"Power is not in the words themselves, i.e. Bible, Torah. Or we would be able to simply print millions of copies of each and distribute them to the lost and dying world. One would need only to read it and be saved, healed and delivered.
The power becomes unleashed and my Words become "alive" by the faith of the one who speaks them, by the faith of the one whose ears they fall upon, by the faith of those whose hearts receive my words with gladness."
I will expand my beginning statement to include (so no-one will misunderstand) the Bible, the Torah, the Holy written word.
I realize that many of you are probably thinking Amy has fallen off her rocker or lost her marbles or worst yet joined a cult! - No worries!
I have done nothing of the sort!
I have, however, just received an awesome revelation during my most glorious time spent with our Lord Yeshua......and I would very much like to share it with you!
I will start with the Scripture I was mesmerized by.
Matthew 7
28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.
I have been studying the Gospel of Matthew. This time I couldn't seem to get past this scripture. It leaped out at me. The words I have emphasized were the ones that leaped out at me. So I asked the Lord about this scripture.
Now, I know for those of us that have been in church or synagogue for any amount of time, we have heard timeless times differing teaching on this scripture. I would venture to guess they would pretty much be generally along the same theological lines.
What the Lord shared with me, I don't recall having ever heard before.
In fact the closest I come to recalling, would be finding confirmation of what the Spirit of the Lord said, in the Word. Which is exactly what we want to see.
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28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.
Okay, back to my point here.
I said that the "word" was "not alive".
I am speaking "literary".
In Matthew 7:28 the scripture tells us that "Jesus" was the one speaking and that the crowds were "amazed".
Ever been to a boring church service? I know you have. I have.
Let's take the music out of it. The flashing light shows. Fancy instruments. They didn't have those, I am quite sure, when Jesus was talking to the crowds on the hill sides. I wonder how many of the Mega Church Pastors would be able to keep a crowds attention just "sharing the Gospel" .....LIKE JESUS DID.....hmmmm
Okay Verse 29 tells us that ...he (Jesus) taught as one who "had authority", and "not as their teachers of the law".
Well, of course Jesus had authority. Jesus was G-d. Right? Well, yes and no. I mean that is the easy answer. Jesus was in fact; G-d made man. Walking the earth. However, for the point of this whole revelation sharing time, more accurately...Jesus had the the Holy Spirit resident within him. and THIS is WHY the WORDS Jesus SPOKE had authority!
Likewise - on the flip side of the coin the very same scripture the teachers of law would read from, and teach from, had no life because they had no life....no Holy Spirit resident within them.
These teachers of the Law, (our current day Pastors, Teachers, Evangelists, Rabbis) that also teach from the Bible, Torah...the very same Holy written Word of G-D. In order for them to speak with authority, effectively they must be filled with the Holy Spirit of G-d.
The scripture tells us that, "..the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart" Hebrews 4:12
This is true.
There are certain qualifications however. (yes this is what you have been waiting for I believe)
Many believers in the modern day "faith movement" would have you believe that you can take the "written word of G-d and speak it" (what ever it may be) into existence. That is just not scriptural. Although I am not here to debate that issue.
I would like to share the what the Lord himself spoke to me about this scripture in Matthew 7:28 -He said,
"Power is not in the words themselves, i.e. Bible, Torah. Or we would be able to simply print millions of copies of each and distribute them to the lost and dying world. One would need only to read it and be saved, healed and delivered.
The power becomes unleashed and my Words become "alive" by the faith of the one who speaks them, by the faith of the one whose ears they fall upon, by the faith of those whose hearts receive my words with gladness."
This made so much sense to me. It's not magic.
I mean think about it. People who have faith...seem to always have faith. It doesn't matter where they are. Who they are with, what circumstances they are facing. Why? Because it's not their faith...it is the Holy Spirit within them become alive. Paul puts it this way,
"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."
Did you catch that? the Kings James version, I love it! I live BY THE FAITH of the Son of G-d! Wow!! How awesome is THAT? The faith of Jesus.
There are so many scriptures in the writings of Paul alone to encourage us to keep on keeping on the good walk of faith! Through out the New Testament other letters, encouraging us that He who has begun the good work in us HE will see it through to it's completion....and for us to remember we are not alone in this walk called life. Many have gone before us and still yet through all our trials we will not be allowed (by G-d himself) to be tempted beyond that which we can bear, even still G-d himself will make a way out.
These scriptures written in the Bible, become "alive" and bring hope to us by the power of Holy Spirit, not by simply being a written word on a page or even reciting these words out loud but by having the faith to believe.
And then there -
Are those people that seem to be able to worship the Lord no matter where they are or who they are with. It doesn't matter what kind of music or even if there is music; it doesn't even matter how the teaching or preaching was! These folk can seem to feel right at home anywhere there are Saints of G-d. Ever wonder why? Because they have the Holy Spirit of G-d resident within them. ..."and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty". 2Corinthians 17
Think of it this way we are family born again into the the likeness of G-d's own son. If you were to travel far away to a foreign land where you knew no one, only to find out you had a relative you hadn't met before in the same neighborhood; just think how joyful your spirit would be! Likewise, your new found family would feel the same!
My point, I hope you are able to follow along, is actually quite straight forward. The word in print is just that. The word in print.
There is no power in the word until it is unleashed by faith.
There are many theories on how to do that (unleash your faith). Sadly most are man's vain attempts at getting G-d attention. Something we have always had. Also something that more often than not brings condemnation and guilt not faith and hope to the life of a believer.
So how do we unleash our faith?
So the word of G-d can become alive and our Joy complete?
That is very simply answered.
...."these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit." (scripture below)
11 “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”
15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.
6 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
We need the Holy Spirit resident within us! It is simply not enough for us to say the "sinners prayer" and carry a Bible around. None of us knows when we will take our last breathe. I guarantee we will not have a Bible in our hands when we stand before the King of Glory on judgment day! I also guarantee one of the questions the Lord is going to ask us is NOT going to be, "Did you make it to church and Sunday school faithfully?" or "Did you have fun at worship?" or "Did you keep every one of my commandments? Because if you didn't you have to leave right now! ooops....YOU ARE OUTTA HERE!"
The Lord knows everything there is to know about us. Everything. EVERYthing. We can't hide anything. I mean nothing. (You get my picture.)
So....if you are having difficulty connecting with others in the Body of Christ.
Reading the Word...and having it "speak to you".
Getting to church or small groups to fellowship...because it's so boring.
I have a tip. This one works every time. It's guaranteed.
Get to know the Master
Now, now....hold on! I didn't say get to know "about" him. I said get to "know" him. Two completely different things.
I mean. I can read all about George Washington from history books. Martin Luther Kings Jr. I can tell you what kind of desserts like to eat. You name it. But I can never get to "know" them - personally - intimately. After a while Reading about them becomes BORING.
The Master....our Lord....Jesus/Yeshua....is Alive. We can get to KNOW him. If we spend time with him.
I realize for some reading this, it will be a first. For others not so much.
Either way...if you take on the challenge of spending time getting to know the Master better; developing your person relationship with him. Your faith will be unleashed, bringing results through the Word.
So, no...the written Word, the Bible, Torah, on paper is not alive.
But - take some time and get to "know" your Lord and Savior and YOU and your faith soon will be!
Guaranteed!
*** Corinthians 2***
1 And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.
6 We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 However, as it is written:
“What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”-
the things God has prepared for those who love him-
10 these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. 14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. 15 The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, 16 for,
“Who has known the mind of the Lord
so as to instruct him?”
But we have the mind of Christ."
