GOD CAME -G.W. North

GOD CAME
G.W. North

The word ‘dedication’ carried with it the idea of complete and utter concentration. It is the determination of an utterly convinced soul, a fixed intention, it implies the setting aside of whatever or whoever it is to one end and purpose alone. There is something wonderful about dedication unto the Lord, implying the thought of ‘being within the veil’. As a result of this in the hearts of a group of people I was blessed many years ago to be in an outpouring of the Spirit of the Lord in a certain district of Yorkshire. I am a result of that, I did not begin it. I did not take revival. The Lord out-poured His Spirit in that place at that time. I did not take it there, I emphasize that: I am a result of it.

YOU CAN HAVE REVIVAL

Throughout the ages there have been great men who have moved in revival, to name one - Charles Grandison Finney. Finney wrote a series of lectures on the subject: ‘ Revivals of Religion’ he called them. In these he gave some guidance, if not rules, about revival, and said that if you follow these procedures you can have a revival any time you wish. I would heartily commend Charles Finney to you, for it seemed that everywhere that man went there was a great move of the Spirit of God; it must have been marvellous to have been there. I can remember a time in my life when I avidly read everything to do with outpourings of the Spirit and revivals. Some of you may have heard me commend certain books for reading: Finney’s ‘Lectures on Religious Revival’, Finney’s autobiography, Jonathan Goforth’s ‘By My Spirit’, and so on….

I remember reading, when I was a young man, a book by Dr. Campbell Morgan in which he spoke of being deputed to visit Wales during the Revival taking place there. He was amazed, he said, as he sat in the congregation of those people being wrought upon by the Spirit of God. He came from a very orderly congregational background and was there as an observer. To his amazement four or five people stood up, all praying at the same time, yet there was no confusion, as he thought would happen; everything was being done decently and in order. This is Campbell Morgan’s own confession: ‘ Instead of it being reprehensible and confusing, this is divine disorder’ (his own words) ‘it was wonderful, all was under the inspiration and control of the Spirit of God. He was moving on the congregation.’ No man carries around revival in his pocket or in his sermon bag. No-one can guarantee an outpouring of the Spirit of God. In the general reading of scripture - both in the New Testament and also in the Old, revivals as we speak of them are never ascribed to the outpouring of the Spirit.

What we call revivals happened when perhaps God raised up either a prophet or a king who would speak out His word and go dead against sin. All idols, whatever their name, had to go. All kinds of things had to go and deep repentance and contrition seized the people. At these times the blood sacrifices and offerings to God were restored and His pure worship reinstated. In some instances you will find that the word of God, the scriptures of truth, was read: always it was coming back to that which God originally gave. I can remember too reading about the revivals in Lewis (in Scotland). We had that great man Duncan Campbell staying in our home for one period. He visited us for a weekend when I was in Yorkshire, and he shared with us. He was a dear man of God - he still is, of course, he has gone to be with God; he is more a man of God now than he was then. That is the great future for us, isn’t it? As you know, God is not a God of the dead, but of the living.


Duncan Campbell was telling some of the glorious stories of the outpourings of the Spirit of God in Lewis. One that vividly remains in my memory is the story of the woman in the ditch. He was going along the road to a service at the time, when he heard a woman’s voice crying, sobbing out her heart to God. Louder and louder grew the cries as he drew toward their source, and as he listened he began to make out the words. They were being repeated over and over again in solemn, heartbreaking repetition: ‘Oh God, the walls of Zion are broken down, the walls of Zion are broken down’. Reaching the immediate spot where the woman was, he looked over and through the hedge, and there in a ditch, lay a Scotswoman in great distress, crying out to God. Duncan Campbell was greatly moved as he listened to her heart-cries. She wasn’t praying marvellous prayers, there was no great oratory, just distress of soul, and heartbreak. The heartbreak of God - it was coming out of a ditch; a poor woman feeling under the burden, under the weight of the sin and need of the island of Lewis. He left her there with God, went down the road and walked into the church; and are you surprised to hear that that very evening, in that same church, God poured the Spirit.

On another occasion (I think it was), he preached on ‘ I will pour water on him that is thirsty’. At least he announced his text (whether or not he preached, I cannot remember), and a man, an elder in the church, who was sitting on the end of the pew somewhere back down the church, got up, stepped out into the aisle and cried, ‘Oh God, I’m thirsty…Oh God, I’m thirsty’. That was as far as Duncan Campbell got with his sermon! God came. Duncan Campbell, that humble servant of God, said, ‘I do not carry revival around with me in my bag’.

I believe with all my heart that with God all these things are by law. By that I do not mean that you and I can make up laws about it. I am pleased that I can faintly remember things that Finney says about fulfilling the rules and conditions, and am persuaded that God in heaven and a woman in a ditch, and a man in a pew, continued without knowledge, aforethought or agreement to fulfill the conditions of God. If we did the same things, put a women in the gutter here, put a man in a pew, have the right texts announced, will we have revival? Strangely enough, we might, but I do not think so. I wouldn’t like to guarantee it.

NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH

When this same kind of thing happened with me, I was a Baptist pastor in Kent, not without a degree of blessing in the ministry, when the Lord broke in and sent me to Yorkshire. God told me to go. I was under Divine command, that I Know. Sorrily I tarried about 3-6 months after God told me to go - I ought not to have done, but I was doing the acceptable thing (in some circles) - fiddling out, putting out what are politely called fleeces. God would have none of it. He told me to go, and that was that. And so the time came when I went. I did not go there to have a revival, I did not go there to have an outpouring of the Spirit - God did not tell me what he was going to do, he expected me to obey Him, that was all. God had long since shewn me what a true New Testament church was: and I knew that the church in which I was a pastor was not a true New Testament church. God knew it too. This is not spoken in a criticism; I was the pastor of the church; if you like you can say it was my fault. I knew it was not a true New Testament church because I read of the New Testament church in the Acts of the Apostles, and obviously the church was not like that, but wanted to be. But it was as though God was hitting me in the eyes with truth. Before God sent me north, I had come to a conclusion in my heart that I would not rest until I saw a New Testament church on the earth. Notice I did not say ‘the perfect’ New Testament church, nor did I say a first century church; but I at least knew what I wanted and that the way I was functioning and the system I functioned under was not remotely like the function of a New Testament system. The only standard of a true church and true church worship must be the New Testament.

So, when I went up north from the south, I went up having already declared this before God - that I would not rest until I saw a New Testament church. I did not go up there specifically to do it, but that was already in my heart when I went. Beloved, from the depths of all that I understand, I want to state plainly that ‘as a man thinketh in his hear’, so is he and so he does. Unless men and women are true to what is in their heart before God, he or she will never get anywhere in the kingdom. (Emphasis added)

I went up north eventually because God sent me there to a very small church. I sometimes think that may be an advantage. It must be a job if you inherit a thousand people and you don’t quite know what all of them think, although they may be members of the same congregation. So God had mercy on me, and I never even had 120 people to attend to, or to wrestle with. I just went there to a handful. I had no plan. I was not seeking revival. God knows that. I am only telling you what I know, and what happened. I don’t think there is any ready-made formula. Somehow - and I can’t tell you how, except by the mercy of God - a great desire to pray came upon me. It was from heaven itself. The group I went to were in expectation; I expect you must be if you invite a man to come up and be your pastor. You must have some hopes of him when you ask him to come. They had been without pastoral oversight for nine months. The pastor before had been taken ill and had been forced to give up the ministry. So they had laboured on for nine months, praying that God would send someone to them. If you ask me, ‘why didn’t God pour out the Spirit while you were in the Baptist Church’; if you ask ‘Why didn’t He pour out the Spirit on the people before you went there?’, I do not know. I only know this, ‘Go to so-and-so’ - that is what you have to do. You must not bring your well-trained intellect to bear, you must not resort to mere reasoning’s. (Emphasis added)

WAIT ON THE LORD

I would like to draw your attention to a couple of scriptures.

