Search
Acts 6:4 says, “But we will continue steadfastly in prayer and in the ministry of the word.” The phrase ministry of the word can be translated as “service of the word.” The work of serving men with God’s word is known as the ministry of the word, and the persons who are involved in this service are called ministers of the word. Ministry refers to the work, while minister refers to the person. The ministry of the word occupies a very important place in God’s work. The announcing of God’s word and the ministry of this word to men follow specific principles, and God’s servants should learn these principles well.
Throughout the Old and New Testaments, God spoke. He spoke in the Old Testament. He also spoke in the New Testament at the time of the Lord Jesus and through the church. The Bible shows us that the most important work of God on earth is the speaking out of His word. If we remove His word from His work, there is practically nothing left of His work. The main item of His work in this world is His speaking. Without the word, there would be no work. As soon as His word is removed, His work becomes a void. We must realize the place that God’s word occupies in His work. As soon as we remove His word from His work, the latter ceases. God’s work is carried out through His word. In fact, His word is His work. His work is occupied with nothing but His word.
How did God release His word? It is amazing and unusual to realize that God’s word is released through man’s mouth. This is why the Bible speaks not only of God’s word but also of the ministers of the word. If God did all of His speaking directly, there would be no need of any ministers of the word. However, He chose to speak through man. This brings in the matter of the ministers. We must be clear before the Lord that God’s work is conveyed through His word and His word is released through man. This immediately brings us to the crucial place of man in God’s work. God does not release His word through any means other than man’s mouth. He needs ministers of the word, and He needs men to convey His word.
Throughout the Old and New Testaments, we find three kinds of people. Simply put, three kinds of ministers of the word are involved in spreading God’s word. In the Old Testament God’s word was released through the prophets, that is, through the ministry of the prophets. When the Lord Jesus was on earth, God’s word became flesh, and there was the ministry of the Lord Jesus. In the remainder of the New Testament, God’s word was released through the apostles, that is, through the ministry of the apostles.
In the Old Testament God selected many prophets to speak His word. These prophets received visions and spoke. Even men like Balaam spoke for God. Balaam was a prophet. His prophecy was one of the greatest prophecies in the Old Testament (Num. 23—24). The prophets in the Old Testament, who were the ministers of God’s word, spoke when God’s word came upon them. Balaam prophesied when the Spirit of God came upon him; that is, he involuntarily spoke what the Spirit told him to speak. His own feelings and thoughts were temporarily suspended by God. The revelation and utterance that he received from God were totally unrelated to his own condition; they were simply spoken out from his mouth. He had no share in God’s word. His opinions, feelings, and thoughts were not involved at all. In other words, God used his mouth as if it were His own. Balaam is a typical example of an Old Testament minister of the word. The Holy Spirit would give words, and God would give the utterance. Under the constraining and restraining power of the Holy Spirit, God’s word was released through the Old Testament minister’s mouth. There was no possibility of a mistake. God used men, but these men were merely conveyers of the word. The human element was kept to a minimum in these revelations. Nothing of man was added to the divine utterance. Man’s role was merely that of being a mouthpiece.
In the Old Testament we also see men like Moses, David, Isaiah, and Jeremiah, who were used by God to speak for Him in their work. However, they were more than just mouthpieces for God; they were slightly more advanced than Balaam or some of the other prophets. Most of Moses’ writings were words given by God. He spoke according to the instructions of God, but in a sense his speaking was in the same principle as Balaam’s speaking. When Isaiah saw vision after vision, he recorded these visions in his writings. In a sense his writings also were in the same principle as Balaam’s speaking. God put words in Balaam’s mouth, and God also put words in the mouths of Moses and Isaiah. In principle they all experienced the same thing, but there was also a difference between Moses and Isaiah on one side and Balaam on the other side. When Balaam spoke on his own behalf, he uttered something according to his own sentiments. This kind of speaking was wrong, and it was condemned by God. When he spoke under divine inspiration, he spoke God’s word. When he spoke out of himself, the result was sin, error, and darkness. Moses was different. Even though most of his speaking was ordered by God, when he nevertheless spoke according to his own feeling in the presence of the Lord, his speaking was acknowledged by God and recognized as part of the divine speaking. This means that Moses was more of an instrument of God than Balaam. The same can be said of Isaiah. Most of Isaiah’s prophecies came from visions he received directly from the Lord. However, there are instances in the book of Isaiah which indicate that he was speaking out of himself. David and Jeremiah spoke according to their own feelings even more than Moses and Isaiah. They were more akin to the ministers of the New Testament. In principle, however, they were the same as the Old Testament prophets who spoke only when God’s word came upon them.
