more fire

“Whenever I speak, I cry out proclaiming violence and destruction. So the word of the LORD has brought me insult and reproach all day long. But if I say, ‘I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,’ his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.” (Jeremiah 20:8-9).

The end is coming and judgment will follow. Unrepentant sinners will perish in eternal hell fires. The good news is that salvation is to be found in Christ Jesus. Those covered by the blood of the Lamb (who is Christ) will be saved. Salvation takes faith and obedience, which is a stumbling block for many seekers.

Sadly, some preachers also find repentance to be a stumbling block. They deliver messages on faith and grace, but fail to emphasize the importance of repentance. They fear that preaching repentance is an offensive, in-your-face tactic that is not cohesive with the seeker-sensitive church. Admittedly, preaching repentance can be in-your-face, especially if the Spirit of God is convicting you of certain sin. This conviction is witness to God’s Holy Spirit. When a sinner is convicted of sin it is a sign that God is working in their heart.

The Truth must be proclaimed and new believers must be discipled honestly. Salvation starts when the sinner repents of his self-centered (i.e. world-centered) lifestyle and confesses Christ as King. To repent is to turn away from sin and towards God. Regardless of your sin you will be forgiven if you repent and turn to God. To repent is like setting a clock to the correct time. Turning from sin and setting one’s heart on the Lord is like turning the hands of the clock to the correct time. Unfortunately, most of our clocks don’t keep time well so we must continue to re-set the clock.

John the Baptist cried unto the people in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 3:2). When Jesus returned from forty days and forty nights in the wilderness he too began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17). John the Baptist and Jesus Christ preached boldly and faithfully. When John and Jesus testified about the advance of God’s kingdom people repented and were baptized, hearts were changed and souls were saved. Repentance should not be the exclusive domain of the fire-and-brimstone preacher or the zealous street preacher. Repentance should be preached by every person called to witness to others about salvation in Christ.

My heart has been heavy these last few days. It started Friday night before prayer band. I was in a coffeeshop talking to my girlfriend about the plight of the homeless during these cold winter months. My heart went out to a relative who I have not heard from in over a year. I’ll call him Sam. Sam has lived on the street for the last three years. The last time I talked with him he had been released from a nursing home where he spent a few months recuperating after being beaten with a baseball bat by a crackhead. The doctor stapled his arm together because he didn’t have insurance. Sam is my uncle, but because he’s my age (and we grew up together) he is like my brother.

After a cup of coffee my girlfriend and I headed over to the church. We’ve been active in the prayer ministry for only a few weeks. Prior to joining the prayer band I had been involved with the evangelism ministry and also taught English at the downtown Learning Center. The prayer band meets Monday through Friday from 9 am to 9 pm. There are various shifts, but there are always people petitioning the Lord with prayer. I pray on Thursday afternoons for a few hours with about 10-12 other prayer warriors.

On Friday night everyone comes together for prayer and worship. There were about 70 people present last Friday. At one point the pastor asked us to stand if we had something specific to pray on. Almost everyone stood up. I used that time to pray for my relative. I pleaded to God. And poured my heart out to Him to rescue Sam. I prayed that the Lord would do a mighty work in his life. And that Sam’s heart would soften to receive the good news that Christ is come and with Him is the Spirit of God

After fellowship we took the bus back to our neighborhood. My girlfriend went home and I went to my apartment about four blocks away. I read some scripture and prayed for awhile before falling asleep. Early in the morning, around 5 am, I had a terrible dream. I dreamt I was at a wealthy relative’s home. It was dark, but I could see a large screen TV and a blazing fireplace. My family was gathered talking sorrowfully about Sam. Suddenly, I saw him lying on his side in the corner of the room. He looked helpless. I ran to him so glad to see him. Then I noticed he was in handcuffs. I learned that another relative had picked him up from jail on the condition that Sam be kept in handcuffs. Sam was embarassed to be handcuffed and attempted to sit up and maneuver the cuffs under his legs so he could sit up right.

Sam told me that he was sent to jail because his landlord kicked him out of his room in the boarding house. He said that the landlord had lied and said that he owed back rent. Sam then said that the landlord forced him to do unmentionable things in order to stay. Sam told me what he was forced to do. I was enraged and asked how he could do such things. Ashamed, he turned his back to me. I apologized for being judgmental and put my arms around him and loved him until I awoke from my dream sobbing.

Once awake I continued to sob and even wail. I couldn’t help it. I got on my knees and started praying for him, but I kept balling. It was very early in the morning and I knew that I couldn’t stay in my apartment because of the noise I was keeping. I called my girlfriend and asked if I could come over. It was about 5:30 am. She said to come over.

On the walk over to her place, still weeping, I saw a group of white doves (a.k.a. pigeons) in the middle of the street. People were not up yet and it was very calm and quiet, which seemed odd in bustling Brooklyn. It struck me as peculiar that all the doves were white. Usually they are gray, brown or mixed. But these birds were all white. When I walked passed them they took flight, but they flew slowly and stayed alongside me. I counted seven of them. I sensed the presence of the Comforter.

