The Word as a Weapon

The Word as a Weapon

Mar 07, 2022

As a Christian, it is very easy to minister in the wrong spirit. Spiritual subjects create a supernatural passion, and this type of passion, if not harnessed, can be... dangerous. Have you ever told a person that if he or she doesn't straighten up, they were going to end up in disaster? Or worse, make God angry? Lord help us! What we meant to do was to steer someone who was on the wide road back onto the narrow, right? But instead, we ended up pushing them even further away. And sometimes, we become so indignant (because we KNOW we are right) that we don't even care if they walk away! This is certainly the wrong spirit.

Jesus told his followers (at least a couple of them) to sell their cloaks and purchase a sword.

  • Luk 22:36
    (36)  And He said to them, But now, he who has a purse, let him take it, and likewise his wallet. And he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one.

Only moments later, they are leaving the garden and are approached by Judas and company. Luke, perhaps attempting to preserve Peter's dignity, does not mention his name:

  • Luk 22:50
    (50)  And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear.

This is a physical manifestation of a spiritual truth. When we are not walking in the Spirit, we use the Word of God (the sword) carelessly, damaging the hearing (read, chopping off Malchus' ear) of whomever we are "ministering to". The damage, unfortunately, requires the miraculous hand of Jesus to repair. Peter (I mean, one of them) may have been incredulous. Lord, why did you tell me to bring the sword if you didn't want me to use it? The answer, of course, is that we must never use the Word except under the Spirit's guidance. We must never use the Word as a weapon!

  • 2Co 3:4-6
    (4)  And we have such trust through Christ toward God,
    (5)  not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God;
    (6)  who also has made us able ministers of the new covenant; not of the letter, but of the spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit makes alive.

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