Let us first consider the inner word. After we receive light from God and after we have the thoughts, we only have enough material to have a burden, but this is not enough to discharge it. Light and thoughts can only become our burden; they cannot serve to discharge our burden. Light and thoughts must first become words to us; the thoughts must first become words before we can release these words through our voice to the outside world. We cannot utter our thoughts; we can only utter our words. We cannot turn our thoughts into words extemporaneously. We must first translate these thoughts into words before we can announce them to the outside world. The ministry of the word is different from ordinary speaking. With ordinary speaking, one can speak as long as he has thoughts; his speaking is based on his thoughts. The same, however, is not true with the ministers of the word. Their thoughts must first be converted into words. Their inner being must be filled not only with thoughts but with words as well. They will be able to release their inner word to the outside world only after they have both.
The Lord Jesus served as the highest example of the minister of the word when He was on earth. He was not God’s thoughts becoming flesh; He was God’s Word becoming flesh. A minister of the word must be supplied with words before he can serve as a minister of the word. One does not become a minister of the word simply by having thoughts. Thoughts must be converted into words before he can have a ministry before God. If we only have thoughts and no words except our own, we still are short of one thing, and we are not able to be a minister of the word. These are basic principles. We need light, we need thoughts, and we need the inner words. After we have light from God and after this light is retained in our thoughts, we have to learn to pray for words before God. We have to be watchful. We have to pray and beseech Him before we will have the words.
When God’s light shines into our spirit, it is a revelation; we have to translate this revelation into our thoughts. Without revelation, there is no shining. Shining is God’s work. But the retaining of light by the thoughts is man’s work, a work that belongs to those who have learned the proper lessons from God. After light is translated into thoughts, there is still the need to translate the thoughts into words. We translate light into thoughts for ourselves, and we translate thoughts into words for others. If we only intend to have light for ourselves, thoughts are good enough. But in order for the light to be dispensed to others, these thoughts have to be translated into words. Without thoughts, the light is too abstract. Without the light, thoughts are useless. But the light must be translated into thoughts before it becomes tangible to us. Furthermore, the thoughts must be translated into words before light becomes tangible to others. We need thoughts to translate the light, and we need words to translate the thoughts. Only then will we have the ministry of the word. Light alone is not enough to qualify a person to be a minister of the word, and thoughts alone are not enough to qualify a person to be a minister of the word. Even the combination of light and thoughts is not enough to qualify a person to be a minister of the word. There must be light, thoughts, and words before one can serve as a minister of the word. We need words to translate the thoughts. This does not refer to ordinary thoughts but to the thoughts that pertain to revelation. Our thoughts are the very light that we see. Yet we cannot share these thoughts with others; they have to be converted into words. Hence, another great step in the ministry of the word is to receive words from God to anchor and then to translate our thoughts. We need the words. Light from God can only be retained with disciplined thoughts. Moreover, we have to anchor these thoughts with words that also come from God. The words that anchor our thoughts must be from God. Sometimes revelation is in the spirit, and sometimes it is in the word. Let us consider these two things.