We should, therefore, understand that true success is judged not just by what we built, but by how we built. How strong is our foundation? God has His own means of scrutinizing and inspecting, and some of his favorite instruments are severe “storms” that test the true strength of our foundations (Matt 7:24-27).

Knowledge is power

In the book of Hosea, in the fourth chapter, the prophet is inspired by God to make a profound declaration:

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me… (Hos 4:6).

It is interesting to note from this verse that the primary reason for God’s people being destroyed is a lack of knowledge – not a lack of prayer, not a lack of anointing (as important as these things are) and not because of a lack of priests!

Israel’s priests had neglected to study and appropriate God’s laws (His written Word) in their own lives, and they had forsaken their responsibility to teach God’s laws to the people. They could no longer accurately articulate or demonstrate the heart and character of God through sound biblical teaching or through the precise internal architecture and configuration of holy lives. This caused such a distortion of God’s original divine intent that the very operating system of the nation began to crash through the preponderance of “illegal operations” being performed, thus causing the very people to self-destruct through their ignorance and spiritual anarchy – lack of divine governance.

Note that God rejects such an ignorant and illegitimate priesthood – one that is unwilling or unable to develop the diligence and discipline necessary to pursue divine knowledge and truth by regularly and consistently interfacing with the divine omniscience of God as expressed through His eternal Word. To put it simply, God will reject any ministry that rejects or does not highly value His Word.

God’s predetermined design for ministry, therefore, is one where there is a continual and unending stream of accurate information and sound instruction.

• Information – Knowledge derived from study, experience or instruction.
• Instruction – The art, practice or profession of instructing or teaching; an acquired or imparted item of knowledge.

These first two I’s are similar in that they both target the mind, and are important because they represent knowledge that comes through diligent research and study of the Word. They represent two firm pillars which help to sustain the weight as well as provide accuracy to the structure of our ministry (1 Tim 4:6, 12, 13, 15, 16; 2 Tim 2:15; 3:15-17).

Incidentally, this dimension is solely dependant upon you and your willingness to “study to show yourself approved”. It requires time, effort and sacrifice. There is no short cut, easy or fast way to acquire it except through diligent study.

Information and Instruction minister to the minds of the hearers causing a transformation to take place (Rom. 12:2). Without ministering to the mind of man through proper information and instruction, all you create are a bunch of carnal, flaky, spooky-spiritual Christians who might get very emotionally stirred and excited by your “charismatic” preaching, but once the sermon is over they quickly forget your message and revert to their old lifestyles because there was no substance (e.g. the old speed and spit preachers of the old-order Pentecostal movement). A lot can be said but what exactly is being taught?

There are some churches that you can go to without ever needing to bring your bible to their meetings – and you’ll never miss it either (and it’s not because they’ll have the scriptures projected for you on a big white screen)! And as for a notebook, you’ll never have a need for one because nothing is ever taught or said that is worth writing down. Meetings such as these are often a waste of everyone’s time. There might be a lot of singing, dancing, shouting and sweating, but when you leave, all you’re left with is nothing more than an emotional high. Your mind is left bereft of the transforming agent of God’s Word, and then we wonder why no one is changed or why the same people are showing up in the prayer line every week; that is, if they last that long.

Somehow we have forgotten that our assignment is to exalt Jesus in the earth. Jesus is the Living Word, so when we forsake or reject His Word in our gatherings, who are we really exalting?

There is a great need especially among various Pentecostal, Charismatic and so-called “present-truth” communities today for a deliberate, systematic and expository teaching of God’s Word. Sound theology is not the enemy of the Spirit – no theology or poor theology is. It is time to reject the lie that theology and sound doctrine are synonymous with being an old order religious Pharisee, because it just isn’t true. If I remember correctly, the Pharisees were also known for praying and fasting more than any of the other people (Matt 9:14; 23:14). Does that mean that we should reject prayer in favor of becoming more “spiritual”?

There is a spirit of deception that has been released upon the earth and an antichrist spirit that has been allowed to run amuck in the Church. Our only defense and most powerful offense is to unleash the power of God’s double edged sword which is able to cut and divide so that the true source is exposed (Heb 4:12).