I struggle sometimes when I hear or read from pastors or teachers who focus on just one of these things – Jesus, the Bible, Prayer, the Spirit, the Gospel, God without seeming to want to reveal the importance or relevance of the other pieces.
To me, they are all intrinsically tied together.
There is no gospel without Jesus.
There is no Bible without God.
The Bible is the story of the Gospel, to which Jesus is the central character.
The truth of the gospel comes from hearing the Word, having our hearts opened by the Spirit, because we asked for help in our prayers.
Romans 10:17 – So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
God loves us and all these things are His precious gifts to us.
James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
He GAVE us His Son, allowed Him to be tortured and put to death and to do battle with Satan so that death could be defeated for us. 2 Timothy 1:10 – but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
Then He sent His Spirit, to comfort us, to give us power, to intercede for us.
Romans 8:26 – Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words
He gave us prayer as our communication tool.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 – Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
He gave us His written word.
Preserved over 1000s of years, revealing His ultimate plan and covenant with us. The whole of the Bible reveals His truth and his covenant with people.
Hebrews 4:12 – For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
They are ALL intrinsically connected.
I think God gave me a passion for His word and I’m so thankful. It’s part of my personal gifting in my love of words and books. My love language is words. But that doesn’t mean that I should value God’s Word over prayer, or over the message of the gospel, or the help I receive from the Spirit, or God’s faithfulness.
In the same way, someone may have the gift of evangelism and is passionate about spreading the gospel.
Another has the gift of intercessory prayer.
Someone else has a heart for the poor.
While we need to follow our God-given passions and gifts, I believe we need to be wise and prudent showing respect for others gifting. We need to always bear in mind the big picture of all His tools and gifts.
Belle Faith 