In the Hebrew, Jewish, roots of our faith, the ancient Levitical priests had to keep a fire on the altar for the burnt offering. Leviticus 6:12 tells us “The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must not go out.” I believe there is a fire of love for humanity that burns within the heart of God; and when the Church was birthed, God blew a mighty fiery breathful! That fire ignited and birthed the Church 2,000 years ago and has been handed down from one generation to the next like the Olympic torch. God’s intention is that it never goes out.
As a student in Seminary, one of my favorite subjects was Church History. Over the centuries, the Church has battled heresy, corruption and the excesses of sin. It has waned and waxed in spiritual power, it has been fervent and it has been complacent and has even been close to being dead. The Church has survived global wars, natural disasters and the oppression of godless political regimes. Somehow the fire has continued to burn, maybe some times like a small blue pilot flame, but nevertheless it has still burned!
Some years ago, a professor of religion had said to me that within 20 years, the Church would be dead in New Zealand, and that Christianity within New Zealand would have ceased to exist. Having spent the past year or so traveling around New Zealand churches, I can say that the Church in New Zealand is more vibrant than ever. So much for the expert view.
Always remember that the Church is something built by Jesus Himself. The Church is the body of Christ and Jesus is the head of the Church. The last time I looked, Jesus was still alive, sitting on His throne, and He has a vested interest to ensure the flame of the Spirit of God continues to pass from one generation to the next!
In this generation, as we consider all the God has done in the past; the historic great awakenings, the Azusa Street and Welsh revivals, I am always stirred in my spirit as I consider what God might have for this generation. Leonard Ravenhill said, “The opportunity of a lifetime must be seized within the lifetime of the opportunity.” I believe there are moments where opportunity presents itself and we must seize it.
In a relay race the next runner has to be positioned to receive the baton from the previous runner. A torch has been passed from the previous generation and we must get ahold of that torch and run with fire! We must surrender to that fire as it sets us ablaze! Fire is not so much taught, as it is caught. Today I believe you will catch this fire and you will run with it in this generation!
Blind Bartemaues cried out in his time of need “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Luke 18:38) He knew Jesus was passing by and he wasn’t about to miss out! When the disciples were crossing the lake, in a great storm, they saw Jesus walking on the water and he almost walked right past them, but they cried out. (Mark 6:48-49) Jesus could have kept walking, but they saw Him, He stopped and the storm abated.
There are times, when God draws close and if we don’t seize the opportunity, we could potentially miss what He has for us. Today my cry is, “Jesus don’t pass this generation by, let us carry the full flame of your Spirit in this generation. Let this be a generation that burns like no other!”
When Jesus spoke of the end of time, He said in Matthew 24:14 “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” And in order for the gospel to reach all, this generation needs to carry more fire than ever before. I believe as we approach the return of Christ, there will be a great revival and a great harvest of souls like has never before been seen. Who knows if this could happen in our generation?
When Elisha took Elijah’s mantle, he struck the water and it parted (2 Kings 2:14). He went on to do greater works than his master did. Elisha performed more recorded miracles in the Bible than anyone other than Jesus. And Jesus said, for his followers, that we would be those who would do greater works than He did. (John 14:12)
I believe that the Church can be likened to the Wedding feast Jesus attended at Cana of Galilee. (John 2:1-11) They had run out of wine and Jesus gave the order for the servants to fill the jars with water. Immediately, they were turned into the finest wine. In this late hour of the Church age, what an incredible generation to belong to. I believe it is the time where God has reserved His best wine. His greatest glory, His most intense fire, His greatest miracles, all for His glory and for the gospel to be preached in all the earth.
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