God’s word must become flesh in each one of us.
I remember when preaching in Kenya a few years ago and I spoke on the topic entitled “The Word Must Become Flesh.” The gist of the sermon was that the word of God must radiate through us into this world and we must become the representation of God’s word both to our brethren and to those who do not yet know Christ as Lord and savior.
God created man to be the express image of Himself
This notion hearkens back to the first intent God had for Adam. You see, Adam was the express image of God and as such represented Him to this creation. It could have been said of Adam that, “if you have seen him you have seen the Father” and Adam could have said of himself, “I and the Father are one.” Unfortunately, this image was shattered by sin and we are now but shadows of what we once were. Yes, the image is still there but the light that used to shine through and illuminate it is either gone or very dim.
The point of what God is doing at the end of this Gentile church age is that He wants to restore us to our first estate. God wants to bring all who will yield to His Holy Spirit back into His image and likeness. The way that He accomplishes this miracle is through the work of Jesus Christ on Calvary and through the agency of His Holy Spirit.
The veil is rent
When Christ died for our sins the way was again opened for us to have fellowship with God. The scriptures state that the wages of sin are death. Therefore, when someone sinned they deserved to die. This is why in the Old Testament you could not approach God without blood being shed (or something dying). Before Jesus shed His blood, we could not enter into the presence of God because our sin warranted our death. When Jesus gave up the Ghost and died in our place, He paid the price for our transgression and God’s wrath was satisfied.
Allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you
Being able to come before God without being killed is just the beginning of the process of our redemption. Even though our sins have been removed from His sight, we still need to be rehabilitated. This is where the Holy Spirit comes in. When we yield the most unruly member of our body to the Holy Spirit we start to give over our flesh to be used by Him as He wishes and as He first intended. The more we allow the Holy Spirit to control our minds, hearts, and bodies, the more we begin to become like Jesus. The object of God in this is to regain complete control of all that we are in order that we might again show forth His image and likeness to this creation. As we yield to Him, we again become one with Him as Adam was one and as Jesus is one.
Three examples
All this might sound a bit theoretical to you so let me try to give some examples of the word becoming flesh. Remember the word I am talking about is not just the scriptures but also the word that God speaks to you through His Spirit daily.
What if?
1. You are asked to pray for a young man and woman who are about to get married. You are to give them a blessing but as you lay hands on the young man God in you speaks and says not to bless this union. What do you do?
2. There is a building program at your church and you have pledged to give a large donation towards it. Initially, you feel good about it but then the Holy Spirit says that you should not give. What do you do?
3. A woman has just lost her brother to a sudden heart attack. She is devastated and you feel that you should go to her home and give her a hug. Unfortunately, her husband is away on a trip and your wife is a jealous woman. What do you do?
What really happened
Each of these instances really happened. Here is how they turned out.
Marriage disaster NOT avoided
1. The man did not pray for the young couple and the pastor who was officiating at the wedding was very angry with him. However, 2 months later the marriage broke apart and the woman made this young man’s life totally miserable. It was revealed that the baby (which was the reason they were getting married in the first place) was not his. If the person would have spoken what God said to him rather than just refuse to pray maybe this young man would have been spared the deceptive marriage, heartache, and embarrassment.
Saved by the Spirit
2. The donation was not given but another in the church stepped up to the plate and made up the difference anyway. Several months later the pastor abruptly left the church and the whole ministry collapsed. Those who had contributed and signed for loans were left holding the bag. All, that is, except the person who had listened to the Holy Spirit.
An opportunity to minister to a hurting heart lost
3. The man who was supposed to give the hug never did and later learned from the lady that what she really needed at the time was “a hug.” She had prayed that God would send someone to comfort her in her grief. She said she just needed someone to hold her. The lady said that under the circumstances her husband would not have minded and it would have really ministered to her.
God wants His word to become flesh
Each of these cases shows God wanting to do something through a person filled with His Spirit. God commands His word to become flesh through action. The possible cost of following God’s goading and directives was embarrassment. To the extent believers yielded to Gods Spirit, our Father revealed Himself through them to others. Finally, to the extent that they obeyed God, His current word either did or did not become flesh.
The word must become flesh
People often say, “Show me that there is a God and I will believe.” Actually, when you are Spirit filled and speak to them you are the representation of God that they are asking for. God is in you reconciling the world unto Himself just like He was in Christ. If you act when He goads you to act, then your actions are the actions of God. When you speak when God goads you to speak, then your speech is the voice of God. If you touch when God goads you to touch, then your flesh is literally the hand of God. To the extent that you yield to the Holy Ghost, you become the representation of God upon this Earth to whomever you are around. When you know the word must become flesh, you can actively allow God to be seen through you.
God near us
As Christians, we have a profound responsibility to allow people to see the treasure that we hold within us. God’s word must become flesh so that people can see Him in us, believe, and be saved. Most people feel that God is nowhere around when they really need Him and so are wounded in their hearts thinking He does not care. The truth is that often times God is very near, even standing right next to them. Yet if we don’t know that God’s word must become flesh through us, we do not allow Him out because we fear embarrassment or rejection.
It is OK to follow His still small voice
Finally, Teach God’s children exactly how the word must become flesh. Saints must learn what is going on when they feel God goading them to reveal Himself to others. We need to give believers confidence that it is OK to respond to His small voice. Leaders remove the confusion from people’s minds about how we should or should not yield to the Holy Spirit. How else will the world see God’s love, grace, and mercy flow through us?
Suggested reading “Between Two Trees”
