When I was a little boy I would sing, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” and I believed it until the words struck hard at my heart and I crumbled beneath the load of hurt. My friends in reality words hurt more than sticks and stones. Bones and flesh can be easily splinted and repaired, but once our heart is damaged only God can do the healing. We must be careful to speak words that are of God (even if they are stern and hard) because they ultimately and in time build up and edify our friends and acquaintances. I think if James and Paul were alive today they would not be well received by the church because their words were to hard and cutting at our flesh to be called loving and kind. Today we seem to go after John the beloved type of fluffy words. We often think our words have to be soft and fuzzy to be full of love and kindness, but you know soft and fuzzy words rarely have a positive change for our betterment. Most often it is those strong, stern, and cutting words that move us to a place of spiritual improvement, growth, and maturity. Often it is those cold and prickly words that rub us the wrong way that seems to energize the Holy Spirit and gets us thinking and soul searching as David said, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 24And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24) I wonder why we most often like to hear warm flattering words that stroke our ego or words that pat us on the back? One would think God is trying to make us happy, well my friend God is not trying to make us happy, rich, popular, or successful as many in the church teach, but has started something in the Book of Genesis and has not changed His mind, God is still in the process of creating man into His own image and will do everything we allow Him to do to bring this process to completion. One of the greatest truths I seem to continue to learn about my self is out of our mouth speaks our heart. Please notice knowing or not knowing the truth is evident of what is in our heart and by our words that come rolling our of our mouth. “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.” (Luke 6:45) Now I love my wife very much and she loves me, but there are times when we do not see eye to eye on some issues. During these times getting the words “I love you” to easily roll off my tongue can be a challenge, but when all is well with her and the Lord words to show my eternal thankfulness and gratitude slip off my tongue with ease. If we really love (agape) someone we will say we love them without realizing it. Our words of praise and dedication become automatic as natural as breathing. Make no mistake, have it be a good or evil treasure it will be seen as it comes out our mouth. We also see this process in the way we live our individual lives. Understanding correctly and applying truth makes up the way we live our lives. Our understanding correctly and applying truth is always the foundation of our lives. From our understanding (not applying yet) truth we develop our precepts; a maxim, original individual bits of truth that govern our ideas, thoughts, and intentions. And from our precepts we get our concepts; the way our ideas, thoughts and intentions are executed. It is important to know if our precepts are wrong then our concepts also will be wrong. If our understanding is wrong in areas then our application in these areas also will be wrong. It is no wonder many in the world and in the church today are wayward and off track, their original individual bits of truth (precepts) is wrong, they did not lay a correct understanding to truth and everything built on this wrong thinking also is wrong. Never forget our precepts and concepts come from our truth. I hear so many Christians say they know the truth, but their words, doctrine (what they believe), and lives do not match up with the words of Jesus and the words in the Bible. When Jesus stood at Pilate’s judgment seat, Pilate asked him (like many Christians and non-Christians today) “Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. 38Pilate saith unto him, What is truth?” (John 18:37-38)
