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We have discussed already the nature of God’s word. God’s word contains many human elements, yet it nevertheless remains God’s word. It is not corrupted by the human elements. The word remains eternal, excellent, transcendent, divine, holy, and pure. We have also seen that the ministry of the word consists of the release of this human-impregnated word through human faculties such as the memory, understanding, thoughts, heart, spirit, and utterance. This is the reason that it is so important for a minister of the word to be proper before God when he preaches the word. If his condition is not proper, God’s word will be corrupted.
Let us consider Paul, who was very much used by the Lord in the New Testament. We will see the ways he served as a minister of God’s word.
Paul said, “I have finished the course” (2 Tim. 4:7). The word course in Greek refers to a journey. Paul’s course was based on an itinerary; it was marked in advance. God assigns a definite course for everyone. This course is marked and calculated in advance. It is marked not only as to its direction but also as to its distance. Paul obtained mercy from God and was able to run on his assigned course. He finished his course at the proper moment. When it was time for his departure from the world, he said, “I have finished the course.” I believe God placed this course before Paul on the day that he believed in the Lord.
We know that God begins His work on a person long before he is saved. Paul said the same to the Galatians: “But when it pleased God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me that I might announce Him as the gospel among the Gentiles, immediately I did not confer with flesh and blood” (Gal. 1:15-16). In the first part of this passage Paul said, “God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace.” This shows that Paul was set apart from his mother’s womb. Then he told us that he became a minister of God’s word. While he was yet in his mother’s womb, God set him apart, and his course was assigned. When he was saved, he embarked on this course. This shows that the preparation and initiation of a minister is determined by God when he is still in his mother’s womb.
Every experience we had before we were saved was under God’s sovereign arrangement. God gives us our distinctive characters, our temperaments, our inclinations, and our virtues. God prepares all of these things. No one goes through any experience by accident. Every experience is part of God’s sovereign arrangement. No person inherits a character trait by accident; everything is under God’s sovereign hand. He made provisions long ago for our natural abilities and experiences, and He has prepared us for our future commission. Paul was set apart from his mother’s womb. His course was set long ago by God. Even his profession before his conversion was set by God.
Peter was fishing when he was called. His lifetime work involved bringing men to the Lord (Matt. 4:18-20). The keys to the kingdom of the heavens were given to him; he was the one who opened the door (16:19). He opened the door at Pentecost, and he opened the door at the house of Cornelius. We should pay attention to the fact that it was the fisherman who brought in the men.
John was also a fisherman. But when he was called, he was not fishing; he was mending the nets (4:21-22). The Gospel of John was the last of the four Gospels to be written. In his Gospel he unveiled the matter of eternal life. If we only had the first three Gospels and if John had never mended what was lacking in these three, we would not know what eternal life is today. Moreover, John’s Epistles were written decades after Peter’s and Paul’s Epistles. By that time the Gnostics had brought in their philosophies. John turned men back to the matter of the eternal life. He showed us the condition and expression of a man who is born of God. In the early days of apostasy, we had a mender who mended the net with eternal life. John’s Revelation is the last of the sixty-six books of the Bible. Without this book, the Bible would not be complete; many things would not have a proper conclusion. John mended the net and completed the Bible with Revelation. This shows us John’s ministry — the ministry of mending.
Let us turn back to Paul. God had set a course for him. Even his profession was foreordained by God. He was a tentmaker; he was not a weaver. He sewed and stitched with fabric, and he made dwellings fit for traveling. His ministry came after the work of the Lord Jesus and the work of Peter. Paul’s ministry stands between Peter’s work and the work of the future kingdom. The kingdom has not yet come. In the meantime, men are being saved and are building up the church. Paul’s ministry was in the principle of tentmaking; he put material together and built it into a habitable dwelling. His work was not to produce the fabric — a kind of raw material. His work involved tents — which serve as habitable dwellings. Paul’s profession was something arranged by God.
