Revelations 3:13 – “If you have ears, then, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches!”
It is of utmost importance for the modern day Pastor to discern whether he heard from the Holy Spirit or not. To say “thus sayeth the Lord” when the Lord did not speak is extremely dangerous to both the Pastor as well as the intended recipient. It often causes great confusion and pain and may even cause a weak believer to stumble and fall.
On the other hand, when we say this and it is truly from the Lord, it will set people free as can be seen in John 8:32 “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
How then can we be sure that we are adhering to the Spirit of God? God’s measurement of truth was, is an will forever be the Word of God which, according to Hebrews 4:12 is alive, active, and sharper than any double-edged sword.
In Ephesians 2:1 we see that all were dead because of their sins. But the Word gives life to sinners once removed from God. The Word, often referred to as God’s “workshop manual” to us, gives us answers to all life’s questions and by proclaiming the Word, we are not just providing answers, but we also prove our obedience to the word, and God’s Holy Spirit.
The result of preaching God’s Word can be seen in Mark 16:20 which reads, “The disciples went and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and proved that their preaching was true by the miracles that were performed.” In the message translation it states: “the Master working right with them, validating the Message with indisputable evidence.”
God is committed to work with those who preach the Word. Today we have a choice, to become people pleasers by preaching nice sermons or to preach the Word in all its fullness. In summary, if we preach the Word as given to us by the Spirit, God will validate the Message with indisputable evidence.