The early disciples of Christ had a unique power to turn the world upside down. What was the secret of their success? Was it because of the great abilities they had? I am sure the secret of that strange power was the Word of God which they spoke with great boldness.
The early believers did not talk about the Scriptures or even engage in the exposition of Scriptures, as did the scribes and rulers of the synagogue. The consuming desire of the disciples was to speak, to proclaim the Word of the Lord. Like their Master, they were aware that the Word of the Father, spoken through yielded lips from dedicated hearts, would work a miracle in those who heard. They believed and effectually demonstrated that the Lord Jesus Christ was speaking through them. They knew that they were the members of His Body and the extension of their Lord upon the earth.
These are times of restoration when many who believe in the Scriptures are searching for the next great step which will see the Church move again in the power and authority of God.
Once again, men of God will lift up their voices to proclaim His Word. A remnant of believers are contending to move into this unique position of being the oracles of God.
The day of preaching about the Word of God will give way to the day of speaking His Word. This is the history of the book of Acts, and it is being repeated in these times. If you are one of those who longs to move into this next step, keep your mind and heart open, for God will make you His living epistle, read and known by all men, as He writes it first upon your heart.
What is the next important step in the restoration of the Church is it more gifts, more laying hands on people, more personal ministry, more prophesying, more singing in the Spirit?
The Church has seen a great manifestation of these things for a number of years, and people have grown under them. However, from time to time, a certain level is reached when there comes a sudden awareness of an impasse; then we, as believers, are faced with the task of finding some way to break through it.
Is there a mystical, spiritual secret whereby the Body of Christ can please the Lord and move into all that He has for it? Is there something we can do so that all that God has spoken over the Church will not remain in abeyance, hanging like a cloud that does not bring rain—a perpetual promise that yields only a little token—while a remnant waits for the torrents to come? What can we do? Luke 7:1–10 gives us a key for answering these questions.
When He had completed all His discourse in the hearing of the people, He went to Capernaum. And a certain centurion’s slave, who was highly regarded by him, was sick and about to die. And when he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders asking Him to come and save the life of his slave. And when they had come to Jesus, they earnestly entreated Him, saying, “He is worthy for You to grant this to him; for he loves our nation, and it was he who built us our synagogue.”
Now Jesus started on His way with them; and when He was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to Him, “Lord, do not trouble Yourself further, for I am not fit for You to come under my roof; for this reason I did not even consider myself worthy” (the Jews said he was worthy; he said he was not worthy) “to come to You, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For indeed, I am a man under authority; with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.”
And when Jesus heard this, He marveled at him, and turned and said to the multitude that was following Him, “I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.” And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.
This is one of the greatest examples of faith recorded in the Word of God. This man had faith in the authority of the Word that Jesus spoke. What would the last several years have been like if God’s people had been hearing prophecies and receiving personal ministry with faith like that of the centurion? How many times have they wrestled with a Word from the Lord? What could have happened if they had not struggled over prophecies that were confirmed to them? if they had not drawn back from prophecies and Scriptures that were expounded to them by revelation? If they had embraced the Word of the Lord with all of their hearts?
After hearing the Word, people often struggle with it and are battled over it. It is necessary for the believer to position himself as the centurion did: “Lord, all You have to do is speak the Word, and it is done.” The centurion believed in the authority of the spoken Word of the Lord. In the opinion of the Jews, he was worthy for the Lord to answer his request; yet he sensed his own unworthiness. But he did not dwell on his unworthiness; he believed that God would heal his servant, that all the Lord had to do was to speak a Word. The authority of that Word brought the miracle to pass. In this day, Satan cleverly tries to get people’s minds off the authority of the Word and turn them toward the mystical, psychic power of witchcraft and the occult. That is of the satanic realm; it has nothing to do with God’s people. The believer does not prevail because of great psychic development; he prevails because he believes and speaks the Word of the Lord. The Church must be very careful not to develop the Spirit’s gifts along some psychic or mystical line resembling the occult. God’s people must stay out of that. A walk with the Lord is based on God speaking a Word; that Word comes to pass because of His authority. God gives the Word and the true disciple believes it. Like the centurion, he will say, “You just say the Word, Lord, and it will be done.”