Acts 4:19 - Peter and John are saying, ‘What do you think? Do you think it is right in the sight of God to listen to men more than to God?’
Chapter 5:29 - Peter speaking, ‘We ought to obey God rather than men’.

Question and Answer - Do you think it is right? If you do, do you do it?

All I am telling you is that I obeyed God. God had mercy on me; I did not do it immediately. I followed the usual ‘Christian’ pattern of not believing God when he speaks, but trying to get proof of what He said by the ‘fleeces’ method. It seems right, but it proves how untrusting we are; it is a cover for that kind of pseudo-righteousness so easy to assume- all the more subtle because it has a scriptural precedent - ‘we want to be absolutely sure we’re doing right’. As though it is never right to trust God when He speaks, unless He speaks again or gives some kind of sign or proof acceptable to you. Obedience is the great key. It is not only the key to revival or outpourings of the Spirit, it is the key to all spiritual life. (Emphasis added)

The great things of God are very simple. When people ask, ‘How?’ or ‘Tell us what?’ Never answer them except from scripture and your experience of it; because if you do not you will be guilty of misleading people. People must not be led that way. God chose not to pour out the Spirit in the south of England. There is much in the prophets about rain; God made one such statement about cities saying he would cause it to rain on one city and not on another. We speak about this as ‘showers of blessing’. When I went up north, somehow a great desire came on me to pray, not that I was a stranger to prayer, but it seemed to really blossom forth. In those days the favourite text among us was very simple; ‘wait upon the Lord. Wait, I say, upon the Lord’. That and several related scriptures were constantly found in our mouths. ‘My soul wait thou ONLY upon the Lord’. That is exactly what I and a few others did. Some of them had been praying long before I arrived, that God would send them a man. Not that I want you to look at a man, it is just what happened. Why he should send me I do not know. It was a move of God, His sovereign will, that is all.

We prayed constantly almost from the moment I got there. Of course there were the usual services. We had our Sunday meetings, morning and evening, and a mid-week Bible exposition, as God enabled me to give it. There were all sorts of other meetings as well; open-air meetings every Saturday, and when the lighter nights came we had an open-air meetings week, tracting, I don’t know what we did. We weren’t trying to work up or bring about revival, we just did it. I am telling you what happened.

On top of all that, waiting on the Lord. People are too slack, too lackadaisical, and too bone-idle lazy to give themselves to the main thing. If you find that a harsh judgment - well, beloved, better hear it now than wake up in eternity and wish somebody had told you. I do not see that Finney had revival because he withdrew into near monastic states. I do not think that John Wesley had revival because he hid himself away somewhere in retreat. He used to ride all over the country on horseback. Sometimes they had to thaw him off his horse because he was frozen to his saddle. In between preparing sermons he occupied himself with writing primers and the like for Greek students. How did he do this? He would preach at five o’clock in the morning - that was just a beginning. Where would you be if you had to do that? I find that great things do not come about because as people say, ‘we are far too busy’. I find instead that they are not busy enough in the right things, they are far too busy in the wrong things though.


That is what we did, it was a hectic program. What members they all were! My Sundays were spent walking to and from the church, a mile or so in each direction, three times - somewhere about eight to ten miles. Some of you are born to inherit cars; I wasn’t, I walked. These things are true. I am not boasting. Morning and evening meetings were preceded by prayer meetings. We loved to pray and pray and pour out our hearts together, we simply loved it. I have never heard outpourings of hearts anywhere as I heard in those days. Occasionally I have heard lovely prayers, beautifully phrased, comparable with any you can read out of a book - they had not the power of hearts out-poured. I have heard noisy, shouted prayers too, but that is not what I mean. They have not been the same as the prayer that gripped us in those days. I have heard prayers vibrant with that ‘something’ of the heart, the Spirit of God and the whole spirit of man in it too. I have listened to the whole being of man praying, the utter out-pouring. We used to gather and pray, and go home and pray. We loved it, loved it. The real difficulty I had was to stop the people praying. We just prayed and prayed.


I want to testify that when Duncan Campbell came and spoke about a woman crying out in the ditch, I knew exactly what he meant, because I’d heard it. We weren’t praying in tongues particularly; we would speak in tongues if God wanted us to and wrought upon us for that. We were praying in plain English, pouring out unto God. We used to have a Saturday night meeting every week following an open-air meeting and house to house visitation or tracting in the afternoon. On top of all these things we used to have a Prayer, Praise and Testimony meeting at night. Our Saturday night used to start at two o’ clock in the afternoon with a prayer meeting and finish about 10 p.m. Later a late-night drunks meeting was added, which finished around 2.00am. You say, ‘Well, we can’t do that, we have fellowship meetings, and besides God isn’t moving like that these days’. Everything has to be accommodated to our present states, it’s the ‘in’ thing, nice little meetings arranged to fit in with our family programs. How in the world can we expect God to do anything when everything is made to revolve around ourselves? None of use knew anything about that. We just got there. (Emphasis Added)

If you say, ‘it is going to cost you everything to have a revival’ - it is not true. Neither I nor anyone else had any sense of it costing anything. Friends, your mind is laboring and under strain because you are approaching it all wrongly. The testimony of all hearts and radiant faces was ‘it was a delight, it was joy, it was indescribable. Utterly satisfying and strengthening.'


THE TEMPLE IS FILLED…

So it continued, and one night, God came - that is about the only way to describe it. ‘What did you preach on?’. I didn’t preach on anything. ‘There you are then’, you might say, ‘revivals do not come by preaching’. But I’d been expounding and preaching months beforehand. Was that a preparation for it? There is no prescription for revival. You can bring all your wits and wisdom, all the ways of man to bear upon it, but I beg you to cease. It just isn’t like that. It began with God getting hold of someone, I know. Let me ask you, brother - have you got a stirring in your bowels? Have you got a longing in your heart? Have you got a driving force that has become the dynamic of your being? Is it like that? If not, give up all ideas of anything mighty happening. Earnestness, sincerity, concern are good, indispensable, but not good enough, something must happen that will make you give everything up… or else give up all your ideas of a move of God. God must do something.


