Spirit Words

Filed under The Kingdom of God on April 15th, 2009 by Bryan Purtle
“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.” -Jn. 6.63
In comparison with the nature of preaching in centuries past, I would say that truly anointed proclamation is at an all-time low. Many fellowships have little value for true preaching and teaching, and the saints as a whole have mostly lost touch with the preciousness of speech to one another. New movements arise, encouraging more entertaining modes of proclamation, and the Church is inundated with programs, pre-packaged sermon illustrations, and a host of mere opinions. Scarcely do we hear a true voice which quickens the heart of the Church, creating and effecting, through grace-charged proclamation, a fuller vision of Jesus Christ.
Consider this story from David Ravenhill:
“Some of you are familiar with one of the great revivals: the revival in the Hebrides. Back in the late 1940s-early 1950s, this little group of islands experienced a powerful move of the Spirit of God, one of the purest revivals that we have seen, at least in my generation. Seventy-five percent of the people who were saved were converted outside the walls of the church.
In other words, God came down and saturated the community with His presence. People were up all night getting right with God. People would walk on the road and come under conviction of sin and fall down at the side of the road, repenting of their sin. They weren’t exposed to any preaching, just the Spirit of God that suddenly invaded the area. The revival was preceded by the earnest praying of several young men as well as two elderly women. Their cry was that God ‘would rend the heavens and come down.’
The people reported that five years after that revival you could count on one hand the number of people who had drifted away from God. Bars closed down; saloons closed down; dance halls closed down. The entire community was changed as a result of that revival.
One man whom God greatly used was a Presbyterian minister by the name of Duncan Campbell. Duncan Campbell was the key figure really. One night he had a dream, and in this dream he was walking into one of the small towns on the islands. As he approached the town, he noticed that there was a large crowd of people listening to somebody preaching the Word of God. As he got closer, he could hear the Word of God being proclaimed, but he didn’t recognize the preacher. After a while it dawned on him that this was no ordinary preacher; this was the devil.
Finally the crowd dispersed, and in his dream he went up to the devil and said, ‘You’re the devil, aren’t you?’
‘Yes I am,’ he replied.
Duncan Campbell then asked, ‘Why are you preaching the gospel? Why are you preaching the Word of God?’
And the devil responded, saying, ‘Duncan Campbell, don’t you know that the greatest weapon I have is the preaching of the Word of God without the anointing of the Spirit? You see, the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.’ (Surviving the Anointing, pp.70-71; Destiny Image, 2007)
In the first months of the Hebrides Revival there was little preaching, but the Lord eventually raised Campbell up (among others) to proclaim the Word with a true anointing, and many communities were transformed by the power of the Gospel.
The gift of proclamation has been given to every saint on one level or another, for we all have the capacity to speak. Some will preach in larger settings, some will not. But we all have a calling to bear witness to the lost, and to speak the truth to one another in love. The question is not, “Where shall I speak,” or “What shall I speak,” but “How shall I speak?” We need a recovery of a true value for the gift of speech. Jesus’ words were spirit and life, which is something far beyond soulish talk or religious opinion. Dear saint, what is the substance of your speaking? I’m not asking if all of your conversation is religious or biblical. I’m asking what your source is. Is it you? your spiritual opinions? your personal paradigms?
Or is it “spirit and life?” The future of those listening to you may well depend on the answer to these questions.
“Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God…” -1 Pet. 4.11a

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4 comments
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  1. Justin April 15th, 2009 4:30 pm :

    How does one know if it is the self speaking, or the Spirit of God?  The self, the spiritual opinions, and personal paradigms?  Or God?  How do you know?  Without an obvious, tangible experience of anointing, all a believer has to go from is his/her convictions. 

    I agree with this article and the statements made in it, but how do believers apply this?  If all one has to go off of are one’s own convictions and the Word, should he/she remain silent?  Should a believer wait for an anointing before speaking?  If so, in what form is this made manifest?  Confirmation from other believers?  One could proclaim the plain truth straight from the Word and be called a heretic in many churches today.   The Word of God, the Truth, is not always gentle, especially when it comes to those claiming faith in God.  (Consider the words of the prophets, John the Baptist, as well as the LORD’s threat to vomit out the lukewarm Laodicean church, as well as the words of Messiah towards those in religious power.)  I agree it is always balanced with the possibility of redemption, repentance, and forgiveness, as well as the message of God’s love, But those first stinging rebukes are hard for all of us to take.

    So, what is the difference between speaking Spirit Words and the truth as we are convicted of it?  When should a believer remain silent, when should we cry out? 

