Will,
Remember this when you preach…
“…the word of God is ALIVE (zaō: to have true life) and POWERFUL. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our INNERMOST thoughts and desires.” (Heb. 4:12) What gives life to the word? Well, we could ask it that way or, we should say, WHO is the WORD? “In the beginning was the WORD, and the WORD was with God, and the WORD WAS GOD.” (John 1:1)
JESUS is the WORD OF GOD! (See John 1:14) That is why it is ALIVE and POWERFUL! One more miraculous thing about the word! (This is properly translated in the NIV most others say, “is given by inspiration of God”) “All Scripture is God–breathed (theopneustos: theos: GOD pneustos: to breathe out) and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God (Will Sutton) may be THOROUGHLY EQUIPPED for every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:16-17) God’s “eternal essence” is IN the scripture and is “breathed” IN to us when we read it and breathed OUT of us when we preach it.
So, Will, when you open your mouth and speak, out comes God’s LIVING and POWERFUL WORD. It is breathed out of you by God Himself and breathed into those hearing it. Pour this word into your spirit Will and know that you are always in GOOD HANDS when you are doing God’s work…
-Bill Stockham