The word of god is the spirit of god

“It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”

 John 6:63

 Notice in the above scripture Jesus calls the very words that he speaks Spirit and Life!  In John 1:1-4 &14 the scriptures tell us “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men…And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father;) full of grace and truth.”

 1 John 5:7 says: “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”

 As the scriptures above tell us, Jesus is the word of God.  He is the word that created all of creation.  He was doing the same thing when He walked the earth that He was doing when He created it.  Look at Genesis 1: 1-2  “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.  And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.  And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light…”

 There in Genesis, we have the Father, the Son (The Word) and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit hovered over the face of the waters but wasn’t put into action until the WORD of GOD was SPOKEN!  Not until GOD SAID, was anything created!  But then Light, Life and all that is, was created through the WORD OF GOD!

Jesus is teaching us that the same is true today about the Word of God.

In John 14:12 Jesus tells us: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father: And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.”

How will we then do the works that Jesus did? First, of course, we need the infilling of the Holy Spirit. All that Jesus did was by the anointing, the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling on the inside of Him.  This is available to every believer who asks.  This is the power, the anointing that the scriptures speak of in Ephesians 3:20, “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.”

Therefore God will do exceedingly abundantly above what we can ask or think; how?  By the POWER THAT WORKS IN US!  How then do we release this power? What is the key to tapping into this great power house of God dwelling on the inside of us?  Let’s look at John 14:10.  Jesus says: “the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.” 

Jesus spoke only what He heard His Father say, then the Father did the works;  just like when they spoke the Universe into existence. It’s that living word of God that brought it forth!  Let’s also look at Matthew 8:5-10 to see how this power of God is released and how to get the same results that Jesus did:   “And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.  And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.  The Centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but SPEAK THE WORD ONLY, and my servant shall be healed.  For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.  When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.”

The Centurion understood that the very words Jesus spoke had the authority to heal.  It’s the word of God that released the power.  Just as Jesus said the words that He speaks are Spirit and they are life.  The actual word of God is Spirit! That is why we call it the living word of God.  It is alive! When you speak the word of God you are speaking actual life and the spirit of God.  Proverbs 4:20-22 says: “My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.  For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.” That sounds very similar to what Jesus said in John 6:63. His word is Spirit and it is life.  It is the Spirit that quickeneth (gives life).  When you release the word of God, you are literally releasing the life giving Spirit of God and it will do exceedingly abundantly above what we can ask or think! There is POWER IN THE LIVING WORD OF GOD!

This is why it’s so important to pray the word of God over your situation, whatever it may be. In Ephesians 6:17 scripture tells us to take up “the sword of the Spirit, which is the WORD OF GOD”!  This is part of our battle armour.  All the rest of the armour listed in Ephesians 6 is for Defensive fighting, but the WORD IS OUR SWORD, it’s how we fight OFFENSIVELY.  Find the promise of God concerning whatever you need in the scriptures and then speak it out with Authority, in Faith, knowing that it will not return void!  As Isaiah 55:10-11 says: “For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower: and bread to the eater.  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.”

God’s word will work all the time.  We have been given the authority to use it. Trust that it will work on your behalf! Just as the Centurion had complete trust in that life giving word that Jesus spoke.  The word of God is what dispatches the heavenly angels.  As Psalm 103:20 says: “Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his WORD.”

Jesus again demonstrates the power of the word, and saying what He hears the Father say, when He speaks to the fig tree.  He curses the fig tree by speaking to it.  He spoke to a tree and cursed it out loud.  Indeed the tree responded by dying from the roots up.   Jesus explains the authority we have with the word of God when he says  in Mark 11:22-24  “And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.  For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he SAITH shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he SAITH.”

When we pray the word of God we get results! When we say only what we hear the Father say to us in our spirit, then God will do the works.  Be sensitive to tune into what God is telling you to say and what not to say.  God has given us the authority to get His kind of results.  In Luke 10:19 (NLTV) Jesus says: ”Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them.  Nothing will injure you.”

The authority that Jesus has over the enemy, He has given to us.  We use that authority by saying and doing what God tells us to do.  Pray the promises of God in the word of God over your situation in faith!  Then stand back and watch as God does the works and does exceedingly abundantly above all you could ask or think! John 1:12; “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name…”

Jeremiah 23:29

“Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?”

Psalm 50:23

Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God.”

