We use the term disciple very casually these days. Many are of the opinion that just being a Christian automatically makes you a disciple. It that the truth? Let’s see how it worked for the first disciples who came to Christ.
The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”
When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”
They said, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?”
“Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”
So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour.
John 1:35-39
There are some things that this passage can teach us about what it means to be a disciple. We see two men who were following John the Baptist. Then they were pointed to the Messiah. That’s when their lives were changed.
A disciple follows Christ. There’s no way around that. The word follow implies that they took the same road as Christ. Many teach that a disciple is a student. I’ve attended enough classes to know that not all students aspire to be like their teachers. A student wants to learn what’s being taught. A disciple wants to become what the teacher is.
A disciple comes near to Christ. Jesus asked these men, “What are you seeking?” Their response, in the original Greek, was amazing. They replied, “Where is your dwelling place?” Being a disciple is all about what you’re seeking. Many say that they’re pursuing God. But in reality they’re only after the things God can give them. A disciple simply wants to be near Christ.
A disciple wants to experience Christ. These men went to the Lord’s house and spent time with Him. Hearing about Him isn’t enough. What are you seeking? Facts and figures about what God has done? Or do you want to meet with Him and experience His home?
A disciple lives in Christ. This is what truly defines a disciple. Do you want to live in Him? Jesus made this point very clear. When most Christians are asked about it, they usually reply, “Of course I’m a disciple.” The real issue is; what are you seeking? Anything other than His dwelling place and you’re not a disciple.
Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
John 8:31-32 NKJV
Abide in Him. Let His word abide in you.
Question: What steps are you taking to be a disciple of Christ?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: abide, abide in Christ, become like Christ, Christ, Christian, disciple, disciple of Christ, dwelling place, experience Christ, follow Christ, His dwelling, Jesus, live in Christ, Messiah, near Christ, same road, seeking, word, word of God
Over the past few posts we’ve looked at the parable of the seed planted in different soils. The message Christ was focusing on should be clear. In order to prepare my heart for a great harvest, I must come to the realization that the Word of God must be the single crop in my heart.
This is what Scripture means by being single-hearted. When you have a single crop of the Word planted in your life, you’ve set yourself up for a plentiful harvest.
We have a spiritual epidemic across our nation. There’s an abundance of the Word of God, with very little fruit being produced. It’s time to weed out these distractions from the good, rich soil of our hearts. What we need is the mindset of a farmer when it comes to the Word of God.
“But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
Matthew 13:23
It’s clear from this verse that in order to see the harvest, I must understand the Word – see that it applies to my life. I have to go beyond the person who lives too close to the road.
“But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.”
Luke 8:15
This literally says that I must hold it down fast; keep it secure in my heart. It has to take root deeply in my life. I must go beyond those who have rocky soil.
Mark’s Gospel adds that we have to accept the Word. (Mark 4:20) This means to associate with, delight in. If you delight in a crop, you’re going to keep it free of weeds. You don’t want anything choking it out.
The bottom line is that you must persevere. In actuality it’s never easy to keep a farm or a garden. It always requires tending.
I must come to the point where I acknowledge that the Word of God is everything to me. It’s the same principle as in the physical world.
In the past I’ve had a garden. The fresh tomatoes, peppers, and squash were a welcome sight throughout the summer and fall. I could proudly say, “This eggplant came from my garden.” Here’s the difference – I wasn’t a farmer. I enjoyed the fresh vegetables grown in my garden, but I didn’t need them to survive.
A true farmer, on the other hand, lives by what he grows. His livelihood is tied to the crops that he produces. His new car is a result of the crops he harvested. The renovations to his home are a result of the harvest. Everything he has is tied up in his ability to produce a bountiful crop.
We must pick up this same mindset in regards to the Word of God. We live by the Word. Everything we need for life and godliness is all tied up in the Word. How I relate to the Word determines my destiny.
Hopefully, you can see by Christ’s teaching that it’s not just a matter of getting the seed into the ground. You can be planting huge amounts of seed and never see a single piece of fruit if you’re not following the basic principles of spiritual farming.
It’s all about getting the right seed into the right ground, then persevering to make sure that the seed can grow and produce fruit unhindered.
