Some denominations are so proud of their Scriptural approach; they are proud to say that the Bible is at the center of everything they do. In the process, they completely leave behind the Holy Spirit. On the other hand, you have those who are all about the Holy Ghost, but leave behind the Word of God. They both have something in common; they are both quenching the Holy Ghost. 

The Apostle Paul tells us in First Thessalonians 5:19 “Do not quench the Spirit.” (ESV) But this is happening about every Sunday in many churches all around this country. It is the Holy Ghost who guide us into all through, not seminary, not degrees, not any man or denomination. In John 16:13 Jesus tells us,

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. (ESV)

How arrogant is of you to control what God wants to say and manipulate the message. If we want to know the truth, we NEED the Holy Ghost. Beloved, get out of the way and let HIM speak. On the other hand, if you claim to be following the Holy Ghost, but are embracing false doctrines and theologies, you are following a spirit for sure, but it is not the Holy Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:4-6 tells us, 

Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. (ESV)

To leave the Holy Ghost behind is to think that we are sufficient in ourselves; it is positioning “us” at the center of our ministry; it is establishing our sufficiency in ourselves. Nevertheless, we are minister of a new covenant, and that new covenant is not of the letter, but of the Spirit. The Word of God can only be properly handled with the help of Holy Ghost. We MUST go through the Holy Ghost before even reading God’s Word. The Spirit of God gives life, however a mishandling the Word of God kills. We mishandle the Word of God every time we approach it without the Spirit. 

Jesus told us in Matthew 4:4 “…Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (ESV) The Greek word for Word is the word, rhḗma; meaning, “To speak. That which is spoken, a statement, word. Particularly a word as uttered by a living voice.”^[1] This is the revelation of what Logos states, this is the Spirit of the Law, not manmade interpretations or manipulations of the Word.

I believe this is not a small matter; I believe that many churches will be severely judge for wrongly applying the Word and the Spirit to their ministries. I know we don’t have all the answers, that is why we MUST submit ourselves to God’s spirit and let Him guide us into all truth. The Holy Ghost will NEVER fail us, but if we decide to interpret the Word without the Holy Ghost, we run the risk of embracing a Holy Ghost quenching denomination.

^[1] Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2000).