The Lord Jesus was the Word becoming flesh on earth. He is God’s Word. He put on the flesh and became a man of flesh. Everything He did and said formed part of God’s word. The service of the Lord Jesus was the service of God’s word. In Him, God’s word was released in an entirely different way than it was released through the Old Testament prophets. In the Old Testament God merely used man’s voice to deliver His word. Even John the Baptist, the last of the prophets, was merely a voice in the wilderness. God’s word was merely conveyed through his voice. But the Lord Jesus was the word itself becoming flesh on earth. In other words, He was the word embodied in the flesh; He was the word becoming a man. We could say that here was a man, and we could also say that here was God’s word. When God’s word came upon man in the Old Testament, the word was the word and man was man. The word was merely being conveyed through man’s voice. Although there is a slight variance in the cases of Moses and David, in principle, man’s voice was merely a carrier during the Old Testament age. But when the Lord Jesus came, the word no longer came upon a man, with the word remaining the word and the man remaining man. God’s word put on human flesh; the word became a man. No longer was God’s word released through man’s voice as a carrier, but the word put on a man. The word had human feelings, thoughts, and opinions, yet it remained God’s word.
When man’s opinion was added to God’s word in the Old Testament, the word ceased to be God’s word. As soon as human feelings, thoughts, and opinions were added to God’s word, it was no longer God’s perfect, pure, and unadulterated word. God’s word was damaged. The purity of God’s word could only be maintained when it was not contaminated with any human feelings, thoughts, or opinions. When God’s word was released through Balaam’s voice alone, it was a prophecy. But when Balaam put in his own feelings and opinions, the word was no longer just God’s word; God’s word was altered. This was the Old Testament. In the case of the Lord Jesus, however, God’s word was conveyed not only through a man’s voice but through his thoughts, feelings, and opinions as well. Man’s thought became God’s thought, man’s feeling became God’s feeling, and man’s opinion became God’s opinion. This was the ministry of the word which God secured in the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus served as a minister of the word under an entirely different principle from the Old Testament ministers. The Old Testament ministers of God’s word were principally serving God with their voice. With some people God used more than just their voice; they acted more in the principle of the New Testament. Yet, in reality, they were still standing on Old Testament ground. But in the case of the Lord Jesus, He was the very Word of God. God’s Word became flesh. Hence, we can say that the feeling of the Lord Jesus was the feeling of God’s word, His thoughts were the thoughts of God’s word, and His opinions were the opinions of God’s word. The Lord Jesus was God’s very word becoming flesh. God does not want His word to remain the word alone; He wants His word to take on human resemblance. He is not satisfied with just the word alone; He wants His word to become flesh. This is the greatest mystery in the New Testament. God is not satisfied with the word alone; He wants His word to be a personified word that carries human feelings, thoughts, and opinions. The Lord Jesus was such a minister of the word.
In the person of the Lord Jesus, God’s word was no longer something objective; it became something subjective. In such a word we find human feelings, thoughts, and opinions. Yet the word remains God’s word. Here we discover a great scriptural principle: It is possible for God’s word to not be influenced by man’s feeling. Even with the presence of human feeling, God’s word is not necessarily contaminated. The question is whether or not such human feeling is up to the standard. This does not mean that every time human feeling is present, God’s word is damaged. There is no such thing. This is a very profound subject! Here we discover a tremendous principle: The human element does not have to obstruct God’s word. In the Lord Jesus we find that when the Word became flesh, the thought of that flesh became the thought of God. Originally, we could only say that the thought of the flesh was the thought of man. But in the New Testament age, the word has became flesh. In other words, the word became a man; the thought of this man was the thought of God’s word. In the Lord Jesus, we find human thought that is up to the standard. There is one kind of human thought which, when added to God’s word, does not contaminate it but instead completes it. God’s word was not hindered by the human element of the Lord Jesus. On the contrary, it was fulfilled through the thoughts of the Lord Jesus. In the Lord Jesus we find God’s word reaching a higher level than that which is found in the Old Testament. Matthew 5:21 says, “You have heard that it was said to the ancients...” This was Jehovah’s word to Moses. It was Moses’ direct inspiration from God. But the Lord Jesus continued in verse 22, “But I say to you...” Here we see the Lord speaking from Himself; He was saying things according to His own thought and opinion. But this speaking did not overturn God’s sovereignty; it complemented His sovereignty. It did not overturn God’s word; it attained a height that was unreachable in the Old Testament.