As I look back upon it now, I realize how completely it ate me up. I was in the heyday of my physical strength and manhood, and it not only ate me up, it ate up all that little group of which I was but one. Something came down, it was from God. I didn’t set myself to do these things, I disown any part in it. I find this kind of thing going through people’s minds: some young man will say, ‘I want to serve God, I’ve always wanted to serve God. I’ve given up my work to wait on God, to get a call’. Calls do not come from God that way. I was doing all my work when God called me. I never laid aside anything; I was unaware of what He was going to do. I reckon that Jesus Christ was working hard at the carpenters bench when the stirrings and calling of God took Him and thrust Him out to Jordan. The apostles were fishing when they received the call. They did not throw up their work or only do half a week’s work in order to wait on God. Perhaps men easily catch the idea from Jehovah’s Witnesses. Gideon was working hard, threshing wheat, when God came to him. I find that another of them was following the plough when God spoke to him. David was minding the sheep; his family were saying ‘Well, it isn’t David, it can’t be David,’ but it was. Moses was working, slogging hard, daylight to dark, in the back side of the desert, and one day God came to him, burning in the bush. Moses didn’t go to the back of the desert with the idea of waiting on God, thinking God was calling him.

At best, a manufactured call can be the only result of such a folly and if nothing materializes from it, after a time you have to go back to work. God does not call lazybones. Preachers are many - it’s workers we need. (Emphasis added) On that Sunday night when God came, the morning message was ‘The Glory filling the temple’. After wards one of our young ladies came to me and said, ‘I MUST HAVE this glory’. So I said ‘okay’, and looked at my watch (because we had this mile or so trek home, have lunch, mile or so trek back for Sunday School, about half an hour’s walk the way I used to walk then.) ‘Alright’, I said, ‘after the service tonight’. So we carried on, and at night I preached on ‘entering into his rest’. There was a young woman present who did not normally come to the meetings. ‘You know’, she said, ‘ I’m not in this that you’ve been talking about’. So I got hold of one of the elders in the church, and said, ‘Look, this girl has responded tonight, and I have to talk to her. You go in there (the other room), Walter, so-and-so is in there and she wants the glory. Go in there and minister to her’. So in he went.
I knelt down with this precious girl and started to talk to her. She’d had this experience, she’d had that experience. Isn’t it sad that people who say they are baptized in the Spirit are wanting heart-rest. There’s something radically wrong with so much that is going on in these days.


Well, as we were talking I found I had to raise my voice louder and louder - there was quite a noise coming from next door. So I spoke louder and she shouted back at me; until at last I shouted back at her, ‘It sounds as though what you want is going on next door. We’d better go!’. So in we went. Instead of seeing one young lady in there seeking the glory, there were about fifteen to twenty. She had passed round the message. There they were on their knees, some radiant with the glory, others crying out with tears to God. God had come.

WITH THE GLORY OF GOD

We had those bender chairs, horrible for sitting on, but very good for what was going on then. I saw little lakes of tears gathered on the patterned plywood sears of those chairs as hearts wept out their cries and needs before God. It was awesome. IF you want revival you must have weeping, not just charismatic euphoria, real revival that brings regeneration comes through someone’s heartbreak. It has to do with the heartbreak of God over sin. That is what revival is all about. It is not making you happy over the top of sin in the heart. It is not God’s means of repression or covering up, or glossing over, it is thorough cleansing.

Tears at last turned to cries of joy as one after another stood up, lifting heads and faces to the heavens, filled with the glory of God. That was the beginning and what a beginning it was, and it introduced all that was to follow. It continued exactly as it started. Numerically we doubled, we trebled, we quadrupled, we quintupled; it was all so effortless. We had to get into bigger premises, trying to keep pace with God. God moved and was still moving.

During those days of change and development, preaching for me, became as new. Having never been one who needed, made or preached from copious notes, it was perhaps not so great a change as it may have been for some other men in my position. All I was using was a bit of paper on a little desk with perhaps four or five headings, a ‘pegs for preachers idea’. But from that occasion all notes were swept away. God came on the preacher as well as the people, He came on everybody; it was indescribably wonderful and absolutely unforgettable.

I perfectly understood Dr. Campbell Morgan when he spoke about ‘Divine Disorder’. It was utterly beyond anyone’s power to shut peoples mouths, they couldn’t stop praying, praising, singing shouting; the glory had come. One man, a university graduate, stood up one night as if in pain, and said ‘Oh - if you don’t let me pray, I shall burst’. Very irreverently, I said, ‘perhaps you’d better burst, brother, we’ll get something good then’. He did, and we did.
Did miracles take place? Oh yes, miracles took place. What did you see? I’ll tell you - the greatest miracles I saw were people utterly transformed. Oh, I thought you were going to tell me about the lame being made to walk, and bodies being healed. Yes, I could tell you that, but compared with that glorious night which began weeks and weeks of unstinted outpouring they ought hardly be considered. The greatest thing is that men and women were absolutely transformed and remained transformed. I did not have to mount rescue operations anymore. Pastoral visitation went by the board. I was busy dealing with enquiring sinners. All quarrelling stopped dead, no-one seemed to have anything to complain about. Women weren’t falling out anymore, men saw eye to eye, there was not a frown to be seen. The problem of the caretaking of the church premises was immediately solved, they all volunteered to do it. They used to stand up and announce ‘scrubology’ and all the ladies would come. All internal church problems vanished and stayed that way for years. I never heard a murmur or a complaint, all church decisions were unanimous.


It has never been my privilege to hear or be involved in the kind of prayer that you read about in Acts 4. That surely must be the prayer-meeting par excellence. They all prayed in their mother-tongue. That surely excelled the prayer that took place on the day of Pentecost. I suppose if you pray in tongues it is fairly safe, everybody could be praying quite different if not opposite prayers, nobody knows what is being prayed. But they (according to Acts 4) all prayed exactly the same prayer in their mother-tongue. How about that! That would most probably frighten the majority of churchgoers to death - what a phenomenon!

But though I have not witnessed that, I have heard prayer that almost seemed as thought it would tear the heart out of a man or woman, rising and rising and rising to God in ceaseless streams. It was wonderful. Perhaps after two and a half, three hours I would say, ‘Well, perhaps we ought to have a little break now’. We would get up off our knees, do the things that needed to be done after kneeling for two to three hours, and then down again we would go. As a preacher, I was produced from that. I did not learn it: it came from that - like the man in John 9 I can say, ‘this thing I KNOW’.

DEDICATION

Some years after these things, I was taken by Gods grace to a place called the Longcroft, where again we saw similar things. I’ve seen young men carried out of the meetings in the Longcroft, they were under the power of the Spirit of God and were overcome. They had been making Christian professions before that. It was the same in Liverpool, the same sort of things were reproduced there. And you must have the same thing in your church. I guess that God will not really count it to be dedicated until it happens. You must have an out-pouring of the Spirit. Every church must have its own local outpouring of the Spirit of God; there is no substitute for it and there is no paper-made way in which you can have it - it has got to happen though.

Dedication. To what are you dedicated? It is of no use dedicating a place to the Lord unless the persons who are dedicating it are themselves dedicated. Dedication of a place is of far less importance than dedication of a person, that is the important thing. The instabilities of the human nature are such that until that nature and being be suffused with the power and Spirit and glory of God, they are utterly unable to sustain their own desires - any man or woman, whatever their intentions and promises, will find that waywardness of their own hearts overcomes the sincerity of their minds, and their first promises peter out and die away like water poured upon sand is swallowed up.