Psalm 107:20

“He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.”

Ephesians 6:12-17

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God…

On Sunday, June 18, 2017, congregants who worshipped at The SCOAN witnessed the demonstration of God’s power in many dimensions. The testimonies were inspiring and helped keep the light of hope aglow in the minds of all who saw God’s hand at work in the life of His people. The choir on their part ensured that the atmosphere was Spirit-filled as they provided the musical impetus that kept everyone on their dancing feet as praise and worship songs rented the air. The Word of God played its enlightening role as it formed the nucleus of everything that happened on the day.

In his message, GOD’S WORD IS SPIRIT AND LIFE, Prophet T.B. Joshua emphasised the fact that God’s Word has the ability to transform us spiritually, especially when we pay attention to it by meditating on it at all times. “God’s Word is Spirit. It has the ability to quicken us spiritually. It has the ability to form a spiritual force within our hearts or spirits,” he pointed out. And in case we find it difficult as Christians to pay attention to the Word of God due to distractions, the man of God offers a solution – “When your heart is not set, you cannot pay attention. In this case, take your Faith Bracelet and begin the battle to reset your belief”.

Concluding, Prophet T.B. Joshua reminded the people of God that faith comes naturally when we meditate on the Word of God which, in itself, is Spirit. He said, “Since God’s Word is Spirit, it has the ability to develop a spiritual force within our hearts or spirits called faith. You have faith, you increase in faith because God has a nature that makes it easy to trust in Him”.

In an earlier message titled UNITED IN CHRIST JESUS, Evangelist Angela enjoined Christians to remain one in the body of Christ. She urged them to eschew all forms of offence and put their differences away so as to form a common front against satan, their perennial enemy: “Offence, bitter separation, imprisons countless Christians, severs relationships and widens the existing breaches, misunderstandings between us. When we give room for misunderstanding and mistrust to thrive in our midst, we are going against that very divine destiny that unites us as a nation, as a people, as a family. Because of the wounds and hurts which offences have caused in our lives, most of us cannot function properly in our workplaces, communities or homes.”

Speaking further, she used the story of Cain and Abel as a veritable analogy to elucidate the reason children of God should tolerate one another and live in peace rather than allow bitterness tear them apart. “Cain was offended. Cain’s work was not recognized. Cain’s labor was not appreciated. Cain’s gift was rejected and Cain was corrected. Instead of learning from the difference of his and his brother’s offerings, he allowed the differences to divide; he allowed the differences to offend. And the rest is history. Instead of making a change, he made excuses and became bitter, not better. It took just one moment, one difference to separate a family, deny a destiny and lose an inheritance. This is the role of offence in your life.”

EVANGELIST ANGELA

For children of God to live peacefully with their neighbours, especially those who do not even belong to the same religious affiliation with them, Evangelist Angela reckoned that the only way that can happen is when we learn to live in love and forgive those who have offended us: “Forgive our enemy – those who offended us, abandoned us, rejected us, insulted us – for liberty in prayer can be obtained only where there is an atmosphere of light; that atmosphere must be one of unity and harmony, for our relationship to God is measured by our love to one another. One nation under God – that relationship is measured by our love for one another”.

TESTIMONIES

“HOW THE MORNING WATER RESTORED OUR MARRIAGE AND TRANSFORMED OUR LIVES”

“The medium God has used to provide all these blessings in our lives is the Morning Water. I have become an honourable member with a diplomatic passport,” said Major General Patrick Raphael Zamoi as he testified alongside his wife to the wonderful things God has done in their lives. Recounting how they had visited The SCOAN in 2012 in the face of serious marital challenges, the South Sudanese gave a dramatic account of their encounter with the man of God who, after praying for them, blessed them with the Morning Water.

As soon as they returned to their country and started ministering the Morning Water together, the winds of positive change started blowing into their lives. The nagging issues that tended to strangulate the peace in their marriage gave way to the presence of God in all their affairs. Shortly after, their union as husband and wife was properly solemnised in the Christian way. Ever since the consummation of their marriage, God unleashed a floodgate of blessings upon their lives. Hon. Zamoi’s health challenges that had threatened his personal life and career bowed to the power of God after he ministered the Morning Water. Both the high blood pressure and effects of a stroke he had suffered that had threatened his wellbeing, disappeared.

