The power of God’s Word was experienced by a Chinese man named Zhao Huang, who was living in Germany with his wife, Kirsten. Zhao was a Buddhist. His wife was an unbeliever, and she wanted a special birthday gift for her husband. And so Kirsten sought a book that was written in Chinese. Unfortunately, the only such book in her German town was a Chinese translation of the Bible. Well, she was displeased by that option, but nonetheless, she bought the Bible, hoping her husband would appreciate the gesture. Zhao was not pleased to receive the Bible, but he so longed for his native tongue that, against his better judgment, he opened it and began reading it—just because it was in Chinese. And as he did so, he began to be struck by the truth revealed on the pages of the Bible. Before long, he realized that he was being persuaded—that he was believing God’s Word. Now, that in turn displeased Kirsten. After all, she was a Westerner who had already gone through the trouble of rejecting Christianity. She did not want this. And so they began arguing about this book. And so she had to read it—just to argue effectively with him. You know what happened in the process? She was persuaded and became a believer in Jesus. Before long, the couple began opening their Chinese Bible and studying God’s Word. They grew together in faith. Their lives were transformed. They realized from the Bible that they needed to join a church. They needed the fellowship, the support of other believers. So they found a faithful church. What was their criteria?
Let’s find one where the Word is preached faithfully.There, they were baptized as followers of Christ, and they grew as disciples through the power of God’s Word.Now, notice that Paul rejoices that God’s Word works in you believers. It is not magic. It does not work as a talisman. It responds to faith. It is through believing and receiving the Word of God that it works powerfully. The good news, though, is that faith is itself a product of the Word of God. The Holy Spirit actually uses the Word to create faith. What does Paul say in Romans 10:1–21?
Richard D. PhillipsFaith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.You know, sometimes we need to just stop arguing and start reading the Word of God. That is how faith comes.1
13 C'est pourquoi nous rendons continuellement grâces à Dieu de ce qu'en recevant la parole de Dieu, que nous vous avons fait entendre, vous l'avez reçue, non comme la parole des hommes, mais, ainsi qu'elle l'est véritablement, comme la parole de Dieu, qui agit en vous qui croyez.