Revival and Repentance

True revival is the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit, and He is only able to do this work when we fully open the door to Him, when we give up every last vestige of resistance. We cannot cling to our sins and at the same time accept the work of the Holy Spirit. There can be no true revival without repentance.

“A revival of true godliness among us is the greatest and most urgent of all our needs. To seek this should be our first work. There must be earnest effort to obtain the blessing of the Lord, not because God is not willing to bestow His blessing upon us, but because we are unprepared to receive it…. But it is our work, by confession, humiliation, repentance, and earnest prayer, to fulfill the conditions upon which God has promised to grant us His blessing.” Selected Messages, volume 1, page 121.

Praying for revival, alone, is not enough. It can only come when we are prepared to receive it. And this preparation consists of “confession, humiliation, repentance, and earnest prayer.” While praying for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is essential, we must not neglect to emphasize the importance of the other three. If we do not yet realize our deep sinfulness, our apostasy, our rebellion against God, how will we be able to come to Him in full surrender? We will not even realize that we have very much that we need to surrender. We may feel that we can cling to many of our old ways and still experience the power of the Holy Spirit.

“Let the church arise, and repent of her backslidings before God. Let the watchmen awake, and give the trumpet a certain sound. It is a definite warning that we have to proclaim. God commands His servants, ‘Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins’ (Isa. 58:1). The attention of the people must be gained; unless this can be done, all effort is useless….

“The Spirit of God can never come in until [the church] prepares the way. There should be earnest searching of heart….There should be…a deep humiliation of soul.”Ibid. page 126.

The church needs to repent of her backsliding. There need to be calls to repentance. How important that these messages be given in love! As Daniel prayed, including himself in his confession ofJudah’s apostasy, “We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets….” Daniel 9:5, 6.

Why will all efforts be useless unless the attention of the people is gained? Because if the trumpet is not given a certain sound, if the warnings given are not definite, if the people are not shown their sins, they will not know that they have anything standing between them and God. While it is needed to emphasize grave forms of apostasy and error, all of us need to be encouraged to look into our lives for the seemingly “little” sins that we tend to excuse. Our resistance in these “minor” areas could keep the Holy Spirit from working the miracle of revival in our lives. We may think that our prayers were unavailing and that somehow God was unwilling to give us the blessing, while the real cause lies with ourselves.

“Repentance is the first step that must be taken by all who would return to God…. We must individually humble our souls before God and put away our idols. When we have done all that we can do, the Lord will manifest to us His salvation.”  PP 590

“Repent, repent, repent was the message rung out by John the Baptist in the wilderness. Christ’s message to the people was ‘Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish’ (Luke 13:5). And the apostles were commanded to preach everywhere that men should repent.

“The Lord desires His servants today to preach the old gospel doctrine, sorrow for sin, repentance, and confession.” Selected Messages, vol. 2, page 19.

All true efforts working toward revival must emphasize the importance of repentance. Repentance is not a step pleasant to the carnal heart. We must first understand, clearly, our sins and their gravity. We cannot rest with a foggy conception of what we are doing, personally and as a people, that is sin. Those whom God leads to make the needed calls for repentance must risk seriously “stepping on toes,” and know that those who do not desire revival will be offended. Yet repenting of and forsaking our sins opens the way for the Holy Spirit to come in to thoroughly cleanse us, and make us a holy temple for His indwelling. May we each ask God to give us the gift of repentance, and may we never forget that repentance is the first step toward true revival.

All quotations not from the Bible  are by Ellen G. White.

Counterfeit Revival

First, we are promised that true revival will come, and it will be a revival of primitive godliness.

“Before the final visitation of God’s judgments upon the earth there will be among the people of the Lord such a revival of primitive godliness as has not been witnessed since apostolic times. The Spirit and power of God will be poured out upon His children.” The Great Controversy, page 464. This primitive godliness is found individually, as a person surrenders the heart fully to the working of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit then transforms the character by bearing His fruits in the life instead of the works of the flesh.

While this revival is an individual experience, we are promised that there will be a time in the last days when it will occur “among the people of the Lord” and of such a magnitude “as has not been witnessed since apostolic times.” Obviously, it will be experienced by a group of people, not simply one individual here and there.