He has been highly favoured since he started ministering the Morning Water. Aside from receiving a brand-new car from the President of his country in 2014, he was subsequently appointed a governor of two states (one being in a caretaker capacity) in South Sudan before his current position as Governor of a newly-created state in the war-torn country. His academic life also received God’s blessings as he came out with a First Class in his Master’s Degree. The former Brigadier-General, who has since been promoted to the rank of Major General, also escaped an ambush during the crisis that had engulfed his country. Ten bullets were fired at his car but none touched him. He attributed his escape to the power of God present in the Morning Water.

Looking back, Hon. Zamoi has every reason to glorify the name of God who restored the bliss in his marriage, healed him of his health challenges, crowned his academic efforts with glory and blessed him with a significant promotion in his military career. Most importantly, he is currently a serving Governor in his country. It is indeed God’s doing and it is marvellous in their sights. For Mrs Zamoi, what God has done for her and her husband would remain always fresh in her memory. She recalled how her joblessness ended after she had ministered the Morning Water on her return from The SCOAN in 2012.

During her testimony last Sunday, she advised people to run to God no matter the situation they are facing. She added that Jesus would always be there to carry their burdens. Hon. Zamoi said, “God is real and Jesus Christ never said goodbye. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.”

HON. ZAMOI AND WIFE

ARTHRITIS RECEIVES TOTAL KNOCK-OUT

It was an amazing experience for Mrs Talbot as she walked for the very first time in a long while after an encounter with Prophet T.B. Joshua. According to her testimony, God used him to bring back the joy that had departed from her when she began to suffer from chronic arthritis. The ailment embarrassed her so much as she had to be carried about like luggage by her husband and children. The whole thing took a negative toll on her husband who could not concentrate on his job. Most times, he had to be with her at the expense of his job just to ensure that she received the best care available.

Mr Talbot made every effort possible to ensure that his wife walked again. According to Mrs Talbot, when her husband realised that her problem was not a child’s play, he immediately made arrangements for them to visit The SCOAN. Seated in a car, unable to walk Mrs Talbot placed her hope on Jesus. Prophet T.B. Joshua had to step out of the church auditorium to come and attend to her outside. Moving with power in the name of Jesus, the man of God commenced a spiritual operation by using his faith to place a demand on the anointing, commanding the chronic arthritis to leave her. Tapping her legs in the name of Jesus Christ, he commanded her to stand on her feet. As she took that bold step, she stepped on her feet which immediately received the anointing and the man of God commanded her to walk.

Mrs Talbot walked for the first time after over one year. The power of God in the life of Prophet T.B. Joshua was too hot for the chronic arthritis and it disappeared in a matter of second! In company of her husband and other family members, she returned to the church to testify. During her short but glorious testimony, the Nigerian from Bayelsa State thanked God for her healing, especially for making her fit again to perform her household chores. She also thanked God for taking the burden of her ill-health off her husband’s shoulders. “Don’t lose hope in God. Whatever situation you have, believe in God that He will do it for you. He is the Beginning and the End,” she advised.

                                                                                              MRS TALBOT AND FAMILY

SPIRIT OF DOG CHASED OUT BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD

Penultimate Sunday, Tatiana had received a prophecy from the man of God that she had the spirit of flirting as well as the spirit of dog. According to the prophecy, those spirits were passed to her through her mother. She confirmed that the prophecy was true in its entirety. She remembered that even her grandmother married five times with all the husbands dying. On her own part, she had married twice.

According to the Russian living in Spain, her mother had always told her that having a husband was purely a status symbol and nothing more. Somehow that motherly direction affected her life and left her the more confused. Most times, she would feel the urge to seduce men but on a second thought, would see them as irritants. She used them only to achieve certain personal goals because deep down in her heart, she had no iota of love for them. According to Tatiana, while she spent so much money trying to keep herself attractive outwardly, she knew in her heart that she was destroying herself but just could not stop on her own. Having divorced twice, sleeping around with men became the biggest burden in her life, as she never really liked them. Her interpersonal relationship with other women was also affected as she was always competing with them. Because of the challenges in her relationships, she preferred to be alone always. At a point, she started watching pornography.