A minister of God’s word is set apart from his mother’s womb. For this reason, no one should act foolishly before the Lord. Everyone should understand God’s sovereign arrangement in his environment. God’s sovereign hand is behind everything — his environment, his family, and his profession. God has no intention to annul these human elements; He has no intention to remove them. God does not want us to act unnaturally. He does not want us to be pretentious or legal in any way. He wants us to be like simple children. Yet at the same time, He wants to break our outer man. The Spirit of God can reconstitute all of our human elements. At the same time, our very self (not the human elements), which is made up of our natural “shell,” i.e., our natural life, together with our emotional and intellectual life, must be broken by Him. God has to break these things. The outward man must be broken and torn down. But this does not mean that God will set aside the human elements completely.
The biggest problem is that we do not know at which point this work begins and where it ends. We do not know how much of what we have in us is permitted to stay and how much is hated by God and in need of being broken. As soon as we function in our ministry, whoever has been taught by God will have an inner registration of a pure or a defiled service. This is not a simple pathway to take. Everyone has to submit to God’s discipline; everyone has to submit to the cross. The cross has removed everything that God condemns and hates, and it has broken down everything that needs to be broken down. A man must learn submission; he has to tell the Lord, “I have many problems within me. I do not know how to deal with them all. I ask for Your shining, for the killing of Your light. Deal with me according to Your light. Deal with me to such an extent that my human elements will not become a hindrance to Your work but a means to express Your work.” Paul’s entire life, from beginning to end, was under God’s hand. His salvation was a pattern to others (1 Tim. 1:16). First, God’s light subdued him; he fell before the Lord. This was a strong salvation. Immediately after he stood up, God’s word came to him, and it never stopped. He wrote most of the Epistles of the New Testament. God was pleased to release His word continually through Paul. He was indeed a great minister under God’s hand.
Let us turn our attention to Paul’s Epistles to the Corinthians, in particular to the manner in which he fulfilled his ministry of the word. A brother once said that of all the books of the Bible, the Corinthian Epistles, and in particular 1 Corinthians 7, show us the peak of human experience. This is right. Paul’s experience proves this. Consider the following examples:
Verse 6 says, “But this I say by way of concession, not by way of command.” The phrase this I say clearly indicates that this was Paul’s own word.
Verse 7 says, “Yet I wish all men to be even as I am myself.” Such a wish was Paul’s own wish. Verse 6 presents Paul’s own word, while verse 7 speaks of his own wish. He did not say that God commanded such or that God ordained such. Verse 7 continues, “But each has his own gift from God, one in this way, the other in that.” God works in different ways. But it seems as if Paul was giving his own opinion. He was hoping that all would be even as he was.
Verse 8 says, “But I say to the unmarried and to the widows, It is good for them if they remain even as I am.” This was again Paul’s own word.
Verse 10 says, “But to the married I charge, not I but the Lord, A wife must not be separated from her husband.” Paul first said that he charged them, but then he said that it was not him but the Lord who charged them. We can only find such expressions in 1 Corinthians 7. On the one hand, Paul charged, and on the other hand, he said that it was not his charge but the Lord’s charge.
Verse 12 says, “But to the rest I say, I, not the Lord.” This is Paul’s word again. Verses 12 through 24 are all Paul’s word; they are not the Lord’s word. How could Paul have dared to say such a word? How could he have been so bold? By what authority was he speaking these words? In the following verses he presents the basis for his speaking.
Verse 25 says, “Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord.” Paul did not lie. He honestly confessed that he did not have a commandment of the Lord. “But I give my opinion as one who has been shown mercy by the Lord to be faithful.” Here was the opinion of one who had been shown mercy by the Lord, one who was empowered by the Lord to be faithful. God had done a profound work in him and had made him a faithful one. He was able to claim that God’s mercy had made him a faithful person, that it had done so much work in him that he was now able to express his opinion. Here we do not find the Lord’s commandment. Instead, we find Paul’s opinion, that is, his view concerning a certain matter. All the words were Paul’s. He told the Corinthians how he felt.
Verse 26 says, “I consider then that this is good because of the present necessity.” Paul said that this was his opinion.
Verse 28 says, “I am trying to spare you.” This was again Paul’s opinion.
Verse 29 says, “But this I say, brothers.” This is Paul’s word.
