Seeking Jesus First - Jan. 30, 2023
It is so easy to “preach” from experience, or to “preach “justice” or “right and wrong”, but Jesus did not tell us to preach what we have experienced or to preach what we know or to preach what we feel. Paul told Timothy, “Preach the word.”
Jesus preached the word.
“Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them.” (Mark 2:2, NKJV)
The disciples/apostles preached the word.
“Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.” (Acts 8:4, NKJV)
Twelve times in The Book of The Acts of The Apostles, it says that they preached the word. Then there is the well known statement by Paul in Romans 10, “that is the word of faith which we preach.”
When we see preaching the gospel, we know that the gospel is the word and the word is the gospel. The gospel is the good word of God. It is the good news that God has promised His blessing on all who believe and has given His word to humankind. The word of God is not one thing. It is all that God has given to us and it impacts every area of our lives for good.
Preach the word and not your experience, or your system of justice or even right and wrong. If your experience doesn’t align with the word, seek God for the alignment. Don’t give up on alignment. This is why we have received the gift of The God-Kind of Faith. We believe God and all of His word.
Take righteousness for instance. By faith in Christ Jesus, we are made righteous in our inner man and Holy Spirit is at work in us to convince us of this truth. Yet, circumstance (our own words and actions) may lie to us trying to convince us that we are not righteous in our inner man. However, in spite of this, we continue to believe in Christ Jesus and allow our souls to be convinced by Holy Spirit. We keep on repenting and keep on turning to Jesus and receiving Hs assurance that we are righteous. “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1–2, NKJV)
We don’t make up a belief system that says God doesn’t care if we sin. He cares because He wants us to live in the fulness of His righteousness. We preach the word not our experience. We don’t need to make excuses for the word. We need to believe the word. And we need to preach the word.
“Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.” (Mark 16:14–20, NKJV)
Signs accompany the word as it is preached. (“Them” is not in the original.”) It is hearing the anointed word of God that produces faith to believe. Faith brings us into alignment with God and His word so that we can experience the fulness of what God desires to do in our lives. How do we know what that fulness is? It’s in His word.
In church services, we should be preached or taught the word of God and we should experience Christ. Experiences that prove The Word are the ones we share as truth. Other experiences are facts but the word is exalted above experiences or facts. God’s word is truth. And applied truth will change circumstances.
Example: The law of gravity keeps us grounded. But there is another truth that allows planes to fly. There is a law of lift. These are not just natural facts. They are natural truths.
God’s word is the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus. It will supersede natural laws and facts. Preach the word.
Here is another aspect of preaching the word that can not be underestimated. When we activate our spirit, soul and body in unity, we impact both the spiritual and the natural realm. Speaking the word in faith involves our renewed spirit, our soul and our body. It is the first way that we align all three aspects of our person with Christ.
“Our Father, thank you for Your word. We exalt what You say over what we think, feel or believe. We humbly submit to Your way of thinking. We will give more weight to Your words than anything else. When it is difficult to receive, we will wait on you to receive understanding and faith to move forward. Thank You, LORD Jesus. Thank You, Holy Spirit, for Your help and comfort.”