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The Bible shows us that God transmits His word in a way that transcends all human concepts. According to our concept God can spread His word and make His speaking known in at least two ways.
First, He could create something in nature similar to a tape recorder that would convey His word to man. If man can invent a tape recorder, God certainly can create something in the universe which would faithfully convey His word verbatim. With such a device, every word of God could be captured. Then every so often, it could be turned on and God’s word could be played back to man. If God were to convey His word to man this way, there would be no possibility of mistakes; everyone could hear God’s pure word. God, however, has not chosen to do this.
Second, God could commission the angels to spread His word. The Bible tells us that angels can carry God’s messages to man. However, the occurrences of this are rare. In every case, God did so because there was no other recourse. The use of angels was an exception; it was not God’s ordinary way of communicating with man. If God had intended to use angels as His messengers, He could have dictated His words as ordinances, like the Ten Commandments. Such documents or ordinances would not have any tint of human experience; they would contain no human error. Some may think that this kind of speaking would eliminate many theological arguments, debates, and heresies. They think that if God’s word were to be spelled out line after line, man would have no problem understanding it. It would be a simple thing if God spelled out His word in five or six hundred clauses that resembled the law. But our God would not do this. Some people wish that the Bible had been written as 1,189 well-organized dogmas instead of 1,189 chapters. When a man picked up such a Bible, he would have a manual of Christianity, which would tell him all about Christianity at a glance. God, however, has not chosen to do this.
If God used something like a tape recorder to transmit His word, there would be very little chance of error, and God could continually repeat His word. His word would not become rare, and no one could say that His vision was fading. His word could continue to go forth on the earth. But the basic problem with such a word is that it does not carry any human element with it, and only God could fully understand it. Even though the word would be of God, there would be no ground for mutual communication; there would be no connection between God and man. God would only be speaking God’s word, and man would not understand it. If God’s word does not contain human characteristics, it would be the same as thunder to us; we would not know what it meant. Clearly, God could never speak to us in this way.
Furthermore, God does not organize His word into doctrines and ordinances. While there are doctrines in God’s word, His word is not merely written for man’s understanding. Many people like to pick out the doctrinal parts of God’s speaking. They cherish these parts. Many unbelievers find the Bible tasteless, being full of common words such as we, you, and they. To them the Ten Commandments are much more interesting. Man always wants to arrange God’s word into sections, with some parts being spoken by angels, some parts being spoken by God, and some parts being revealed through thunder and lightning, with no human element whatsoever. But we must remember that God’s word always bears the mark of human traits. This is a characteristic of the word of God. No book is as personal as the Word of God. In writing his Epistles, Paul repeatedly used the personal pronoun I. We ordinarily avoid using the personal pronoun I too often in a letter, lest our letter become too personal. But the Bible is full of human elements. God selected men to be ministers of His word, and He wants His word to contain human elements. This is a basic principle.
Here we must explain what human elements are. As far as content is concerned, the Bible is full of human elements. If we remove the human elements from the Bible, not much is left of it. Human elements occupy a crucial place in the word of God. For example, the book of Galatians speaks of God’s promise by referring to the story of Abraham. If we removed Abraham’s story from the Bible, we would not understand what God’s promise is. The Lord Jesus is the Lamb of God that redeems man from sin (John 1:29), and the Old Testament speaks of men repeatedly offering sacrifices of bulls and goats. From Abel’s sacrifice in Genesis to the book of Leviticus with its many offerings, we find men offering sacrifices to God again and again. This is a picture of the Lord Jesus becoming the Lamb of God to propitiate for sinners. Consider the example of David in the Old Testament. He fought in battles and won. He obeyed God, and he was a man after God’s heart. He prepared materials for God’s house, and Solomon built the temple with the gold, silver, and precious stones that David had prepared. We see David, and we see Solomon. These two show how the Lord Jesus fought the battle, how He won, how He ascended, and how He was enthroned. If the story of David and Solomon were taken away, we would not be able to see the Lord Jesus fully. The Bible says that the Lord Jesus is greater than David and Solomon (Matt. 22:43-44; 12:42). Before the Lord Jesus came, there first had to be a David and a Solomon. Otherwise, we would not see anything. Consider the example of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt through the wilderness. The details of this history are recorded in the Bible, including how Joshua led the Israelites into the land of Canaan and how they overcame the thirty-one kings of Canaan. If the stories of Moses and Joshua were taken away, there would be very little left of the books of Exodus, Numbers, and Joshua. If we did not have the book of Joshua, it would be hard to understand the book of Ephesians. These examples show us that human elements are present throughout the Word of God.