‘Lovest thou me?’ He enquired of Peter. He did not say ‘I’m going to pour out My Spirit’. He had not really told them about that day. He had informed the disciples about His intentions, but He did not deal with Peter about that. All He asked was this: ‘Do you love Me more than these?’. The outpouring of the Spirit was a fixed event in God, He never consulted Peter about that.
He must have his love. Dedication depends and turns upon love. If you love the Lord, somehow He will hold you there until it - whatever ‘it’ is - happens. It will be by the grip of God on your life. It will not be by just a touch in passing.

‘Peter, I just recently died for you. Peter, I took your punishment’. I don’t know all that Jesus said to him, it was a private meeting with him in the beginning - then a group meeting with the apostles; and again, another public one that the early morning by the shores of the sea. ‘Peter, do you love me? Do you love me? Keep my commandments’. Those men went from there (possibly to the room where it eventually happened) to the great outpouring.

How strong and how true is your dedication? God’s determination and man’s dedication go hand in hand. ‘This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching out unto that thing which lies before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus’. That is the mark of dedication. The dedicated heart is always pressing on, determined to reach the distant mark. Well, whatever was he after?

GO FOR IT!

‘I want to lay hold of that for which God has laid hold of me’. Have you ever let God lay hold of you? If you do not, you will not lay hold of anything worthwhile. God is not purposeless in anything he does, in calling you He has a purpose. If He brought you together in your church and there are aspirations in your heart, let Him now lay hold of you together. Do this one thing - lay hold of that for which God has laid hold of you and let everything else go to the winds.
If you will do that I think that permission is granted of me of God to make this promise to you: He will fulfill that for which He has laid hold of you. He will do it and if in your hearts there has been a lighted a fire, go after it! Let it burn and give yourself up to it, let it consume you. Aim first at being consumed by the fire in your heart instead of killing it by drenching cold water on your mind. God for it. Let it burn in you until (if I may say so) God has to do it.

‘You can’t talk like that!’

Well, only in this sense: that He HAS to fulfill His own designs. If He instigates it, if He lays hold of you with purpose and you come into line with that purpose, there is a sense in which He just has to do it. He WANTS to do it and He WILL do it. Do you believe that?

Do not be satisfied because you might have had what you call an Evangelical or a Pentecostal or a Charismatic experience, as though God intended man to rest in that as the acme of everything. I see, I believe, that in this New Testament of ours, the norm is that God should be moving by his Spirit in localities, bringing others in.

I believe that one of the fundamental reasons for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is the salvation of souls. And if you are not getting souls saved there is something wrong. There are people who say ‘Ah, well, we are not at that phase yet, we are in the establishing or building up phase at the moment’. I hear the nice little phrases ‘ God has shut me up to do this, we can’t do that’ and the like. Read the Book and see the great heart of God. It’s above all this ‘phraseology’.
Dedicate yourselves. Be intense, it takes utter concentration, and total self-giving. This is the proven way. I have not proved other.

GWN

The Place of God's Rest
Robert Wurtz II

Heaven [is] my throne, and earth [is] my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what [is] the place of my rest? (Acts 7:49)

If I were to ask why Christ came and died on the cross what would you answer? The typical response would be that He died to save us from our sins; the implication being, to save us from eternal damnation (Hell). This is true as far as it goes, but it is not the complete truth. Jesus Christ came that we might have eternal life; but what is eternal life? Is it merely to be saved from the wrath of God? Is it a promise of blessings in this life and the next? Is it streets of gold and mansions bright? Jesus answers the question in John 17, As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. We find here Christ's definition of eternal life and it stands in contrast to eternal death. We know that the second death is eternal death. Eternal death is to be eternally separated from knowing God in peace and being united with the wrath of God. Eternal life is to know the only true God and Jesus Christ. This is knowledge in the sense that we find in John 10:14ff- but for all eternity.

Reconciled to God

God has always desired to restore the fellowship He had with Adam and Eve in the Garden before they fell into Sin. God is holy and cannot remain in the presence of sin without bringing judgment. When God began to draw near to man he had to deal with the terrible defilement that sinning caused. For this He made a covenant that we know as the 'Old Covenant'. It was designed for the old man; that is, for man as he is 'in' Adam. Later God would give the New Covenant tailored for those that are 'in Christ', the One New Man; that is, the last Adam. (I Corinthians 15:45) God knew men would break these covenants so He set up a means by which the wrongs could be righted. This we know as a sacrificial system. Sins, individual transgressions of the covenant, have to be dealt with before God can draw near and remain near on an ongoing basis.

God in a Building?

Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word (Isaiah 66:1, 2).

Although God appeared to man at different times and places, even moving among them in the Wilderness Tabernacle and Temple, He ultimately intended to make His dwelling place 'in' men. Not a building or a structure or a 'spot' on a map, but to this 'man' or to this 'one' will I look. God was looking to live in men and women. The first man God dwelled in in this sense was Jesus Christ. He was the Temple of the Living God when He walked the earth. (John 2:19) Yet He is quoted as making a stunning statement in Mark15:48; I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands. Another temple made without hands? First, He was referring to Herod's Temple (with hands) and the Temple of the Body of Christ (without hands). Whether or not these religious leaders misquoted Jesus is beside the point, because the theology of what they said was spot on. Jesus Christ intended to pitch a Temple that was not the works of mens hands, but was and is the working of the Holy Spirit. (Hebrews 8:1ff) Post Pentecost God began once again to walk with man in sweet fellowship and communion- only this time the Garden of Eden was in the Temple of men and womens bodies. He desired to be worshipped in Spirit and in Truth and made that desire possible once He ascended into Heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to baptize those that truly believe into His One Body.

For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether [we be] Jews or Gentiles, whether [we be] bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. (I Corinthians 12:12)

So we, [being] many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. (Romans 12:5)

God's Path to the One Body of Christ

God always desired a place of rest. But since the Garden of Eden man has not been kind to welcome God or present himself as a holy dwelling place for Him. From Genesis 3 to Genesis 6 man was on the fast track to absolute destruction. The people did not like to retain God in their knowledge (Romans 1:28). They did not seek after God- in fact they fled from Him and resisted Him on every hand. In Genesis 6:3 God said that His Spirit would not always strive with man, but that his days would be 120 years. Some men began to call on the name of the Lord, but by the days of Noah there were only 8 people that would heed the call of God to repentance. The world was destroyed by water and Noah’s family then began to swiftly replenish the earth. But over time man drifted almost completely away from God again until there were only tiny pockets of people that feared the Lord.

This is a tragic fact, yet the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him (II Chronicles 16:9). God found such a man in Abram and called him out of Ur of the Chaldees into the land that He swore unto him.

God Returning Among Men

God appeared to Abraham and started a process by which He would slowly bring man back into fellowship with Him on a large scale. God had to deal with man’s sin problem on the one hand and a rebellious nature on the other. Men typically seek a ‘personal peace’ and want to be left alone to do their own will unthwarted. But from time to time throughout the Old Testament God would find a person whose heart is perfect towards Him and would seek to reveal Himself.

Abraham was such a man. Abraham built altars and became a praying man. He sought the face of God in the mountain and from place to place. It was his desire to please God and do what was right. Abraham's nephew Lot, on the other hand, pitched his tent towards Sodom and filled his heart and mind with the vexing torments of other people’s sins. God could never be at rest in such a person’s life. So Lot never knew the closeness of fellowship with God that Abraham knew. He wanted a little bit of compromise in his life and God could not walk with him as a friend as He did with Abraham.