Here we see the very characteristic of the Lord Jesus as the minister of God’s word. In Him God’s word was made full. In this sinless man, there was not only a voice but feeling and thought as well. In the Lord Jesus, God’s word was no longer merely a revelation; it became the very Lord Jesus Himself. God’s word was no longer conveyed through human voice alone; it became a man. It was personified. God’s word has been joined to man’s word, and man’s speaking has become God’s speaking. The meaning of God’s word being joined to man is that His word has been joined to man’s word. This is a most glorious fact! When Jesus of Nazareth spoke, God spoke! Here was a man whose words were unmatched both before and after His time. No one ever spoke like Jesus of Nazareth. He was absolutely without sin. He was God’s holy One, and He was completely of God. God’s word was in Him, and He was the human embodiment of God’s word. God’s word was Him, and He was God’s word. When He spoke, God was speaking. Here was a minister of the word, in whom God’s word was altogether subjective. God’s word was a very subjective entity in Him. It was so subjective that He Himself was the very word of God.
In the Old Testament we find prophets who spoke for God. In the Gospels we find the Lord Jesus whose very person was God’s word. At the time of the prophets in the Old Testament, we could only point to the prophets when they opened their mouths and say, “Here is God’s word.” But with the Lord Jesus, we could point to His very person and say, “This man is God’s word.” His feeling was the feeling of God’s word, and His thought was the thought of God’s word. When He opened His mouth, there was God’s word, and there was still God’s word when He did not open His mouth. His very person was God’s word. The minister of God’s word has advanced from revelation to personification. With the Old Testament prophets, God’s word was a matter of revelation. But in the Lord Jesus, God’s word is a matter of personification. In the Old Testament the word and the person were two different things. The word was the word, and the person was the person. The word was channeled through man, yet the man remained just a man. But in the Lord Jesus, God’s word became flesh. A man became God’s word. When this man spoke, God was speaking. He did not need any revelation, because He was God’s word. He did not need God’s word to come to Him externally before He spoke the divine word, because His very speaking was God’s speaking. He did not need more of God’s word, because He Himself was God’s word. When He spoke, God spoke. When He felt something, the feeling was the feeling of God’s word. His opinion was God’s opinion. In this man, God’s word was not affected or limited by human factors. When this man opened His mouth, the pure word of God came out. Although He was a man, God’s word did not suffer any loss in passing through Him. In fact, God’s word was fully expressed through Him. This was the ministry of Jesus of Nazareth.
There is another kind of minister of the word in the New Testament — the apostles. The ministry of the word in the Old Testament was completely objective. The ministry of the word in the Lord Jesus was completely subjective. In the Old Testament the ministry of the word was realized when the word came upon a man and the man’s voice was used as a carrier. In the Lord Jesus the ministry of the word was not through the visitation of the word but through the embodiment of the word as a man. The word took on not only the human voice but human thoughts, feelings, and opinions as well. Everything that belonged to this man was being employed by the word, because every aspect of this man was in harmony with God’s word. This man is the Lord Jesus.