Tatiana knew something was wrong with her but she could not help herself. Her constant battles with her mind led her into depression. She also developed the habit of wanting to eat something all the time. In the face of all those challenges, Tatiana visited The SCOAN in company of a friend who had earlier received deliverance through the ministry. It was penultimate Sunday when the man of God located her through the power of prophecy. As he laid his hand on her head, Tatiana’s spiritual battles and burdens went crashing to an abrupt but triumphant end for her and the spirit of flirting and spirit of dog were sent out of her life, in Jesus’ name.

During her testimony last Sunday, she told congregants how she has found peace and a sense of God’s light all around her after her deliverance. “Since my deliverance, God has given me peace, joy and revelation. Now, I find it easy to communicate with people and I feel free. Now, I can love others without expecting anything in return,” she added. Basking in the reality of her new-found joy, she advised people all over the world thus: “Don’t try to solve your problem by your own power but by God’s power.”

MISS TATIANA

SPIRIT OF FLIRTING EXPELLED!

Miss Roberta came from a family that was in a mess as far as the institution of marriage was concerned. Almost all the women in that family were divorced. In her own words, it was a disaster. She remembered that her mother once told her that women in their family were usually very promiscuous in outlook, hence she was free to go and flirt with men. Such words coming from a mother signified a deep-rooted problem in the family. Roberta was not really impressed with the way things went with women in their family and was always saying she would not live that kind of a life. She recalled how men had always looked at her lustfully, even from a tender age. There was an incident in which a man almost raped her but for the timely intervention of her mother. She knew that there was something about her and her family that was not okay. There was a constant battle in her mind as she could not come to terms with the unfolding abnormalities surrounding her life.

Her flirtatious attitude, coupled with her inability to put an end to them, became a burden on her conscience and soon inspired her decision to give her life to Christ. The guilt that had taken over her conscience was so immense and required true repentance for her to be set free. After giving her life to Christ in 2016, she discovered that was when the real battle started. She became disgusted with herself as the forces of good and evil struggled in her mind. The spirit was willing to stick with Christ but the flesh was too weak to tow the righteous path. Her dreams were contaminated with sexual affairs with all sorts of men. She had one day cried out to God to either take her life or deliver her as she was no longer able to bear the psychological battles that were raging in her mind. It was that urgent need for deliverance that propelled her to visit The SCOAN where she received a prophecy from the man of God. Speaking about her problem, the man of God said, “She is possessed with spirit of flirting and this spirit has been in the family. It will be cast out. She is just like a dog. ‘Dog’ means she is just flirting with any man. Anytime the spirit comes upon her, she is just like a prostitute. She is not going to a hotel but she is flirting around…”

After that Sunday Service, Roberta received her deliverance in Jesus’ name. She testified about her deliverance and how God used Prophet T.B. Joshua to lift away all the burdens that had hung heavily on her life. Radiating great joy, she told congregants how she had laboured under the yoke of the spirit of prostitution and how her pursuit of deliverance to many other churches had failed to yield any positive results. She also testified that since her deliverance through the man of God, her constant urge to have affairs with men has stopped. “When Prophet T.B. Joshua prayed for me, I could not control my body and my spirit felt happy,” she observed. She left the following advice to people all over the world: “Ask God to deliver you. Your heart and mind should agree for deliverance. Also get strong to say no because we are to please God, not people.”

MISS ROBERTA

YOU CAN OVERCOME THE URGE FOR MASTURBATION AND STEALING

Around the age of ten, Susan was introduced to immorality, influenced into it by some unknown persons with whom she chatted on her phone. As a child, those callers would tell her to touch her private parts – a directive she carried out with naïve ignorance. Those obscene actions began to take deep roots in her subconscious and she soon realised that she could not do without thinking about those ungodly actions; they had become cemented in her mind and would not be easily obliterated from her infantile memory.

As she grew, the urge to further explore those immoralities expanded through the sophistication of social media. She engaged in chats and exchanged amorous messages as well as nude pictures with different men. While in secondary school, she suddenly developed the knack to steal petty items and whenever the owner cried for their belongings, she would feel her heart harden. She soon began stealing her father’s money and spending it on frivolous purchases. Chained to the spirit of stealing and lust, she later lost her virginity to a boyfriend which resulted in pregnancy. She realised that she could get an abortion and cover up the inglorious product of her waywardness. But there was another river for her to cross. The ‘doctor’ informed her that her uterus was too tight to undergo an abortion and as such, the only option was for her to sleep with a man again, while pregnant, so that her uterine walls would expand. The same ‘doctor’ offered to ‘help’ her. Taking advantage of her immaturity and ignorance about pregnancy and maternity, the doctor slept with her and afterwards carried out the abortion on her. After the shameful saga was over, she had vowed never to have a sexual affair with any man, whatsoever. The more she tried to stick to that vow, however, the more she began to be tormented by the spirit of masturbation. Her case was like that of someone who took one step forward and ten backwards.