Question: How do you cultivate a “farmer’s mindset”?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: abundance, abundant harvest, Christ, delight, destiny, farmer, fruit, fruit of the Spirit, harvest, Jesus, parable, perseverance, persevere, plant, plant the word, seed, single hearted, take root, the abundant life, weeds, word of God, word planted
I’m posting about the different kinds of soil that Jesus said was contained in our hearts. Today’s is about someone with very good soil. It produced bountifully. The problem was that it wasn’t producing fruit.
Instead, it raised a great crop of thorns and thistles. Then the few good plants that sprung up were choked out before they produced anything.
Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.
Mark 4:18-19
These believers get further along than the other groups. They believe the Word and actually let it take root in their lives. Their problem is that they let other things grow right along next to it.
The first plant Jesus mentions is the distractions of this age, in the original Greek. What a description of the modern Christian – DISTRACTED! It’s not that we’ve turned our backs on God. On the contrary, we want God’s best – His Word and His grace. The trouble is that we want the world’s best right along with it. We’re getting distracted by the things of the world.
Right along with that is the delusion of wealth. When we think of wealth, it tricks us into believing that it can supply all of our needs. The truth is that wealth can only obtain material possessions.
Wealth can never satisfy the longing of our souls. If it could, you would never hear of a wealthy person committing suicide. The thing we need to put into perspective is that only the things that come from the Word of God are truly able to fulfill our lives.
The third plant that grows next to the Word is simply desires. What the verse implies is that this is a desire for the things that were given up in order to follow after God. When we start looking back at these things with longing in our hearts, it’s a sure road to failure.
Please understand that it’s not doing the former things that causes the trouble, it’s the desire to do it.
The biggest thing that the Christians of this generation need to realize is that you can’t have it all, no matter what any televangelist will tell you. You can’t have the power of God manifest in you, as well as everything your flesh desires.
It’s a well-known principle of farming. When weeds and valuable crops are allowed to grow in the same space, it’s the weeds that will win out every time.
We’re so quick to blame God.
“Oh God, I planted the Word. Why is there no harvest? Why have you failed me?”
I’m here to inform you, it wasn’t God who failed. Everything grew as God ordained it to. It was the weeds in your life that choked out the Word before it was able to produce fruit in you. That’s why there was no harvest.
Question: How are you keeping your heart free from weeds?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: are you distracted, Christ, delusion, desires, distracted, distractions, flesh, good soil, harvest, heart, Jesus, parable, power of God, thistles, thorns, unfruitful, wealth, weeds, word of God
I’m posting about the different “heart soils” in Luke 8. Today I’ll deal with the rocky soil. This is about rocks with only a thin layer of dirt to cover them. The seed germinates and springs up quickly. But just as quick, the sun comes out, scorches the plant, and it withers and dies.
Jesus explained the spiritual application this way.
“Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.”
Luke 8:13
This verse literally says is that these people receive the Word in the middle of joy. It sounds like camp meeting to me. There’s excitement in the air. The whole atmosphere of the meeting is charged with a heavenly joy. It’s easy to believe in a place like that.
We’re not talking about people who don’t believe what they hear. They believe it’s for them. The problem is that what has sprung up so quickly, also withers just as quick. What is it that withers?
For, “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you.
1 Peter 1:24-25
What withers is the glory of man. This type of person hears the Word and believes that it’s “all about me.” That’s why there’s all the joy and excitement. They think that the Word is for my blessing, health, and prosperity. Forget about what God’s ultimate purpose is. It’s me that’s important.
The Lord says that in this rocky heart there is some faith exhibited for a while, but it doesn’t last long. Eventually trials and testings will come. When this happens, Jesus literally says that they will become offended. Why does Christ use this word?
When I go through a time of testing, I realize that it’s not all about me. I get offended that I’m not the center of all the attention. I don’t want the spotlight on Christ and what He’s trying to accomplish in me. I want the priority to be my comfort and happiness. The result is that I get offended and walk away from the Lord and His plan for my life.
If I want my heart prepared for an abundant harvest, I must assume that the Word of God spotlights Jesus Christ. I must desire to know His heart. There are many who read the Bible and pursue God only for what they can get from Him. The big question on their minds is, “What’s in it for me?”
Instead, we should be focusing on God’s eternal purpose – to draw all humanity into His kingdom. The blessings of God are great, but they’re not an end in and of themselves.
God has promised us prosperity, but it’s to finance the spread of the Gospel. God has promised us health and healing, but it’s so that we can minister the Good News of His love to the best of our ability.
