Spirit and Truth

April 30, 2007

Lar,

That was a good, solid, ‘Tim Challies-like’ post brother! That may have been your longest ever. But I’m thankful for it b/c it was a good one. In light of that last post, I offer these quotes.

The first is from Ray Orlund Jr.’s book, “When God Comes to Church.” It is a must read on the topic of revival. He writes,

Contemporary evangelicalism tolerates an elusive but coercive antidoctrine atmosphere. It is everywhere but nowhere at the same time–just a vague mood in which one sense that requiring theological justification for our practices, especially when they appear to be working effectively, is rude or even Spirit-quenching. Most Christians would never come out and say that the Bible is a dead book, but too few rejoice in it as the living Word of God. Biblical teaching is dismissed as ‘mere doctrine.’ ‘Doctrine divides,’ we are told. ‘Not doctrine, but power’–that sort of thinking. But what is biblical doctrine? That is simply a formal term for the Bible’s vision of God, the glorious face of God in Christ unveiled before us by the Spirit wiht transforming power (Exod. 33:18 with 34:5-7; 2 Cor. 3:12-4:6). If we want true revival, we will stop disparaging the Word and start exploiting it.

In that quote he emphasizes the need for doctrine, but later on in that chapter (actually, almost immediately after the paragraph I just quoted), he begins to emphasize the great need for the Holy Spirit. He then says,

With the Apostle Paul, we must resolve to exercise fullly trinitarian ministries: not Father, Son, and Holy Scripture, but ‘the testimony about God,’ ‘Jesus Christ and him crucified,’ and ‘the Spirit’s power (1 Cor. 2:1-4). Both Old and New Testaments bear witness to this kind of ministry as God’s own strategy, filled with power for life.

When God attends the preaching of his Word with the powerful breathnings of his Spirit, a decrepit church stands to its feet like a mighty army. God’s Word can kill: ‘Now as I was prophesying, Pelatiah son of Benaiah died’ (Ezek. 11:13). But the Word also enlivens, when accompanied by the Spirit. Weak preaching does not expose failure in the Word, The Word is powerful. Weak preachign only exposes the carnal, superficial undertanding of the preacher and his hearers. The Word is not hte problem; with the Spirit, it is the answer.

That is great stuff isn’t it Lar? I am hopeful it will whet your appetite to read more. For as you know, right doctrine is not enough. We are desperate for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Let us pray and preach and blog with that central need in mind!

Praying for the Spirit to come,
Joe

Posted by Joe | Filed Under Quotes