Hearts on Fire...

I was reading through the latest Laborer's Journal written by Kingdom Building Ministries (where I work).  I loved the last article.  I loved the whole journal.  (If any of you would like to start receiving the Laborer's Journal free of charge you can either send me your mailing address or go to our website at www.kbm.org and sign up for it.  Anyway, the last article talks about some stuff that I've been talking about on here recently.  I'm going to put some of the article below.  Please read.  You won't be disappointed.  It's good stuff.  Read on....

 

"The internal and external spiritual influences in our lives can either quench or fuel the fire within us.  As we spend time next to the influences of a spiritually cold world, our flame can grow dim.  But as we spend more time in intimate relationship with Jesus, the flame grows hotter and brighter."

 

-It makes me wonder why, if I want to be on fire for Jesus, we spend so much time in the world and see how close we can get to the world without being of it. 

 

"Unfortunately, much of what we've seen portrayed as Christianity in the past century has been a fireless counterfeit of what Jesus spoke of in the First Century. 

    Christian faith has often been reduced to church attendance.  And our concept of "church" has often been reduced to a fireless religious institution.

    That's why revolutionary firebrands don't often feel at home in local churches."

    -Is this ever you?

    "They're perceived as bring too hot to handle.

    Too unwilling to go along with the religious status quo.

    Too passionate about the things of God and not passionate enough about the traditions of men.

    Too uncomfortable to be around.

    -Are we too uncomfortable to be around?  Are we more passionate about the things of God rather than the things of man?  Are we going with the religious status quo?  I hope not!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

    "They're often treated like misfits by those who want to maintain the status quo of a comfortable faith.  And they feel like misfits.  So, they look for other misfits like themselves-wherever they can find them-so they can fuel their heart fires.

    But fiery passion for Jesus should not be abnormal!  It should be a hallmark of every Christian.  It should be the lifeblood of the church.

    -I completely agree!!!!!

    "Instead, many Christians are sitting in the pews, watching others outside the mainstream burn with a passionate and active faith.  They're content to follow a passed-down set of religious duties that aren't performed out of a passionate love for God.  They're perfunctory.  They're someone else's prescription.  They're a means of trying to earn God's favor.  But God is looking for people who will follow hard after Him because they love Him.

    Without a love relationship with God, our faith is fireless.  And when our faith is fireless, it's unappealing to those who are watching to see what Christianity looks like. 

    It's not at all contagious and it doesn't leave a transforming mark on the world.

    It looks empty and religious...because it is.

    It's even repulsive to unbelievers, because the fireplace-which is supposed to give off a warm glow-is, instead, cold with indifference.

    It's sad, but that's the picture many unbelievers have of Christians-cold, empty fireplaces.

    They've seen the religious form, but not the passionate fire...

    ...It's no wonder they're not interested in Christianity.

    We need to redefine what normal Christianity is!...

    ...Historians may someday describe us as self-absorbed, not God-consumed.

 

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!  So because you are luke-warm-neither hot nor cold-I am about to spit you out of my mouth  (Revelation 3:15-16).

 

    Consider this a call to all who are living lukewarm lives.  It's time to let the fire burn within you.  It's time to push aside the spiritual complacency that has characterized your life and live passionately for the one and only cause that counts for eternity-loving God and building His eternal Kingdom.

 

I loved what all of this had to say.  Fire, catch it!  Are you flammable?