Truth is not what we believe is true or even what we want to believe is true, but has been settled in heaven for all times. Truth is always from God’s perspective and always progressive. Truth is eternal and has already been spoken and for those who have the Spirit of God dwelling in them this spoken word can speak to our heart with a newness and freshness of life. There are two types of truth written and spoken, both born of the Holy Spirit. Written (the Bible) is general and applies to everyone, but spoken is personal, intimate, and applies individually. We cannot serve God correctly unless we have the ability in God to access both veins of truth this too is another reason why we have so many denominations in the world today. Most major denominations and religions do not believe God through His precious Holy Spirit speaks to us while others go over board and believe God speaks to them about every little thing. Many denominations pay lip service to the Holy Spirits as being involvement in our day-to-day lives and the church, but when it is all said and done the functioning and real power (Act 1:8) of the Holy Spirit is left laying on the ground in favor of traditions and doctrines of men by most denominations. As previously stated both types of truth are from the Holy Spirit and I think we do well in understanding the Bible being the written type of truth, after all most if not all major denominations use some version of the Bible. But the spoken type of truth (God speaking to our heart) often is misunderstood and by some totally rejected missing out on the God of the universe personally and in an imitate way speaking to them. In short, spoken truth is what God speaks to our heart. In Romans we read Paul sharing this truth with us, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17 (KJV)) But in the Greek text we get a better feel for what the Holy Spirit is speaking to us, “So then faith by hearing a word from God.” (Romans 10:17 (Greek)) Now is the KJV of Romans 10:17 wrong? Absolutely not! The word “cometh” was added by the translators to complete the thought and has not changed the meaning of the verse. However, the Greek text has a different and more complete meaning. Often words do get in the way. Here faith comes by hearing a word (spoken) from God. In the late 80s and early 90s many Christians in the church would ride around in cars or run with their walkman listening to the Bible on tape or CD and expect to get faith, well my friend faith comes to us when we hear God speak a word to us. If we could get faith by listening to the Bible on tape or a CD there would be no need for God’s work in our lives or God speaking to us. Sadly many people sit in churches around the world listening to sermon after sermon on Sundays (and maybe Wednesdays) and leave with no faith, but when God speaks a word and we hear it, faith is birthed in us. For in the word spoken, faith and all we will ever need to do what God wants us to do is contained. In the hearing and receiving of God’s word to us we can move in power and authority. Even in the ministering of God’s written word this process of receiving God’s spoken word is critical, the difference is the difference between receiving God’s life or ministering man’s doctrines and traditions of death in the church. There is a process of receiving God’s word that a Godly man must endure to be able to speak words of life and not death. Like all things of God this process starts and ends with communion with God. Many Christians say they have no power or authority in God, well these come by way of communion with God. No communion (spending time with Him alone) with God no power or authority (revelation) in God. Never forget God measures us not by how many miracles we can do by the Spirit or how long we can speak in tongues or fast, but by how much revelation we possess about God. Revelation is God’s measuring stick to how much we look like His precious Son. After time spent in communion God will lay a burden to minister the word on us. This burden is only released when we deliver the word God has put in our heart, until then we carry it in our spirit waiting for our obedience to discharge it. Next while we are alone with the Lord we will experience quick, brilliant flashes of light (sometimes before our eyes) in our spirit and mind. These enlightenments are hard to hold in our thinking, but are the revelation the beginning to the words we are to shared with the people. Before these revelations become words they must first transfer into thoughts. I really like this phase a lot. As I ride down the road with Karen or while alone with God I get these thoughts and as I mediate on them (many for years) these thoughts are turned into words; first external words many words (usually in the form of written notes and the like) and then internal words, a few words are produced in my spirit. These are the words God is after in us ministering to the people. When I first starting ministering God’s word, I would have pages of notes and would read them more in an expository format, but as time went on my notes became less and less and God’s Spirit because more and more in my delivery. God can use a few words to speak volumes to our heart.