Often during prayer I ask the Lord to make me lower. I ask to decrease so that He would increase in my life. But that morning I was asking Him to lift me up from the mire in which I was wallowing. I felt so broken, yet so close to my Saviour. When I arrived at my girlfriend’s place I tried not to show that my eyes were red and puffy, but she saw and asked what happened. Then I shared with her my terrible dream and my eventual walk with the Spirit.

“I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!” (Numbers 11:29)

“I don’t need [insert: church, the Bible, Jesus]. I experience God every time I walk through the forest or visit the ocean.” Ever heard this? I’ve found it to be a common statement among agnostics, new agers and non-Christian theists.

Admittedly there is a grain of truth to the statement. The man in the forest is catching a glimpse of God’s awesome power as he ponders His creation, but to him God remains an impersonal experience rather than an intimate Person who desires to be known.

In nature a person can be in awe of God’s power and yet lack the ability to call on His holy name simply because he doesn’t know His name (i.e. doesn’t have a relationship with Him). The seeker communing with nature is basically a nature worshiper. He admires the trees, ocean, wind, etc., but fails to genuinely relate to the Person who wields the power that created the universe.

It is when the believer is willing to meet God in every place and in every situation that he begins to transform from a nature worshiper into an adherent of the Most High God.

A seeker experiencing God’s power by observing the vast expanse of ocean can go no further in his spiritual journey because he lacks both the map (Word of God) and the skills (Spirit-led life) to proceed. The seeker who obtains the map and the skills becomes a believer with power and destiny.

When the Lord was on earth some leaned on his bosom, some received things from his hand, some touched the hem of his garment, some had their feet washed by him, some he raised from the dead, others had their eyes anointed by him with spit and mud.

The Lord whom we now may see is what those who had touched him or were touched by him could not see. He whom we see today surpasses the person who they saw on earth. Today Christ transcends all space, time, death and limitation. Today we have the Lord of resurrection.

“and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 1:4 

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” 1 Peter 1:3

Sunday evening Vonetta and I mosied over to a local dive bar called Pete’s Candy Store in the Williambsurg neighborhood of Brooklyn to hear the tattoo-clad, cigarette-smokin’ Jay Bakker, son of Jim and Tammy Faye, deliver a gospel message to a small audience of hipsters.

I first heard of Jay Bakker’s newly planted Brooklyn-based ministry, Revolution NYC, while perusing Relevant Magazine’s message board. There were at least two threads debating the value of Jay’s controversial ministry. Since Revolution NYC is in the neighborhood I figured I’d pay a visit to hear firsthand what the buzz is about.

We arrived early. I asked the bartender, “Where’s church?” He pointed to the back. I ordered a couple of cherry cokes from the bar while Vonetta secured us seats in the dimly lit corridor where Jay and his evangelical cohort Marc Brown were prepping the sound equipment.

There’s a media buzz surrounding Jay due to the six-part documentary series called “One Punk Under God,” which features him. It’s currently showing on the Sundance Channel. There were a couple of photographers and reporters, but there was probably no more than thirty people packed into the small space. Most sat on small wrought iron chairs while others sat on the floor.

Jay’s message centered on grace. Actually, I think that most of his messages are about grace. I’ve since listened to a couple of his sermons online and have yet to hear him seriously talk about sin and repentance, yet he does talk heavily about love and forgiveness.

It is essential that Christians live a life centered on Christ’s love, but preachers must also deliver messages about repentace if grace is to be extolled. For grace and forgiveness are the result of repentance and conversion. To be fair to Jay, I’ve only heard a few of his sermons so far. The young brother might be a real firebrand.

His candor and self-deprecating sense of humor are refreshing. He talked about how pastors can dangerously pull together verses from the Bible to fit any type of argument they want to make. Then he said, “I guess I just called myself out.” His approach is obviously more radical than traditional, but he is reaching a segment of society that often goes ignored by believers.

Young, hip intellectual types are often the scorn of right-wingers and fundies; and vice versa. While many of America’s unsaved (and saved) youths are jaded by an exploitative media and a ravenous consumer culture they are not soulless. It is a boon to Jay that he is bringing the good news of Christ to America’s lost and searching youth.

I might not agree with all of his doctrinal interpretations, but I do sense that the brother is seeking the will of God for his life and for his ministry. He may not be conventional, but then again neither were Christ and his disciples. After Jay delivered the message everyone pored out of the small room to allow the next group to enter in. Revolution NYC was followed by open mic night where poets and musicians display their craft.

