Firestorm #3: Stand Between the Living and the Dead:
[This series of devotionals was written in January of 2003, while I was the youth pastor at Bible Fellowship Church. This was during a season where we saw a mighty move of God in our midst.]
“On the next day all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron, saying, "You have killed the people of the Lord." Now it happened, when the congregation had gathered against Moses and Aaron, that they turned toward the tabernacle of meeting; and suddenly the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord appeared. Then Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of meeting. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "Get away from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment." And they fell on their faces. So Moses said to Aaron, "Take a censer and put fire in it from the altar, put incense on it, and take it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them; for wrath has gone out from the Lord. The plague has begun." Then Aaron took it as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the assembly; and already the plague had begun among the people. So he put in the incense and made atonement for the people. And he stood between the dead and the living; so the plague was stopped. Now those who died in the plague were fourteen thousand seven hundred, besides those who died in the Korah incident. So Aaron returned to Moses at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, for the plague had stopped.” (Numbers 16:41-50).
In the above Bible story, the Israelites were complaining against the Lord and His servants. God wanted to destroy these people for their wickedness. This story is an interesting parallel to the world we’re living in today. The Bible says that all people have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory, and the penalty for that sin is death. Everyone who has sinned deserved God’s wrath, because of their rebellion against Him. In the story, Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before the Lord, and Moses said to Aaron, “Take a censer, put fire in it from the altar, and take it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them, for wrath has gone out from the Lord. The plague has begun!” What was happening in the camp? A wave was going through the camp, and thousands of people were dying because of their sin. And Moses said, “Aaron, take the fire of God from the altar, and go where the people are!” Imagine what Aaron must have been thinking. “We’re doing okay here in the tabernacle, God is with us, and we’re not going to die, but you want me to go out there where all the people are dying, where the plague is going through the camp? You’ve got to be crazy!” But Aaron didn’t say that. He took the fire of the Lord, as Moses commanded, ran to the midst of the people, and stood between the living and the dead, and the plague was stopped.
Sometimes as Christians, we’re afraid of going out into the world, and we just want to protect ourselves from that evil world out there. We’re so careful about guarding ourselves from evil worldly influences, so we’re not defiled. But God says, “Get out there in that world. If you don’t get out there and stop that plague, those people are going to die in their sins, and they’re going to be lost forever in a place called hell!” And what God wants us to do is take the fire from the altar of His presence—the power of the Holy Spirit and the passion that comes from being in His presence—and get out in the world where the people are and stop the plague.
Lord, I pray that you would grant every one of my readers today a burning passion and vision for the harvest of lost souls. I pray that there would not be one who would read these words and walk away saying, “Well, who cares, let them go to hell.” Lord, I pray that there would not be one who would say, “It’s not my job, it’s not my responsibility. I’m not an evangelist.” Father, I pray right now in the name of Jesus that you would burn within every one of our hearts the awareness of our divine responsibility, that you have called us and commissioned us to go to our lost world and preach to them the Good News about salvation through Jesus Christ. Lord, you have commanded us to do that. Forgive us for not having done that in the past, for times where we have been content to just be good and go to church and hang out with each other. There is a lost and dying world that Jesus Christ died and shed His blood for, and we know that one of the reasons that Jesus hasn’t come back yet is because you are “not slack concerning (Your) promise, but are longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9). Set us on fire with a passion for lost souls who don’t know you. Give us the wisdom and boldness we need to minister to people, to love the unlovely, to heal the sick, to cast out devils, and as freely as we’ve received, that we would freely give. Start a fire that you would fan into flames like a firestorm, that the Holy Spirit would come upon us and stoke that fire, and send us out to take our planet by storm with the fire of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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- Pastor Chris Jordan
www.beausejourchurch.ca
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Friday, July 3, 2009
Firestorm #2: Stoke the Fire
Firestorm #2: Stoke the Fire:
[This series of devotionals was written in January of 2003, while I was the youth pastor at Bible Fellowship Church. This was during a season where we saw a mighty move of God in our midst.]
“A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out.” (Leviticus 6:13).
“Where there is no fuel, the fire goes out.” (Proverbs 26:20).