The evil spirits made her life a wasteland, lacking in spiritual enlightenment with the light of God’s Word. Susan continued to masturbate morning, afternoon and night. All her efforts to stop those immoral habits failed to tame the spiritual menace, even the painful experience of putting pepper into her private parts to unsuccessfully stop the urge.

SUSAN AND MOTHER

By this time, she was in the university in the Caribbean but could not concentrate on her studies. She began to realise that too many of her mates were doing well while she was retrogressing academically. She had thought that moving to a new environment would bring peace to her life but that was never to be. While in the UK, the same evil spirits continued to torment her. She kept on stealing and masturbating. Most of the things she stole were clothes and shoes which she never needed. It was after she was caught and arrested that she realised how terrible a life she had been living. Her parents were totally disappointed in her.

After that ill-fated stealing escapade, Susan was inspired by her mother to come to Nigeria for deliverance at The SCOAN, where she came into contact with the power of God through prayer from Prophet T.B. Joshua. It was a prayer that broke every spirit of urge in her spirit, soul and body. For a young woman who had thought that she would never succumb to the anointing, she found herself on the ground, floored by the Holy Spirit. Years of torment and urge behind closed doors came to a stunning end. “I am totally free. I feel light. I no longer have those evil urges. I thank God for my deliverance,” she said as she testified in company of her mother. She advised youths to avoid the trap of unholy living by drawing close to God, through His Word, by His Spirit. Truly, God’s Word is Spirit and life – and brings life to all who trust in Him.

On Thursday afternoon I listened to Bud Burk’s sermon on prayer from last week. I was deeply moved. Christ went to Gethsemane and the cross so that I might be able to pray. Access to God in Jesus’s name was dearly bought.

My assignment today is to do for the Bible what Bud did for prayer. Our custom in prayer week each year is to sandwich the week with a message on prayer and a message on the word of God. Because the two are so intimately related in the Bible and in Christian experience.

• The psalmist prays, “Incline my heart to your testimonies” (Psalm 119:36). He prays that he would want to read and meditate on God’s word. Prayer and the word.

• He prays, “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law” (Psalm 119:18). He prays that he would see wonders in the Scripture. Prayer and the word.

• Paul says, “Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:17–18). Take the word praying. Prayer and the word.

• He says, “Pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored” (2 Thessalonians 3:1). Pray that the word would break through and triumph. Prayer and the word.

• And the apostles said that they should “devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:4). Prayer and the word.

“We believe that God has spoken in history and the Bible is the authoritative deposit of that word for all time.”

So we sandwich prayer week with messages on prayer and the word around prayer week because the Bible puts them together so closely, and because we believe this juxtaposition is the key to living the Christian life. That is what I will try to show today with illustrations of how this actually works. The text we will build on is 1 Thessalonians 2: 13–14:

And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea.

1. God has spoken.

Verse 13b: “You received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God.” So twice he calls his communication the “word of God.” This is not merely the word of man. Paul is speaking. But it is the word of God. God has spoken and is now speaking through Paul.

We believe that God has spoken in history, and that by inspiration, the Bible is the authoritative deposit of that word for all time.

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16–17)

2. His word comes to us in human words.

In the middle of verse 13, Paul says, “You received the word of God, which you heard from us.” You heard God’s word from us. We are human. God is divine. We are speaking on his behalf. His word is heard in human words.

Christ had appointed apostles who would be his authoritative spokesmen. He teaches and guides and inspires them (and a band of brothers close to them) and they speak his word on his behalf with his authority.

Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2:13, “We impart [God’s truth] in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.” This is what we have in the New Testament — God’s word mediated to us in the divinely taught words of men. God’s words come to us in human words.

3. The Thessalonians heard the words of Paul.

Verse 13b: “When you received the word of God, which you heard from us. . . .” God spoke, humans gave his word through their words, and the Thessalonians heard that. They heard the sounds. They knew the Greek language. They construed meaning with their minds.