Yet in addition to this experience of true revival in the church, we are also forewarned that there will be a counterfeit.

“The enemy of souls desires to hinder this work; and before the time for such a movement shall come, he will endeavor to prevent it by introducing a counterfeit. In those churches which he can bring under his deceptive power he will make it appear that God’s special blessing is poured out; there will be manifest what is thought to be great religious interest. Multitudes will exult that God is working marvelously for them, when the work is that of another spirit.” Ibid.

No doubt this deceptive revival will find acceptance in the mainline Christian churches, but could it also affect any Seventh-day Adventist churches? It would appear so, for the next sentence states: “Under a religious guise, Satan will seek to extend his influence over the Christian world.” Ibid. Satan will seek to spread his version of revival to every Christian church. Thus the only hope of safety, even for Seventh-day Adventist congregations, will be to hold onto Bible truth and thus make sure that we are not among “those churches which he can bring under his deceptive power.”

We can be thankful that God has given us specific descriptions of what a true revival movement in the church will—and will not—look like, so that we do not need to be taken in by the false.

Speaking of false revival, “There is an emotional excitement, a mingling of the true with the false, that is well adapted to mislead.” Ibid.  A true revival is the work of the Holy Spirit. It will not encourage continuance in sin. Nor will it quietly overlook ongoing sin and error.

“Yet none need be deceived. In the light of God’s word it is not difficult to determine the nature of these movements. Wherever men neglect the testimony of the Bible, turning away from those plain, soul-testing truths which require self-denial and renunciation of the world, there we may be sure that God’s blessing is not bestowed. And by the rule which Christ Himself has given, ‘Ye shall know them by their fruits’ (Matthew 7:16), it is evident that these movements are not the work of the Spirit of God.” Ibid. pages 464, 465.

The Holy Spirit will always inspire a revival that leads men and women to the Bible. Never will a revival that proceeds from Him be compatible with continuance in disobedience of God’s Word. The fruits will be seen, and we are to judge those fruits. They will include self-denial and renunciation of the world. If those who are experiencing the revival do not feel a need to leave off the vain customs, fashions, materialism, movies, entertainments, and pleasures of the world, it has not worked a transformation after God’s order and is not the work of the Holy Spirit.

“A wrong conception of the character, the perpetuity, and the obligation of the divine law has led to errors in relation to conversion and sanctification, and has resulted in lowering the standard of piety in the church. Here is to be found the secret of the lack of the Spirit and power of God in the revivals of our time.” Ibid. page 465.

A true revival will sweep away subtle errors regarding the necessity of obedience to God’s Law, the necessity of sanctification to our salvation, and the victorious experience to be had by every truly converted person. A true revival will never leave the people uncertain as to how fully it is possible to overcome sin, or what actions are, and are not, in harmony with God’s Law.

Is it possible for some people in the church to be experiencing true revival under the working of the Holy Spirit, while others sitting next to them in the church are at the same time experiencing a counterfeit revival? Yes. This is why we need to know what true revival is, so that we may not be self-deceived, thinking we are experiencing the outpouring of the Holy Spirit when we are not. We also need to present the need for revival to others in such a way that they will be led to the true experience, and will not be deceived by a false revival.

In the last days, there will be both true and false revival. What shall we do if we encounter a revival that does not bear the marks of the Holy Spirit’s working? We should pray and do all in our power to experience the true. The Holy Spirit will never lead us to brood over the shortcomings of others, when we ourselves are unconverted. Then, when we have fully surrendered to the Holy Spirit’s working, let us prayerfully go to work for others, to help them also experience the power of God that leads to primitive godliness.

All quotations are by Ellen G. White.

What Does True Revival Look Like?

Much is being said lately encouraging us to pray for revival. Because of the inadequacy of human language, however, one word, such as revival, may have many different meanings in the minds of different people. One person may be describing the new birth experience, while another may contemplate renewal of religious enthusiasm, church unity, or increasingly energetic soul-winning endeavors.

What is revival, and if we experience it, what will that look like? How can we know if we are experiencing it?

“If we are Christ’s, ….all we have and are is consecrated to Him. We long to bear His image, breathe His spirit, do His will, and please Him in all things.” Steps to Christ, p. 58.