Last night, we had our first youth worship service of the new year, and introduced our new name, Firestorm, and our new mission: to take the planet by storm with the fire of the Holy Spirit. I read Isaiah 66:15 to our youth, “For behold, the Lord will come with fire and chariots, like a whirlwind.” One of our grade eleven students, Angie Hunt, got up and shared a Scripture from Matthew 4:17, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” She said, in essence, that repentance precedes revival, that before God will move in our midst, we must change our hearts, and change our actions. It was awesome. Like the disciples of Jesus on the day of Pentecost, we all gathered together in prayer, seeking the Lord for a fresh baptism of the Holy Spirit and an outpouring of the Refiner’s fire in our lives. Young people were gathered together at the front of the room, crying out to God in prayer to be filled with the Holy Spirit, for boldness to be witnesses for Him, and for a manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit in their lives. We had an Upper Room experience.
I believe that what happened last night was a good foundation for what the Lord is wanting to do in our midst. In the twilight hours of last year, the Lord spoke to my heart and challenged me to take this first month of the new year and lay a really strong foundation in prayer before going out into the streets to do outreach and evangelism. However, just because we had an “upper room” service or experience doesn’t guarantee that the fire’s going to keep burning. Our two Scriptures offer us a challenge today: “A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out.” (Leviticus 6:13). “Where there is no fuel, the fire goes out.” (Proverbs 26:20). Although the command in Leviticus was referring to a physical fire on the altar in the tabernacle, I believe that it has spiritual implications for us today. God desires that there would be a fire and a passion for Him burning in our hearts always. The Lord Jesus Christ said, “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.” (Revelation 3:15-16). However, the Bible also says that where there is no fuel, the fire will go out. What is the fuel we need to keep our spiritual flame burning brightly, so that we can be a light to our dark world, igniting our planet with the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Jesus gave us the key in Mark 3:14-15:
“Then (Jesus) appointed twelve, that they might be with Him, and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons.” Before Jesus sent His disciples out to impact their world, He called them to be with Him. When we spend time with Jesus, we will get ignited with the fire of the Holy Spirit. Spending time with Jesus in regular, daily prayer is the foundation! Is this not what happened with Jesus’ disciples in Acts 4:13? “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.” Like Moses, who spent 40 days on the mountain in the presence of God, and came down with his face glowing, so too will we get set on fire when we spend time in the presence of our God, who is a consuming fire!
Suggested Bible Reading for Today: Acts 3-4
- Pastor Chris Jordan
http://www.beausejourchurch.ca/
[This series of devotionals was written in January of 2003, while I was the youth pastor at Bible Fellowship Church. This was during a season where we saw a mighty move of God in our midst.]
“A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out.” (Leviticus 6:13).
“Where there is no fuel, the fire goes out.” (Proverbs 26:20).
Last night, we had our first youth worship service of the new year, and introduced our new name, Firestorm, and our new mission: to take the planet by storm with the fire of the Holy Spirit. I read Isaiah 66:15 to our youth, “For behold, the Lord will come with fire and chariots, like a whirlwind.” One of our grade eleven students, Angie Hunt, got up and shared a Scripture from Matthew 4:17, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” She said, in essence, that repentance precedes revival, that before God will move in our midst, we must change our hearts, and change our actions. It was awesome. Like the disciples of Jesus on the day of Pentecost, we all gathered together in prayer, seeking the Lord for a fresh baptism of the Holy Spirit and an outpouring of the Refiner’s fire in our lives. Young people were gathered together at the front of the room, crying out to God in prayer to be filled with the Holy Spirit, for boldness to be witnesses for Him, and for a manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit in their lives. We had an Upper Room experience.
