Word-Centered Ministry

Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in the fifth month of the seventh year of the king. He had begun his journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month, and he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, for the gracious hand of his God was on him. For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel. – Ezra 7:8-10

I have often prayed a simple prayer, that God's hand would be upon me as I serve Him. According to Ezra, this is the simple formula for keeping it there.

First, I must devote myself to the study of God’s Word.

Second, I must devote myself to the obedience of all God requires in His Word.

Third, I must devote myself to the teaching of what I have learned and applied from God's Word to others.

These biblical principles (as seen in Ezra's life and leadership) will benefit anyone who sincerely and diligently applies them, but they will particularly benefit those who bear the ministry of teaching. A "Word-centered" ministry is the only one that God will ever bless because it is the only one that could ever align completely with His will.

The Word of God well understood and religiously obeyed is the shortest route to spiritual perfection, and we must not select a few favorite passages to the exclusion of others. Nothing less than a whole Bible can make a whole Christian. – A.W. Tozer