Oh! That
The Word Of God Would Prevail Mightily
"The world is conquered by the Word, and by the
Word the church is served and rebuilt." - Martin Luther
Undoubtedly, what this world
needs is a Bible Revival!
Vance Havner once said this about the Bible -
"The old book has been 'buried' many
times, even as now men would bury God. However, the 'corpse' has a
habit of coming to life in the midst of interment to outlive all the
pallbearers."
T. B. Maston added - "The Christians who
have turned the world upside down have been men and women with a
vision in their hearts and the Bible in their hands."
Oh! Christian! Do you have a fresh vision from
God and the Bible in your hands?
Do you have a consuming desire to turn your world upside down for
the Lord Jesus Christ's sake?
God has a plan, purpose, and desire - and it certainly includes
the use of His Mighty Word.
It is recorded in Isaiah 55:11 -
"So shall My word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: it shall not
return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please,
and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it."
Like rain falling upon the hard soil of the earth and softening it,
even so is the Word of God pictured as falling upon the sinner's
hard and sterile heart, producing an effect for righteousness.
Indeed, the Word is powerful, effectual, and able to answer all its
great intentions.
God said through the Prophet - "...it
shall not return unto Me void..."
We must never forget that! It will never come back
empty, useless, without producing some kind of effect or
accomplishing some sort of end in the hearer.
It may convince the conscience of the sinner and soften his heart.
Or it may work the other way in searing the conscience and hardening
the heart. Either way - it will
"prosper" in the "thing"
wherewith God sends it. It will fulfill His specific design and
intent.
How dangerous it is for anyone to blatantly reject God's Word as it
goes forth!
Equally dangerous is the attitude that so many have today of
indifference.
They do not give its hearing the strict attention that it rightfully
deserves.
How about you, O Saint of God?
How do you react to the Word of God?
Do you allow your mind to wander while it is being preached or
read?
Are you aware of the fact that you are accountable for every Word
that is sent your way?
Do you realize that God has a purpose, design, and intention for
you receiving His Word at a specific moment?
No man will have any excuse on the Day of
Judgment.
Nowhere do we get a better picture of the Word of God in action than
in the Book of Acts.
Acts 6:7 tells us - "And the word
of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in
Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient
to the faith."
Here we see the Gospel - like a wild-fire - going forth, growing,
spreading, and becoming more extensive in its influence. The
Preachers, in turn, were taking their job seriously and addicting
themselves to the work to which God called them. They weren't
preaching someone's Best Seller book, the philosophies of men, or
some denomination's "pet doctrine." They weren't
"watering down" the Truth
so as not to offend the public or adjusting it to fit a certain
group. The Scriptures plainly declare -
"And the word of God increased..."
The result? "Disciples"
from every class of people were rapidly and greatly increasing in
number. The unadulterated Truth was having its effect on the
public.
"The priests" were no
exception. Josephus records that there were as many as 20,000
priests at that time in Jerusalem. Another resource claims that most
of them were Sadducees who didn't even believe in the resurrection.
Most commentaries agree that these same
"priests" were the greatest opposers to the preaching
of the Gospel. They were dead-set on the destruction of
Christianity.
Nonetheless, we see the mighty effect that the Word of God has on a
people. The Scriptures tell us - "...and
a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith."
In other words, the very "faith"
that they fought, they became "obedient"
to.
O Saint of God! Are there family
members or friends in your life who are presently standing in
opposition to the Truth like these
"priests" once did? Be encouraged
today! Just as the Scriptures transformed these hardened and
stubborn spiritual leaders, they will change the lives of those
who are near and dear to you.
And don't forget that it was not a few
"priests" here and there who surrendered to the
Truth, but "a great company!"
Indeed, God's Word can change anyone - no matter how
religious or ungodly they may seem to be!
Acts 12:24 declares - "But the
word of God grew and multiplied."
In spite of the wickedness of Herod and the persecution on the
Church, the "word of God"
continued to spread, increase, and gain ground. The Church was faced
with the Apostle James' death, Peter's arrest, and Herod's
haughtiness and ungodliness. However, nothing could stop this mighty
move of God. The "word"
was liberally sown among the multitudes and they, in turn, embraced
it and were daily added to the Church.
O Preacher! What is hindering you from
preaching this Glorious Gospel today?
No matter which adverse circumstances beset you, put forth the
"Word,"
and God will surely water it and greatly multiply it. You don't
have to "wear yourself out," trying to draw a crowd or bring the
multitudes to your Church. Just Preach the
"Word," and God
will do the rest!
Acts 19:20 goes on to say -
"So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed."
We must understand the background of these words.
The Gospel was having great success and progress in and about
Ephesus. This wicked city happened to be the center of magical arts
- especially fortunetelling or placing spells on people and things.
As the "word" was
preached, the people responded by abandoning their sins and changing
their vicious habits.
Acts 19:19 explains - "Many of
them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and
burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and
found it fifty thousand pieces of silver"($6,400,00.00).
This amounted to the yearly wage of 200 soldiers or day laborers.
In the midst of the resurgence of the occult through Harry Potter
and other demonic means today, we need the
"word of God" to once again spread widely
and grow extensively with divine power and might,
pushing back the forces of darkness which are deceiving the
multitudes. What God did in Ephesus - He can surely do in our cities
as well. People - bound by witchcraft and demonic powers - can be
set free through the Power of God's Word!
As we look around our world today, we have to agree
that something is desperately wrong.
Something needs to be done to stop this "whirlwind of
wickedness" from Hell that is destroying our societies.
What is the answer?
In 2 Thessalonians 3:1, the Apostle Paul alludes to the only
solution - "Finally, brethren, pray for
us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be
glorified, even as it is with you..."
The Holy Spirit of Acts is calling the
Church of today to prayer - intense warfare and intercession.
She is being called to pray -
...for the success of the Gospel ministries throughout the world -
"that the word of the Lord may have free
course"
...that "the word"
would advance, spread rapidly, gain ground, meet with no
obstructions from "unreasonable and
wicked men"( 2 Thessalonians 3:2), and run its course
into the ears, hearts, and consciences of the people
...that it would be "glorified"
in the conviction and conversion of sinners.
If the people will pray and the Preachers will not hold back from
preaching the Truth and nothing but the Truth - we will see the same
results as they saw in the Book Of Acts -
"So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed" (Acts
19:20).
If we will obey God and pray - the Gospel will spread rapidly like a
wild-fire, hardened sinners will be reached,
"disciples" will be added to the Churches, and
demonic forces will lose control over their captives.
In closing, let's remember Martin Luther's words -
"The world is conquered by the Word..."
That has always been God's plan and always will be.
Let's "get with the program" today and "get on
the ball" for Jesus.
Pray! Pray! Pray!
Preach the Word!
May God Bless His Word.
Connie
