[doinghiswill]

E.M. Bounds :






FIRE!

Zeal is a contagious, but not a popular, element. Our fathers took their tea piping hot; we take ours iced. Iced Christianity is more popular and tasteful than iced tea. We can endure in our churches enough warmth to take the chill off, but more than this is offensive. We have added many good elements to our preaching, but these cannot make up for the loss of fervor. The average mind can only be moved to action by a flame. Some men may pull through to heaven on a cold collar, but they are the exception. A dwindling flame destroys the vital and aggressive forces in church life. God must be represented by a fiery church or he is not truly represented. God is all on fire, and his church, if it be like Him, must also be aflame with the great and eternal interests of religion. Zeal need not be fussy to be consuming and forceful. Christ was as far removed as possible from nervous excitability, the very opposite of intolerant or clamorous zeal, and yet the zeal of God's house consumed him.

The lack of ardor in Christian profession or action is a sure sign of the want of depth and intensity. The lack of fire is the sure sign of the lack of God's presence. To abate fervor is to retire God. God can tolerate many things in the way of infirmity or error. He can pardon much when one is repentant, but two things are intolerable to Him, insincerity and lukewarmness. Lack of heart and lack of heat are the things that He loathes. "I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth," is God's judgment on our lack of fire in the Church. Fire is the motor that moves the Christian life. Christian principles that are not aflame have neither force nor perfume. Flame is the wing by which faith ascends, and fervency is the soul of prayer. Love is kindled in a flame, and fire is the air that true religion breathes. It feeds on fire. Christianity can stand anything better than a feeble flame.

Christian character needs to be set on fire. Lack of heat makes more infidels than lack of faith. Not to be in fiery earnest about the things of heaven is not to be about them at all. The fiery souls are the ones that win in the heavenly fight. Nothing short of red hot can keep the glow of heaven in these chilly times. We must grasp the live coal and covet the consuming flame.

Originally Posted by doinghiswill

E.M. Bounds :






FIRE!

Zeal is a contagious, but not a popular, element. Our fathers took their tea piping hot; we take ours iced. Iced Christianity is more popular and tasteful than iced tea. We can endure in our churches enough warmth to take the chill off, but more than this is offensive. We have added many good elements to our preaching, but these cannot make up for the loss of fervor. The average mind can only be moved to action by a flame. Some men may pull through to heaven on a cold collar, but they are the exception. A dwindling flame destroys the vital and aggressive forces in church life. God must be represented by a fiery church or he is not truly represented. God is all on fire, and his church, if it be like Him, must also be aflame with the great and eternal interests of religion. Zeal need not be fussy to be consuming and forceful. Christ was as far removed as possible from nervous excitability, the very opposite of intolerant or clamorous zeal, and yet the zeal of God's house consumed him.

The lack of ardor in Christian profession or action is a sure sign of the want of depth and intensity. The lack of fire is the sure sign of the lack of God's presence. To abate fervor is to retire God. God can tolerate many things in the way of infirmity or error. He can pardon much when one is repentant, but two things are intolerable to Him, insincerity and lukewarmness. Lack of heart and lack of heat are the things that He loathes. "I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth," is God's judgment on our lack of fire in the Church. Fire is the motor that moves the Christian life. Christian principles that are not aflame have neither force nor perfume. Flame is the wing by which faith ascends, and fervency is the soul of prayer. Love is kindled in a flame, and fire is the air that true religion breathes. It feeds on fire. Christianity can stand anything better than a feeble flame.

Christian character needs to be set on fire. Lack of heat makes more infidels than lack of faith. Not to be in fiery earnest about the things of heaven is not to be about them at all. The fiery souls are the ones that win in the heavenly fight. Nothing short of red hot can keep the glow of heaven in these chilly times. We must grasp the live coal and covet the consuming flame.

Keith, wow, a GREAT post. We want to debate whether or not we need revival, whether or not it is impossible or possible ot sin, whether or not God's will will be done no matter what, removing from our shoulders the responsibility for holy zeal burning inside us.

Our battle is not in our minds no matter how hard we try to place it there. Our battle is in the cold recesses of our fat and happy hearts, lulled to sleep by a world going to Hell, and our hearts are attached to it!

God told the Laodecians, be zealous therefore and repent. This is not a cry from God to weigh things in our brains. It is a call to action!It is a call to search your heart to see why you do not long for His presence, cry out to Him with all there is in you to set you free from the world, the flesh and the devil.

Zeal...the root word means jealous...jealous for the glory of God's house to be restored. We are a laughingstock, saints. I heard a talk show today making fun of the church as recent polls show the average age of a christian soaring, as young people in droves are leaving the church as irrelevant and watered down and lacking zeal. They know real, and they are smart enough to know that we do not have it, no matter what we profess. God is jealous for our affections, yet he finds that we are we so content in our lukewarmness, simply waiting to be raptured out of here.

Zeal and repentance go hand in hand. It is time to re-examine not what we believe as much as how hot we are believing and living it. Young people today see our folly, content to debate, study, memorize, go to church, as long as it doesn't spill over into actually living our Christian walk zealously.

God said "You will seek me and you will find me, when you seek me with your whole heart."

Is your prayer closet empty? Does your walk with Him supercede everything? If not, you are looking at the answer. Be zealous therefore and repent. God will move when we do, and no sooner. It is time for sackcloth and ashes.

Keep up your posts, my brother. You are a blessing to my heart.