God uses humans to deliver his word, and he delivers it to humans. Human minds hear and understand the word from God, and then another set of human minds receive it from those human mouths and again hear and understand it.

Nothing has been said yet about how the Thessalonians have evaluated the words. Only that they are hearing, and by implication, they are construing. They are trying to make sense of what they hear. That’s what we do when we hear someone speak. So the Thessalonians heard the words of Paul.

4. As they heard, God acted on their minds and hearts.

What did he do? And how do we know this?

What he did was enable them to receive Paul’s words as the word of God. Verse 13b: “When you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God.” That’s what God did. He opened their mind and heart to know that Paul was speaking the word of God, and he gave them the inclination to receive it for what it is, not mere human words, but God’s word.

How do we know God did this? Because at the beginning of verse 13, just before saying that they received his word as the word of God, Paul says, “And we also thank God constantly for this.” For what? “That when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God.”

But why would Paul thank God for this? Why would he thank God that the hearts of the Thessalonians grasped the divine nature of the human word? Why would he thank God that the hearts of the Thessalonians embraced the human words as divine word? The reason is that God enabled them to do this.

It’s the same as when Peter said to Jesus: “You are the Son of God,” and Jesus responded, “Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 16:17). In other words, God enabled Peter to see that the human person of Jesus was more than human. And God enabled the Thessalonians to see that the human words of Paul were more than human.

“We thank God that . . . you accepted our word not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God.” We thank God because God gave you eyes to see the word for what it really is.

If you have welcomed the gospel as God’s word and believed, that’s how it happened to you. God opened your eyes. God inclined your heart. You saw in the words of man, the word of God (see John 8:47; 18:37; 1 John 4:6).

5. The Thessalonians accepted Paul’s word as the word of God.

We’ve said it, but it deserves its own point. Point 4: God acted. Point 5: the result was that the Thessalonians accepted Paul’s word as God’s word.

There is another word for this reception in verse 13: belief, or faith, or trust. “You accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.” He is calling them believers now precisely because they accepted his word as God’s word.

So saving faith, involves the work of God, opening the eyes of our hearts (Ephesians 1:18) to see Paul’s message as God’s word and accept it, embrace it, receive it. Faith doesn’t look at the word of God from a distance and pronounce it true. It takes hold of it, receives it, takes it in, embraces it.

“If you have welcomed the gospel, then God opened your eyes. God inclined your heart.”

“As the word of God!” That is, as supremely valuable. Precious. All important. So the Thessalonians accepted, welcomed, received, embraced Paul’s message as the very word of God, as supremely important and precious and valuable in their lives. It was received as a treasure —whose value is only exceeded by God.

6. This word of God was now at work in the Thessalonians.

Verse 13b: “You accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.” So God acted to cause them to welcome the word. And now the word itself is living and active in them.

The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

And what specifically was the effect of this working? That’s the last observation.

7. The working of God’s word produced joyful endurance in suffering.

Notice the connection between verses 13 and 14. End of verse 13: “which is at work in you believers. For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews.”

Paul is giving evidence that God’s word is at work in them. And he says that receiving Paul’s word as the word of God had led to suffering. But that by itself would not prove God’s word was at work in them, because they might have responded to their affliction with anger and doubt and unbelief. But they didn’t. How do we know that? Because Paul had already said it clearly, which is why he didn’t need to here. Look at 1 Thessalonians 1:5–6:

Our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit.

By the Holy Spirit, God had powerfully given them joy in the midst of their affliction. “Our gospel came to you in power and in the Holy Spirit . . . And you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit.”

Now when we go back to 1 Thessalonians 2:13–14 we see how God does this. He does it by his word. Verse 13, at the end, “The word of God, which is at work in you believers. For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered. . . .” Indeed you suffer with joy. Joy in the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit was giving them joy in suffering by the working of the word in their hearts and minds.

Applying the Text to Your Life

So here is the truth that I draw out of this for living the Christian life: by the work of the Holy Spirit, God defeats temptation (like the temptation to be angry and depressed that you are suffering) by awakening joy through belief in the word of God which is at work in us. And that word is most centrally the good news that Christ died for us so that all the promises of God are Yes in him (2 Corinthians 1:20).