All the promises of God should be viewed through the filter of God’s will and plans. That’s what’s missing in the shallow faith of rocky soil. We need to keep our hearts clear of the rocks of self-centeredness.
Question: How is God working through you to bring about His purpose?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: abundant harvest, blessing, blessing of God, Christ, faith, glory of man, God's purpose, health, Jesus, joy, no root, offended, offense, parable, prosperity, rocky heart, setting yourself up for offense, soils, trials testing, trust
I’m posting about how fasting will revolutionize your spiritual walk. The disciples had tried, and failed, to cast a demon out of a young man. After Jesus was able to do it, the disciples asked Him privately why they were unable to.
So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”
Matthew 17:20-21, NKJV
The disciples’ problem was unbelief. Jesus explains to them that faith as small as a mustard seed, working all by itself, can move a mountain. Nothing would be impossible for us if faith was the only issue.
If it were only about faith, then America should have the most miracles of any country on earth. We know that faith comes by hearing the Word of God. In America we have access to more of the Word than in any other country.
The problem is that we have unbelief alongside of that faith. The U.S. is also one of the most flesh-driven countries on earth. Just driving down the street I can see a billboard that feeds my flesh. Standing in a checkout counter, listening to the news on the radio, almost everything I do causes me to access food for my flesh. Even though I try to filter it by “taking every thought captive,” some of this trash still gets through.
So the stronger my spirit is built up on the Word of God, the more my flesh is built up just by living in this society. It’s the presence of these two powerful forces in my life, faith and unbelief, side-by-side, that’s watering down my spiritual strength. What can I do about it?
Again, the key is the statement made by the boy’s father. We have plenty of faith, but how do we overcome our unbelief? There is a solution. Jesus tells the disciples, “This kind only goes out by prayer and fasting.”
The question is, this kind of what? Most people say He was talking about the demon. I don’t believe it. A demon couldn’t care less whether you’ve fasted or not. Look at the emphasis of the verse. It’s the disciples who were talking about the demon.
Jesus never once mentioned the demon. He spent the whole time talking about the problem – unbelief. What Jesus wants you to get rid of is unbelief. It’s this kind of unbelief that blocks the working of your faith to the point where nothing happens, even though you believe the Word of God.
Where does fasting come into the picture? Fasting is a way to forcefully and supernaturally put down your flesh. You’re telling it, “I don’t care what you say – I’m not listening to you today.”
When you fast, it’s as if you’re turning down the volume control to the voice of your flesh. This allows the faith that you have to effectively become stronger. Without the voice of your flesh talking so loud, you will be better able to hear the voice of the Lord speaking to your spirit.
Question: How well do you hear from God presently? Would you like to increase your spiritual sensitivity?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: Christ, faith, faith and unbelief, fast, fasting, Jesus, miracles, moving a mountain, nothing is impossible, overcome unbelief, spiritual fast, spiritual strength, spiritual walk, victory over the flesh, voice of the flesh, voice of the spirit
I’ve been posting about the New Testament fast. There’s an event in Jesus’ ministry that sheds some light on it.
As Jesus was returning to the city form the mount of transfiguration, He was met by a crowd of people. While He was away, the disciples tried to cast a demon out of a young man, but were unable to. This is important, because they had been personally trained by the Lord and should have had an easy time with it.
Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”
“From childhood,” he answered. “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”
“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.”
Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
Mark 9:21-24
Knowing the three parts of our being helps us to understand the man’s statement in Mark 9:21-24. He didn’t understand how he could both believe and not believe at the same time. It’s important for us to see that both faith and unbelief or “unfaith” can exist at the same time in the same person.
My spirit is always full of faith. My flesh is always full of doubt and unbelief. It was this realization that caused the man to cry out, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” This is the key issue involved in our desire for the miraculous to be evident in our ministries.
Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment.
Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”
Matthew 17:18-19
Everyone who wants a walk of excellence needs to know the answer to this. We all read the Word of God. We know that it’s God’s will to heal and deliver. Why is it so hard, sometimes, to see the manifestation of the Spirit of the Lord? Listen very intently to Jesus’ answer. It will help us to move up into the excellence of ministry that He has for us.
Obviously, the disciples didn’t ask in public in case the answer was in the form of a rebuke. They would rather take it in private. But their question was valid. Why couldn’t they do what Jesus did, even though they had the faith to try it?