As we can see God’s two types of truth is woven together and cannot be separated. Written truth is the word of God (the Bible) and what makes it true is what the author was saying through the written words the Holy Spirit used to capture the authors thoughts. The truth of the written word of God is contained in the written words not in what we think it is saying or what we spin the words to be, but what the Holy Spirit is saying to the church then and now to us. To understand (and lay those correct precepts so that our concepts will also be correct) the written word of God we must study the individual words in the Bible for the truth is contained in the words. This too is why the statement, what we do with the Bible we do with Jesus, is true. When we arbitrarily change the word of God; so that we can read it better, do not agree with the way it is worded, or worse disagree with it is saying we are changing Jesus. For us to understanding God’s written word (the Bible) we must dig out the treasures buried in each word that the Holy Spirit draws our attention to and to do this we must go backwards in translation to study the Bible; back to the Greek and Hebrew and this is why it is almost impossible to use the NIV and other versions of the Bible. Now please do not think I am saying you cannot use the NIV (or other translations, this is your choice) and be a Christian, but I am saying you will not be able to study the Bible as Paul instructed Timothy. What I am saying is the KJV must be the beginning point and compared backward to really understand what God is speaking to His Children. We can see with the example with Romans 10:17, there is a difference. With a change of one or two words (adding or omitting) in a verse the meaning of that verse can be changed and truth can be lost. We see this in Luke when Jesus at age 12 was teaching the Teachers in the Temple when Joseph and Mary found Him He explained, “And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?” (Luke 2:49) If you look at the Greek text of Luke 2:49, you will not find the word “business” it was added by the translator. Even Dr. Strong tried to mend it my giving “Father’s” and “business” with the same number #3962 for each words. But Jesus was saying something more powerful and exciting. Jesus was not saying He had to be about doing the “business” of His Father, but was saying it was time for Him to be about being or becoming His Father. Do you see the difference? All throughout the Gospels Jesus would say, He does nothing of Himself, except for what the Father tells Him to do and say (John 5:19, 12:49) and of Himself He has no power, except what the Father gives Him (John 8:27, 14:10). Even at age 12 Jesus knew He had to be about becoming like His Father, He would send Him to earth to give His life. My friend do you not think it is time for us to begin to look like our Father? Another error we can make when reading the Bible is transposing word meanings of today over the written words of God. For example in Galatians (also in Romans and Ephesians) we read, “To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” (Galatians 4:5) Here we read the word “adoption” and think of the 21 Century meaning of to take another’s child into your home, well this is not the meaning the Holy Spirit is expressing. The “adoption of sons” is a Jewish custom, a three day feast the father holds for the son AFTER the son completes his training and schooling. Now (and only after his training) the son can speak for the father in all affairs of the family. So too when we complete a phase of our training and schooling the Father adopts us as children and not until. Until then we are a bastard (spiritually) in school learning the lessons God has for us to learn. Another example is in Hebrews we read, “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.” (Hebrews 4:13) Here we read the word “naked” and over lay our thinking of someone being without clothing, well this is not what the writer of Hebrews (I believe to be Paul) was expressing. Here the word “naked” was referring to a gladiator submission hold of death, called the “naked hold.” All good citizens would go to the gladiator games and cheer their favorite gladiator. They were given almost a god like status and knew their moves and holds. And they also knew once a gladiator got the other gladiator in the “naked hold” the contest was over with a little pressure of his forearms he would crack the neck of his captive. While in the submission hold all the captive gladiator could do is look up in the eyes of the one that held him and hoped for the favor and grace of the people or a swift and painless death. The writer of Hebrews knew the people knew of this submission hold and expressed the thought of how the Holy Spirit holds us too in this naked hold and with a little pressure He presses us into submission and even death to our selfishness and self-life. All we can do is look up into the eyes of our captor and hope for mercy and grace.
