The Nature of God’s Kingdom: Not in Words Only

Part II

by A.W. Tozer

From his book “Reclaiming Christianity: A Call to Authentic Faith” published by Regal, from Gospel Light

The Power Behind the Words

The kingdom of God lies in power; its essence is in power. The gospel is not the statement that “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.” The gospel is the statement that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures PLUS the Holy Ghost in that statement giving it meaning and power. Just the statement itself never will do it.

Some churches drill their young people from childhood in the catechism and teach them doctrine so that they are positively instructed in the words of the truth. Somehow, they strangely fail to get them through to the new birth. A whole generation of so-called Christians drilled in the catechism, and who know doctrine and can recite the gospels as well as the law, still never manage to break through to the new birth. They never come through that shining wonder of inward renewal. The reason is, they are taught that the power lies in the words and if you get the words, you are all right.

Paul alleged, “The kingdom of God does not lie in words at all. The kingdom of God lies in the power that indwells those words, and you cannot have the power without the words; but you can have words without the power.” And many people do have words without power.

It is the power of the Spirit operating through the Word that is the gospel. It is the statement that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He rose again, that He was seen of many, and that He is at the right hand of God and will forgive those that believe on Him. That is the gospel in its shell; but the power must lie in there or there will be no life in it.

Paul appealed away from man-given authority. He appealed away from talk, however eloquent, and even from his own position. He appealed directly to the power of the risen Lord manifested through the Spirit. And he said, “I want you to know and I sent Timothy to try to straighten you out and to remind you that it’s the power of God that talks, not a man’s mouth.”

Paul’s appeal was to the power of the risen Christ. If the evangelical church and the people who compose it are not living in a constant miracle, they are not Christians at all, because the Christian life is a miracle. It is what the Ark of Noah was in the day of the Flood. It was completely separated from the flood and yet floating upon it. It was what Jesus was when He walked among men, right in the middle of them yet separate from sinners. There operates within the true Body of Christ a continual energizing of the Spirit that makes a continual miracle. The Christian is not somebody who believes only; a Christian is somebody who has believed in power.

Power to Expose Sin

The working of this power is a moral power. It has power to expose sin to the sinner’s heart. Nobody will ever be truly saved until he knows he is a sinner; and nobody will ever know he is a sinner by simply threatening, warning or telling him. You can go to a man and say,”You are a sinner, you swear and lie and you are wrong, you are evil.” He will grin, shake his head and say, “I know, I shouldn’t do those things, but I guess we’re all human.” You have not convinced him. You can read Plato, Aristotle, Herbert Spencer and all the rest of the books of ethics and show him he is dead wrong, and he still will never know what it is to be a lost sinner. You can threaten him that if he does not look out and does not straighten out his ways, an atom bomb will get him, and you still have not convinced him. You have not told him anything he did not know.

However, “when the Holy Ghost is come,” said Jesus, “he will convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment” (see John 16:8). When Peter preached at Pentecost, the Scripture said, “They were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37). That word “pricked” is a word stronger and deeper than the word “pierced,” where they pierced the heart of Jesus with a spear. The words of Peter, in the Holy Spirit, penetrated like a spear, deeper than the spear penetrated the heart of Jesus on the cross and forthwith came water and blood.

The Holy Spirit is not something we can argue about or somebody about whom we can say, “Well, you believe your way and I’ll believe mine.” The Holy Spirit is an absolute necessity in the Church. There is a power in the Spirit, which can expose sin and revolutionize and convert and create holy men and women, and nothing else can do it. Words will not do it. Instructions will not do it. Line upon line and precept upon precept will not do it; it takes power to do it. This power is a persuasive power to convince, persuade and break down resistance. It is also a worship power creating reverence and ecstasy.

If we were to put statues all around and have candles burning and have beautiful Italian-made, glass-colored windows, and pictures of shepherds and altars and all of that, and I were to come in wearing a long black robe, you would have a sense of reverence. But true reverence is not created by beautiful windows (although I like to see them) or by symbols. Reverence is astonished awe that comes to the human heart when God is seen. I can imitate holy tones and try to be just as religious and ecclesiastical as I can be and, still, when it is all over, the feeling I get is psychological or ecstatic at best. But when the Holy Spirit came upon the Early Church, they durst not join themselves to them. The sinners fell on their faces and said,”God is in this place of truth.” So there is a power to bring reverence, to excite ecstasy, to bring worship; and it lies in the Word when it is given in power.