Lot could have chosen the path Abraham took. He could have shared in his altar experiences. But Lot wanted just enough Egypt to safely keep God on retainer, but never to have a close relationship with Him as did Abraham. Lawyers in our times are prepaid to be on retainer so they will come running when they are needed. This is how many people treat God. Lot was no different. He wanted to keep God at a safe distance so he could live in compromise.

Over time Abraham would have a promised son named Isaac and Isaac would have Jacob (Israel). Lot's life ended in disaster beyond words. The consequence of his compromise would be felt for generations. Each of these men had to come to their own personal decision to serve God. The God of their father’s had to become their God.

These Are Our Examples...

Jacob (Israel) had 12 sons that became the 12 Tribes of Israel. Most of these sons bore many children and did not walk in the way of their father Jacob, but Joseph feared the LORD and God showed Himself strong through him. The 12 Tribes of Israel were slaves in Egypt 400 years and multiplied into the hundreds of thousands. They remembered the God of their fathers and cried out to Him. God raised up a deliverer in Moses. With a mighty outstretched arm God delivered all of the children of Israel from Pharaoh and Egypt. At first they seemed to be happy to go, but soon they began to grumble and complain.

God cannot rest in an environment of unthankfulness and He will bring swift judgment. If He stays he has to judge the sin. If He does not deal with the sin then His unique presence has to leave. God drew very near to Israel when Moses went up on the mountain. He came down and his face was glowing with the radiance of God's glory. This was their opportunity. Did the people line up to see Moses' face? Did they long to look upon him with awe and wonder savoring every glimpse of God's majesty? Did they ask Moses' what it was like to be with God or perhaps they could get permission from God to come up? No on all counts. In fact, they tried to cover his face to shield themselves from any remembrance of God. The would accept the book, but they did not want God near.

When Moses came to the Mountain and God was seeking to draw near to his people once again- the people found out that they did not really want their God.

THE LOVE WE HAD AT FIRST
Robert Wurtz II

Two Essential Realities

When we reduce true Christianity to it's most basic truths there are just two requirements: that we love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength and our neighbor as ourselves. (Mark 12:30) Upon these two commandments rest all of the word of God (Matthew 22:37). Unless these commandments are realities in our Christian life, no matter how much we give to God or do for God, it is all in vain (I Corinthians 13:1ff). I John 4:16 reads, And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. This love that we have known and believed should have a profound effect on us. 1 John 4:19 tells us that we love God because He first loved us. God's love for us is the direct cause of our love for Him. This truth is consistent throughout the Bible. Verse 11 states, Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. When we deeply consider the genuine sacrificial love that God poured upon us while we were yet sinners, the natural outworking of that love is to love God and love one another (I John 4:19ff). This is as plain as anything.

To Whom Much is Forgiven…

There was a time in our Lord's ministry that a woman came and washed his feet with her tears and wiped them off with the very hairs of her head. The woman did not cease from kissing His feet. The Pharisee who resented this display showed no such affection for Jesus. Jesus answered this Pharisee, Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. (Luke 7:47) The Pharisee telegraphed an inordinate appreciation for Christ's love and compassion. He could not relate to this dear woman. He obviously never took the time to appreciate God's forgiveness in his own life. Sadly, his pride and arrogance stripped the man of any real and meaningful love for God. He should have known that one sin is enough to damn his everlasting soul to a devils Hell, and that he ought to be recklessly thankful. Apparently he perceived his sin as little, but the woman knew her sin was great and in this example we learn a great lesson about the human condition. When we cease to appreciate the love that God showed us we neither “kiss the Lord’s feet” with our love, nor do we welcome others to do likewise. This man showed almost no love for Christ or his neighbor. Could it have began when he would not recognize his own great need for forgiveness? Did he stop to consider his own sins?What can we say but that he conveniently cast his thankfulness as far as the east was from the west where God cast his sins? God save us from the attitude, "Lord forgive me and get over it!" How can a person truly love when they never consider the penalty for their sins in light of God's mercy? God was under no obligation to reconcile Himself to man. God deliver us from a destructive attitude of expectation of grace and mercy as if somehow God 'owed' man mercy. How destructive would such a mindset be? Where was this man's love for Christ? If there is no love for Christ we have no choice but to assume that the man never appreciated God's mercy towards him. We love God because He first loved us.

The Church at Ephesus

The church at Ephesus had the greatest teaching available of the churches in the New Testament, especially on the subject of love. We know by tradition that both Paul the Apostle and John the Revelator worked diligently with this church. Paul in the book of Ephesians tells us that we should be holy and without blame for Him in love (1:4) and commends the church for their love for the saints (1:15). In 2:4 he reminds the people of the great love wherewith God loved us to quicken us with Christ while we were dead in sins. In 3:17 Paul tells us that we should be rooted and grounded in love and verse 19 we read these words… And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. In 4:2 we are admonished to “bear with” one another in love and to speak the truth in love (v15) until the body is built and edified in love (v16). Perhaps 5:1,2 are the most telling… Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. Three times Paul tells the husbands to love their wives as themselves, even as Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it (5:25, 28, 33).

Two Final Pleas to Love

Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit made two final pleas of love when he closed his writing… Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen (Ephesians 6:23,24). It can be noted that I Corinthians was written by Paul from Ephesus which contains the great love chapter- I Corinthians 13:1ff (I Corinthians 16:8). As we mentioned, John the Revalator spent much time at Ephesus and is believed to have written the Gospel of John from there. Imagine that from Ephesus he may have penned the words “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son….” Ephesus was inundated with the teaching of love, both in word and in example.

Burning For Another

John the Revelator writing from the isle of Patmos saw visions of the great and mighty majesty of Christ. As one of the first orders of business Christ gives a report on the condition of the seven churches of Asia. He begins with Ephesus. The Living Bible captures the essense of what is happening… here Jesus says: “I know how many good things you are doing. I have watched your hard work and your patience; I know you don't tolerate sin among your members, and you have carefully examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but aren't. You have found out how they lie. You have patiently suffered for me without quitting. "Yet there is one thing wrong; you don't love me as at first! Think about those times of your first love (how different now!) and turn back to me again and work as you did before; or else I will come and remove your candlestick from its place among the churches.” (TLB)

What horror John must have felt! They seemed to be doing everything right, but their motivation was all wrong. They had become a sounding brass and a tinkling symbol; and all these other works profited them nothing. Their hearts had grown cold towards God. They hated sin, but did not balance it with their love for Christ. They had abandoned their love for Christ that should have been chief and foremost (GK. protos). If there is no real love for Christ we need not look for a love for the saints and vice versa (I John 3, 4). After all that teaching on love and all that example of what love was, they forsook the great love that they once had for Christ. This seems almost unconscionable, but it happened. They naturally in an atmosphere such as this would have hated sin without having the heart of God for lost souls. When love is gone as the motivation men and women are moved by anger, contention, strife, fear, envy, resentment, jealousy, guilt or vain glory, but not by love to do Christ’s work (See Philippians 1:16). The Church of the living God is to be built up in love. In an atmosphere of lovelessness they would have condemned the guilty without considering their own sins (Galatians 6:1). The could not rightly represent Christ unless the love of God was being shed abroad in their hearts by the Holy Spirit. (Romans 5:5)

Retracing Our Footsteps

The church at Ephesus, like so many Christians, once had a great love for Christ-but lost it little by little. The physics law of the conservation of matter guarantees that the love did not 'dissappear', it was redistributed somewhere else. This is a travesty in the body of Christ. The blood bought Saints of the living God begin to take the love that once belonged only to God and gave it to someone or something else. This is the true definition of harlotry; to take the love that belongs to the one and give it to another. As our Creator He deserves all of our lives- how much more as our redeemer? These in Ephesus were bought with a price, but they took themselves back from God little by little. They offered their body as a living sacrifice to God in the beginning- as they fully considered all that Christ had done; it was the only thing 'logical' to do. (Romans 12:1) But something happened. They no longer burned for God as they once did. They are now burning for something else. Christ warned them. Why not take the lamp stand? If we don't burn for Christ what do we need a lamp stand for?

