The first time I heard this was when I was in Junior High. I had a friend who was listening to another friend and his comment back was— “word”. That’s it, just, “word”. I didn’t know what he was talking about. He meant ‘I get it’, or ‘no doubt’. Phrases and statements of acknowledgment change over time. And to be frank, none of my friends ever used that until then. That week I heard a song that had the word “word” as the main thrust of the song. Then I understood. It can mean ‘hello’. It can be used as exclamation. It even has its own section in the online dictionary. And to that all I can say is… word.
In the Bible we read the word “word” and it means an entirely different thing. The original word in Greek for “word” is either ‘logos’ or ‘rhema’. The word ‘logos’ is the expression of a thought as embodying a conception or idea. The phrase “the word of the Lord” references the revealed will of God. It is very frequent in the Old Testament, like when Ezekiel says, “the word of the Lord came unto me saying”. It is used for a direct revelation, given by God, to be revealed to others. Then there is the word ‘rhema’. Most often used for that which is spoken, what is uttered in speech or writing. It’s used of the Gospel, also of commands or instructions. The significance of rhēma (as distinct from logos) is in its referencing the Scripture, meaning the whole of Scripture such as the Bible. Which it does not. That would be logos. Rhema is directed to the singular. Some churches chose a doctrine we do not hold to, in that the Spirit gives rhema’s to individuals now, outside the scripture. This is not accurate to Jesus’s teaching on the Spirit in the book of John 14, 15, 16 and even within His own prayer in chapter 17. Today a rhema’s application would be, as Jesus taught in these passages, to the individual scripture which the Spirit brings to our remembrance for use in time of need (ie. John 16.13).
Now that we cleared that up. Why give us these reminders? Because without truth you cannot have freedom (“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8.32 ). You need His truth—His word. You need both the whole of scripture, and you need the detailed application. This means a regular storing of scripture to the mind is essential. So that the Spirit can bring those things to remembrance.
I want you to picture for a moment you are in the United States Army during World War II. You are a para-trooper five days after the D-Day invasion. You have expensed an incredible amount of rounds out of your weapons, both you side arm and your rifle. Now you regroup with your company, get your orders, and have a mission. You and your band of warriors sneak past some enemy embedments and find your mission. Time to strategize and fight! One problem… you forgot to reload your weapons and bring more ammo when you run out. So your weapon is now a paperweight. Whoever is in charge is toast when they have to admit later they forgot to arm the war-fighters they are with. Secondly, every man should have asked ‘where is our ammo’. Not having ammo is foolish. You are not able to fulfill your mission. Bonus, you are now defenseless from the sure attack of the enemy once they realize you are in their occupied territory.
Not having ‘logos’ stored in your heart and mind, is like going to battle with a weapon and no ammo. We become a paperweight. We serve very little purpose but to show up ‘at church’ once a week. We are not ready for battle. We have the Spirit of God in us, so we feel the conviction to lead, serve, teach, love, and tell others of Jesus. But where is the ammo? Doing these things places us behind enemy lines. Frankly, going to work or school on a daily basis puts you behind enemy lines. Who is running this world’s system? The ‘logos’, or Word of God, says it is Satan. The Spirit just reminded you of that as soon as you read this didn’t He? That would be a ‘rhema’. If though you had not learned that truth from 2 Corinthians 4.4, you would have no ammo to remind you that you are in enemy territory. We are not of this world according to John 18.36 and John 17.16. That’s right— the god of this world is Satan and we are no longer citizens of this system but the Kingdom we represent is Heaven. We are now just visitors. Focus here believer— this world will check your visa every single day!
You need the Word of God rooted deeply in your soul. There is no way for this to happen but a constant, strengthening diet of truth. Or as Jesus said— “But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” You need Bible, and a lot of it. It is how we grow and change according to John 17.17— “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” The Spirit draws us closer to Him and further from the world through His truth, the Word of God. Here are my questions: How much do you need to combat the on-slot of the enemy? Do you think a five minute read in the morning will do it? Do you think sitting and hearing a speaker once or twice a week is going to cut it?
You need much more ammo than you realize. Be a disciple of Jesus for-real and ingest more than you think you will need. He is faithful that promised He will remind you of what you have learned. Take in more and more and more. You need it. The enemy is serious about defeating you. Be just as serious about returning fire. He sends a bullet your way… send back a rocket. He lobs a grenade… unload a battery of howitzer fire on him. The logos of God must be stored in order for the Spirit to bring the rhema of truth up into the chamber of your mind as an ordnance to unload on the enemy of all of our souls.
Word!