God’s people have always been created by God’s Word.  From creation in Genesis 1 to the call of Abram in Genesis 12, from the vision of the valley of the dry bones in Ezekiel 37 to the coming of the living Word, Jesus Christ — God has always created his people by His Word. 

So writes Dr Mark Dever in his excellent new little book, WHAT IS A HEALTHY CHURCH (pp. 66-67).  He continues…. 

As Paul wrote to the Romans, “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17). Or, as he wrote to the Corinthians, “Since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. (1 Cor. 1:21).Sound, expositional preaching is often the fountainhead of true growth in a  church. Martin Luther found that carefully attending to God’s Word began a reformation.  We, too, must commit to seeing that our churches are always being reformed by the Word of God.