Revival is full surrender, and the consequent miracle of a new heart. “All we have and are is consecrated to Him.” There is no longer any reserve. No longer is there the contradiction: “I know this is right, but I am not going to go that far.” Or, “I have an uncomfortable feeling inside that such a thing may be right, but I am not going to study it out because I do not want to be convicted that I need to do it.” Now we are all Christ’s. If He wants us to do it, we do it. There is no reservation, no resistance. There is no known barrier between us and Christ.

Does this mean that I now have a full understanding of God’s will in all matters? No. But the key is, that the heart is fully surrendered, even if I am still in ignorance on some points. And because the heart is fully surrendered, and is no longer resisting Christ’s drawing, a person who is in this truly converted state will gladly obey when further truth is revealed to him or her. We “long to…please Him in all things.”

This change of attitude, from self-will, pride, and resistance to learning we might be wrong, to joyful submission and eagerness to learn what more we can do to please Jesus is truly a miracle, and is performed by nothing short of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Our eternal life depends on whether we are living in obedience to self or to the Holy Spirit. “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” Romans 8:13. If we are following self rather than the Holy Spirit, we will not have eternal life, and are even now spiritually dead. “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” Verse 6.  Revival—being brought back to life from the dead—then, is the experience of surrendering fully to the converting power of the Holy Spirit.

“Those who become new creatures in Christ Jesus will bring forth the fruits of the Spirit, ‘love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.’ Galatians 5:22, 23.” Steps to Christ, page 58. “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” Matthew 7:20. “The presence or absence of the fruits of the Spirit is the way we can know whether the Holy Spirit is in control of our life or not. He will not fail to give even one of these fruits when He is in possession of the heart. Thus, if we are experiencing impatience rather than long-suffering, this is the fruit of self, not of the Spirit, and we may know that the Holy Spirit does not have possession of the heart in that moment, and we need to experience revival.

Quotations not from the Bible are by Ellen G. White.

Cast It From Thee

“And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.” Matthew 5:29.

Preparation for heaven requires sacrifice, a willingness to give up anything that is leading us into sin. It is tempting to say, “Oh, I will just control it better. I will spend less time watching television. I will be more selective in what I watch.”

Or, “I still want to keep going to this place. I will just try to be more careful in how much money I spend there.” Or, “I know this magazine influences me to have more interest in worldly things. But I still like it. I will just try to skip some of the more worldly articles.”

Yet, to use perhaps a takeoff on the recent words of our president, we need to use a machete, and not a scalpel, when cutting out of our lives those things that are harmful. Where is the sacrifice that was seen in earlier days, when holy men of God “were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth”?  Hebrews 11:38, 39.

Why do we seem so unwilling to give up—yes, cast away—what God has said is not good for us? Will we be ready to be among those who “loved not their lives unto the death”? Revelation 12:11. Our choices now, either of willingness to give up our treasured sins, or of unwillingness to relinquish them, are the answer to that question.

 

Whosoever Looketh

“Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” Matthew 5:27, 28.

Obedience to the seventh commandment requires much more than abstaining from the actual act of adultery. If we think wishfully about committing the sin, if we enjoy focusing on sights that lead us in the direction of sin, we are already committing sin. “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he….” Proverbs 23:7. One who thinks with relish about sin, loves sin. In contrast, one who loves God “rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth.” 1 Corinthians 13:6.

Especially today, our world suffers from a drastic plague of immodesty. God’s principles of appropriate dress that does not tempt a man to commit mental adultery have become so blurred that most people no longer “see anything wrong” with clothing that is actually seductive. Professed Christian women dress and decorate themselves in a way that actively leads men into mental sin. One who actively, willingly leads another into sin is guilty of sin herself.

The only solution is to return to God’s definition of modest dress. Do not judge a piece of attire by how it compares with what others are wearing today. It may appear very tame, but how does it measure up against God’s requirements?

“In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;  But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.” 1 Timothy 2:9.

The Greek word here translated as apparel is katastole, and is used only once in the Bible. It means “a lowering, letting down; hence…a garment let down, dress, attire” (Thayer’s Lexicon). This word paints a picture of a long, flowing garment, something that reaches down, not something cut off short. It fits in well with the long, flowing robes worn by women of biblical times. The sight of bare legs is seductive. So is tight, formfitting clothing, such as the wildly popular spandex tops of the day. Mini sleeves, which reveal a bare arm high above the elbow, are immodest. So are necklines that do not come up close to the neck.