The Horns and Their Abusers
by Robert Wurtz II

(An Examination of How False Teachers Have Abused God's Word)

Then tidings came to Joab: for Joab had turned after Adonijah, though he turned not after Absalom. And Joab fled unto the tabernacle of the LORD, and caught hold on the horns of the altar. And it was told king Solomon that Joab was fled unto the tabernacle of the LORD; and, behold, he is by the altar. Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, Go, fall upon him. (I Kings 2:28-29)

Joab had conspired against Solomon to bring Adonijah into power. Fearing for his life he knew not what to do save one last ditch effort to save his own skin. He ran to the tabernacle and took hold of the horns of the altar. This was a practice established under the law as a means of offering a temporary asylum to those that had killed someone, until it could be rightly determined whether the act was accidental, justified, or murder. If it was accidental the offender was instructed to flee to a city of refuge where the avenger of blood could not pursue them. (Numbers 35:10-34) Yet, if a person presumed to go into the tabernacle to take hold of these horns so as to avoid just punishment, they were to be taken away- even from the altar. (Deuteronomy 19:4-14 Exodus 21:14) This precept prevented the former precept from being abused. Joab clearly abused the practice of 'taking hold of the horns of the altar', so Solomon commanded that he be struck down- even before the altar.

God's Arm Not Twisted

The story of Joab is full of meaning. It is exemplary. It is an account of a man that was in rebellion against the throne of Israel and yet fleeing for refuge while yet retaining that rebellion. There was a right use of the practice of taking hold of the horns and there was a wrong use. Abuse must never be the cause of non-use; we must endeavor to search out God's intention in creating a precept so as to prevent abuses. God's arm is not twisted by His own word. Joab was to be dealt with and God's word must not be made the stumbling block towards those dealings. Joab's misuse of the precept was no different than satan's mishandling of the word of God in the wilderness with Jesus. The word rightly divided countered Joab's abuse of it.

The Abused 'Horns' of Psalm 105:15 and I Chronicles 16:22

God set in order a precept in the Old Testament as a warning against those that would come against the ones that He had ordained to His service. (Psalm 105:15) The anointed may have been kings or priests. (Exodus 29:6-7 Exodus 40:9-15 I Samuel 15:1) Kings, priests and prophets were not to be 'touched' or 'harmed' physically. They were the Lord's private possession set apart for His purposes. For example, king David understood this and would not engage king Saul in confrontation even though Saul had fallen away from God and was trying to kill him. David did not, 'stretch out his hand to harm Saul' even though he had opportunity (I Samuel 26:11). This is the level of respect that was afforded the Lord's anointed.

Yet, it is superfluous to mention that those that are truly in Christ are 'anointed'. There is no Old Testament type distinction between kings and priests, and the common people in the New Testament. (I Peter 2:9, Revelation 1:9) This makes for an entirely different context for understanding Psalm 105:15 and I Chronicles 16:15-22.

It is the false distinction between clergy and laity that empowers this error. Error always begets more error. Why? Because the premise is wrong. There are no hierarchies in the New Testament as if God's people were under some Gentile power structure. I have written extensively about this in a previous entry and will not address it again here except to say that Gentiles have power structures, but Jesus commanded that it shall NOT be so among His churches. (Matthew 20:26) God has given authority in His churches, but that authority is to the end that the churches would be protected and edified and not so as to make men Lord's over God's heritage. Fostering a notion that laity is beneath clergy facilitates deception. Soon 'leaders' become untouchable.

Withstood to the Face

You will recall that Paul the Apostle stated that he was 'the least of the Apostles.' And yet in Galatians Paul withstood Peter to the face for his error. Samuel had likewise withstood Saul. These are but a few examples of what 'touch not' does NOT mean. 'Touch not' did not mean they could not be confronted for their serious errors. It also did not mean none could expose their error. On the contrary we are commanded to Titus 3:10-11 to reject a heretick αἱρετικὸν (one who divides a congregation with false teaching) after the second warning. Jesus commends the church at Ephesus for condemning false apostles as liars. (Revelation 2:2) There can be little doubt that these men professed themselves to be 'anointed'- not just 'anointed' but apostles! Who would dare withstand these false teachers and liars? Ephesus did and Jesus commended- notice not condemned- He commended them. On the contrary He strongly rebuked Thyatira for allowing a Jezebel to teach the people. (Revelation 2:17-22)

The Horn of Matthew 7:1

It is important to understand that there is a sense in which we must exercise judgment in life. (Philippians 1:10) We do it almost continually even without realizing it. None of us could live 24 hours without exercising judgment of some kind. It is true that we are not given the authority to judge people in the sense that we can condemn them, nor would most want such authority. Yet we are told that we will know people by their fruits. (Matthew 7:16) To make the distinction requires the use of right judgment. (John 7:24) We are also commanded to be watchful and to guard the people of God against destructive influences. (Ezekiel 22:26, Acts 20:28) The key to making right judgments is found in John 5:30;

I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

Jesus Christ is our example in all things. His judgment was accurate because He was not moving in His own will; He was moving in the Father's will. He was not self-serving. This is essential to having right judgment.

Tolerate Deceivers?

Post-modernism has virtually criminalized standing for truth. Everyone's opinion is equal, so they say. Yet they don't mind being judgmental calling Christians judgmental. And yet this attitude has crept into the churches. How? In many cases it's because of the institutions of higher learning that pressure Christians to compromise or entice them to elevate themselves to a postmodern mindset. Understand that political correctness began in the institutions of learning. Tolerance is now somehow exalted over truth, logic and common sense. There seems to be an enticement to rather appeal to the intellectual elite than to please God. Some are conforming to this world rather than being transformed by the renewing of their minds. These concepts unlock the wheels of perdition so that lies and deceit can roll through society wrecking and ruining unthwarted! The enemy would have it no other way. And what better than to stroke the pride and ego of a postmodernist as they feel the elation of being 'tolerant'- as if tolerance is a virtue.

Christians Provide Cover Fire for Deceivers?

Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah went up and slapped Micaiah in the face. "Which way did the spirit from the LORD go when he went from me to speak to you?" he asked. (I Kings 22:9-25)

False prophets and teachers have taken hold of the horns of Psalm 105:15 and Matthew 7:1 in our times as modern day Joab's seeking refuge in defiance of God Almighty. As if that were a light thing they have taken to smiting the Miciah's of our times also that declare the truth of what God is truly saying. They have made for themselves horns, as it were, to impress the unsuspecting with their golden ear tickling tongues. They hide behind Psalm 105:15 and Matthew 7:1 as they smite the men of God in the mouth (as it were).