Truth is not what we believe is true or even what we want to believe is true, but has been settled in heaven for all times. Truth is always from God’s perspective and always progressive. Truth is eternal and has already been spoken and for those who have the Spirit of God dwelling in them this spoken word can speak to our heart with a newness and freshness of life. There are two types of truth written and spoken, both born of the Holy Spirit. Written (the Bible) is general and applies to everyone, but spoken is personal, intimate, and applies individually. We cannot serve God correctly unless we have the ability in God to access both veins of truth this too is another reason why we have so many denominations in the world today. Most major denominations and religions do not believe God through His precious Holy Spirit speaks to us while others go over board and believe God speaks to them about every little thing. Many denominations pay lip service to the Holy Spirits as being involvement in our day-to-day lives and the church, but when it is all said and done the functioning and real power (Act 1:8) of the Holy Spirit is left laying on the ground in favor of traditions and doctrines of men by most denominations. As previously stated both types of truth are from the Holy Spirit and I think we do well in understanding the Bible being the written type of truth, after all most if not all major denominations use some version of the Bible. But the spoken type of truth (God speaking to our heart) often is misunderstood and by some totally rejected missing out on the God of the universe personally and in an imitate way speaking to them. In short, spoken truth is what God speaks to our heart. In Romans we read Paul sharing this truth with us, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17 (KJV)) But in the Greek text we get a better feel for what the Holy Spirit is speaking to us, “So then faith by hearing a word from God.” (Romans 10:17 (Greek)) Now is the KJV of Romans 10:17 wrong? Absolutely not! The word “cometh” was added by the translators to complete the thought and has not changed the meaning of the verse. However, the Greek text has a different and more complete meaning. Often words do get in the way. Here faith comes by hearing a word (spoken) from God. In the late 80s and early 90s many Christians in the church would ride around in cars or run with their walkman listening to the Bible on tape or CD and expect to get faith, well my friend faith comes to us when we hear God speak a word to us. If we could get faith by listening to the Bible on tape or a CD there would be no need for God’s work in our lives or God speaking to us. Sadly many people sit in churches around the world listening to sermon after sermon on Sundays (and maybe Wednesdays) and leave with no faith, but when God speaks a word and we hear it, faith is birthed in us. For in the word spoken, faith and all we will ever need to do what God wants us to do is contained. In the hearing and receiving of God’s word to us we can move in power and authority. Even in the ministering of God’s written word this process of receiving God’s spoken word is critical, the difference is the difference between receiving God’s life or ministering man’s doctrines and traditions of death in the church. There is a process of receiving God’s word that a Godly man must endure to be able to speak words of life and not death. Like all things of God this process starts and ends with communion with God. Many Christians say they have no power or authority in God, well these come by way of communion with God. No communion (spending time with Him alone) with God no power or authority (revelation) in God. Never forget God measures us not by how many miracles we can do by the Spirit or how long we can speak in tongues or fast, but by how much revelation we possess about God. Revelation is God’s measuring stick to how much we look like His precious Son. After time spent in communion God will lay a burden to minister the word on us. This burden is only released when we deliver the word God has put in our heart, until then we carry it in our spirit waiting for our obedience to discharge it. Next while we are alone with the Lord we will experience quick, brilliant flashes of light (sometimes before our eyes) in our spirit and mind. These enlightenments are hard to hold in our thinking, but are the revelation the beginning to the words we are to shared with the people. Before these revelations become words they must first transfer into thoughts. I really like this phase a lot. As I ride down the road with Karen or while alone with God I get these thoughts and as I mediate on them (many for years) these thoughts are turned into words; first external words many words (usually in the form of written notes and the like) and then internal words, a few words are produced in my spirit. These are the words God is after in us ministering to the people. When I first starting ministering God’s word, I would have pages of notes and would read them more in an expository format, but as time went on my notes became less and less and God’s Spirit because more and more in my delivery. God can use a few words to speak volumes to our heart.