Verse 32 says, “But I desire you to be without care.” This is Paul’s word.
Verse 35 says, “But this I say.” This is again Paul’s word.
Verse 40 says, “According to my opinion.” This is Paul’s opinion.
In verse 17 Paul said, “And so I direct in all the churches.” He said this not only to the Corinthians but to all the churches. He charged all the churches with the same things.
Brothers and sisters, how marvelous this is! This is the opposite of our common understanding. In John 8:28 the Lord said, “As My Father has taught Me, I speak these things,” and in 12:50 He said, “Even as the Father has said to Me, so I speak.” Yet Paul was bold to tell others that his words were his own opinions, views, and even his charge to the churches. This is either the loftiest experience or the worst experience. Thank God that this is the loftiest experience. No place in the Bible is as high as 1 Corinthians 7. After his words in this passage, Paul concluded by saying, “I think that I also have the Spirit of God” (v. 40). Here we reach the highest peak. Paul was clear that he did not have God’s commandment; he was clear that he did not have a word from the Lord. His speaking was merely based on the mercy that had been shown to him. He had no other basis. His only basis was God’s compassion and mercy to him. But after he spoke, he could say that he thought he had the Spirit of God.
This is the “human element” which we discussed earlier. This is an outstanding and stark example of man’s elements being employed in God’s word. Here was a man who was disciplined, restricted, and broken by the Lord to the extent that he could speak even when he was very clear that the Lord had not said anything. Yet in the end, his word became the word of the Holy Spirit. Paul was giving others his own opinion. Yet in the end his opinion was the opinion of the Holy Spirit. Paul said that it was his thought and his opinion. Yet in the end it was the intention of the Spirit of God. Here was a man under the Lord’s Spirit and His operation so much that when he spoke, the Holy Spirit was speaking. What a great difference this is from the donkey of Balaam! Balaam’s donkey could speak God’s word only when the word was put into its mouth. When God’s word was taken away, only the donkey was left. In contrast, here was a man who had followed the Lord, received mercy from Him, and been faithful for years. In the end his speaking became the Spirit’s speaking. Paul made it clear that it was his opinion. But in the end it was the Lord’s opinion. God had worked in him to such an extent that he could almost speak God’s word without having God’s word. What is this? This is a minister of the word.
With many servants of the Lord, God’s word can be found in them only when a word is put into their mouth, and when it is not placed in their mouth, they do not have any word. Yet Paul had reached the stage where he had God’s word whether or not it was put into his mouth. Here was a man so trained that he could earn the Lord’s trust. Here was a man so trained and trusted by God that his speaking became God’s speaking. We cannot do anything about this except to plead for mercy. Brothers, we cannot be just a donkey. We cannot be satisfied with God’s word just being placed in our mouth. If this is our condition, it means that we ourselves have nothing to do with God’s word. Paul was a man who had much to do with God’s word. Even his own opinions became God’s opinions. The little thoughts that he had became the thoughts of the Holy Spirit. He was so one with the Spirit of God! His very speaking represented God’s speaking. He indeed reached the highest peak.
A minister of the word is not merely one who transmits God’s word. He must be a person who has a certain relationship with God’s word. He has God’s thoughts and opinions, and he has reached the stage where his desires become God’s desires. He does not act in a certain way because he comes to a separate realization of God’s desire in a certain matter. Rather, he is restricted by God to such an extent that God trusts his thoughts and ideas. God can acknowledge his thoughts and ideas as His own. This is what we have been saying for years; it is what we call the constituting work of the Holy Spirit. God constitutes Himself into us. He works and wroughts Himself into us. The golden lampstand was made of beaten work (Exo. 25:31). We must remember that something is given to us by the Lord on the one hand, while God is beating the same thing into us on the other hand. We are like an unshaped piece of gold. God is beating us blow by blow until we are formed into the shape of a lampstand. The Holy Spirit not only puts the divine word in our mouth but also beats such a word into our being until we are conformed to God’s defined shape. This is not a matter of whether or not we have God’s word in our mouth but a matter of whether we have been beaten to the point where God can entrust His word to us. Paul was constituted by the Lord to such an extent that his opinion was considered trustworthy; the Lord worked in him to such an extent that his thoughts were trustworthy enough to convey God’s word. When God’s word is placed in such a man and he is called to be a minister of the word, there is no danger of corruption.