I encourage you to look over the following interesting article, in which Christian men share honestly what kinds of clothing they find tempting: http://www.remnantraiment.com/subpages/survey.htm

Yes, it will be hard to go to a clothing store and find clothing that is modest, if we uphold God’s standards of modesty. We may need to resort to used or home-sewn clothing. Our wardrobe will probably be limited. Definitely we will appear out of fashion. However, if God is asking us to dress modestly, none of these considerations should hold weight. The only important question is: will I obey?

 

Breaking Just One

“Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:19.

The fact that Jesus is focusing on the Ten Commandment Law now comes into sharp focus. If one breaks even one of the least of the commandments, he will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.

James said it this way: “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” James 2:10. That James was speaking specifically of the Ten Commandment Law is clear from his very next words: “For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.” Verse 11.

Jesus also warns not only against breaking one of the commandments, but against teaching others to do the same. How many Christian teachers and leaders today are telling people straightforwardly that the Ten Commandments are no longer binding upon Christians?

Those who break one of God’s commandments and teach others to do the same will “be called least” by those who are privileged to enter into the kingdom of heaven, but they themselves will not enter. In verse 20 Jesus says, “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.”

The scribes and Pharisees were breakers of God’s Commandments. “Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men….And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.” Mark 7:7-9.

According to the Bible, those who willingly obey God’s Commandments will be able to enter the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” Revelation 22:14.

Maybe you have noticed how a small child eagerly obeys when asked to do something he enjoys. Perhaps you have asked him to go and bring something from another room, or to carry his favorite plate to the table. But when you ask him to pick up his toys, or come get ready for bed, there is delay or unwillingness. He doesn’t enjoy those things, and he doesn’t feel like obeying. We often act similarly toward God. When He asks us to do something that we naturally want to do, such as refrain from killing or stealing, we are happy to comply. But when He asks us to make a change that would make us appear strange in the eyes of society, to do something that will set us apart from our friends and family, are we as willing to obey?

 

Can God’s Law Be Changed?

“For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” Matthew 5:18.

“And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.” Luke 16:17

The jot was the smallest letter of the Greek alphabet, and the tittle was even smaller, a piece of a letter. It would be easier for heaven and earth to pass away, Jesus said, than for one small part of a letter of the law to pass away.

God’s Law of Ten Commandments cannot be changed. Yet man has attempted it. The “little horn” power of Daniel 7 would “speak great words against the most High…and think to change times and laws….” Daniel 7:25.

And Satan would make special warfare against those who keep God’s Law, unchanged. “And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Revelation 12:17.

Sin first came into the world when Adam and Eve chose to disobey God. The Bible says that all sin can be defined as breaking the law. “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” 1 John 3:4. Because God’s Law had been broken, there was now a penalty. “For the wages of sin is death….” Romans 6:23. So that we would not have to die that eternal death, Jesus came to die and suffer the penalty of sin for us.

If God could have changed His Law, or altered its penalty in some way, Jesus would not have needed to come and die. He could have simply removed the Law and mankind would no longer have been guilty of breaking it, no longer have been under the death penalty. The very fact that God had to go to such a great length as sending His Son to die, shows that the Law could not be changed.

 

Fulfilling the Law

“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.” Matthew 5:17.

The Jews referred to the Old Testament books written by Moses as “the law,” and the Old Testament prophetic books as “the prophets.” Over time, the Jewish rabbis had encumbered the God-given Old Testament teachings with many rules and rituals of their own. Jesus told the Pharisees, “For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.” Mark 7:8. Because Jesus did not adhere to these man-made traditions, some accused him of disregarding the laws given by Moses as well.

Here Jesus made it clear that he had not come to destroy either the law or the prophets. Rather, He had come to fulfill them. What does this word fulfill mean? Today, many Christians feel that it means something along the lines of bringing an end to them.

However, this would not be logical. Would Jesus say, “I have not come to destroy the law or the prophets, but rather to bring them to an end?” The Greek word used here for fulfill is pleroo. It is often used to refer to the fulfillment of a prophecy, as in Matthew 2:17: “Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet….”

