The Ministry of the Word

God wants us to understand His word because it serves as the foundation for spiritual service. He is equally eager to make His message a burden in our hearts so that we can minister to the church through it. But we shall devote ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the word, according to Acts 6:4. Ministry is the act of serving. Therefore, the ministry of the word entails using the Bible to serve others. What is our problem in ministry that we can't let the word out of us? There are times when one may feel incredibly burdened to share a message with the brothers. But even as he stands to say sentence after sentence, the weight inside of him is just as great. Even an hour later, there is still no sense of release, and eventually, he must depart with the same amount of weight on him as when he arrived. Why? It's because his outward man hasn't been shattered. The soul's abilities stop aiding the inner man and start acting as a hindrance.

However, once the outer man has been destroyed, communicating the inner burden becomes easy. Then, one can come up with suitable sentences to convey his inner feeling. The inner burden is lessened with the right expression. This is how the church should receive the ministry of God's word. We will reiterate that the greatest obstacle to the ministry of God's word is the external man.

Many have the erroneous notion that clever people are best able to be used. How wrong! No matter how clever you are, the outward can never substitute for the inward man. Only after the outward man is broken can the inward find adequate thought and appropriate words. The shell of the outward man must

As long as this shell remains intact, the burden in the spirit cannot be released nor can God's life and power flow from you to the church. It is mostly through the ministry of God's word that His life and power are supplied. Unless your inward man is released, people can only hear your voice; they cannot touch life. You may have a word to give, but others fail to receive; you have no means of utterance.

The problem is that life inside does not flow out. God's word is already in motion within, but due to the external impediment, it cannot be made evident. God does not have a freeway in you.

Author: Watchman Nee

Compiled and edited by: Peter O. Olutoyese

 be smashed by God. The more it is shattered, the more the life in the spirit is released.