more fire

Enjoy these music videos by Jewish reggae artist Matisyahu. I had an opportunity to meet him and conduct a backstage interview at the 2005 Caribbean Festival. (If you’re interested in reading the article hit me up and I’ll send you the link). Since then he has become a platinum-selling musician. The song is called “Jerusalem.” If you like it, check out the Multimedia Page to hear “Lord Raise Me Up.” Both songs have a definite positive vibration.

Enjoy your weekend.

In church, I’ve heard people moan from a place deep within their very souls. I’ve heard people cry out to God as if He were the only Person in the sanctuary; I’ve seen women weep and grown men cry. I’ve seen old women throw their hands in the air as if they were surrendering all to God; and old men on their knees pleading the blood of Jesus. I’ve seen people call on the name of Jesus Christ because they trust that He is Lord and Savior. At one time in my life I might have considered these people sensational, dramatic or over-emotional. I might have nodded my head in reticent agreement with the person quoting 1 Corinthians 14:33,

“For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.”

I’ve since repented of my judgmental, scornful heart. Through the power of the Holy Spirit I’ve come to humbly accept that I don’t know what struggles others face, neither do I know the pain and heartache that others endure. But I do know that I can love and pray with others so that they might be strenghtened in fellowship and by His Spirit. Psalm 51:17 says,

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”

At a recent Sunday service, before being dismissed, the pastor felt led to have a time of prayer among the congregants–men with men, women with women. I prayed with a young brother who was visiting the church with the mother of a recently-deceased friend. He said that his friend had been “killed” and the mother needed as much prayer as possible.

When I finished praying with him I turned to Vonetta, my fiance. She had tears in her eyes. I asked her what was wrong and she said that the woman with whom she prayed had a very heavy heart. The woman didn’t tell Vonetta what the problem was that she was facing. Vonetta simply prayed for her, but she could feel her pain. Vonetta said that throughout the service she heard the woman travailing. She’d moan and sigh as the guest pastor gave a message on the importance of group prayer. Before leaving the service she gave Vonetta a stack of poetry she had written, which we read together after lunch. The poetry was about breaking her addiction to crack and about the prayers of her mother and grandmother. After reading the poems, Vonetta felt that the woman was on the verge of smoking crack again. So we did all we could do. We continued to pray intercessory prayers for her. While I agree that God is not a God of confusion, I also know that God does not despise a broken and contrite heart. Romans 8:26 says,

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.”

We Christians must not confuse sensationalism for transparency, emotionalism for brokeness, or dramatic for fanatic. We must be dependent on God and truly believe that He is not only our Judge, but He is also our Savior. We must lift His name on high and lean on Him for everything. We must be willing to cry out to the Lord when we are desperate for His touch. We must be willing to moan and groan for Him. We must be willing to surrender all if we are to have resurrection, redemption and revelation through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Check out this raw a capella version of Son House performing his classic blues song John the Revelator. The song is preceded by a half-minute of Son House talking about the Good Book. He became a Baptist preacher at age 15 and later a famed blues musician. More fire!

If you’re prayer life needs kindling, check out the works of prayer warrior extraordinaire E.M. Bounds. You can find his books online or at your nearest Christian bookstore. More fire!

“Love is kindled in a flame, and ardency is its life. Flame is the air which true Christian experience breathes. It feeds on fire; it can withstand anything, rather than a feeble flame; but when the surrounding atmosphere is frigid or lukewarm, it dies, chilled and starved to its vitals. True prayer must be aflame.” -E.M. Bounds, The Necessity of Prayer.

God spoke to Moses from fire. Elijah prayed to God to send fire. Elisha made a fire. Micah prophesied fire. John the Baptist cried, “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” Jesus said, “I have come to bring fire on the earth.”

If we were as fearful to miss fire baptism as we are to miss water baptism, we would have a flaming church. The sin nature may get past the water baptism unscathed but it is destroyed in the fire baptism, for He shall “burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

Let’s pray that God sends us prophetic preaching that searches and scorches. Let’s pray that He raises up a generation of fire baptized preachers–men burdened, bent, bowed and broken under the vision of impending judgment and the doom of the unending hell of the unrepentant. Let’s pray that the Lord sends us prophets, terrible men who cry loudly and unsparingly. Pray that the Lord sends men who are more concerned with the church’s holiness than its happiness.

