WORD  AND  SPIRIT

As a church, we are passionate about following the Word of God in its entirety. Jesus perfectly revealed the heart of the Father and gave us a clear path to follow and to represent Him well in this world. Regardless of our experiences, we must allow His example to set the course of our lives and ministry. Jesus’ earthly ministry was marked by continual infilling and relying on the Holy Spirit to enable and empower His ministry (Luke 4:18-19).  It is, for this reason, we are passionate about Word and Spirit.

We believe it is not only possible to value both the Word and Spirit, but it is imperative that we do so. We are passionate about teaching God's truth from His Word, but at the same time, we desire to experience the Person of the Holy Spirit in tangible ways. The Holy Spirit is not just a doctrine to be studied, but a Person to love, worship, and submit to.  As we look to the Scriptures, we believe that all the gifts and ministry of the Holy Spirit are intended to be experienced today in the same manner as they were in the early church. At the same time, the Scriptures teach us to use the gifts in an orderly way. We are excited to continue developing an environment in our church, where we can be anchored in the Word, but free in the Holy Spirit.

Author and theologian R.T. Kendall beautifully describes the need for an inseparable partnership of the Word and Spirit in the following quote:

“Our premise is this. It seems to us that there has been a ‘silent divorce’ in the church, speaking generally, between the Word and the Spirit. When there is a divorce, some children stay with the mother, some stay with the father. In this divorce, there are those on the ‘word’ side and those on the ‘Spirit’ side. What is the difference?

Take those of us who represent the Word. Our message is this: we must earnestly contend for the faith ‘once delivered unto the saints’ (Jude 3), we need to get back to expository preaching, sound doctrine such as justification by faith, the sovereignty of God and the internal testimony of the Spirit as taught by men like Martin Luther, John Calvin and Jonathan Edwards. What is wrong with this emphasis? Nothing. It is exactly right.

Take those whose emphasis has been on the Holy Spirit. What is the message? We need to rediscover the power that was manifested in the Book of Acts, there needs to be a demonstration of signs, wonders and miracles; we need to see the gifts of the Spirit operating in the church – that the world will once again take notice of the church so that people are left without excuse. What is wrong with this emphasis? Nothing. It is exactly right.

We believe that the need of the hour is not one or the other – but both! It is our view that this simultaneous combination will result in spontaneous combustion! And then, but almost certainly only then, will the world be shaken once again by the message of the church.”