and... ‘This is the word of the Lord’

As Christians, we have often heard scripture readings, creeds, and even prophetic words end with the phrase, and “This is the word of the Lord.” In many traditions the congregational response “Thanks be to God” was introduced in liturgies from the 1960s onwards for all designated scripture readings and liturgies.  But, what exactly does this phrase imply? Some commentators have pointed out about the phrase “This is the word Of the Lord” and our affirmation “Thanks be to God” is an affirmation that we are “Hearing what the Spirit is saying to the Church” and ready to obey Him.  Revelation 2:29 exhorts, “Let everyone listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.”  In Charismatic circles worship, preaching and prophetic words are considered God speaking to us.  The phrase, “This is the Word Of The Lord,” has its foundation in I Corinthians 14:29 which says, “Two or three people should speak what God has revealed. Everyone else should decide whether what each person said is right or wrong.”  In other words, the body of Christ is called on to discern, evaluate, and then decide if this is God truly speaking or coming from another source. But what a congregation does in response or action usually speaks as to whether they really are affirming that God has spoken to them.

Chuck Pierce
A prophetic voice in the modern Charismatic Movement 

There are three perspectives that most charismatically oriented congregations take on prophecy: (1) God is speaking He will do something and our response is to wait until it comes to pass and if it does or doesn’t come to pass determines whether it was the Word Of The Lord; (2) If God is speaking, we are to discern and determine that it is “the Word Of The Lord,” and then do it if we affirm it it His Word to us; or (3) This is just a declaration of what we ‘decree’ to happen and if we have faith it will happen because we declared it. If it doesn’t happen then we have not exercised our faith enough. In the mainline protestant and evangelical  traditions “Sola Scriptura: scripture alone” and it’s proclamation through preaching is considered “God Speaking” and is to be affirmed through our living out God’s word in our lives. So, when “This is the word Of The Lord is proclaimed,” and affirmed with “Thanks be to God,” it is a recognition of who God is calling us to be and how he wants us to live."

From my own theological perspective, I believe God speaks many ways. Scripture explains to us the many ways God speaks to us. He speaks through creation (See Job 12:7-10; 37:14-16; Psalm 8:3-4; 19:1-6; Romans 1:18-21). The voice of God can be revealed through mountains, water, trees, meadows, landscapes, and more. In John 12:27–30, God spoke from heaven, but when God spoke in this incident, some people who stood nearby thought they were hearing thunder. There’s the possibility that this could happen today. Sometimes if we hear thunder, or see floods or hurricanes or high winds or volcanoes, it may actually be the voice of God. He speaks through scripture (II Timothy 3:16; Heb 4:12). He speaks through circumstances (See Jonah 1-4). He speaks through wise counsel (Ps.1:1-6; Prov.11:14;12:15,22;19:20-21). He speaks through the ‘peace’ in our hearts (Col. 3:15).  This passage explains to us that If we don’t have peace about a decision, then it isn’t from the Lord. Don’t move forward unless you have peace.
 According to the Bible God can speak to us through other people (See Acts 16:1;2 Tim.1:5; Gal.2:11-14).)He can also speak to us through Dreams and visions. This pattern is shown in the lives of Joseph, Solomon, Jacob, Peter, John, and Paul. This method is available to us today too (see Acts 2:17 where Peter quotes Joel 2:28). God can also speak through supernatural manifestations. God spoke to Moses through a burning bush (Ex. 3:1–4). He spoke to Gideon through a fleece (Judg. 6:37–40). He spoke to Saul on the Damascus road through a bright light (Acts 9:1–5). He even spoke to Balaam through a donkey (Num. 22:1–35). God also speaks through a still small voice within us (Prov.20:27). He spoke this way to Elijah (1 Kings 19:12).  

The point here is that if we believe God is speaking, then we need to listen to Him. We need to tune in to the frequency of heaven and hear the voice of God. Note the warning held out in Jeremiah 7:13: “While you have been sinning, I have been trying to talk to you, but you refuse to listen.” Essentially, God was saying to Judah that they did any number of wicked things, and He was speaking and speaking to them repeatedly about it, but they did not listen to Him.  Too often today, those who claim God has been speaking to them have the same problem. They might affirm “This is the Word Of The Lord” but do little to apply their lives to it.  I love the promise held out for us in Romans 10:17: “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” If you’ve ever met a person of great faith, then you’ve met a person of great hearing who knows how to listen and applies the Word of God to their daily life.  John 16:13 says, “"But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.” This is why it's important that we don’t miss His voice and what He is trying to tell us to do.