Sound doctrine has put most believers soundly asleep. John the Baptist was a Voice. Most preachers today are merely echoes. Listen closely and you will be able to hear the latest book they have read. The letter is not enough. It must be kindled. It is the letter with the Spirit which “gives life.” Pray there be revival with tens of thousands rushing to the altar. Pray there are earthquakes to devastate hard hearts, tornados to blow away the decay of staid fundamentalism, and God-given hearts to erupt like volcanos to denounce sin in high and low places.

A blazing bush drew Moses; a blazing church will attract the world.

Certain types of Christians and atheists tend to assert, mistakenly, that science and faith are fundamentally at odds. Faith, like science, is based on experience. The Christian’s faith in God is based on a personal, supernatural relationship whereas the atheist employs arguments based on deductive reasoning in an effort to prove their hypothesis. Simply because some people do not know God is no grounds to negate the fact that many others do know Him.

“But the LORD God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’” Genesis 3:9.

Faith does not negate science, nor does science negate the supernatural. In fact, natural faith is as important to science as reason is to spiritual faith. Christianity, as well as leading proponents of the historical and modern scientific communities (including Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein), profess that the universe was created. The most prominent theory about the origin of the universe is called the Big Bang. The person with spiritual faith goes a step further than the scientist and concludes that since there is an origin to creation then there must be an originator (i.e. Creator).

The word “faith” means “trust”. Belief is static, but faith is dynamic since it is able to either increase or decrease. Faith must be exercised (i.e. prayer, meditation, devotional reading) if it is to increase, but if it is left inactive it will naturally decrease. The bottom line is whether or not you trust God. For most people it’s difficult to trust Someone who they don’t know. And some people might actually have known God but were turned off by other people who claim they too know Him, but fail to be Godly examples.

Sadly, many people spend more time trying to refute God than trying to actually get to know Him. People in Western society no longer seek God. The youth, doped up by video games, fast food and licentious music, find it more acceptable among their peers to deny God than to seek His will for their life. Adults, sedated by consumerism and water cooler politics, barely talk to their family let alone pour their needs out to God. Men would rather watch the blood-shedding ritual of football than be washed in Lamb’s blood. And women are reading Redbook with rapt devotion while the Good Book gathers dust. Sin is mocked, prayer is considered wishful thinking and the church is being seduced by politicians. People don’t seek depths any more. They seek quick-fix solutions. People need to seek the depths of God rather than allowing themselves to continue to be polluted by the woes of this world.

“They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear.” Ezekiel 12:2.

An atheist mockingly asked me, What must I do to be a Christian? I told him bluntly, You must ask for a new heart. Your heart must not be a stone. It must be willing to be made flesh for Christ’s sake. It also takes eyes to see and ears to hear. And I’m not talking about your natural eyes and ears. I’m talking about spiritual understanding. It takes a willingness to trust God. And you must start a Godly walk, which includes prayer and devotional reading of scripture. Prayer increases faith. Faith, like trust, takes time to develop. Christianity is not a self-help shtick. A Christian grows in God. A Christian matures and develops as his faith deepens.

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26.

A good place to start reading the Bible is the Gospel according to John in the New Testament. The Jesus Christ of scripture is very different than the false christs propagated by Hollywood execs and politicians. His way is more profound than any philosophy or scientific methodology. Jesus Christ fought religious hypocrisy, rebuked Satan, advanced the Kingdom of God, and lived a righteous life. When you trust Christ and desire to do His will you receive the gift of salvation. You are saved by His righteousness. Lastly, it is so important that you be willing to protect your heart of flesh. Keep it tender and sensitive to the Word of God.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9.

The world makes a person’s heart like stone. There is so much cynicism and moral degradation in this world that a person becomes desensitized to sin. They lack remorse when they lie or lust. When seeking God you must be humble and desperate to know Him and He will in turn give you a heart of flesh. Then any cynicism, haughtiness, self-pride, self-doubt or emptiness that you might harbor will be filled by the fullness of God. It is your choice. You can choose to either surrender to the most powerful Person in (and outside of) the universe or keep your life all to yourself. You can either accept the gift of salvation or reject it.

Last Thursday, March 8, Vonetta and I got engaged. We had spent the day in Pennsylvania, but before we left I insisted that we return by mid-afternoon. She asked why and I told her that it was important that we not miss prayer band. What I didn’t tell her was that I had to pick up the ring awaiting me at the jewelry store.