A minister of the word is a person in whom God can confide His trust and faith. Ministry of the word means that there is not only the word but the man, the very person who serves as the minister of the word. Such a person has been so perfected that God’s word will not suffer damage or misunderstanding through him. He is a person whom God can use, one who can serve as a minister of the word. A minister of the word is one who is so constituted by God that God can entrust him with His very opinions, thoughts, and desires. His own human elements can be involved in the speaking; they will not cause any problem to the divine word. Brothers and sisters, do not think that we are contradicting what we have preached in the past. In the past we pointed out that human ingredients are forbidden in God’s work. Why then do we now say that God’s word contains human elements? We are not admitting every kind of human element; we are saying that only certain kinds of human elements can be involved in God’s word. Those who have such elements will find God’s word flowing out of them freely. God can freely trust them.
We should spend a little more time to consider Paul’s word. He said that he had obtained mercy to be faithful. Mercy is of God, and the result of mercy is faithfulness. This means that God did some constituting work in Paul. He worked in Paul to such an extent that Paul’s very being resembled God’s word. Because of this, Paul could release God’s word wherever he went. Paul could say “I wish,” “I say,” or “I direct in all the churches” because he was a person who had met God; he knew God. When he spoke his word, it was God’s word that came out. We have to remember that God’s word is not released in a supernatural way; it is released through man and with human elements. If the person is not right, God’s word cannot be released, and such a person cannot be a minister of the word. Never think that a man can preach a message just by memorizing it. God’s word has to make a turn within man before it can be released. If you are not the proper person, God’s word will be damaged as soon as it goes through you. As soon as man’s frivolity and carnality come in, God’s word is defiled. A man must reach the point where God’s constituting work is well formed in him. Then the Lord’s word can pass through him without suffering loss on account of his person.
In 1 Corinthians 7 God’s word did not suffer any loss in Paul. Here was a man who was mature. If he spoke according to his own opinion, we are assured that this opinion was right. If he said something, we have the confidence that what he said was right. When he directed all the churches to do certain things, we have the assurance that this direction was right. Here was a man who was directing others, yet God’s word was coming through him; he was not acting independently. Here was a man whom God could trust. He had reached the pinnacle. A minister of the word must attain such a height before God’s word can be released through him. The measure of discipline and restriction one receives from the Lord determines the degree of purity of God’s word that is released through him. The degree of brokenness before the Lord determines the degree of purity of one’s speaking. The less one receives and learns from the Lord, the more likely God’s word is defiled and contaminated when it is released through him. The more restriction, discipline, blows, and breakings one receives, the purer God’s word is when it is released through him. The ministry of the word is based on the ministry a person possesses before the Lord. If our ministry before the Lord is a failure, our speaking is a failure as well.
Let us turn to 1 Corinthians 14:29-32, which says, “And as to prophets, two or three should speak, and the others discern. But if something is revealed to another sitting by, the first should be silent. For you can all prophesy one by one that all may learn and all may be encouraged. And the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets.” Prophethood is the highest ministry among all ministries of God’s word. The Holy Spirit gives the word to the prophets, and the same Spirit is within the prophets. It is the spirits of the prophets which enable the prophets to speak God’s word. But something else is also mentioned: A speaker has to watch to see if others have also received God’s word. If they have, then he has to allow them to speak. Although the first one may have God’s word in his mouth, he should stop and allow others who have received a revelation to speak. If four or five persons have received a revelation, they should not all speak; at most two or three should speak, while the rest should keep quiet, because the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. When the Holy Spirit is upon a person and he is serving as God’s minister of the word, the spirit of such a person is subject to him. “The spirits of prophets are subject to prophets” — this is God’s own word.
