Dr. George W. Peters said,
"God, the church, and the world are looking for men with
burning hearts—hearts filled with love of God; filled
with passion for the glory of God, the gospel of Jesus
Christ, and the salvation of the lost."
He adds,
"God's answer to a world of indifference, materialism
coldness, and mockery is burning Christian hearts in
pulpits, in pews, in Sunday Schools, in Bible Institutes,
and in Christian colleges and seminaries."
If you as a leader lack a burning heart, few of your people will be known for their burning hearts, and they will make little impact on the world about them.
Our communities are little impressed by our programs and manifold activities. It takes more than a busy church, a friendly church, or even an evangelical church to impact a community for Christ.
It must be a church ablaze, led by leaders who are ablaze for God. John Wesley, evangel of the burning heart, was reportedly asked by a fellow minister how to gain an audience. He replied, "If the preacher will burn, others will come to see the fire."
A passionless Christianity will not put out the fires of hell. The best way to fight a raging forest fire is with fire. A passionless leader will never set the people ablaze. A passionless youth leader will never set the youth ablaze for Christ.
Until we are ablaze we cannot speak to the hearts of our people. Bishop Ralph Spaulding Cushman prayed:
Set us afire, Lord, stir us, we pray!
While the world perishes, we go our way
Purposeless, passionless day after day!
Set us afire, Lord, stir us, we pray!
There is no greater need in our churches and schools today. It is not enough to be evangelical in faith and heart; we must be utterly possessed by Christ, utterly impassioned by His love and grace, utterly ablaze with His power and glory.
It is not to be earned, worked up, or simulated. Only God can baptize with fire. Only God can send Shekinah. Only God can meet your need and mine. We have labored too long without it. We have come far short of God's glory without it. We have left our people too largely unmoved without it.
We cannot light this fire. In ourselves we cannot produce it. But we can humble ourselves before Gd in total integrity and honesty, confessing our need. We can seek God's face until His holy searchlight shows us what in our hearts and lives prevent our infilling and empowering.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Used by permission of the author and Duewel Literature Trust, Inc., Greenwood, Indiana. Creative reading style by Jean.
Ablaze for God
#6 Wanted: A Burning Heart!
by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
(pp. 27-31) ZondervanPublishingHouse
Prayer-
Father, we've been challenged today to realize that our leaders need us to pray for them to be on fire for Jesus, that they may love You and the people who look to them for spiritual guidance.
Please help us support them in their battles against the indifference, materialism, coldness and mockery that they must deal with daily.
Our churches may very well have great programs and many activities, and be known as busy, friendly and evangelical, but without Your baptism of fire, they won't impact our communities to be drawn to hear of Christ's salvation.
Set us afire, Lord, stir us, we pray! We cannot do this on our own, so will look to Your Holy Spirit to set us afire for Christ's sake.
I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.
Please help us support them in their battles against the indifference, materialism, coldness and mockery that they must deal with daily.
Our churches may very well have great programs and many activities, and be known as busy, friendly and evangelical, but without Your baptism of fire, they won't impact our communities to be drawn to hear of Christ's salvation.
Set us afire, Lord, stir us, we pray! We cannot do this on our own, so will look to Your Holy Spirit to set us afire for Christ's sake.
I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.
Today's Bible verses-
"If you then, though you are evil, know how to give
"Whoever says he abides in Him ought [as a personal
debt] to walk and conduct himself in the same way
in which He walked and conducted Himself"
(1 John 2:6 AMP).
“I can do everything through him [Jesus] who
gives me strength,” (Philippians 4:13 NIV).
"If you then, though you are evil, know how to give
good gifts to your children, how much more will your
Father in in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who
ask him" (Luke 11:13 NKJ).
"Whoever says he abides in Him ought [as a personal
debt] to walk and conduct himself in the same way
in which He walked and conducted Himself"
(1 John 2:6 AMP).
“I can do everything through him [Jesus] who
gives me strength,” (Philippians 4:13 NIV).
Today's quotes-
~ Xochitl Dixon- "Followers of Christ are not immune to succumbing to fear or anxiety. Worrying about what difficulties we may or may not encounter can keep us from depending on faith, and may even damage our relationships with God and others. But the Holy Spirit can help us create a trust tally of the Lord's past faithfulness. He can empower us with courageous confidence in God's trustworthiness yesterday, today, and forever." (Taken from Our Daily Bread®, © 10/29/2017 by Our Daily Bread Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. www.odb.org
~ Sharon Jaynes- "Too often we say 'yes' to God, but live the 'no' because of fear. We stand at the precipice of belief and have to make a decision. Am I going to trust God or not?
Am I going to attach my heart to the cable of His love and take a leap of faith, or am I going to freeze in fear because I don’t trust that He has my best interests in mind?
Am I going to settle for safety and miss the thrill of seeing God work through me? Or am I going to live the 'yes' and experience life to the full?"
The Hard Work Of Marriage "So what about you? What hard internal work of marriage do you do today?" By Jill Savage
Today's question-
Do you understand your need to disconnect from other things in order to focus on the Lord?
God fully intends on bringing in a harvest of souls, so don't miss out on serving Him with your prayers for all the lost you know. He wants to do things through you, for you have eyes to see what needs to be done in your area. Allow God's anointing to empower you through prayer, as He wants/needs to use you!
God fully intends on bringing in a harvest of souls, so don't miss out on serving Him with your prayers for all the lost you know. He wants to do things through you, for you have eyes to see what needs to be done in your area. Allow God's anointing to empower you through prayer, as He wants/needs to use you!
Jesus . . . Your Rescuer
4th- Saturday's post by Ernie Miller
#7 Do You long for Power?
7th- Tuesday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
#8 The "UPON"ness of the Spirit
9th- Thursday's post by Wesley L. Duewel
One Invitation at a Time
11th- Saturday's post by Debbie McEwen
Jean's blog
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