The Word, Burns In Your Bones

Brian Arthur will be preaching this Sunday. He writes, “Three things have stirred my heart in coming to you this week and a fourth brought my theme into focus. I received a prophetic email from Ian Pennicook (from which I have taken my title); I read Ray’s précis for last week’s proclamation and over the last twelve months I have been immersed in Paul’s battle for life and love to flow in the Church at Galatia. Ian, Paul and Ray all applied themselves to the impact of the prophetic word. Each faced the issue that the life of God as spoken, revealed and transmitted to us is not simply a matter of teaching. Our confidence in the Word is nothing if not confidence in a present reigning Lord. But however important teaching is within the Christian Church, however well based it is upon the Gospel of Grace, if it is not prophetic, that is, communicating the presence of the risen Christ freshly and topically to every new situation and generation, we end up with no Gospel, no present Christ and a retreat into religion…

Any call for another generation to be raised up with the word burning in their bones can be received as a heavy burden based upon what feels like a hard accusation. Any form of legal spirit will hear this call as a duty to reform our practices and strive harder in our teaching. But the true mercy of the prophetic word is that in a second, in the presence of the reigning Lord, we may see and know two things. We will feel deeply the rebuke of our lovelessness and indifference whilst immediately being consumed again by his love so that our shame and timidity evaporates.”