One characteristic of God’s word is that it is full of human elements. God’s word is not released through thin air; it is released through man. God reveals His word through man and events related to man. This makes His word simple, understandable, and comprehensible. Whenever God speaks, He speaks so that man can understand. God’s word is not merely something that God utters, but something that man can understand. It is not merely supernatural; it is also very natural. It is not merely spiritual; it is also human. Through its human composition we can understand what God is doing and, therefore, what He is saying. The book of Acts provides very little doctrine; it is primarily a record of the acts of the apostles under the leading of the Holy Spirit. Peter’s actions became part of God’s Word, and Paul’s actions also became part of God’s Word. The beginning of the church in Jerusalem became part of God’s Word, and the beginning of the churches in Samaria and the church in Antioch also became part of God’s Word. These events are not merely history; they are part of God’s Word. Through history, man acted out God’s word. By means of history, man declared God’s word. The Holy Spirit reveals God’s word through man by means of history. God’s Word is full of human elements. This is a characteristic of the Bible. It is not a book of creeds. It is a book of man acting out God’s word. When God’s speaking is being carried out, acted out, and lived out by man, we have the word of God.
One basic principle of the Scripture is the principle of incarnation. If a man does not understand incarnation, that is, the principle of the word becoming flesh, it will be hard for him to understand the word of God. God’s word is not abstract. It is not spiritual to the point that all human flavor is suppressed. God’s word is not that distant; it does not remain in an unseen, untouchable, and unapproachable realm. “In the beginning was the Word....He was in the beginning with God” (John 1:1-2). Yet this Word became flesh and tabernacled among men, full of grace and reality (v. 14). This is God’s word. His word tabernacles among men. We have to remember that the incarnation of the Lord Jesus unveils the basic principle of the ministry of God’s word. If we want to understand the ministry of God’s word, we have to understand the Lord Jesus’ incarnation. What is the ministry of the word? It is the word becoming flesh. It is absolutely heavenly, but it is not in heaven; rather, it is on earth. It is one hundred percent heavenly, but it is not without the flesh; rather, it is embodied in the flesh. It is truly heavenly, but it is not devoid of human elements; rather, it is manifested through men. It is very heavenly, but at the same time, it is seen and touched by men. This is the testimony of the apostles. First John 1:1 says, “...which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we beheld and our hands handled....” God’s word can be seen, beheld, and handled.
Consider the matter of holiness. Before the Lord came, no one knew what holiness was. Today, however, holiness is no longer abstract, because we can see holiness lived out on earth in the Lord Jesus. Holiness walked among men. When we see the Lord Jesus, we know what holiness is. The word becoming flesh means that holiness has become flesh. We did not know what longsuffering was. But today we see long-suffering in the Lord Jesus. God is love, but we did not know what this love was like. Today this love can be seen in Jesus of Nazareth. We may think that a spiritual man does not smile or cry or that he must be devoid of all feeling. Yet when we see Jesus of Nazareth, we know the meaning of being spiritual.