They had been trained by Jesus Himself to go out two by two. They had prayed for the sick and saw them healed. They had rebuked demons and saw them bow to the Name of Jesus. Why, all of a sudden, did it seem to stop working?
We need to open our heart to what Jesus says. This could explain our lack of results. We have faith. We step out. But many times we experience nothing. Why?
In my next post we’ll see how the Lord answered this question.
Question: How has your flesh hindered your walk with the Lord?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: belief, Christ, faith, fasting, flesh, Jesus, Jesus' ministry, manifestation, New Testament fast, our problem, soul, spirit, spiritual fast, the flesh, transfiguration, unbelief
I’m taking a few posts to talk about fasting. I believe that fasting is one of the most neglected sources of spiritual power in the Christian walk.
In my last post I said that the New Testament fast is totally different than that of the old. I base this upon the words of Jesus Himself when He was questioned about fasting by the disciples of John the Baptist.
Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?”
Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.”
Matthew 9:14-15
When asked why He didn’t make His disciples fast, Jesus replied that they were not going to mourn while He was here with them. The Old Testament fast was a humbling process before God for the forgiveness of sin. Jesus Christ, the Messiah, was the fulfillment of this. Humiliation for sin was finished – God’s provision had arrived.
The Lord then goes on to talk about the “new patch” and the “new wineskins” in the next verses (v16-17). Most Christians have no idea that Jesus was talking about fasting when He gave these illustrations.
It’s obvious to me that the Lord didn’t want the disciples to get confused. This would have happened if He made them fast according to Old Testament tradition, and then later on tried to teach them the New Covenant fast. He must have felt it was better to start them off correctly right from the beginning.
That’s also why I don’t spend a lot of time looking at the Old Testament fast. Under the law, fasting was a whole different thing than in the New Testament church. Unfortunately, many Christians have no idea what the fast is all about now. It’s my prayer that you will by the end of this series.
“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
Matthew 6:16-18
The first thing we see here is that Jesus said, “When you fast…” Preachers are always quick to point out to their people that Jesus said, “When you pray…” They explain that it means Jesus expects prayer to be a regular part of the Christian walk. They do the same thing with “When you give…” What happened to fasting?
It seems to me that the Lord wants fasting to be just as much a part of our lives. Many of us ignore it and think our walk with God will not suffer for it. Jesus assumed that fasting was to be a regular part of the Christian walk. I believe that most of us don’t understand it, and that’s why it is not practiced.
Question: How important is fasting in your walk with God?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: Christ, Christian walk, disciples, fast, fasting, fasting changed, humble, humility, Jesus, mourn, New Covenant, New Testament, old covenant, Old Testament, spiritual, spiritual fasting, spiritual power, when you fast
I’ve been posting about how Christ will reveal Himself at His return. We’ve talked about Jesus’ teaching in Luke, chapter 17, on the days of Noah and Lot.
Remember that He already said in verse 24 that when He’s revealed on that day, every eye will see Him. It will not be a private return. He’s coming in all of His glory.
“On that day no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.”
Luke 17:31-36
Many interpret this verse to mean that the one taken is taken into heaven and the one left is the one that’s going to be judged. How can this be? In both of His examples, the stories of Noah and Lot, the Lord clearly states that the unrighteous are taken in judgment and the righteous ones are left.
The disciples wanted Jesus to clarify what He was teaching them. They asked the obvious question: Where was it that they were taken to?
“Where, Lord?” they asked.
He replied, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.”
Luke 17:37
Jesus makes it clear that those taken are dead bodies. The Greek word for carcass is what the NIV translates as dead body. Also, the word Jesus used for vulture is a generic term that could be used for any carrion bird that feeds on dead bodies.
So in answer to the question “Where are they taken?” Jesus said, “Do you want to know where the carcasses are taken? Then look for the vultures.” Personally, I don’t want to be taken like that. I want to be one of the ones who are left.
What, then, have we learned in this portion of Scripture? First of all, I see a time of warning leading up to the time when Christ is revealed. We then come to a day – a literal, twenty-four hour day – during which He will reveal Himself.
Christ uses two examples, Noah and Lot, to explain His point. In both cases the day starts out with some saints. They are then somehow supernaturally protected during the events of that day. In Noah’s case he was put in the ark and in Lot’s case he was taken out of the city.