Have you struggled against the carnal reasoning that asks, “How can these things be?” This was a significant question in the New Testament. Mary asked, “How can these things be, seeing that I do not know any man?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and that which will be conceived of you will be called the Son of God. No Word from God will be without its power.” Mary answered, “Let it be done to me according to thy Word” (Luke 1:34–38). That was good enough for Mary. If the Lord speaks it, that is the way it will be.
Every believer should receive the living Word that is coming today in the same way that Mary received it. This is the day in which the words of God will flow, and a remnant will believe them. Prophecies will come. There will be a mouthing of babes and the stammering tongues. There will also be that which speaks as one who is learned, and it will teach the Body of Christ how to be sustained in the hour of need. There will be words that will keep men on their feet. There will be words that impart and words that come to denounce and bring repentance. There will be all kinds of prophesying, including words of the prophets who will speak in this end time. But the main thing is that there must be people who listen. God will speak to His people, and they will believe His Word. They will be listening to the Lord as Samuel did when he said, “Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth” (I Samuel 3:10).
Too long the people of God have heard the voices in the night and not known when God was speaking and when He was not. Now, a remnant is saying, “Lord, just speak one Word, and we will hear it.” The Lord is teaching His people to speak the Word only. It is a cry in their hearts. They are ready to receive the Word of the Lord. They are waiting for Him to pour out His Spirit upon them. They are ready to enter into all that He has for them.
As Amos prophesied, there is a famine in the land, a famine for hearing the Word of God (Amos 8:11). People are hungry to hear the Word of God—not the Word of God expounded or preached on, not something entertaining, but God actually speaking to them, opening the door to them.
Speaking the Word of the Lord was the basic pattern of all the services of the early Church. When they prophesied the Word and one who was unlearned came in, he was convinced. When his heart was discerned and its secrets made manifest, he knew of a truth that God was among them (I Corinthians 14:24–25). He had a revelation of the Lord because of the impact of the spoken Word.
The Lord still desires that His Word be the life and force of the Church. The best orators and pulpiteers of America cannot be effective in stimulating a walk with God, because a man cannot be talked into it nor can he be preached into it with a soulish appeal. It comes by revelation and by faith. And how does faith come? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17. A Word of God has to come that will create the faith and open the doors of revelation to the whole plan of the restoration. That is the reason very few people find a walk with God on their own. They do not have the revelation to do it. But if someone gives them a living Word from the Lord, something happens to them. When a Word of God comes to a man, faith comes also.
If you cannot prophesy, pray and wait on the Lord until you are anointed of the Holy Spirit to give by memory a Scripture passage under the anointing of the Lord. If you cannot memorize a Scripture, stand up and read it.
The elders and leaders of the churches need to cry to the Lord to have a Word from God. If anyone does not have a specific Word from the Lord, but only an opinion, then he should say that it is his opinion. If he has a Word from the Lord, he should say that he believes it to be a Word from the Lord and then have it confirmed by two or three witnesses.
There must be a higher level of proclaiming the Word of the Lord. Judgment will be ministered as the Word of the Lord is prophesied. The Body of Christ must function as God intended. They cannot sit back and wait for something to happen; they must follow on to do the will of the Lord. The Body of Christ is also the army of the Lord. What is an army for? Just to march in parades? God forbid. Let us win battles. Let us see the fall of principalities and powers through the Church as the manifold wisdom of the Lord is manifested (Ephesians 3:10). This can be done when a remnant speaks the Word of the Lord. God’s people will speak things into being. When they come to walls, they will march around them and then shout at them; and they will come down. When they see what God wants them to do, they will speak it into fulfillment.