However, the word pleroo is also used in reference to fulfilling the law or righteousness. When Jesus came to John to be baptized, John hesitated, but Jesus said, “Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.” Certainly here Jesus was not recommending that they put an end to all righteousness, but rather that they carry out and obey it.

Colossians 4:17 says, “Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it.” This ministry was something that should be carried out, not something that was to be done away with.

“That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Romans 8:4. Paul wrote to New Testament Christians that the righteousness of the law was to be fulfilled in them. It was not something they no longer needed to experience, but rather something that they definitely would experience, as they walked after the Spirit.

“Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.” Romans 13: 8. What law is this?

“For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” Verse 9. The five commandments mentioned here come directly from the Ten Commandments. By loving one another, we fulfill this law. Truly, if we love our brother, we will not kill him, steal from him, take his wife, or covet his goods. In other words, by loving our brother, we will be obeying the Ten Commandments. We will not be doing away with them, but rather keeping them. The righteousness that they prescribe will be fulfilled in us.

Verse 10 says, “Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” The same principle goes for the rest of the Ten Commandments. If we love God, we will not have other gods before Him, or take His name in vain. If we love our parents, we will honor them. Thus, love is not doing away with the law, but rather keeping of the law.

There were many things in the Old Testament that were prophetic of the coming Messiah. The sacrifices and ceremonies pointed forward to His sacrificial death. The prophets predicted many aspects of His life. These things Jesus came to fulfill. Many times you will find the fulfillments of these prophecies specifically pointed out in the Gospels. According to Scripture, at the death of Jesus, the system of animal sacrifices and ceremonial ordinances came to an end. They had met their prophetic fulfillment.

Yet what about God’s Law of Ten Commandments? This Jesus also came to fulfill, by a life of obedience, and leaving us an example, that we too may carry out and obey these commandments in our own lives.

 

Blending In Or Standing Out

“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.   Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16.

It is impossible for a true Christian to “blend in,” unnoticed, in society. He “cannot be hid.” His life is such an example of God’s truth and righteousness that he will be conspicuous for sure.

Nor should we attempt to blend in, to obscure the fact that we follow a different Master than does most of the world. Just as no one places a candle under a bushel, we should not be “ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.” Romans 1:16.

How do we place our candle on a candlestick? It is not by putting on an outward pretense of good works, as the Pharisees did, so “that they [might] be seen of men.”  Matthew 6:5. It is not by trying to look or act strange, or attract attention.

Jesus said, “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. ” Matthew 10:32.  ”Ye shall know them by their fruits.” Matthew 7:16. By words and actions of obedience we confess Christ before men. We are “ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh [us]  a reason of the hope that is in [us].” 1 Peter 3:15. We live by our convictions of right. And not least, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” John 13:35.

The modern teaching that we should try to “fit in” with society as much as possible, that we should slacken our dress standards to make it easy to reach people, that we should implement worldly styles of worship and music to attract the youth, and that we should focus on being “relevant” to people’s interests, is not biblical. Jesus did not teach conformity, but distinction. If we attempt to hide our light, it will go out. “If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!” Matthew 6:23.

Selective Obedience?

“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.” Matthew 4:4.

We must live according to every word God has spoken. It is so easy, without realizing it, to be selective in our obedience. Most often this happens because we are following the lead of other Christians. They do this or that, they believe this or that, they believe that this part does not apply to us anymore, and we follow. It comes so naturally.

Yet read Jesus’ final words to His disciples in Matthew 28:19, 20: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Emphasis supplied.)

Not only is it our duty to strive daily for deeper understanding so that we can obey all Jesus has commanded us to do, but it is also required of us that we share all of His teachings with those we are leading to Christ. Too often, when teaching new converts to the faith, we present a much too abbreviated understanding of the gospel and its claims on a person’s life.

We seemingly think that by “simplifying” things, and neglecting to mention many of the positive requirements for the Christian, we will make it easier for people to decide to become Christians. In reality, we are making it much harder for them to find eternal life, because we leave them to believe that they can remain in the broad way and still be followers of the One who walked the narrow way.

We need not cringe to search for, obey, and share, all the truth. We need not be afraid of learning of some biblical duty that our spiritual forefathers did not understand. Just as we live by eating bread, accepting “every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” will bring increased spiritual life.