On the day that they were protected, salvation was then closed and judgment fell. After judgment had fallen, at the end of the day, the saints were left. That’s the way I read it and that’s the way I believe Christ meant it to be read.
Questions: Are you prepared for that day? How have you prepared?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: Christ, day of Christ, eagles, every eye will see him, glory, Jesus, judgment, Lot, Noah, rapture, return of Christ, righteous, second coming, taken, vultures
I’m posting about Christ’s teaching on the Last Days in Luke, chapter 17. After talking about the days of Noah, the Lord goes on to describe the days of Abraham’s nephew, Lot.
“It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.
“It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed.”
Luke 17:28-29
This event is recorded in Genesis 19. You can read through that chapter to get the whole story.
Two angels arrived in Sodom to visit Lot. Lot invited them into his home, knowing who they were.
When the men of the city heard that travelers were in Lot’s house, they demanded that Lot turn them over to the crowd. According to the Bible, they wanted to rape these angels. Lot then tried to reason with the men of the city but they wouldn’t listen.
You probably know what happens in the city of Sodom. The two guests, who happen to be angels, come to Lot’s defense. They bar the way into Lot’s house and bring blindness upon all the men of the city who are trying to get in.
With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished.”
When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the Lord was merciful to them. As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, “Flee for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!”
Genesis 19:15-17
With the coming of the dawn – THE DAY – judgment came upon Sodom and Gomorrah. Once Lot and his family were out of sight of the city it was all over. The day that Lot left the city was the day that judgment fell. Now bear in mind that the inhabitants of those cities had some warning. Lot spent the whole day before trying to convince them.
The angels told Lot that if he had any loved ones in the city he should go and warn them. The Bible says that he went to his sons-in-law and they laughed at him. The city was warned. But because Lot wasn’t as in tune to the Lord as Noah, they didn’t have as much time to prepare. In both Noah’s day and in Lot’s the people ignored the warning.
Now I’ll ask the same questions I asked in my last post. When it was all said and done, who was left? According to Scripture it was Lot. Who was taken? Again, according to Scripture, it was the inhabitants of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Twice in the verses from Genesis 19:15-17 the angels said that the inhabitants would be “swept away.” That concept is very important.
We need to understand what will happen when Christ reveals Himself at His return. In my next post we’ll look at how Christ summarized His teaching on this future event.
Question: How does this knowledge affect how we live for Christ?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: angels, Christ, days of Lot, fire, Jesus, judgment, left, rapture, return of Christ, second coming, Sodom, taken, the last days
I’ve been posting about how Jesus compared the last days to the days of Noah in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 17. Noah obeyed God and built the ark to save his family. When the rain was about to fall, God told Noah and his family to enter the ark.
At that point, when all were safe inside, God shut the door. That was it, there was no turning back. No one could leave, and no one else could enter the ark of salvation. This is an important point in the principle Jesus is trying to get across to His disciples.
When all these things had taken place, the judgment of God fell upon that ancient world.
Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died. Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; men and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds of the air were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark.
Genesis 7:22-23
Now it’s important for me to ask you another question. According to the Scripture above, who was left? The answer is simple yet ignored. It clearly states that Noah and everybody in the ark were left. Who was wiped away from off the face of the earth? Every person and animal not in the ark.
It’s so clearly stated that you might ask why I’m emphasizing this issue. There’s a very important reason. Most of the people, who interpret this section of Scripture, rip it from its context, reverse it, and say that Noah was taken and the rest were left. We’re not going to do that today. I believe this verse as written and refuse to do any scriptural gymnastics to try and make it say something that it doesn’t. A parallel passage of Scripture is Matthew 24:39.
“…and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.”
Matthew 24:39
Even in His comments concerning the flood Jesus makes it abundantly clear that it was the sinners that were taken and Noah who was left. This is a very important concept to grasp. It goes against most of the teaching in the church today. Yet it’s vital that we agree with what Christ says no matter what a man teaches.
Question: Does this challenge or confirm your beliefs about the second coming of the Lord? How?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: Christ, day of the Lord, Jesus, judgment, left, Noah and the day of the Lord, rapture, return of Christ, second coming, taken
We use the term disciple very casually these days. Many are of the opinion that just being a Christian automatically makes you a disciple. It that the truth? Let’s see how it worked for the first disciples who came to Christ.
The Spirit and the Word 