When we come to the apostles in the New Testament ministry of the word, we find a ministry with the same nature as that of the ministry of the Lord Jesus. We also find the element of the Old Testament revelation mingled with the nature of the Lord Jesus’ ministry. The difference between the New Testament ministry of the word and the Lord’s ministry of the word is this: In the case of the Lord Jesus, who was God’s word becoming flesh, first there was God’s word and then there was flesh to match this word. All of the feelings, thoughts, and consciousness of this man were in harmony with God’s word. In the case of the New Testament ministry of the word, however, first there is the flesh. We all have the flesh. In order for this flesh to become a minister of the word, it has to be transformed to match the requirement of God’s word. This means that the thoughts, feelings, and opinions of the flesh have to be transformed. The flesh has to match God’s word. Hence, we can say that the New Testament ministry of the word is different from both its Old Testament counterpart and from the Lord’s ministry. The Lord Jesus’ ministry was one hundred percent subjective; He Himself was the word. The New Testament ministry, on the other hand, is the ministry of the prophets plus the ministry of the Lord Jesus. There is the visitation of God’s word, the revelation of God. But there are also human feelings, thoughts, and opinions. Collectively, we can call these aspects the human elements. The New Testament ministry of the word is divine revelation plus human elements.
Men chosen by God in the New Testament are different from the Lord Jesus, who is God’s “holy thing” (Luke 1:35) and God’s Holy One. In Him there is not a hint of any mixture; His word was God’s very word. With the men chosen by God in the New Testament, we have a different story. In addition to depositing His word into their being, God had to deal with the persons themselves; He had to build them up. On the one hand, God put His word into such persons. On the other hand, He dealt with them. God used their thoughts, feelings, and characteristics, yet at the same time He dealt with them. God dealt with the New Testament ministers of the word in their experience, speaking, feeling, thoughts, opinions, and characteristics. He dealt with them before He used them to express His word. A New Testament minister of the word not only has God’s word and not only releases God’s word with his human voice but expresses God’s word through his human life in its full dimensions. God is pleased to put His word into a man and to allow such a man to express His word. The Lord Jesus is the word becoming the flesh, while the New Testament ministers are those who express the word in a flesh that has been dealt with by God.
Some presume that no human element can ever be contained in divine inspiration. They think that once the human element is involved, the divine inspiration is no longer divine. This is wrong. Those who think this way do not understand the nature of inspiration. God’s inspiration does contain human elements. In fact, His word is expressed through human elements. Although the human elements in the prophetic ministry of the Old Testament were minimal, one cannot say that they were completely absent. At the least God used the human mouth to convey His message. The Lord Jesus was the Word becoming flesh. All the human elements within Him were God’s word. Today in the New Testament age, God secures ministers of His word by expressing His word through human beings with human elements.
If one reads the New Testament carefully, it is clear that Paul frequently used words that Peter never used. John used some words that Matthew never used. Some words are found only in Luke’s writings, while others are found only in Mark’s writings. In studying the Bible, we find that every writer has his special characteristics. The Gospel of Matthew is different from the Gospel of Mark, and the Gospel of Mark is different from the Gospel of Luke or the Gospel of John. Paul’s Epistles were written in one style, while Peter’s Epistles were written in another style. John’s Gospel and Epistles contain the same subject; they are related. For example, the first sentence of the Gospel of John says, “In the beginning....” The first sentence of his first Epistle says, “That which was from the beginning....” One speaks of the beginning, and the other speaks of that which was from the beginning. The book of Revelation, which was also written by John, echoes his Gospel and Epistles and contains the same style. Moreover, we can observe that every writer uses idiomatic expressions which are distinctly his own. Luke was a doctor. In describing sicknesses, he freely used medical terms. The other three writers of the Gospels only described these ailments in general terms. The book of Acts was written by Luke as well, and we find the same free use of medical terminology. Every Gospel has distinctive terminologies and themes. For example, Mark is unique in its use of the word immediately, Matthew, in the use of the phrase the kingdom of the heavens, and Luke, in the use of the phrase the kingdom of God. All these are unique characteristics of the writers. Every book of the Bible is impregnated with the marks of its writer, yet every book remains very much the word of God.