So let’s say the lesson another way now. We live the Christian life, we walk by the Spirit, when the Holy Spirit overcomes our temptations to sin by awaking joy through faith in the blood-bought promises of God that are at work in us. So you see the dynamics at work here: the Holy Spirit, the word of God, faith, and joy. By the Spirit, we trust the promises which bring joy which defeats temptation. And all the while we are praying!

So now let me illustrate how this works. It helps me to have an acronym called APTAT.

A — I admit I can’t in myself do what needs to be done.
P — I pray for God’s help.
T — I trust a particular promise he has given.
A — I act to do whatever God is calling me to do.
T — I thank him for his help when I am done.

So here’s how it works with temptations for specific sins.

The Temptation of Fear

God has called you to do something. You know it’s right, but you’re afraid. What do you do?

You admit honestly and humbly: “I am afraid and I cannot do this by myself.” Then you pray: “O God, grant me courage. Please don’t let me be ruled by fear. Take it away.”

Then you call to mind a specific, tailor-made, blood-bought promise that Christ has guaranteed for you by his blood: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10). You trust this promise. You say to God, “I take this promise for myself. I trust you. You are now my help.”

And you act. You act, believing that God, the Holy Spirit, is acting in you by his word through your faith. And when you are done, you bow your head and say, “Thank you. Thank you.”

The Temptation of Covetousness or Greed

You desire something that you don’t need. And the desire grows and starts to be very powerful. You’re losing your contentment in Christ — starting to feel that if you don’t have this, you will be miserable and maybe even give up on God. What do you do?

You admit you can’t beat this. It’s too strong. You need God’s help. Powerful help. Then you pray: “Father, I need your help. Please conquer my covetousness. Take away this craving. Restore my joy and my contentment.”

Then you call to mind a specific tailor-made, blood-bought promise like Hebrews 13:5–6: “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’”

And you trust that promise. You say, “Yes, Lord. Yes. You will never leave me. You will take care of me. You are enough. You are my contentment. I trust you. I believe you.” And you act. You turn away from the idol. And as you turn away from the coveted idol, you thank him. “Thank you, Lord. Thank you.”

The Temptation of Bitterness for Being Wronged

Someone has hurt you very badly. Or perhaps they’ve hurt someone close to you. A huge injustice has been done. You know it was wrong. Everybody knows it was wrong. Efforts at biblical reconciliation have been made. Maybe you made progress, maybe you didn’t. And you find yourself eaten up with recurrent anger and bitterness against the offender. You may even be married to him or her. Or it may be your father or your former boss.

“Call to mind a specific, tailor-made, blood-bought promise that Jesus has guaranteed for you by his blood.”

And you know the bitterness is wrong, but you can’t seem to shake it, because every time you try the sheer injustice of it all rises up with such ugliness you clinch your fist and grit your teeth that this wrong is not being properly punished. Justice is not being done. In fact he or she may not even think they did anything wrong. Life may be going on just fine for them while you deal with the wreckage. What do you do?

You admit: “I can’t shake it, I need help. I am being enslaved by this bitterness. It’s destroying me, and no one else.” Then you pray: “Father, I really need your help. I can’t stop feeling rage at this person. Help me. Please take it away.”

Then you call to mind a specific, tailor-made, blood bought (and that is especially relevant here, because Jesus bled instead of being bitter) promise, like Romans 12:19, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’”

And you trust this promise: He will repay. He will repay. Vengeance belongs to him and he will see to it that perfect justice is done for every sin against me, indeed every sin in the universe. He will deal with it, either in hell or on the cross. I don’t need to carry this cause anymore. I can hand it over to him who judges justly (1 Peter 2:23). And I do that now. “I trust you, Father, to settle this matter perfectly. I trust you.”

And then you act. You get rid of the reminders you’ve been using. You don’t go to the brooding places. You burn the letters you’ve been simmering over. You stop rehearsing all the scenarios of vengeance. When they come up in your head you say, No, and turn to the word of Christ, the cross, the promises, the judgment.

And you look up to God, your merciful Father, and thank him for being a perfectly holy and righteous judge who lifts the deadly burden of vengeance from our back.

So I commend it to you: APTAT — admit, pray, trust, act, thank. I think this is what it means to walk by the Spirit. To walk by faith. I think this is what it means for the word of God to be at work in those who believe.

And I pray I will be able to look back on 2012 with you and say,

I thank God constantly that all year long you received the word of God, which you read in your Bible and which you heard from me; and that you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe, to set you free.