We returned to Brooklyn around 5 pm and I had her drop me off at the church while she parked the car. I said I had to use the restroom. I hurried to the jewelry store around the corner and picked up the ring. We then spent the next couple of hours calling on the name of the Lord. The entire time the jewelry box was bulging from my hip pocket, but Vonetta didn’t notice.

We left the prayer band and I told Vonetta that I wanted to go to the sanctuary and continue praying. She later said that she thought something might be wrong–perhaps a family member was sick or some other awful news. We held hands and I thanked God for bringing Vonetta and me together, I prayed that He bless our relationship and that He continues to be our sure foundation as we take the next step together. I then got down on one knee, opened the box displaying the engagement ring, and asked her to marry me.

She was silent for a second which seemed like an eternity. Then she said yes and started to cry. Vonetta then wanted to return to the prayer band to announce the news. When they heard the news the fifteen or so members of the Thursday evening prayer band gathered around us, laid their hands on us and prayed to God on our behalf.

“On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’” John 2:1-5

As we prepare for our wedding day and our life together, it is Christ who is our honored guest and I pray that we do whatever he tells us. And I pray that we drink His wine for all eternity. Praise His name. And please pray for us as we begin to plan our life together.

Which fire are you fanning?

We need to rediscover the power in the Name. We must reclaim the victory and set this world on fire for God. Most of us have enough grace to get through the day, but we have nothing left over. We claim victory, but we fail to conquer. We are complacent citizens of the Kingdom rather than the King’s faithful servants called to expand His territory. We can fight off the enemy, but we cannot take any prisoners. Ours is a defensive action, not an attacking power.

We often say that the devil is on the attack, yet we rarely invade the darkness. We are taking spiritual retreats when we should be on the advance. We like to proclaim that every promise in the book is ours. Well, here’s one:

“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” Revelation 3:16.

Are we claiming this word, too? Are we hot? Are we cold? Are we lukewarm? Are we making God sick? I pray that we are not. Too many Christians are hanging their harp on the willow branch and saying, “How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?” Are we who still have coals of fire on our altars measuring ourselves by the fireless altars of neighboring churches when we should be stoking the praying blaze of our saintly brethren?

The world boasts its military power; some cults boast their satanic power; but where are those who boast Holy Ghost fire?

Critics of the Bible occasionally point to the story of Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac and ask how a holy God could ask a parent to offer their child as a sacrifice.

“Then God said, ‘Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.’” Genesis 22:2

These critics miss the point. During ancient times people sometimes sacrificed their first born to appease their gods. Sometimes they sacrificed their child merely to gain personal prosperity. Molech, Baal and Ashtoreth were just a few of the gods who accepted (and sometimes demanded) human sacrifice.

“‘Do not lay a hand on the boy,’ he said. ‘Do not do anything to him.’… Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide.” Genesis 22:12-14

The emphasis of the story of Abraham’s sacrifice is not that God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son, but that God stopped him from sacrificing his son. He set a precedent with Abraham. It was eventually officially mandated as one of the laws in Leviticus: “‘Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.’”

The Lord established that His people will be different from the neighboring tribes and nations. He didn’t want His people to sacrifice their children, even if it was popular in that time. Neither did He want His people to whore after other gods, but we’ll leave that topic for another post. In this respect, God is in an agent of social progress. God commands us to obey Him because that is what is best for us. If we are to know God and have joy in Him, we must be obedient.

As Christians, we must stand firm in the living Word of God. It is not always popular to be faithful. And it is difficult (even oppressive at times) to be contrary to the world, but that is our calling. Praise God. He is true and righteous, awesome and wonderful, full of grace and mercy. And we are His.

Samson was a Nazarite from birth. Although he did not take the Nazarite vow voluntarily he was still called to be separate unto God, and thus follow the three vows of the Nazarite: to abstain from any grape product, not to touch a dead body and not to let a razor touch his head.

Samson broke all three of the vows. He touched the dead, attended a drinking party as the guest of honor and allowed Delilah to cut his hair. Samson placed his own desires before those of God, and each time God’s strength left him. Only when Samson finally acknowledged God as the source of his strength was he able to defeat the Philistines, but he lost his life in the process.

“Then Samson called to the LORD and said, ‘O Lord GOD, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes.’ And Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and he leaned his weight against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other. And Samson said, ‘Let me die with the Philistines.’ Then he bowed with all his strength, and the house fell upon the lords and upon all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he had killed during his life.” Judges 16:28-30