The New Testament is full of human elements, yet it is all God’s word. Every writer has his own style, expression, and characteristic, and God uses these characteristics to express His word through them. His word is not damaged by this process. There are human marks and human characteristics, yet it is still God’s word. This is the ministry of the New Testament. In the New Testament ministry God entrusts His word to man, and He uses man’s very own elements to express His word. He does not make man a tape recorder, recording His speaking verbatim and then playing it back objectively. God does not want to do this. The Lord Jesus has come, and the Holy Spirit has carried out His work in man. The goal of His work is to keep the human elements and yet at the same time not damage the divine speaking. This is the foundation of the New Testament ministry. The Holy Spirit modulates, regulates, and operates on man to the degree that his elements remain, yet God’s word is not sacrificed; rather, it is complemented. If God’s word is void of human elements, it means that man has become a tape recorder. Today God’s word contains human elements and is, in fact, complemented by human elements. We know that speaking in tongues is a gift from God. However, Paul did not encourage everyone to speak in tongues in the meeting, because when a man speaks in tongues, his mind is unfruitful (1 Cor. 14:14, 27-28). In other words, the human mind is not involved. This is more in the principle of the Old Testament ministry; it is different from the New Testament ministry. When a man speaks in tongues, his mouth conveys an unintelligible, divine utterance. But God wants human elements in His New Testament ministry. By the restriction, regulation, and operation of the Holy Spirit, everything of man can be used by God, and God can release His word through man. It is truly God’s word, yet at the same time it is full of human elements. A New Testament minister of God’s word must be possessed by God to such an extent.
Consider the example of a musician. He may be very skillful with the piano, organ, and violin. He can play the same tune on different instruments. Every instrument has its own characteristics, and the music it produces bears distinctive characteristics. A man can tell whether the sound is from a piano or a violin. The tune is the same, but the sounds are different. Every instrument bears its own distinctive sound quality. The piano has its own quality, as do the organ and the violin. Every instrument is different, yet all the characteristics added together bring out the sentiments and ethos of the music. There is an analogy between this and the New Testament ministers. Some are like the piano, while others are like the organ or violin. The tune may be the same, but different sounds are produced. One man releases God’s word, and we find his own human elements in the word. Another man releases God’s word, and we find his own human elements in the word. Everyone whom God uses has his own human elements. Under the regulation, direction, and perfection of the Holy Spirit, the human elements do not become a hindrance to God’s word. Instead, they glorify it in the process of releasing it.
Since God’s word must pass through man and must pick up the human elements, those who have never experienced God’s dealing cannot expect their human elements to be of any use. If a man’s own elements are questionable to God, God cannot release His word through such a man. Such a one cannot serve as a minister of God’s word, and God cannot use him. In the Old Testament God used a donkey to speak for Him. This, however, is the age of the New Testament, and the New Testament ministry of the word is different from that of the Old Testament. In the New Testament God’s word is expressed through human elements. This is why God is very selective; He decides whom He can use and whom He cannot use. If our human elements are not properly dealt with, we cannot be a minister of the word. We do not have the option of conveying God’s word like a tape recorder. God needs to see changes in us. If we cannot come up to God’s standard, He cannot use us. If we want to be a channel of God’s word, we need much calibration and adjustment. If God set aside our human elements, it would be a simple matter to convey His word. But God wants the human elements, and the very persons whom He will use become a big issue. Some human elements are contaminated with defilement, carnality, and traces of the fall. God cannot use these; He has to put them aside. Some people have never been broken by the Lord. Others have a mind that is full of crooked guile. Some argue with God, while others are never dealt with in their mind or their emotion. They remain stiff-necked. God’s word can never be released through these ones. Even if they receive God’s word, they cannot pass it on. Even if they force themselves to pass it on, they will not be able to do so effectively. The basic consideration of a New Testament minister of God’s word is his very condition before the Lord.
Today God does not want His word to remain His word alone; He wants His word to be spoken through man’s mouth in a way that it is seen as man’s word. What God wants is a word that is truly divine yet at the same time human. In reading the New Testament, can we find one word that was not written down by man? The outstanding characteristic of the New Testament, from the first page to the last, is that it is a record of man’s speaking. It is absolutely human; nothing can be more human than its speaking. At the same time, however, it is absolutely divine; it is one hundred percent God’s word. God is not satisfied with just the expression of His word; He wants His word to be expressed through man’s word, so that the word which is released is truly human and at the same time truly divine. This is the New Testament ministry of the word.