In my own observation as I’ve traveled, ministered, observed, discerned and listened to the proclamation of God’s Word over the last five decades; God has been speaking to all of us on “what kind of people He is calling us to be” because we are in a preparation period.  Eph. 5:26 states says, “Christ gave himself up for us to sanctify us, cleansing us by the washing with water through the word, and to present us to Himself, as a radiant church, in all its beauty--pure and faultless, without spot or wrinkle or any other defect, but to be holy and unblemished.”  Romans 8:29 states very clearly “God is conforming us to the image of his Son.” The Apostle Paul goes onto say, “Those whom He has called He has also declared free from guilt; and those whom He has declared free from guilt He has also crowned with glory.” The reason He is preparing us, cleansing us, freeing us and getting us ready to be “His glorious Church” is to get us ready for the greatest revival ever to be witnessed in his redemptive history. (See Ps. 102:18; Isaiah 40:1-5; 60:1-5; Hab. 2:14; Acts 3:21) God wants to move through us in unprecedented ways! Here is just a cursory of what I’ve heard, discerned and accepted as God’s word to us over the last five decades. Just like every generation since the protestant reformation, a “truth” has been emphasized, taught on, and restored into the life of the church.

In the 1970s

There was a great revival that took place across our nation known called “The Jesus People Movement.”  With this great outpouring of the Holy Spirit questions emerged around the subject of What is a new testament church?  What is a new testament community look like? (Acts 2:42-46) As a result, new kinds of churches were planted exploring the ideas on new paradigms of leadership, discipleship, and what they believed were new testament expressions of church.

In the 1980s

Many traditional and mainline protestant churches began to ask the question, why do we believe in signs, wonders, and miracles in the bible and not experience them in the life of our churches today?  As a result, many leaders and churches began to teach on the subject of the Restoration Of The Church (Acts 3:21) which emphasized the restoration of the five fold ministry (Eph. 4:11-17) and found new contemporary expressions of worship and the arts based on David’s tabernacle (Amos 9:11) which became an important emphasis leading people into a new emerging prophetic perspective called, “Present Truth” - or what God is speaking today to our generation.

In the 1990’s

There was a great move of the Holy Spirit that began in Toronto, Canada that literally swept the nations.  The foundational teaching underlying this movement was based on “Personal Transformation” (Heb. 12:15). Leaders taught heavily on what I will call, “relational holiness.” Forgiveness and healing our brokenness within family life, church life and friends was emphasized.  

In the 2000s

The Search for Meaning, Healing and Reconciliation (II Cor. 5:18) became an important subject in light of 911.  The day after the terrorist flew planes into The World Trade Center a book by Pastor Rick Warren hit the shelves entitled “The Purpose Driven Life.”  Nicky Gumbel, from Holy Trinity Church in Brompton, England developed the Alpha Course which focuses on “What is the meaning of life?” Interest in "What is our purpose?" Who we are (Identity) and why we are here has led many christians to addressing historical wrongs perpetrated between people groups, to right the wrongs of the past, and restore dignity to the marginalized in our communities.  Calls for healing and reconciliation increasingly became the basis of redressing the historical wounds of the past all across the world - ending both modern slavery and racism in our time. (See Acts 17:26).

Since 2010

Cultural Transformation (Eph. 3:10) has become a major focus due to increasing urban problems that are larger than any one church can adequately address. Every church within a commnity must come to understand that their particular church is not God's gift to the city. The Body Of Christ is. New missional praxises involving churches working together with the twelve civic sectors will serve to improve the gospel’s contextualization (See Nehemiah 1-2). In our pursuit of the “missio dei” in the communities our local churches serve; God is calling us to be missional, relational, and incarnational. The church is being called to become truly "local" and present in the neighborhood.

H. Beecher Hicks, in Preaching Through A Storm, said, "the unspoken implication (I Sam. 3) in the Samuel narrative is that in trying times, it is important to listen for the lesson and hear the voice of God within it. Despite the fact that many churches are sticking their heads in the sand and going on with business as usual demonstrates how irrelevant they have become to the cry outside the doors of their buildings, in the neighborhoods they are called to serve. Most churches are not even aware that God has left the building. While many leaders are calling for another awakening, God has been alive and well in the streets, in the music, in the arts, and theater's speaking to a generation that the church hasn't even taken time to understand. I love the Body of Christ and am a committed member of the local church I serve. However, just like you I am being called to "engage" my life into communities that have never heard the gospel, experienced The Holy Spirit, or recognized that God has been working among them. I am not "knocking" anything here. However, Jesus is. In Revelation 3:20 Jesus says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” Once again, Jesus is calling all of us to gather at a table and eat with the publicans and sinners that the religious leaders of Jesus' time wouldn't have wasted their time - to listen together to the only voice that matters- HIS. THIS IS THE WORD OF THE LORD!