Every genuine minister of the word knows what it means to push out the spirit. As he speaks, he has to exert his strength, not his fleshly strength, but another kind of strength. He has to push out his spirit. It seems as if he has to exert all his energy to press out his spirit. The spirit is a force within, and while he speaks, he pushes out this force and releases it. When the word goes out, the spirit is pushed out and released at the same time. When a person pushes out his spirit, those around him will touch something. Whether his audience hears a doctrine or God’s word depends on how he pushes out his spirit. If he pushes out his spirit voluntarily and willingly, his listeners will not hear just a message; they will touch something behind the word. But if he does not push out his spirit in his speaking, others will not touch the very thing hidden behind the word. The ministry of the word sometimes becomes very common because there are too many words and too little spirit. One can speak much yet push out his spirit only a little. After an hour or two, he may have pushed out his spirit for just a short amount of time; the rest of the time he may not have pushed out his spirit at all. This is very common. If we push out our spirit with all of our might, we have the ministry of the word. A strong ministry of the word is one in which the amount of words equals the amount of spirit, that is, the two are the same. When the word is released, the spirit is also released. Whenever there is the word, there should be an equal amount of spirit to go with it. The spirit should push the word along. This constitutes a good and strong ministry of the word. The audience in this case touches the released spirit and hears the word. Whether a minister of the word is common or powerful in his utterance depends on his willingness. It also depends on his training. If he is not well trained or if he is not willing, his words will be weak. His utterance is strictly controlled by him. His training constitutes what he has, and his willingness constitutes what he wants to do. On the one hand, a man may have something, but he does not want to give it away. On the other hand, a man may want to give something away, but he does not have that very thing. We must have what we want to give, and we must want to give it. However, we must first have the training before we can have the willingness.
It is proper for the spirit to match the word. However, there are exceptional cases when the amount of spirit exceeds the amount of words. Sometimes one faces special circumstances in which special needs arise, and God may allow one’s spirit to go beyond his words. Even though the words can only say so much, the spirit can cover much more. This, however, is very rare, and it is very difficult to achieve. Our spirit will not exceed our words every time, but there are times in which it will. The significance of the ministry of the word lies in the release of the spirit, while the significance of the reception of the word lies in the touching of this spirit. The ministry of the word is a service in spirit. While we speak, we exercise our spirit; when the spirit is released, we have the ministry of the word. The ministry of the word is not merely a release of words but a speaking that is coupled with the spirit. The ministry of the word is a matter not of opening the mouth but of having a definite word within and then pushing out the spirit through the word. Whenever we have the word without the spirit, we have doctrine; we do not have God’s word. May all the ministers of the word see that a message is not just a message but the pushing out of the spirit through the speaking of the word. If we only have the word without pushing out the spirit, we do not have a ministry. No minister of the word can function with a dormant spirit, because the ministry of the word is the release of the spirit. God’s intention is not just for men to hear the word but for men to touch the spirit of the word. The spirit rides on the word and goes out with it. God wants us to touch His Spirit; He does not want us to merely touch His word. His Spirit is released through the word. Every minister of the word must be able to speak and, at the same time, must be able to push out the spirit behind the word. Whenever we speak, we have to push out our spirit. This is the ministry of the word.
A powerful ministry of the word, that is, a powerful utterance, consists not only of the pushing out of the spirit but even of an explosion of the spirit. This means that when the word is released, the spirit explodes. The spirit is not released in an ordinary way but in a way of explosion. When this happens, men fall on their faces before God. If a man functions as a minister of the word in this way, he can decide whom he will touch on a certain day, release his spirit, and touch that person in exactly the way that he has prescribed. He can predict whom he will shower his spirit upon, and his spirit will come as a shower to that person and soak him thoroughly. This is possible. When he speaks, he will release his words, and any opposing, cold, and stubborn spirit will be subdued. It is possible for the spirit to be released in an explosive way. When the spirit is released in this way, others will touch something and will fall down no matter how stubborn they may be. We have to pay attention to the amount of spirit we release during our speaking. The release of our spirit cannot exceed the capacity we have within us. We can only release as much as we have. The measure of power is limited by the capacity we have; we cannot force ourselves to do more. It is not a matter of our words, our voice, or our attitude. Resorting to these things is just performing. We should never pretend to have a certain attitude or a certain tone of voice when we are void of the spirit. We should realize that a man can be subdued only by the release of the spirit. No one can stand in the face of the spirit.
What is the meaning of the release of the spirit? We will mention a few points.