirit. Remember, the highest purpose of the written Word of God is not to make sense, although it does. The Bible makes sense, and we study it to show ourselves approved. The highest purpose of the Word of God is to make faith! That is what it cultivates when you read and meditate on it—faith.
From this position of developing your faith, there is the activation of the gifts of the Spirit, the leading and guiding clarity of the Voice of God within your life, as well as the fulfilling call which is given to you. Combining Word and Spirit starts with the Word of God and releases a manifestation of the Power of God in demonstration. A foundation built solid on the rock of Scripture will pave the way for a move of God in your life and in the world around you. Simply put, this is the basics of Word and Spirit. We need both—a combination that cannot be stopped by a fallen world or any powers of darkness—so that Word and Spirit will take the Church of Jesus Christ to the highest place of impact in the world.
For with God nothing will be impossible.
—Luke 1:37
For Jesus,
Joseph Z
