King of Kings: Pentecost Fire

King of Kings: Pentecost Fire

“And the church of Christ was born
Then the Spirit lit the flame
Now this gospel truth of old
Shall not kneel, shall not faint
By His blood and in His name
In His freedom I am free
For the love of Jesus Christ
Who has resurrected me”

King of Kings, Hillsong

Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. “

Acts 2:2-3, NIV

The Church can be defined as an assembly – a coming together. The older Greek roots of the word ‘church’ refers to the place where this congregation takes place – in the Lord’s House.

Christ came, showed us the way, was crucified, resurrected and ascended to the Right Hand of God. After this the disciples assembled – congregated – gathered together in the upper room and waited upon the Lord.

This last week I’ve been seeing, in my mind’s eye, wood being placed like in a fireplace. 

This is what the disciples did. They came together – assembled like wood – in the fireplace of the upper room.

And the Lord sent His Spirit like a flame of fire. 

And we have seen, over decades and centuries, the Lord igniting fires – and in some cases re-igniting fires. And we are in need, as the church, of a spark to set us alight again.

We need revival. 

The fire was lit on Pentecost – but as with any fire, the ash eventually starts suffocating the flames. 

The ashes of tradition, philosophy and bad theology have suffocated the flames of that Pentecost Fire in us – but the Gospel Truth of old will not faint and will not be snuffed out. 

Under the ashes are the red hot embers of Truth waiting to be fanned into flame again.

Under the ashes are the red hot embers of a church waiting to be fanned into flame again.

Sometimes it is necessary for us to add kindling to the fire, to add fuel, for the fire to burn again.

Let us shake off the ashes that suffocate the fire – and let us present ourselves as wood in the fireplace of the upper room waiting for the Spark of His Spirit – let our hearts be the kindling, let our lives be the flame.

Let us become a people of prayer once again – let us assemble and congregate in our Father’s House and wait on Him for fresh fire.

He is faithful.

The Fire of the Holy Spirit kept the steam engine of the Church going in even the darkest times – through persecution, in the face of famine, nakedness and sword – and gave momentum to the propagation of the Gospel and expansion of the Kingdom.

The Fire of the Holy Spirit enabled the church to be a light in the darkness leading the lost back home – a source of warmth and safety to those who had been alone and stuck out in the colder fringes of society. 

The Fire of the Holy Spirit is what purifies us, like silver and gold in a furnace – the Fire transforms us, conforms us more and more into the image of Christ so that we may be the light that the world needs.

 Let us come together. Let us be assembled like wood in the fireplace of prayer. 

 Let us seek the Lord like never before. 

 I want to urge you to find like-minded brothers and sisters to pray with. Let our churches become houses of prayer. Let our homes become altars unto the Lord.  

 Let us pray together and set the world ablaze.

 Prayer: Lord, come and set Your church alight. Come and pour out fresh fire. As we turn to You in prayer Lord, come and heal us. Come and restore us. Help us shake off the ashes of old and be renewed, restored and revived – so that we may be Your light in a dark and dying world. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Spirit of God: Paraklétos

Spirit of God: Paraklétos

“We thirst for Your presence
Send down Your rain
Here in this moment, a holy embrace”

Spirit of God, Phil Wickham

15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”

John 14:15-18, NKJV

What a powerful thought: “I will not leave you orphans; I (ME, MYSELF – Jesus) will come to you.”

The Holy Spirit is Jesus alive in us.

Jesus says, comforting the disciples, that the Father will send another Helper. The word Helper here is translated from the Greek ‘paraklétos’ which can also be translated as ‘advocate’ or ‘attorney’.

An advocate presents evidence.

There have been many ‘helpers’ from the Old Testament to the New – evidence of God’s presence in the world. In the Old Testament God would appear to Abraham (Gen 18:1-15), Jacob (Gen 32:24-30), and Manoah and his wife (Judges 13) and Joshua (Joshua 5:13-15). He would appear to Moses and speak from within a burning bush (Exodus 3:2-10). The Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, would see Him as the Fourth Man in the Fire (Daniel 3:16-28) – and all of Israel would see Him as a Pillar of Cloud and Fire  (Exodus 13).

Besides these ‘theophanies’ there were of course also dreams, visions, prophecies, miracles, signs and wonders – other visible manifestations of God’s glory and presence.

In the New Testament God Himself steps down from His throne in Heaven to walk in our midst – the ‘paraklétos’ in flesh and bone. Evidence of God With Us. 

In talking about the Holy Spirit Jesus talks about yet anotherparaklétos’ – and insists “I will come to you.”

A common misconception, especially in our South African context, is that the Holy Spirit is somehow a different being altogether – completely distinct from Jesus. Biblically we should understand that there is only One seated upon the Throne – and He is the same One enthroned within our hearts, seated there through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. His Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus. 

Jesus was the ‘paraklétos’ – providing evidence of God WITH us.

