We who serve as ministers of God’s word must learn this lesson. It is not how much of the Scriptures we understand, how many biblical truths we have seen, or how many verses we can quote. These will not constitute us as a minister of the word. We need to see the biblical truth, and we need to quote and understand the Bible. But in addition to these things we need one basic ingredient. If we have this basic ingredient, we have the ministry of the word. Without it, we do not have the ministry of the word. This basic ingredient is the revelation of the Holy Spirit. The ministry of the word needs the revelation of the Holy Spirit. One must not only speak the same word but have the same revelation. Without the same revelation, the ministry of the word ceases to exist. We must be thoroughly and unmistakably clear about this.
God has spoken. He has to speak the same thing again today before the word will produce the same effect. God used His word once. He has to use the same word again today; His anointing has to be upon the same word before it will become effective to us. We must see the balance here. On the one hand, God has to use the word that He once released. When we preach God’s word, we do not have to look for new words. Rather, we should base our speaking on what has already been spoken. Yet on the other hand, what we preach should not be just the old words. It should be the same word and yet not the same word. It is the same word, because without that word as the basis, God cannot speak; there is no disagreement in His speaking. Yet in another sense there is the fresh anointing and revelation of the Holy Spirit with this word. Without the fresh anointing and revelation of the Spirit, the same word will not produce the same result. A man has to maintain a proper balance between these two aspects.
One great temptation today is that man seeks and hopes merely to repeat the same words. He thinks that by speaking the same thing, he will repeat the same power, light, and revelation. We must remember that these are things that belong to two different realms. You can repeat the same words, the same doctrines, the same testimonies, the same parables, and the same expressions. These things can be repeated, and man can repeat them with his own power. But while the words may be repeated, God may not repeat His use of these words. You can repeat the outward things, but you cannot repeat the inward things. God’s realm remains God’s realm, and our realm remains our realm.
Another illustration may make things even clearer. God’s speaking is in the principle of resurrection. What is resurrection? Resurrection does not give life; it merely calls to life what is dead. This is resurrection. The birth of a baby is not resurrection. But when a dead man comes out of the tomb, that is resurrection. The daughter of Jairus was resurrected, the only son of the widow of Nain was resurrected, and Lazarus was resurrected. They were dead and then became alive. This is resurrection. God’s ministers of the word serve according to the principle of resurrection today. God put His life in His word. The word is still here, but God has to breathe His life into His word once more. Do you see this? This is the principle of resurrection. The principle of resurrection is different from the principle of creation. The first time a word was released, it was released according to the principle of creation. When the word was spoken, something was created. A “son” was born; there was a new birth. But the ministry of the word does not function this way today. God’s word is already here, and He is merely repeating what He has already spoken. God is putting His life into His word once more, and when this word becomes living in man, it is revelation to man.
Aaron’s rod was a type of resurrection, because at one time the rod was living. In fact, all the rods were living at one time. They were not made of iron. They were wood and had life in them at one time. But when life left, the wood became a dead rod. Aaron’s rod was the only exception. It was placed before the ark, and it sprouted, blossomed, and bore fruit. This is resurrection. God’s word is based on the principle of resurrection. There was no need to get another piece of wood. The original rod sprouted, blossomed, and bore fruit. God’s word is one. There is only one word. We cannot set aside the Bible to preach God’s word. The rod remains the same, but when life visits it again, we have resurrection. It must be the same rod, and life must enter the rod a second time. It must be the same word, but life must enter the word again and again. Life has to enter the word again and again, revelation has to come upon it again and again, and light has to shine upon it again and again. Only then is the word living to us. Anyone who tries to reject the Bible is rejected by God because he is rejecting the words that God has written down. Every word of the Scriptures is God’s inspiration, and we have to honor it. Without it as the foundation, there is no orthodox faith, and there is no revelation from God. Yet with the words of the Scriptures, there is still the need for man to go to God to receive revelation and light. It is the same word of God. But upon this same word there is the need for the same revelation to be revealed once again. The rod remains the same, but fresh life has to enter it once more before it will sprout, blossom, and bear fruit. This is what God’s word is all about. This is the meaning of the revelation of God’s word.
There is one inspiration, but there must be repeated revelations. God’s one word has to be spoken by Him again and again. We have one Bible, but we need a continual anointing of the Holy Spirit. Only then will there be the ministry of the word. Whenever a man tries to explain the Bible without the anointing, revelation, or light, the ministry of the word stops in him. We must pay attention to this fact. Man’s diligence, memory, understanding, and intelligence are all useful. But they are not enough. God must grant mercy to a man and must speak to him again.
In reality, if a man does not hear God’s speaking, he can do nothing about it. God must be willing to speak to man again. If God does not want to speak, man can do nothing. If the Lord will not speak, the ministers will not accomplish anything even if they all speak. It is a great thing for the Lord to speak. If He does not speak, nothing will happen. Even if man tries his best to speak, no result will come. The more one tries to speak in the physical realm, the more he will fail. The more one speaks in the spiritual realm, the more the speaking will work. The more you learn to speak according to your spirit, the more you will realize that this is something that is beyond anyone’s control. The words can be the same, the sounds can be the same, and even the inward feelings can be the same, but what is released will not be the same. There can be a word-for-word, sentence-by-sentence correspondence. The whole message can be repeated verbatim, and everything can be the same. But what is released will not be the same. We must remember that only God can speak God’s word. The Bible is God’s word, and we need God to speak this word to us. The work of the ministers is to allow God to speak this word once again. As oracles of God, when we allow God the liberty to speak His word, there is the ministry of the word. We can only serve within this realm.
The difference between theology and God’s speaking is intrinsically very great. Whenever we listen to a sermon, we should never just consider whether or not the doctrine is right, the teaching is scriptural, and the truth is correct. This is not to put down these factors. However, everyone who has been taught by God and whose eyes are opened should know what kind of sermon is being spoken as soon as he sits down to listen. A person may have a good mind, yet he may not have God’s word. Another person may not have a quick mind, yet God’s word is with him. There is a fundamental difference between God speaking through a person and not speaking through a person.
If all the brothers could learn this lesson, the church would not pay that much attention to gifts. Instead, it would pay more attention to ministry. The problem today is that many young brothers and sisters cannot tell the difference between gifts and ministry. This is the reason that gifts are more welcome and popular in the church, while ministry is neglected. The words may be the same in both cases, but the reality is different. The two may be the same in letters, in outward appearance, but those who have the discernment can tell the difference between them. A brother once said, “I have preached everything that Brother So-and-so preached.” This brother had a good mind and thought that he could preach just as well as others. He did not realize that his preaching was in an entirely different realm. Some people preach according to their mind, while others preach according to their spirit. These are two entirely different realms. We should never think that just by repeating the same words we will produce the same results. Some can speak the same words, but God may not speak through them. Others have the ministry of the word because God speaks through them.