In a diabolic twist of events these un-anointed deceitful workers that were before of old and ordained to this condemnation stretch forth their hands against the Lord's anointed even Jesus Christ to lay hold of the inheritance for which He was slain- all the while receiving cover fire from believers declaring, 'touch not the Lord's anointed!' Had these men and women belonged to God they had not made their beds with the devil; had they that commit adultery with them had fallen upon them with the sword of God's word and rebuked them for their lying they had not been in jeopardy of the bed of affliction that surely awaits these vain talkers and deceivers. (Revelation 2:22)

Wisdom Fell Upon Deception

Only Satan could make acquiescing to lies and deceit appear nobel and biblical. He has provided the proof texts for the green light many in the churches are giving these deceivers. Prosperity peddlers, false prophets, motivational speakers masquerading as ministers, and a host of other compromises and lies today are holding the horns of the altar as did Joab whilst pushing around the voices of Truth as did Zedekiah. Yet Solomon stated, “He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just, both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD.” (Proverbs 17:15) It is an abomination to allow lies and deceit to go on in order that the so-called 'anointed' would not be touched. Many are handing the wolf the keys to the chicken house thinking they are doing God a service. Yet God has shown us clearly in His word that one cannot abuse His precepts and expect to yield their benefit. Men might milk the system in our times to loop hole all sorts of schemes unpunished; but in the economy of God deceivers are 'fell upon with Truth' lest God be mocked and His people be destroyed.

I AM COME TO SEND FIRE

I AM COME TO SEND FIRE
Robert Wurtz II

(Luke 10:2) Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.

(Luke 12:49) I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?

God’s answer to man’s problems upon the earth is FIRE (G.W. North). If we add our passages together we find that the Lord wants to send Fire- but there are few persons that are truly on Fire to send. If Jesus Christ only sends Fire we must wonder can He safely send us? Perhaps this is why so few are sent? He only sends Fire. (G.W. North) Some send themselves, but Christ came to send Fire. The 120 in the upper room were not sent until Jesus Christ could send Fire. When the people were baptized in the Holy Ghost and FIRE- they went out, and they turned the world upside down.

The Fire of God works every time. Men and women are born and called in the Fire of God. If few are being born again and few are being called we ought to ask, “Where is the Fire?” When we pray for laborers we are really asking God to send FIRE, because this is the environment in which leaders and believers are born. What good is anyone to God without His Fire? What good is any church to God if there be no Fire (candlestick)? The only hope for this world is FIRE.

I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire. (Matthew 3:11)

This is a baptism of Fire. This is an overwhelming awareness of GOD and His manifest presence. There is no substitute for water and there is no substitute for fire; first the natural and then the spiritual; the same holds true in the churches of God. The churches do not need another strategy- they need the Fire of God. They don’t need more books and programs on church growth- they need the FIRE of God manifest. No doubt, FIRE has a 100% success rate. FIRE works every time to accomplish God’s purposes. Jesus came to send Fire.

Many are trying to operate without Fire and have concocted all manor of replacements. Their candlestick has been removed and they have no Fire. No fire = no light. No light = no ministry. Simple math, hard to swallow. The Fireless must know that theirs is the working of men- for man’s glory and not God’s working for God’s glory. Why? Jesus came to send Fire! God builds His Church with FIRE. Many churches today are trying to exist without the candlestick. They are going bankrupt trying to spend their way into success. There is no conviction brought about by fiery Holy Ghost preaching. In our times the whole definition of salvation has been changed. But God still calls speaks from the FIRE- just like He did Moses. If I might turn a phrase of L. Ravenhill; The FIRE has not been weighed in the balance and found wanting- it has been observed, found difficult and rejected.

Lights in This World

The Fire is the manifest presence of God working in us to make us lights in this world. In the 1st century the only light that existed was produced by fire. The sun by day was a ball of fire lighting the world. Stars are balls of fire lighting the night sky. Candles and lamps of various sorts were used for thousands of years before the light bulb was invented. The only light on earth was the light caused by fire. Christ was the Light of the world when He walked the earth. In that Light the sinners sinfulness was manifest to them. When Christ told His disciples; YE are the light of the world, a city that is set on a hill that cannot be hid (Matt. 5:14) He may as well had said; ye are the lamps and candles of this world. These were the sources of light in the cities.

But what good is a lamp without fire? What good is a candle without a flame? No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light. (Luke 11:33) This is a perfect picture of salvation, calling and ministry. God does the lighting and God does the ‘putting’. We cannot light ourselves and we cannot place ourselves. We become lights when the Fire of God consumes our lives. This is not a one night or one week ordeal. When a person is lighted of God- the Fire will remain. It will need to be tended as did the sacred Fire by the priests in the Temple- but it is not some fleeting thing that pretends to be true Fire. God called Moses from the Fire and then led Israel by the Fire. The Mountain was as if it were on fire when Moses went up unto God. When He came down from the Fire of God- the residue of God’s glory was on His face. But we are called to be more than just a people that have the afterglow of God’s presence; we are called to be LIGHTS that are burning for God.

The Altar of Fire

Solomon understood something about the Fire (G.W. North). When he was ready to dedicate the Temple he took a page out of Abraham’s life- where he offered what was dearest to his heart unto God; his son Isaac. This great man of God Abraham, probably the greatest man in the Old Testament save John Baptist, built many altars- but none were more important than this one. Abraham had so offered his son Isaac to God that he was as good as dead in his own heart. Hebrews 11 tells us that he received him as if from the dead. God often asks from us what is dear to our hearts. The rich young ruler was asked for what was dear to his heart and he turned away from Christ. Another young ruler names Saul- later known as Paul laid it all on the altar and look what God did with his life? The FIRE fell and remained in him.

We are to look to the Old Testament for instruction according to I Corinthians 10:11ff. We have the great example of Solomon who placed an offering on the same site as Abraham. He gave an extreme offering to God because he understood a principal; when the altar is full the FIRE will fall. We learn by example at the dedication of the Temple.

When the Ark was being brought in, God was returning to His house (palace as it were). The people were singing and praising God and the glory came in as much that the priests were not able to stand and minister. This is what the glory of God on a place does; it prostrates people. Solomon also knew that if the Fire of God were going to come that the altar had to be filled. No Fire = no ministry and service to God. He built a scaffold of bronze to overlook this massive altar filled with the multiplied offerings of the people. (II Chronicles 6:1ff)

Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the house. And the priests could not enter into the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD'S house. (II Chronicles 7:1ff)

First the altar was built and then fully filled. Solomon offered it all to God in prayer. The Fire of God fell and consumed the sacrifice and the glory of God came again. When the glory came the priests were not able to enter. And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. (II Chronicles 7:3) When the altar is finally filled God will send the Fire. When we finally have a revelation of Romans 12:1 and willingly lay ourselves utterly on the altar God will come in an awesome way. We can't hold back part of the price and expect God to believe us. The key to evangelism is Romans 12:1. When God's people so utterly lay down their lives unto God that the altar is full in God's eyes- the Fire will fall and ministry will be realized. Until then, it's all merely a flesh driven sham.