Vonetta went home after the message, but I remained to mingle with the people. I talked with Jay and Marc for a bit. They said they’ve been in New York for about 5 months, but Revolution ministries has been active in other cities for over 5 years. I told them that their ministry was similar to that of Billy Sunday’s evangelism at the turn of the 20th century in that they both preach in bars, but that Sunday’s ministry differed significantly because he preached prohibition. They laughed and Marc, holding a frothy ale, informed me that Jay doesn’t drink.

I also talked with two young brothers from Queens who said they have seldom attended traditional church, but that their mother is Jewish and father is Christian. They had long hair and were musicians. They said that they read the Bible, but never went to church because they felt like they’d stick out like sore thumbs. When they watched an episode of “One Punk Under God” they figured they might fit in at Revolution NYC.

Revolution NYC is a unique ministry. It might actually have a chance to change the hearts of some of New York’s hipster community. I pray that Jay wins souls to the Lord. And I pray that he continues to seek the will of God first and foremost so that seekers receive the complete gospel message from a man seated deep in the heart of Christ.

Should a preacher attempt to evoke an emotional response from the congregation? Should believers lift hands and cry “Glory” and “Hallelujah” while worshiping? And should the faithful weep while taking communion? Perhaps a better question to ask is whether believers should discourage other Christians from worshiping in this manner.

The words “emotionalism” and “fanatacism” are used by some Christians to discourage other believers from expressing any type of emotion or zeal for the Lord. Now, I’m not encouraging parishioners to roll around on the floor of the church or to act in an inappropriate manner during worship. There needs to be order in the assembly of worshipers and the utmost reverence for God. But the way some Christians discourage fervent worship one would assume that no emotional expression should ever be displayed.

There are many examples in scripture of believers worshiping the Lord with emotion and zeal. The writer of Psalm 134 commands “Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord.”

Perhaps the most fervent display of worship occurs in the book of 2 Samuel. King David is described as dancing before the ark of the Lord to the point that he loses his clothing:

“David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the LORD with all his might, while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets.”

When David returned home his wife Michal mocked him:

“‘How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!’”

But David had the last words:

“David said to Michal, ‘It was before the LORD, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the LORD’s people Israel—I will celebrate before the LORD. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor.’ And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.”

It was Michal the mocker who bore no fruit. And David, who was willing to be humiliated for God’s sake, is called “a man after God’s own heart.” There are Davids and Michals in the church today. There are those who condemn others who do not conform to their rigid style of worship. And there are those who praise the Lord with their whole heart.

Before going any further in this post I would like to clarify that a believer who worships with his hands and mouth is not necessarily worshiping with his heart. And another believer who prefers to quietly, solemnly worship his God might be in direct fellowship with Him. Worship ultimately depends on the heart of the believer. The point of this post is to defend the validity of fervent, heartfelt worship.

Another example of expressive worship occurs during the dedication of the temple. We see Solomon on his knees with his arms raised to praise God. 1 Kings 8: 22-23:

“Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven and said: ‘O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below—you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way.’”

The presence of God was so powerful that the Shekinah (”glory of God”) filled the room so that the priests couldn’t even perform their duties.

In the book of Nehemiah we see Ezra preaching to an assembly of worshipers.

“And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people and when he opened it, all the people stood up: And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground.”

Today some believers (even entire denominations) frown upon any type of expressive worship. They use terms like “emotionalist” and “fanatic” to conform people to their image when it is God’s image to which we should conform.

A believer should not be charged as an emotionalist if moved to tears while remembering Christ’s sacrifice. Rather faithful adherents of Jesus Christ should be compelled towards sincere devotion to the Lord. Believers need to continue to yield to the Holy Spirit of God and allow Him to chip away the hardness of their heart so that they might be tender and sensitive to His holy Word. God bless the person who is willing to be humiliated for Christ’s sake. And bless the believer that pursues Christ with his whole heart.

On my trip home for Christmas I sat in the airport praying for both the unsaved and the backslider. I have a heart for backsliders because I departed from the Lord soon after being saved. Thanks to His grace I have returned to His fold.

I prayed that unrepentant sinners would return to a saving grace. I prayed that they’d give their sin to Jesus Christ so that they’d be unburdened from the misery they heap upon themselves. Luke 15:

And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.”

As I prayed my heart became heavy and my eyes welled with tears. It hit me just how much filth, sin and wickedness Christ has taken upon Himself so that we might be saved. I prayed that backsliders would return to Christ to never again trample the precious blood.

On the second Sunday in January it will be one year since I have returned to the Lord. I praise the Lord God Almighty for His mercy. I praise Him for reclaiming me. I pray that others who have gone astray hear the call of the Shepherd and return to His fold. Praise God for His mercy. Praise God for His prodding. And praise God for His love.

In this new year, I thank You for the beautiful mountain top vistas and perilous, pristine valleys through which I have traveled with You in search of You. Thank you for obstacles and the power to overcome. Thank You for blessings and the grace to be mindful that You are the source of blessings.

In this new year, I pray for more grace, more power, more love and more fire. I pray for more of You. Bless Your holy name.