Here we find a basic principle: In releasing God’s word, the Holy Spirit decides what should be spoken, but the prophets decide when and how the word should be spoken. In a meeting, if two or three have received a revelation and are speaking, the fourth and the fifth should shut their mouths even though they have also received a revelation. Although the word they have received is from the Holy Spirit, they have to decide when they should release it. They cannot speak whenever they want. If someone else receives a revelation while they are speaking, they have to stop and allow the other to speak. Hence, the word is given by the Spirit, but the time and way it is delivered is determined by the prophets. The spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. When the Spirit of God wants you to speak, you should bear in mind that your spirit is subject to you. The time and way to speak is determined by the prophets. One does not speak whenever the word comes to him.
The responsibility of the ministers of the word is great. Much of the responsibility rests on the shoulder of the ministers, not on God. If the ministers are not proper, God’s word will suffer loss. The words may be the right words, but the attitude of the speaker may be wrong or the timing may be wrong. As a consequence, God’s word will suffer loss. If we are not proper, we cannot release a proper word. Or if we are not trustworthy, the word will fail even while it is still in us. If the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets, how great is the responsibility of the prophets! It is relatively easy to speak when the word comes upon us. It is also easy to stop speaking when the word does not come upon us. But when the Lord gives us the word, we still have to decide how and when we should speak such a word. If we have never been dealt with or restricted by the Lord and if there is no constitution of the Holy Spirit or knowledge of His way in us, His word will suffer damage in our hands. The Lord entrusts His word to us, and we have to consider how and when we should deliver it. This is a tremendous responsibility, and we must not regard it lightly.
We should realize that the ministry of the word means that God has entrusted His word to man. This word is not a replay from a tape recorder, but a word that is placed within man. It gives room for man to consider the way and time for it to be delivered. The spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. The Lord intends that such spirits be subject to the prophets. The time and way for the word to be delivered is entirely the responsibility of the prophets; they are not the responsibility of the Spirit. If a prophet has not experienced the proper dealings, discipline, and restriction, his spirit will run wild, and trouble will result. The critical issue today is not related to whether one is a prophet but to what kind of person a prophet is. The distinction is not between prophets and non-prophets but between one prophet and another prophet, that is, the difference between one prophet and another. Putting it in another way, what is the difference between Jeremiah and Balaam? We must be clear about this basic principle before the Lord. Today there is the need for God’s word, and there is the need for the ministry of the word. Without God’s word, there is no ministry of the word, and without a proper person, there is also no ministry of the word.
One basic problem in the church is the lack of proper ministers of the word. This does not mean that God’s word is rare or that the vision or light is unclear. It means that there is a shortage of men whom God can use. God desires that the spirits of prophets be subject to prophets. Who are the prophets to whom the spirits of the prophets will be subject? Can the spirits of prophets be subject to those who walk according to their own will, who give ground to the flesh, and who are stubborn in their mind and emotion? If a man does not bear the mark of the cross in his spirit, he is a wild and proud man. He may have suffered years of discipline, but he is not yet defeated. The Lord’s smiting hand may have been on him once, twice, or even ten times, but he is still not defeated. In spite of the Lord’s repeated chastisement, he is still unyielding. Such a man proves himself to be a useless vessel. Is the problem before us a shortage of vision, light, or the word? No. It is a shortage of prophets whom God can use.
A characteristic of Paul was God’s ability to use him and God’s willingness to entrust him. If God cannot use a person, He cannot entrust His word to him. If God entrusts His word to you and charges you to speak, how are you going to speak? You have to speak according to what you are. When God lets you speak His word, your mind will frustrate God’s word if it is not working properly. If your emotion is improper, your emotion will contaminate God’s word. If your motive is not proper, your motive will damage God’s word. If your opinion is not proper, your opinion will contaminate God’s word. If your spirit is not proper, you will give others the impression of an improper spirit even though all of your words may be correct. The fundamental problem today is that God’s word has suffered much in the hands of man! His word has suffered much loss in the hands of man! This is why God cannot entrust His word to man.