Power to Exalt Christ

Then the power of the Holy Spirit brings the magnetic power to draw us to Christ, exalting Him above all else and above all others. We must demand more than correct doctrine, though we dare not have less than correct doctrine. More than right living, though we dare not have less than right living; more than a friendly atmosphere, though we dare not have less than a friendly atmosphere. We must demand that the Word of God be preached in power, and that we hear it in power.

In 1 Thessalonians, Paul said to them, “For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake” (Verse 5). When the Spirit of God through the Word is preached in power and is heard in power, then the objectives of God are wrought. Holy men are made holy, and sins forgiven, and the work of redemption is done.

The way to obtain this is through prayer, faith and surrender, the old-fashioned way; and I know none other. As God’s people, you have every Scriptural right to demand that you hear the Word in power, and if you do not hear the Word in power, you have the right to rise up and ask why. If you are hearing nothing but teaching, nothing but instruction, with no evidence of God in it, and the preacher cannot say, “I appeal to God” to say whether this is true or not; if this cannot be, then you have a right to demand that somebody preach that can.

On the other hand, every man who stands in a pulpit to preach has a right to expect that the congregation believe in power and are so close to God, so surrendered, so full of faith and so prayerful that the Word of God can work in power.

Fellowship in the Holy Spirit

It is amazing how religious social atmospheres can permeate a church so that it is hard to tell which is of the Holy spirit and which is simply nice social contact. I believe both ought to be in the church, and I believe they both can. When the Early Church met and broke bread, they fulfilled both their spiritual communion and their social fellowship. Therefore, there is no reason why they cannot be fused. There is not any reason why the warm cordiality of social fellowship cannot be made incandescent with the indwelling Holy spirit so that when we meet and shake hands and sing and pray and talk together, we are doing both. We are having social fellowship, thus the mighty union and communion of the Holy Spirit.

Let us be careful that it is both. To try to destroy or prevent social contact and social fellowship is to grieve the Spirit, because the Spirit made us for each other and He meant that there should be social fellowship and friendliness together. He meant that we should break bread formally not only in a church but when we meet. He meant that we should know each other by our first names and have social fellowships. He meant it, and the churches that have tried to destroy that succeed only in getting a lopsided and fanatical  type of church.

But be very careful lest we mistake the one for the other. So let us have a friendly church, and let us have a morally right church, and let us have a church where correct doctrine is taught. But let us also have a church that any man can come here and say when he goes away, “I know the entrance I had unto you that I could preach unto you not in word only but also in power and in the Holy Ghost and in much assurance because you are of a kind of people that could take it.” This is most important, for the kingdom of God lies not in words but in power.

Love Divine, All Loves Excelling

By Charles Wesley (1707-1788)

Love divine, all loves excelling.

Joy of heaven, to earth come down;

Fix in us Thy humble dwelling;

All Thy faithful mercies crown.

Jesus, Thou art all compassion, Pure, unbounded love Thou art;

Visit us with Thy salvation;

Enter every trembling heart.

Breathe, O breathe Thy loving Spirit

Into every troubled breast!

Let us all in Thee inherit,

Let us find that second rest.

Take away our bent to sinning;

Alpha and Omega be;

End of faith, as to its beginning, Set our hearts at liberty.

Come, Almighty to deliver,

Let us all Thy life receive;

Suddenly return, and never,

Nevermore Thy temples leave.

Thee we would be always blessing,

Serve Thee as Thy hosts above;

Pray, and praise Thee without ceasing, Glory in Thy perfect Love.

Finish then Thy new creation,

Pure and spotless let us be;

Let us see Thy great salvation

Perfectly restored in Thee;

Changed from glory into glory,

Till in heaven we take our place,

Till we cast our crowns before Thee,

Lost in wonder, love, and praise.