If all we had was God’s holiness, we would not know what holiness is. But now we can understand what it is because we have the holiness of the Lord Jesus. If all we had was the love of God, we would not know what love is. But now we can understand what it is because we have the love of the Lord Jesus. If all we had was the longsuffering of God, we would not know what longsuffering is. But now we can understand what it is because we have the longsuffering of the Lord Jesus. If all we had was the glory of God, we would not know what glory is. But now we can understand what it is because we have the glory of the Lord Jesus. If all we had was God’s spirituality, we would not know what spirituality is. But now we can understand what it is because we have the spirituality of the Lord Jesus. This is the meaning of the word becoming flesh. When the word became flesh, glory became flesh, love became flesh, and longsuffering and holiness became flesh. When we touch this flesh, we touch God. Jesus’ love is God’s love. His glory is God’s glory, His holiness, God’s holiness, and His spirituality, God’s spirituality. If all we had was God, we would not know these things. But now that we have seen the Lord Jesus, we can understand all these things.
The principle of incarnation is a fundamental principle. God’s work on man and His communion with man are governed by the basic principle of incarnation. Although we do not have incarnation in the Old Testament, we do see God moving in this direction. Although the incarnated One has ascended to the heavens now, God still operates according to this principle. God’s work in man and His fellowship with man are absolutely based on the principle of incarnation. Today God is no longer an abstract God, an ethereal God, or a hidden God. He has been incarnated; He has come forth. Many times when we preach the gospel, we like to declare that our God has come forth. In the Old Testament He did not come forth. Psalm 18:11 says that “He made darkness His hiding place.” Today God is in the light; He has come forth. He has revealed Himself in the light, and we can see Him. When God was hiding in darkness, we could not see Him or know Him. But today He is in the light, and we can see Him and know Him. He has come forth. He has come forth in the person of Jesus His Son. Incarnation is a very basic principle. The content of God’s word is full of human elements.
Since God’s word is full of human elements, He also includes man in the transmission of His word. Since God’s word is full of human elements, God cannot use a tape recorder, thunder, lightning, or angels to communicate His word. Human elements must be involved in the communication of His word. Because the content is so full of human elements, God must convey it through human elements. It is not a matter of receiving a voice from God and then sending this voice out. God’s word has to pass through our spirit and even our mind, feelings, and understanding and then be converted into our own words before it can be released. This is what it means to be a minister of the word. It is not a matter of receiving His word with one hand and sending it out with the other. That is not the ministry of the word. If we receive a word from God and send out the same word verbatim, we are acting merely as a recording machine. God does not want us to transmit His word like a machine. He wants us to receive the word and then dwell on it, feel it, be bothered by it, rejoice over it, and chew on it before sending it out.
John 7:37 says, “Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.” If I am thirsty, I can go to the Lord and drink. But the matter does not stop there. In verse 38 the Lord said, “He who believes into Me...out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.” When I am thirsty, I can go to the Lord Jesus and drink. But if others are in need, can I simply pour a drink for them? No, God’s Word says that after a man takes a drink, the water goes into his innermost being and then rivers of living water flow out of his innermost being. The ministry of the word is God’s word coming into us and then flowing out from our innermost being to quench others’ thirst. This indirect route constitutes the ministry of the word. It is not a matter of how many verses we can recite or how many messages we can deliver. It is a matter of the living water making an indirect turn and flowing out of our innermost being. The need for a turning within our innermost being and a subsequent flowing out from within our inner being tells us that a price is involved. Sometimes the living water flows into us but cannot flow out. At other times, it ceases to be living after coming into us. Still at other times, many impurities from our inner being are carried with it when it flows out. When this happens, we do not have the ministry of the word.
The ministry of the word has nothing to do with well-prepared sermons. When the word comes into us, it grinds and churns within us. When it passes through us in this way, human elements are added to the word. The word is not contaminated or damaged; it is enhanced. This is the meaning of having the ministry of the word. The Lord is making us channels of living water; water has to flow out from our very being. Our innermost being is the channel. In order for the living water to flow out of us, our very being has to be proper. If we are not proper, God’s word cannot come out from us. We should not think that the power of a message comes from intelligence or eloquence. No, intelligence and eloquence are not the point. The point is whether or not our human elements will enhance and complete God’s word when it passes through us. Does the word become human while still being divine, or do we damage God’s word when our human elements are added to it? This is the basic question that faces a minister of the word.