Abraham My Friend (Righteous Lot?) By Ron Bailey

Abraham My Friend

Righteous Lot?
Ron Bailey www.biblebase.com

Today we will meditate on the walk of Abraham by contrasting him with his nephew. In writing the above title I was reminded of the story of a funeral. The deceased was a notorious character but the eulogies were flowing tributes to the sterling qualities of the dead man. “Go and take a quick look in that coffin” said the widow to her youngest son “we may be at the wrong funeral”. I hope you won’t think this too frivolous but it is my usual initial reaction on reading Peter’s little eulogy to Lot; and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter; and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds), (2Pe 2:6-8 NASB) So far in our meditations Lot has not enjoyed a very good ‘press’, and there is worse to come. And yet we have the divinely inspired comment that Lot was a righteous man. How can these things be?

Lot, as we recall, was the nephew of Abraham but also his contemporary being the son of Haran. Many of the earliest Rabbinical and Christian commentators equated Sarah with Iscah of Ge 11:29 who is described as the daughter of Haran. This would mean that Haran was considerably older than Abraham as we know that Abraham was only 10 years older than Sarah [Iscah]. Sarah is described as Terah's daughter in Ge 20:12, but this could as easily mean grand-daughter in the usage of the day. This would make Sarah and Lot brother and sister. So Abraham may have been doubly bonded to Lot who was both nephew and brother-in-law. Bible relationships are not quite so precise as our English translations might suggest. Our unit is the Nuclear Family theirs was the Extended Family.

Lot seems to have been ‘easily led’. He was taken to the city of Haran initially by Terah And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his son's son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there. (Gen 11:31 ASV) Later he accompanied Abraham as they left the city of Haran; So Abram went, as Jehovah had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. (Gen 12:4 ASV) Notice the way this is expressed; it is pregnant with significance. The LORD had not spoken to Lot, but had spoken to Abraham; Lot was easily led. The danger in following another’s ‘word from God’ is that when the trials come the ‘follower’ has no internal conviction to sustain him. He is plagued with ‘what ifs’. What if I hadn’t gone… What if I just do this instead… I have sometimes wondered whether this was part of the difficulty with John Mark’s early steps; So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia and from there they sailed to Cyprus. When they reached Salamis, they began to proclaim the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews; and they also had John as their helper. (Act 13:4-5 NASB) Barnabas and Paul were expressly ‘despatched by the Holy Spirit’ but no such statement is made of John Mark’s inclusion on the trip.

As Abraham’s story unfolds so does Lot’s; And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south. (Gen 13:1 KJV) It is not wrong to honour God’s servants and to learn from their lives but we must come to a place where it is no longer ‘and Lot’. The man had become a ‘p.s.’ to Abraham’s life. The writer to the Hebrews makes an important and distinct comment when speaking of our exemplars; Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Heb 13:7-8 NASB) It is not their route that we are to ‘follow’ but their faith.

Lot followed Abraham down into Egypt in what we described as a low point in Abraham’s pilgrimage, and followed him out again. It may have appeared that Abraham and Lot ‘got away’ with this diversion from the main route, but there were after-effects. It seems most likely that Abraham’s after-effect was a little Egyptian made for Sarah; her name was Hagar. The after-effects for Lot show through in another area. God blessed both men and their herds increased to such an extent that their servants began to quarrel over pasture land. Abraham’s generous instinct is to allow Lot to choose which pasture suited him best. The narrative is chilling. And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. (Gen 13:10 KJV) The feature that attracted Lot to this Jordan plain with its cities of Sodom and Gomorrah was that it was like Egypt. It is easier to get a man out of Egypt than to get Egypt out of a man. Something had entered in Lot’s chamber of images; what he had set his heart on was a little bit of Egypt. And this is the essence of all compromise, just a little bit of Egypt.

The slide is on. Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the Plain, and moved his tent as far as Sodom. (Gen 13:12 ASV) During the later wilderness years Israel dwelled in tents. Each tent door faced towards God’s tent, the Tabernacle. The first thing they saw when they opened up in the morning was the Tabernacle with its pillar of cloud; For the cloud of the LORD was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys. (Exo 40:38 KJV) When Lot opened up his tent each morning the first thing he saw was Sodom. What does your tent open out onto? What is the first thing… the TV, the radio alarm, the newspaper, the world with all its busyness or a consciousness of the Presence of God? It is impossible to start the day looking at Sodom without being affected by it. Sara Groves has a song with the lines…
In the morning when I rise • Help me to prioritize • All the thoughts that fill my day • Before my schedule • Tells me that my day is full • Before I'm off and on my way • • I want to praise you • I need to praise you • Let the first song that I sing • Be praises to my God and king • • Before the curtains part • Before my day is starting • Before I make up the bed • Before the snooze alarm • Reminds me that it's morning • Before the dreams have left my head • • I want to praise you • I need to praise you • Let the first song that I sing • Be praises to my God and king… That’s a 21st century version of ‘facing your tent towards the Tabernacle’.

By the time we get to Genesis 19 Lot is ‘sitting in the gate of Sodom’. [Gen 19:1] In Eastern cities the ‘city gate’ is the market, the seat of justice, of social intercourse and amusement, especially a favourite lounge in the evenings, the arched roof affording a pleasant shade. Lot is no stranger here; he is ‘at home’ in Sodom. And yet Peter describes him as ‘righteous Lot’ and says And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) (2Pe 2:7-8 KJV) The KJV uses the word ‘vex’ twice but there are different Greek words behind the English ones. The first word means ‘to wear something down’ and the second means ‘tormented’. Lot was ‘worn down’ with the way of life of the people of Sodom and tormented by their behaviour. The next question is an obvious one; why stay? Because this is the nature of compromise… just a little bit of Egypt. There is nothing so permanent as a short term compromise. I went by the field of a slacker and by the vineyard of a man lacking sense. Thistles had come up everywhere, weeds covered the ground, and the stone wall was ruined. I saw, and took it to heart; I looked, and received instruction: a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the arms to rest, and your poverty will come like a robber, your need, like a bandit. (Pro 24:30-34 HCSB) Oh that we might ‘see’ and ‘take it to heart’.

When the judgements were about to descend on Sodom we hear the prayer of the compromiser again; And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the Plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed. And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my lord: behold now, thy servant hath found favor in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy lovingkindness, which thou hast showed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest evil overtake me, and I die: behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one. Oh let me escape thither (is it not a little one?), and my soul shall live. (Gen 19:17-20 ASV)

His compromise ultimately dragged him into incest and the fathering of two of Israel’s abiding enemies; the Moabites and the Ammonites. (Gen 19:30ff) But was he ‘saved’ asks the evangelical? Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. (2Ti 2:19 KJV) He was ‘righteous’ says Peter. I don’t know whether or not his ‘soul’ was saved, but I do know that his ‘life’ was wasted. I see that even when judgement came God demonstrated His integrity. Abraham had asked That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? (Gen 18:25 KJV) But He did so not by sparing the unrighteous but by delivering the righteous. The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: (2Pe 2:9 KJV) Shall we see Lot one day? The Lord ‘knoweth’ but If we do, he will not be the only prodigal in that great throng.