    I’m very happy to see this article, Bryan.  I hope you can continue along this same vein, maybe with an “application” article or just some answers to the (many) questions I’ve asked.

    Blessings,
    Justin
    Deuteronomy 6:4-9

  2. Bryan Purtle April 15th, 2009 5:56 pm :

    Justin,


    I would say that we should wait for the inward witness of the Spirit when speaking, but that is not always a “tangible experience of anointing.” Sometimes there will be a great sense of authority or unction resting on our words, and other times we can only go by the inner-witness of the Spirit. This is something more than mere accuracy, or “standing up for what we believe.” 

    The religious leaders of first century Judea had accurate teachings, to the extent that Jesus told the crowds to “obey them and do everything they tell you.” (Matt. 23.3) This would even include their idea of “standing for truth,” as we see in so many of the biblical challenges they bring before Jesus. Some of them would’ve likely felt that they were carrying on the message and burden of the Law, and Jesus was mostly in harmony with the content of their teachings. It was the spirit and substance of who they were as men, and the inward place from which they proclaimed their truths that He had an issue with.

    When it comes to speech, whether in preaching or in conversation, we tend to stumble into one extreme or another. Most saints are either speaking/preaching to please people, and are thus unwilling to raise issues that would be considered confrontational, or speaking out of a place of heady correctness, arrogance, and pride. It is not too often that we see the people of God living above these categories.

    In the first trap, we end up so riddled with self-consciousness and timidity that we circumvent truth and reality for the sake of maintaining a syrupy unity which is not true at all. We want to save our reputations as “nice guys,” so anything which would seem offensive or requiring becomes uncouth and we hope to avoid it.

    The other stumbling block is to fall into the trap of identifying with our “standards” and “truths” so intensely that we become insensitive to the voice of the Lord, and the value that He has for people. This results in endless religious debates marked by venomous attitudes, self-righteous boasting, an “I’m the only prophet left” mentality, gossip and slander, superiority complexes in those who feel themselves most accurate, etc.

    Any believer can fall into either extreme, and both of them are outside of the kind of speaking I believe Jesus was encouraging. We’re always wanting a “how-to” manual for these things, but the Lord seems content in the Scriptures to leave His statements at face-value, that we might cry out to God Himself for the answer. Only He can set our hearts aright, and fit us to speak “as one who is speaking the utterances of God.” 

    That being said, a good litmus test in my own life has been that when I speak, I look for the work of the cross in my own heart. If I am confronting someone on a certain issue, and there is a measure of delight in confronting them, or I feel as if I’m gaining an advantage over them in a condescending way, I am not likely speaking by the power of the cross; which is to say, I’m not operating in resurrection life. My correctness is swinging back around to the glorification of my spirituality or accuracy.

    On the flip side of the same coin, if I am encouraging someone, or complementing them, and I do not have the glory of God in view, but my own advantage or my own image as a “nice guy,” then I am not likely speaking in the love of God. I am wanting them to consider me winsome, rather than speaking in such a way that would exalt the kindness and love of God. It is possible to be an incredibly nice guy on the exterior, but to have venom, envy, and manipulation on the interior.

    Basically, if my heart is in a place of humility, love, and truth, and I am willing to lay my life down for the one I’m speaking to, I can be assured that I’m postured to speak for the glory of God. If I have in mind my own reputation, or the image of my spirituality (”Will they think I’m a great man of God if I say that?”), then I am removed from “spirit and life” speaking. Jesus confronted the religious leaders with cutting terms, but He also wept for them in intercession, and bled for them in hopes that they would be set free.

    So, the inward witness of the Spirit, that is, the open communion I maintain with the Lord means everything. If I am abiding in Him in reality, I have the grace to speak as He Himself is speaking. We will not be flawless, but if we’re faithful to Him, He will make up for what is lacking in our weakness.

    I’m not sure if this is an “application” response, but that is the best way I can put it from my own experience. 

    Hope it’s helpful brother.

    Grace,
    BP





  3. Justin April 15th, 2009 9:41 pm :

    Awesome, Brian.  Thanks!  That’s a lot to digest, but you covered what I was wondering about perfectly.   You make a good point about the religious teachers having the teachings right, and the Lord telling his disciples to do as they taught.  (This subject in itself could start a whole new thread…)
    Lots of thinking to do.   Thanks for the teaching here!

    Blessings,
    Justin
    Deuteronomy 6:4-9

  4. Bryan Purtle April 16th, 2009 6:46 pm :

    My joy, Justin.

    Grace to you and yours!

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