The more we are dealt with by the Lord and the deeper His dealing touches our being, the closer we are to having a revelation. When a man’s emotion, mind, will, and spirit are all dealt with, the Holy Spirit puts His word in that person’s mouth, and his utterance is an inspiration, a revelation. The inspiration that the Bible refers to occurs when human elements are kept under the control of the Holy Spirit and are barred from going off on their own tangents. When the word is put into the mouth of such a person, the resulting ministry of the word is a revelation, an inspiration. This is why we say that the more dealings we receive, the more inspiration we will have. Our mind, emotion, and will all have to pass through God’s dealings. Even our memory has to pass through God’s dealings. Moreover, our understanding is very much related to God’s word. Hence, our understanding must pass through God’s dealings as well. Our hearts need to be dealt with. Our motives also need to be dealt with. God has to work on our entire being. We have to remember that a minister of the word cannot be constituted without paying a price. We should not think that constitution can occur without the paying of a price. Can a man become a minister of the word simply because he has a quick mentality? No. We should never have the mistaken thought that human wisdom, knowledge, or eloquence can add anything to God’s word. We have to be smitten, pressed, and dismantled. All of those who know the Lord realize that His hand is very heavy upon those whom He uses. The purpose of His hand is to make a person a useful vessel. The Lord has to break and dismantle us before we can become a minister of the word. Being a minister of God’s word does not come without the paying of a price.
Some people have gone through years of dealings, perhaps ten, twenty, or even thirty years. During all those years, the Lord’s hand has been upon them. He has dealt with them again and again and has worked on them over and over again. Are we so dull? Are we so sleepy? It is impossible for us to remain as we are and hope to participate in the ministry of the word. We need to prostrate ourselves before the Lord and say, “I am a useless vessel. I have to go on. I have to be smitten and broken to the point where I can become useful in Your hand. Otherwise, I have no way to accomplish anything for You.” Once we reach this point, the Lord’s word will be released through us freely.
In summary, the Holy Spirit puts God’s word into us. It is His responsibility to tell us what we should speak. But He leaves the decision of how and when we should speak to us. God entrusts us and believes in us. His charge is that the spirits of prophets be subject to prophets. How grave is the responsibility of the prophets! The way of the ministry of the word is the way of releasing God’s word through man’s mind and man’s word. If our contribution is not up to the proper standard, God’s word is no longer His word. This brings in serious consequences! It is easy for God to speak from the heavens. It is easy for Him to speak through the angels. But He loves us and has chosen us. It is indeed unfortunate if we become an obstacle to Him everywhere and in everything. We are often proven to be useless vessels. In order for God to secure ministers of the word, we have to beg for mercy. We have to say to the Lord, “I will not let You go unless I receive mercy from You.” If we do not receive mercy from Him, His word will stop with us. Today the entire responsibility rests upon our shoulders.
We have preached the word for more than ten or twenty years, but how much of what we have preached has been the utterance of God’s word? We claim that we are preaching God’s word, but how much of God’s word truly has been preached? The basic principle of the ministry of the word is the principle of incarnation, the word becoming flesh. The word cannot skip the flesh. Where there are ministers, there is God’s word. Where there are no ministers, God’s word is not found. If we do not find the ministers, we do not find God’s word. There must be ministers before there can be God’s word. How great is the responsibility of the ministers before the Lord. If we are ministers, we have to realize that the responsibility is on our shoulders. God must secure ministers before He can speak. Without ministers, God cannot speak. Today God does not speak directly to man, the heavens do not speak directly to man, and the angels do not speak directly to man. If man does not open up his mouth, no one will hear God’s word, and His word will be locked up. During the past two thousand years, God’s word was released whenever He found some men. Sometimes He would find one man, and His word would be released in a mighty way. If God finds some ministers today, His word will be released in a mighty way once again. If the church will stand on new ground and if it will satisfy God to become His vessel, God’s word will once again be released in a mighty way. But if we stand still, God will have no way to go forward on this earth. Let me repeat: It is the ministers who bring in God’s word. Without the ministers there is no word. The spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. We must be uplifted to Paul’s standard. When we speak God’s word, we should have the feeling that both we and the Lord are speaking. Then we will see the riches. God’s word is indeed rich. May He be merciful to us and grant us the word. May we see many ministers of the word being raised up.
