The Washing Of Water By The Word

In many churches, annual fasting periods are coming to an end right about this time in the year. You have been fasting and one sure prayer point is that God should give you His Holy Spirit. That is because your leaders know you cannot successfully live the Christian life without the Holy Spirit. However, those same leaders do not tell you the secret. You cannot have the Holy Spirit without the washing of water by the word.

Now, I am not suggesting that all pastors are holding out on you. It is possible they themselves do not know the order of things, believing anyone can pray and receive the Holy Spirit. And, don’t get me wrong, you can and should pray to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, to do that successfully you have to have gone through the washing of water by the word.

For there are three that bear witness in heaven: The Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit. And these three are one. First, there is the Father who loved us enough to send Jesus to rescue us from hell. There is the Word, who was with Him from the beginning, Finally, there is the Holy Spirit whom Jesus gave to all believers before He left earth after His resurrection.

You need all three to give testimony of you in Heaven and without one, you may not have a name in Heaven. Therefore, as Jesus was leaving, He prayed that His Father should sanctify and cleanse believers by His word. Now, you know that the bible is the word of God, written about Jesus, the living word of God. So, whichever way you turn, you must bump into Jesus.

The Word Of God Is The Original Detergent

Once you invite Jesus into your life, you must continually cleanse your soul by the truth in His written word. Of course, you will need God’s help is why Jesus had to pray for cleansing before they crucified Him. There is no going around it; you need to constantly study the bible to sustain your position in the family of God. Or as our topic says, you have to have the washing of water by the word. Constant bible study will give you more of Jesus than any other activity, even prayer, could ever do.

You see, giving your life to Jesus is an adoption process; it brings you into the family of God. We came from a background of sin and soul-filth into a house of holiness. Don’t you think the first thing we shall require is a bath? And the only way to have that bath is to soak in the written word of God. It alone has the power to rid us of the filth of sin; we see that in Jesus’ prayer. “Cleanse them with your word; your word is truth.”

Attempting to remain in the family of God without that constant bath is dangerous. Not only do we stink, God may have no choice but to throw us out after a while. So, when the bible talks of washing of water by the word, it is charging us to fill our lives and hearts with the bible. It is the written word of God about the living Word of God.

The Holy Spirit Comes Only After Washing Of Water By The Word

Now, that we have seen the importance of washing of water by the word, we come to the Holy Spirit. If, because you refuse to wash, you are no longer in the family, who will give you the Holy Spirit? It is impossible that a person who refuses to wash clean will receive the Holy Spirit. Observe that this Spirit is holy and can therefore only come to a cleansed life. Crying, weeping, praying and fasting can never be a substitute for washing of water by the word.

And if you are still unconvinced, hear what Jesus Himself had to say about that: The Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. You glorify Jesus the living Word by filling your heart with Jesus the written word, that is, the holy bible. Until you start glorifying Jesus by loving and reading about Him, don’t even bother asking for the Holy Spirit.

Don’t forget, although the Holy Spirit is a gift of the Father, it is Jesus who sends Him to us. Think of yourself. You have a friend but the friend does not read your messages either on email or social media. When you want to give someone a gift, does that friend come to mind? Most definitely not. Since we are made in the image of God, don’t be surprised that Jesus does not think of you when He wants to send His Holy Spirit.

Why So Much Emphasis?

Thank you for asking. We are harping on this topic for two reasons. First, you cannot live a successful and victorious Christian life without the Holy Spirit. Without Him (not ‘it’ as some people imagine), you find yourself falling often even though you wish to please God. Your Christian journey is a struggle, which God did not design it to be.

Secondly, you may be in a congregation that emphasizes the Holy Spirit. It confuses you that people who study the bible less than you do are speaking in tongues. This is here to help you end your confusion. If there is no washing of water by the word, there is no infilling by the Spirit. It is as simple as that.

The Spirit is not the second person, He is the third person of the Godhead. What should that tell you? Perhaps such people do study the bible but in private. On the other hand, and this is more likely, they are faking it. We deliberately spent so much time on this so you will know the order of things.

In addition, this should help you to stop thinking your Christianity is inferior just because you don’t speak in tongues. Pure and simple, if someone speaks in tongues without the washing of water by the word, he is faking.

What should you do after reading this? First, stop trying to copy those others. Next, get into the word. Then when you pray for the Holy Spirit, both the Father and the Word (Jesus) will send Him to you. This shall be your year of genuineness with the Lord.

Maranatha!