In 2 Corinthians 2:4 Paul said, “For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you through many tears.” In writing to the Corinthians, Paul was serving them God’s word. He wrote out of much affliction and anguish of heart. He was delivering God’s word through many tears. Here was a man whose entire being was into his speaking. His whole being constituted his speaking. His writing was full of his human feelings. When God’s word came to him, he was filled with affliction and anguish of heart, and he wrote through many tears. While he was writing, his human elements were mingled with God’s word, and he released God’s word this way. His human elements enhanced God’s word and made it all the more God’s word. Paul was not void of feelings and thoughts. He was not like a tongue-speaker, who receives a word and passes it on without the mind having any effect upon the word itself. Paul wrote God’s word with much feeling and exercise of thought. As God’s word was uttered, he was in much affliction and anguish of heart, and he wrote through many tears. This is a New Testament minister of the word.
God’s word is expressed through man, the entire man. As such, man’s characteristics, idiomatic expressions, tone of voice, and subjective experiences before God all flow through the word. Through the word we can find the extent to which a man has been taught by God, disciplined by God, and tested by God. When God’s word comes to man, it can be expressed through man’s human elements without damaging God’s word. It does not have to be contaminated. This is what it means to be a minister of the word in the New Testament. A New Testament minister of the word is one who has been taught by God for many years and one whom God can freely use. When the word reaches such a man, it can flow through him freely. The divine word will suffer contamination only if the human elements which interact with God’s word are fleshly or natural.
Only when God’s word has been impregnated with the human elements is such a word complete. Do not be mistaken; God’s word is not just one commandment or ten commandments. The Bible shows us clearly that there is a human flavor and human elements within God’s word. God has put His word into man and entrusted man to speak His word. Moreover, He requires that man’s condition be right so that He can include man in His speaking. The basic principle of God’s speaking is the principle of the Word becoming flesh. God is not satisfied with having His word alone; He wants His word to become flesh, to become part of man’s word. This does not mean that God’s word has been downgraded to the status of being just man’s word. It means that God’s word has been seasoned with man’s flavor. However, it is preserved as His pure word. It is truly man’s word and at the same time truly God’s word. It is genuinely God’s word and at the same time genuinely man’s word. The New Testament ministry of the word is man speaking God’s word. In reading the book of Acts as well as 1 and 2 Corinthians, we find men speaking God’s word. In reading 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon, we also find a man speaking God’s word. God’s word is manifested through man’s word and expressed through human elements. It is man speaking, yet God recognizes it as His word.
If this is the case, how great is the responsibility of those who speak God’s word! If a man makes a mistake or if he introduces unclean elements into his speaking, God’s word will be contaminated and will suffer loss. We must realize that the critical factor in speaking God’s word is not the amount of Bible knowledge one possesses. It is useless if all one has are empty doctrines and a knowledge of the Bible. It is possible for these to remain completely objective matters to a person. A man can preach all he wants about these things yet remain absolutely separate from them. We cannot be like the Lord Jesus, who was the word becoming flesh. However, as ministers of the word, we should realize that God’s word is expressed through our flesh; He needs our flesh. This is why our flesh needs to be dealt with by God. Daily we have to have transactions with God; we need to experience His dealings. If we are short in any way, God’s word will be damaged as soon as it passes through us and mingles with our own words.
Do not think that anybody can speak God’s word. Only one kind of person can speak God’s word — the one who has passed through His dealings. The greatest challenge to a speaker of God’s word is not the appropriateness of the subject or the choice of words but the very person of the speaker. If the person is wrong, everything else will be wrong. May God teach us the genuine way to serve in the ministry of the word. We must remember that preaching is not a simple matter; it is serving God’s people with God’s word. May the Lord be merciful to us. Because our whole being is involved with the word, any unsuitable elements in our thoughts, expression, and attitudes, and any shortcoming in our training and experience will unconsciously damage His word. Our very being must be dealt with by the Lord. If we are dealt with by the Lord, His word will not suffer our contamination when we serve as His ministers. We will be able to release His word in a pure way. We can see this in Paul, Peter, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and we can see this in many servants of the Lord. Human elements are present in God’s word. But while human elements are present, they do not express the flesh. On the contrary, one finds glory in its expression. This is amazing — God’s word becomes man’s word, and man’s word becomes God’s word.