A big problem with many people is that the living water ceases to be living when it passes through their innermost being! This is why we emphasize the discipline of the Holy Spirit. If a man does not see the importance of being dealt with by the Lord and if his habits, character, and living are not dealt with, he will be useless as far as God’s word is concerned. If a man thinks that being a minister of the word is merely a matter of eloquence and cleverness, he is far from the truth! In fact, nothing can be farther from the truth! God’s word must first come to us, pass through us, fill us, and even bother us, grind us, rub us, and deal with us. We must first suffer these trials and pay this price before we can be brought to the clear realization of God’s word. In this way God’s word is added to us little by little. It is assembled in us and woven into us stitch by stitch like a quilt. Then when the word comes out of us, it will involve the release of the spirit, not just the repetition of words. The water that comes forth will be clear and pure, fully proceeding out from God. We will only enhance its perfection; we will not mar its perfection. We will only add to its holiness, not diminish it. As we are released, the living water will be released. As we are speaking, God will also be speaking. This is the meaning of the ministry of the word.
The ministry of the word is like a combined flow of two rivers; it is not a single river. In order for this to happen, the Holy Spirit needs to operate in us. We need the Spirit to direct our environment to discipline us in many ways. When the Holy Spirit works on us, breaks us, dismantles us, and molds us, we are formed into a channel through which the living water can flow. Our outer man has to be broken and dismantled by God; it needs to be thoroughly and drastically dealt with by God. Our spirit will acquire the understanding, and the Holy Spirit will have the freedom to release God’s word through us only after the Holy Spirit has accomplished such a work. God’s word will take up our human element, yet it will not be contaminated by our human element. Instead, His word and our word will be a combined flow of two rivers.
We must always bear in mind the meaning of the ministry of the word. The ministry of the word means the outflow of God’s Spirit in His divine word through man. It is not the independent release of God’s Spirit in His word but the release of His Spirit in His word in conjunction with man. This is the significance of the ministry of the word. It is something that contains God’s word as well as man’s ministry. God’s word is present in this utterance and so is man’s ministry. God’s word first comes to man. Man’s ministry is then added to this word. The two are released together. If there is only God’s word without man’s ministry, we do not have the release of His word.
Some people think that they can successfully transmit God’s word as long as they pick up a few phrases here and there. However, it is never that simple. The ministry of the word is a combined flow; it is not a single flow. A single flow will not work. God does not operate this way, because this is a fundamental contradiction to the principle of the ministry of the word. We must realize that God’s word cannot be released without man’s word; He has to use man. As far as our disposition and nature are concerned, we are stubborn, defiled, and rebellious. It is easier for God to use a donkey than it is for Him to use us, yet He still prefers man. In His ministry of the word and in the release of His word, God has a desire for man’s element to be involved. God has chosen man to release His word. We must remember that God’s word is present only where there are ministers of the word. Without ministers of the word, we cannot have God’s word. God must secure ministers before He can release His word; without ministers, there cannot be the word. We will be hoping in vain if we expect God to release His word without providing proper ministers for Him. God’s ordained way is to put His word first into ministers, those who have experienced the dealings of the Holy Spirit. We all agree that God’s Spirit is in His word. But His Spirit is also in us. In other words, God’s Spirit is both in His word and in the ministers. God’s Spirit is within the word. But if only this word is released, His Spirit will not do anything. He will only work when the word resides in and is combined with the ministers. The seven sons of Sceva tried to cast out demons in the name of the Jesus whom Paul preached, but they could not cast them out. Not only did the demons remain, but they even prevailed over two of the sons (Acts 19:13-16). The sons had the right words, but the Spirit did not do anything. It is not enough simply to speak the right words. There is also a need to be proper persons, proper ministers. God’s Spirit must first join Himself to the ministers. Then the living water will flow as His Spirit is released through the word.
