Jesus was the Word made flesh among us (see John 1:1,2,14). And when we love God’s Word and allow its fiery truth to burn within us, we are actually coming ablaze with Christ Himself. We should continually assess how we are honoring or dishonoring the Word of God, the kind of space we make for the Word in our lives, the amount of time we spend daily in the Word, and how well we obey what the Word says. All these are signs that reveal the type of relationship we have with Jesus. In John 14:15, Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
In other words, how much we love Him is evidenced by how we respond to His Word. It is impossible to separate the Word of God from Jesus, for He is the Word made flesh. How you treat the Bible is a reflection of your level of intimacy with Him. If you neglect the Bible because you don’t think you have time for it, in actuality you are unintentionally ignoring your relationship with Jesus. How you treat the Bible is a reflection of your level of intimacy with Him. Jesus is the Word! He was conceived by the Spirit in the womb of Mary as she received the Word of God into her heart (see Luke 1:38). He was the living Word made manifest (see John 1:14).
He launched His ministry with the Word of God (see Luke 4:16). And as you read the four Gospels — Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John — it is clear that everywhere Jesus went, He spoke the Word of God with power and authority. It flowed from Him because He was the Word of God. Matthew 4:23 says, “Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.” The word “teaching” in this verse is translated from the Greek word didasko, which is a word that emphatically alerts us to the fact that Jesus was expounding the Bible in those meetings!
When those in synagogues heard Jesus, they were amazed and dumbfounded, even aghast, because they had never heard the Scriptures illuminated so powerfully. Luke 4:36 says it this way: “…The people exclaimed, ‘What authority and power this man’s words possess! Even evil spirits obey him and flee at his command!’” Although listeners had heard the Old Testament expounded many times in their synagogues, they had never heard it as Jesus delivered it. Of course, He was the Word of God, and when He spoke, a river of powerful truth flowed from the lips of the Living Word Himself.
As He spoke, truth was revealed on a level they had never heard before. Jesus’ sermon texts are explained by the usage of the Greek word didasko in Matthew 4:23. In this case, it indeed refers to the systematic teaching of Scripture. This tells us that Jesus’ text was not focused on politics, economy, or other popular themes of the day, although the Bible deals with many of these topics. When Jesus opened His mouth, it was the Word of God itself that flowed from His lips. The Master Teacher seized each opportunity to open the Scriptures and nourish souls and spirits. Jesus was the Word made flesh (see John 1:14). God’s Word was Jesus’ identity — and as a result, His entire public ministry was devoted to flooding men’s souls with the words of His Father as He taught and preached for anyone who had ears to hear them. The apostles ministered side by side with Jesus for three years and watched how
He ministered the Word of God. As Jesus’ disciples, the apostles learned to replicate what He did. So when the New Testament Church began in the book of Acts, they continued to do exactly what they saw Jesus do. He was their Example. Therefore, since Jesus focused on the Word of God with miraculous results, the apostles also went about preaching and teaching the Word of God — and they experienced the same miraculous results.
Jesus dedicated Himself fully to the Word and to delivering it to others. The apostles did the same thing as the Early Church was getting on its feet. This is why Acts 2:42 tells us: And they [early believers] continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. The word “steadfastly” means to persevere consistently. It carries the idea of very intense focus and hard work. This tells us that when the early believers came together in those early meetings, they really set their hearts to listen and to learn from the apostles as the Word of God was preached and taught to them. They wanted the Word to ignite their hearts and souls and become ablaze inside them!
This word “steadfastly” pictures constant diligence and effort that never gives up. The word for “steadfastly” carries such a strong meaning that it actually signifies those early believers were addicted to the teaching of the apostles. They were so enthralled with it and so ignited by it that they gathered to hear and receive it every day (see Acts 2:46).
My name is Cesar and I’m A Voice in The Desert
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