As we can see God’s two types of truth is woven together and cannot be separated. Written truth is the word of God (the Bible) and what makes it true is what the author was saying through the written words the Holy Spirit used to capture the authors thoughts. The truth of the written word of God is contained in the written words not in what we think it is saying or what we spin the words to be, but what the Holy Spirit is saying to the church then and now to us. To understand (and lay those correct precepts so that our concepts will also be correct) the written word of God we must study the individual words in the Bible for the truth is contained in the words. This too is why the statement, what we do with the Bible we do with Jesus, is true. When we arbitrarily change the word of God; so that we can read it better, do not agree with the way it is worded, or worse disagree with it is saying we are changing Jesus. For us to understanding God’s written word (the Bible) we must dig out the treasures buried in each word that the Holy Spirit draws our attention to and to do this we must go backwards in translation to study the Bible; back to the Greek and Hebrew and this is why it is almost impossible to use the NIV and other versions of the Bible. Now please do not think I am saying you cannot use the NIV (or other translations, this is your choice) and be a Christian, but I am saying you will not be able to study the Bible as Paul instructed Timothy. What I am saying is the KJV must be the beginning point and compared backward to really understand what God is speaking to His Children. We can see with the example with Romans 10:17, there is a difference. With a change of one or two words (adding or omitting) in a verse the meaning of that verse can be changed and truth can be lost. We see this in Luke when Jesus at age 12 was teaching the Teachers in the Temple when Joseph and Mary found Him He explained, “And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?” (Luke 2:49) If you look at the Greek text of Luke 2:49, you will not find the word “business” it was added by the translator. Even Dr. Strong tried to mend it my giving “Father’s” and “business” with the same number #3962 for each words. But Jesus was saying something more powerful and exciting. Jesus was not saying He had to be about doing the “business” of His Father, but was saying it was time for Him to be about being or becoming His Father. Do you see the difference? All throughout the Gospels Jesus would say, He does nothing of Himself, except for what the Father tells Him to do and say (John 5:19, 12:49) and of Himself He has no power, except what the Father gives Him (John 8:27, 14:10). Even at age 12 Jesus knew He had to be about becoming like His Father, He would send Him to earth to give His life. My friend do you not think it is time for us to begin to look like our Father? Another error we can make when reading the Bible is transposing word meanings of today over the written words of God. For example in Galatians (also in Romans and Ephesians) we read, “To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” (Galatians 4:5) Here we read the word “adoption” and think of the 21 Century meaning of to take another’s child into your home, well this is not the meaning the Holy Spirit is expressing. The “adoption of sons” is a Jewish custom, a three day feast the father holds for the son AFTER the son completes his training and schooling. Now (and only after his training) the son can speak for the father in all affairs of the family. So too when we complete a phase of our training and schooling the Father adopts us as children and not until. Until then we are a bastard (spiritually) in school learning the lessons God has for us to learn. Another example is in Hebrews we read, “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.” (Hebrews 4:13) Here we read the word “naked” and over lay our thinking of someone being without clothing, well this is not what the writer of Hebrews (I believe to be Paul) was expressing. Here the word “naked” was referring to a gladiator submission hold of death, called the “naked hold.” All good citizens would go to the gladiator games and cheer their favorite gladiator. They were given almost a god like status and knew their moves and holds. And they also knew once a gladiator got the other gladiator in the “naked hold” the contest was over with a little pressure of his forearms he would crack the neck of his captive. While in the submission hold all the captive gladiator could do is look up in the eyes of the one that held him and hoped for the favor and grace of the people or a swift and painless death. The writer of Hebrews knew the people knew of this submission hold and expressed the thought of how the Holy Spirit holds us too in this naked hold and with a little pressure He presses us into submission and even death to our selfishness and self-life. All we can do is look up into the eyes of our captor and hope for mercy and grace.
How can we say we know God and His ways and do not handle His word correctly? What we do with God’s word (both written and spoken) is what we do with God. My friend let us handle God’s word (both written and spoken) with understanding and significance. I see in my life often I am casual with my approach to His written word after all I know this verse or that verse, but later I can see my casual approach to His spoken word to me. Oh Lord please forgive me of this familiarity. They say familiarity breeds contempt. Oh how I can see (if we have eyes to see) this dangerous shift when I think all is well. We must never get comfortable with God, but always allow Him to be sovereign and holy. How shall we come to know God, through His blessings and gifts? I think not. Maybe through our singing and dancing or service and money we give Him? No I think not. We come to know God through His dealings and judgments in our lives, as we walk with Him and talk with Him. And yes through His written and spoken word as He speaks to our heart sweet words of instruction and encouragement guiding us into all truth. Written by David Stahl
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