Let me repeat: God’s word does not operate independently; it is expressed through human elements. Man is the channel, the channel of God. It is impossible to try to overturn this principle by presuming that God’s word alone is sufficient and that there is no need to consider man’s condition. Without the operation of God’s Spirit behind His word, the word will be a useless, empty shell. The crucial issue today is the ministers. The focus is on the ministers. The ministers must have the Spirit. God’s Spirit must accompany His ministers before the word will become effective. As a consequence, the fundamental problem is with the ministers of the word. The ministry of the word is not merely a matter of the word. If one emphasizes the word without emphasizing the ministers, what he has will not be the word. Such a word will be a loss, and it will not be a ministry.
The problem today lies entirely with the ministers. There is no scarcity of vision, light, or God’s word. The problem today is that God cannot find proper ministers. Many times God’s light ceases to be visible to others when it is put into our mouth. Many people speak about the Holy Spirit in their messages, but others do not touch the Holy Spirit. On the contrary, they touch the flesh. Many people speak about God’s holiness, but others do not sense any holiness in them. They only touch a frivolous spirit. Some speak about the cross on the platform, but others can sense that they have never passed through any dealings. There is not even a trace of the cross in them. Some like to speak of love, but only temper, rather than love, is expressed through them. All of these cases speak of a basic problem — something is wrong with the ministers. If all the preaching on this earth today were in the principle of ministry, the church would be very rich. It is unfortunate that there is very little of God’s word despite all of the preaching! This is the basic problem in the church today. Without ministers, there is no inspiration and no revelation. With many people, the more they preach, the further their speaking is from being an inspiration, from being the release of any light, and from being qualified to be called revelation. The problem is with the preachers; they are not the ones whom God can use. God cannot use such men, yet He does not want to speak alone. This is a problem. He has the word, yet He does not want to release this word by Himself. He does not want to be the minister of the word; He wants man to be the minister of His word.
Brothers, God will not speak by Himself. If ministers cannot speak His word, what will be the condition of the church? The church is desolate, poor, and in ruin because human elements have not come up to the standard of God’s word. If God can find a person who has been dealt with by Him, who is broken, and who is prostrate on his face, God’s word will flow through him. We are looking all the time for God’s word, but He is looking all the time for men whom He can use. We are looking for God’s word, while He is looking for ministers.
If we are unwilling to be dealt with, we will not be able to work for God. We must not think that such dealings are optional. We should not presume that, after hearing a certain number of messages, we can release the same word. No! If a person is not proper, his message will not be proper. Man can hinder God’s word. The Holy Spirit is not released through the word alone. When God’s word comes to us, we must be free from all hindrances. We must be broken, and we must bear the mark of the cross. Our spirit must be a smitten spirit. God can only use such persons, and the Holy Spirit will only flow through such persons. If the Holy Spirit is locked within us, the hindrance and frustration is our outer man, our emotion, and our temperament. When such things are present within us, surely God’s word cannot flow through us. Even if we deliver a wonderful sermon, in reality it is nothing but words, teachings, and doctrines; there is not the word of God.
God’s word has to penetrate our whole being — our feelings, our understanding, our heart, and our spirit. It has to flow in and out of us; it has to be identified with us, and then it must be released from us as a result of grinding, crushing, and pressing. If our emotion is misaligned, if our mind is impaired, or if our understanding, heart, and spirit are even slightly off, we will damage God’s word. Not only will our word be flawed, but the church will suffer as well. We will damage God’s word and affect the church. This is the way of the ministry of the word, and this is where our problem lies. We have to learn to allow God’s word to pass through us without any hindrance or contamination. If God is merciful to us, we will find light in this matter.
