What’s the message of those on the Word side? It is straightforward: the honour of God’s name is at stake. His honour will not be restored, say those on the Word side, until we get back to the faith “once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3, ESV). We must get back to the doctrine of the apostles. We need clear Bible teaching in the pulpit. We must embrace the theology that was rediscovered during the Great Reformation of the 16th Century – which turned the Western world upside down: justification by faith alone, the inner testimony of the Holy Spirit by which we know that the Bible is the word of God; and a robust view of the sovereignty of God.
What is wrong with that emphasis? Nothing at all. It is, in my opinion, exactly right.
Then consider the example of those on the Spirit side. What is their message? It is straightforward: the honour of God’s name is at stake. It will not be restored until we get back to the experience of the apostles as demonstrated in the book of Acts: there were signs, wonders and miracles; the gifts of the Spirit were in operation; when they had a prayer meeting the place was shaken; if you got into Peter’s shadow you were healed; if you lied to the Holy Spirit you were struck dead right on the spot. And until we rediscover and experience that level of power, the Church will continue to have minimal, if any, influence in the world.
What is wrong with that emphasis? Nothing at all. It is, in my opinion, exactly right.
The problem is that whenever we go to church, we find either one or the other.
Longing for more
In my old age, I have been privileged to travel much of the world, and I believe that what I said nearly 30 years ago continues – sadly – to be a correct diagnosis. True, some make every effort to incorporate both, and I will not enter into a debate about which preacher, prophet, church or denomination has got it right. But I believe many need to hear this message – myself included! I long to preach with power and authority. I have personally experienced that kind of power and authority only once or twice so far in my lifetime. I have seen some true miracles and healings over the years –but very few.
True miracles and verifiable healings are exceedingly rare. The common denominator of charismatics was once the gifts of the Spirit. Today it is prosperity teaching. Those who run to church because they know they will be riveted by exciting and fearless preaching are hard to find. So much of what comes from Word pulpits is “perfectly orthodox, perfectly useless”, as Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones used to say.
You might ask: “Whatever is the point of writing like this?” I answer: Those who read this may – just may– be gripped to lament and repent over our situation and intelligently pray that the honour of God’s name, which has long been behind a cloud, will be restored. The world does not respect the Church. There is no fear of God in the land or in the Church. The world thumbs its nose at us, and we are not bothered. Things that once caused outrage have been accepted by nearly all.
Jesus said that in the last days, the Church – even the best of its members – would be asleep: wise and foolish alike (Matthew 25:1-5). That is the most apt description of today’s Church that I can think of. Indeed, we are in a deep sleep with little or no expectancy and no great concern or outrage over the conditions around us. The scary thing about sleep is that we don’t know we are asleep until we wake up. We do and tolerate things in our sleep we certainly would not permit when awake.
Three responses
Is there hope? I believe there is. There are three responses I am praying for.
First, we will all see the urgent need for the Word and the Spirit to come together, as in the book of Acts. There needs to be both the Word and Spirit demonstrated in equal measure. We should be concerned for more of the Word and more of the Spirit with equal burden and vision.
Secondly, there will be very urgent praying as in the book of Acts. The early Church prayed in desperation because of the threats of the Sanhedrin (the ruling council of the Jews). “And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your Word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus” (Acts 4:29-30, ESV). The urgency plus the presence of both the Word and Spirit is evident in this prayer. And that is when the “place” in which they were assembled was “shaken” – “and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness” (v31, ESV). We should be as threatened by the Church’s lack of power and influence today as the early Christians were threatened by the Sanhedrin 2,000 years ago.
Thirdly, both Word people and Spirit people will become vulnerable (not defensive) and admit their needs. The problem with the Laodiceans in the book of Revelation was not only that they were lukewarm– “neither hot nor cold” – but that they saw no need in themselves. They were rich, enjoyed prosperity, and felt they “needed nothing” (Revelation 3:16-17). You know the expression: “You can always tell a successful man, but you can’t tell him much,” – so it is with a church that becomes unteachable. When we are safely in our comfort zones, we don’t usually welcome any notion that we should move outside them.
Revival
My experience has been that many Word people honestly feel no need for more of the Spirit than they already have. My experience with many Spirit people is that they often want more time for worship rather than preaching and are pretty comfortable with hearing ‘feel-good’ sermons rather than solid biblical preaching. And yet fewer and fewer Christians nowadays read and know their Bibles. I also have very good reason to believe that both Word people and Spirit people spend less and less time alone with God. Martin Luther prayed for two hours a day. John Wesley prayed for two hours a day. But where are the Luthers today? Where are the Wesleys today? The average church leader probably prays just minutes daily. Dare I ask, how much do you pray?
This year is the 70th anniversary of the Hebrides Revival in Scotland (1949-52). The fear of God fell on often remote places in those days. Unusual manifestations appeared. Hundreds of spontaneous conversions occurred in churches or as people walked down a road. Most of the converts were teenagers or adults under the age of 40. On at least one occasion, a house shook (dishes even fell off tables) when people met for prayer and worship. It was a sovereign work of the Spirit, and yet it was preceded by people praying –particularly two old ladies in their 80s who wouldn’t give up but who cried out: “Lord, your honour is at stake.” I find this encouraging.
I truly believe that the Word and Spirit are going to come together, maybe soon. If Smith Wigglesworth has been quoted correctly, we are long overdue to see his 1947 prophecy fulfilled. He reportedly forecast that the Word and Spirit would come together and that this move of God would eclipse the Wesleyan and Welsh revivals and spread worldwide.
Most of my own preaching over the years – I wish it were not true– has been almost entirely Word preaching with little power. When people listened to me, they would say: “Thank you for your Word.” That is what they came for; that is what they got. They did not come to see anything; they came to hear. But the simultaneous combination of the Word and Spirit coalescing in the great measure will result in spontaneous combustion. And when that happens, as Lyndon Bowring put it, “those who come to see will hear, and those who come to hear will see”.
Author: RT Kendall