The Holy Spirit is the ‘paraklétos’ – providing evidence of the same God IN us.

The Holy Spirit is Jesus alive in us.

The proof of His presence. The Holy Spirit is our comforter in times of sorrow, His presence is a balm to the broken heart. 

He is our guide, helping us navigate the storms of life by reminding us of His Word and making it come alive in us. 

If Jesus was, while walking the Earth, the embrace of God made flesh – then the Holy Spirit is the very breath of God breathed into our lungs, the resurrection power of God in our lives.

The Holy Spirit is the resurrection power of God – working not only in us but also through us. In understanding the Holy Spirit correctly, as the Spirit of Jesus – the Spirit of the Living God – in understanding the Oneness of the Godhood and our communion with Him through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, our understanding of our Kingdom purpose is not only enlarged but also becomes more practical.

If the Holy Spirit is Jesus alive in us – the presence of God living and active in our hearts – then the next step is Jesus alive THROUGH us as we become His hands and feet, the tangible evidence of His presence in the world around us.

The Holy Spirit is the ‘paraklétos’ – providing evidence of God IN us but also becomes the ‘paraklétos’ – providing evidence of the same God THROUGH us as His hands and feet, all the more visible as we become more and more conformed to the image of Christ:

18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)

Through His presence IN us we become His presence IN the world.

Prayer: Lord, as I contemplate Your glory, transform me ever more into what You would have me be. Let me do, all the more, what You would have me do. Through Your Holy Spirit, Lord, empower me to be Your presence in a broken world, Your light in the darkness – so that others might see You in me and through me. Come breathe in me and through me, O Lord. Let Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, here in our hearts and lives. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Here Comes The Glory

Here Comes The Glory

“Heaven is here right now
Heaven is here right now
What we long to see
Is happening happening
Here right now
Heaven is here
Here comes Heaven”

Here Comes The Glory, David and Nicole Binion

“Bow down Your heavens, O Lord, and come down;
Touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.”

Psalm 144:5

When Jesus started His ministry He went from place to place declaring: “Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!”

It is easy for us to listen to this – as I did for a very long time – and think that Jesus was talking about a coming time where the Kingdom would be established on Earth… But the nearness described here is not temporal but rather spatial: “The Kingdom of Heaven is here and now, in your midst!”

The Psalms and the Prophets are filled with the desire of the people to SEE God – to see His Kingdom come.

Even the disciples ask Him in Acts 1:6 when it is that He will restore the kingdom (the basileia – dominion, authority and sovereignty) to Israel.

The Kingdom here refers to the sovereign theocratic rule of God that was originally established at Mt. Sinai.

Psalm 144:5: echoes this desire specifically when the psalmist asks God to bow the Heavens and set the mountains on fire. We read in Exodus 19 that after coming out of Egypt Moses led the people to the foot of the mountain to meet with God. It says in verse 18 that Mount Sinai was covered in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire.

It is here that God first institutes His theocratic government through His covenant with Moses and the Israelites.

David writes: “Reach down your hand from on high; deliver me and rescue me from the mighty waters, from the hands of foreigners whose mouths are full of lies, whose right hands are deceitful.” (Psalm 144:7-8:)

The disciples ask: Lord, when will You restore the Kingdom to Israel?

At this time Israel is drowning in the mighty waters of the Roman Empire – being ruled over by foreigners and corrupt officials.

Jesus’ answer is probably not very satisfying: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:7-8)

What Jesus is saying might not be what they were looking for – but it is what we all need: He wasn’t about to restore the kingdom to Israel – but was here to establish His Kingdom in their hearts and the heart of every believer to come.

We as the church cry out: Lord, when will You restore Your Kingdom?

We are drowning in the mighty waters of a sick and corrupted world with its political and moral philosophies running so contrary to the Word of God…

At Sinai God calls the Israelites – through faith and obedience – to be His treasured possession. A Kingdom of priests – a nation holy unto God.

When we open up our minds and hearts and allow God to step in and flood our lives, what we long to see starts happening – He transforms us. As His Kingdom comes in our lives it starts pouring out through us and we see His Kingdom come in the lives of those around us.

We see revival starting and this revival leads to awakening in society and a holy nation and royal priesthood is raised up – but it all starts with us today saying: Lord, come establish Your Kingdom in our hearts – come establish Your Kingdom in my life so that I may be Your witness in my Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the very ends of the Earth.

It starts with us, today, resolving to pray – as individuals and together – like the disciples gathered in the upper room! It starts with us looking to and waiting on the Lord!

Prayer: Lord, today I open up my heart and ask You to flood my life. Come in and take over. Help me, through Your Spirit, live a life of faith and obedience. In doing so, my God, I pray that I will make a difference in the lives of those around me. Let Your Kingdom come in me, through me, and around me – let Your will be done. Come rule and reign in my life. In the Mighty Name of Jesus. Amen.