Talking Points with Pastor Lucas: The Church Goes First: By Word and Spirit

In a cultural context like ours, seemingly intent on spiritual suicide, intentionally deconstructing and dismantling human identity and purpose, it’s essential we keep our bearings. Doing so means we must stand upon the truth of God’s Word and rest in the power of His Holy Spirit. They are what allow us to confidently and boldly go first, speaking truth and acting in love.  

In fact, the very first chapters of Holy Scripture make it clear that the Spirit of God is the life-giver. In the primordial chaos, the Spirit of God – like a brooding hen – hovered to bring life from empty darkness. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” (Gen 1:1-2).

Likewise, at creation the Ruach (breath or spirit) of God awakened Adam’s inert physical body and enlivened him spiritually to share in God’s divine life. “Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature” (Gen 2:7).

The Holy Spirit is both LORD (that is, God) and life-giver, according to the church’s ancient confession in the Nicene Creed. And sure enough, that’s the Spirit’s role throughout the pages of the Bible. Jesus is anointed with the Holy Spirit at His baptism in the waters of the Jordan (Mark 1:10; Matt 3:16). His uttered words are Spirit-giving, He said, and therefore life-giving: “The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life” (John 6:63). On Easter evening, as Jesus commissions His disciples to be His emissaries after His resurrection, He first breathes on them – recalling the spiration of Adam in Eden – and then authorizes and empowers them with the gift of the Holy Spirit. “Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld’ ” (John 20:21-23).

Likewise, just before His ascension into heaven, Jesus tells the disciples, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witness in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). And then on Pentecost, the Holy Spirit rushes upon the disciples, who then speak to the people in a manner that all hear the truth of God’s Word in their own languages.

The implications are clear. Given the chaotic context of our fragmented and truth-less culture, the mission of the church is not so much about adjusting the message to fit the cultural context, but rather to bring the text of Scripture to bear upon the lives of people, shaping them through the living and abiding Word of God. If you desire to bring life to a dying world, if you sincerely hope to actually free sin addicts from their bondage and its devastating side effects with all the hurt and heartache that it brings, you’ll need to use the Word of God.

Though God could obviously bestow His life-giving Spirit any way He wants, God has limited Himself to His Word. He ties His Spirit to His Word. It is “breathed out by God” (2 Tim 3:16), by His own spirit. This means the Bible is not merely truthful and accurate in all it says, but it is God’s inspired Word, filled with the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.

Until the end of time, the mission of the Holy Christian Church on earth centers around the Word. By means of God’s Word, and His Word alone, He bestows His Holy Spirit, who works faith wherever and whenever it pleases Him, in those who hear the gospel. And where there is faith, there is hope. Where there is faith, sins are forgiven, lives are changed, communities are transformed, and new life begins!

Our lives demonstrate this in the way we treat others, serve others, and love others in the name of Jesus Christ. Therefore, the text of Holy Scripture is not just impetus for mission, but the very heart and center of the life of Christ’s church. This is why the church always goes first with the power of the Word and Spirit. 

Your brother in Christ,

Rev. Dr. Lucas Woodford
MM South District President LCMS