I believe that what happened last night was a good foundation for what the Lord is wanting to do in our midst. In the twilight hours of last year, the Lord spoke to my heart and challenged me to take this first month of the new year and lay a really strong foundation in prayer before going out into the streets to do outreach and evangelism. However, just because we had an “upper room” service or experience doesn’t guarantee that the fire’s going to keep burning. Our two Scriptures offer us a challenge today: “A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out.” (Leviticus 6:13). “Where there is no fuel, the fire goes out.” (Proverbs 26:20). Although the command in Leviticus was referring to a physical fire on the altar in the tabernacle, I believe that it has spiritual implications for us today. God desires that there would be a fire and a passion for Him burning in our hearts always. The Lord Jesus Christ said, “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.” (Revelation 3:15-16). However, the Bible also says that where there is no fuel, the fire will go out. What is the fuel we need to keep our spiritual flame burning brightly, so that we can be a light to our dark world, igniting our planet with the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Jesus gave us the key in Mark 3:14-15:
“Then (Jesus) appointed twelve, that they might be with Him, and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons.” Before Jesus sent His disciples out to impact their world, He called them to be with Him. When we spend time with Jesus, we will get ignited with the fire of the Holy Spirit. Spending time with Jesus in regular, daily prayer is the foundation! Is this not what happened with Jesus’ disciples in Acts 4:13? “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.” Like Moses, who spent 40 days on the mountain in the presence of God, and came down with his face glowing, so too will we get set on fire when we spend time in the presence of our God, who is a consuming fire!
Suggested Bible Reading for Today: Acts 3-4
- Pastor Chris Jordan
http://www.beausejourchurch.ca/
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Firestorm #1: Get Ignited
Firestorm #1: Get Ignited:
[This series of devotionals was written in January of 2003, while I was the youth pastor at Bible Fellowship Church in Surrey, BC. This was during a season where we saw a mighty move of God in our midst. I thought it would be fitting to publish this 12 part series of devotionals as we're getting ready to start going through the Book of Acts at our church on Sunday mornings. We are starting a new series this weekend called, "Supernatural: Contending for Signs and Wonders Today" that will run all summer long - a study in the Book of Acts. Enjoy!]
"On the Day of Pentecost, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." (Acts 2:1-4).
It’s time to get out of the boat. For too long we’ve been content to sit around and have a good time at youth group, playing and praying together. The time has come for us to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ into our world, where people are lost and dying and going to hell because they don’t know the Good News about God’s love! As we’re heading into 2003, we have changed the name of our youth group to Firestorm. What is a Firestorm? It is a fire of great size and intensity that generates and is fed by strong winds from all sides. This new name signifies the new mission that the Lord has given us for this new year: Taking the Planet by Storm with the Fire of the Holy Spirit. But before we can hope to ignite our planet, we need to head to the Upper Room first!
Just before Jesus ascended to Heaven, He had gathered His disciples together and, “He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, which, He said, you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” (Acts 1:4-5) Here we see the divine pattern for effectiveness in ministry. Is this not what Jesus did when He first called the disciples? “Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons.” (Mark 3:14-15).
1. GET IGNITED - IN THE UPPER ROOM:
If we want to take the planet by storm with the fire of the Holy Spirit, we first need to GET the fire of the Holy Spirit. This happens in the Upper Room—the place of PRAYER. What do you think Jesus’ disciples were doing in the Upper Room while they were waiting for the promise of the Holy Spirit? “And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room…These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication.” (Acts 1:13-14).
Notice too that the Bible says it was while the disciples were praying together that they heard the sound of a rushing wind, and saw the tongues of fire, as the Holy Spirit fell on them. If we want to have the fire of the Holy Spirit that will empower us to take our planet by storm, the foundation has to be prayer. We need to get ignited with a passion for the living Christ. We need to get so consumed with a passion for the Lord’s presence and His Word that we become like Jeremiah, who said, “His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones.” (Jeremiah 20:9). Lord, set us on fire with a passion for your presence and your Word!
2. TAKE THE PLANET BY STORM:
After we’ve gotten alone in our prayer closets until we’re not alone anymore, and waited on the Lord until our strength has been renewed, it’s time to get up and go. Jesus told His disciples to come and be with Him, then go to the world, to preach the Gospel, heal the sick, and cast out devils. On the day of Pentecost, the disciples weren’t content to just sit around and have a nice little church service. No. The Bible says that, when this first firestorm occurred, “when this sound occurred, the multitude came together.” (Acts 2:6). The Holy Spirit sent the disciples out into the streets to impact their community with the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It’s time to let the Lord send us out into our world with the Spirit’s power. Jesus said, “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8). Let’s get ignited, and ignite our planet.
Suggested Bible Reading for Today: Acts 1-2
- Pastor Chris Jordan
http://www.beausejourchurch.ca/
[This series of devotionals was written in January of 2003, while I was the youth pastor at Bible Fellowship Church in Surrey, BC. This was during a season where we saw a mighty move of God in our midst. I thought it would be fitting to publish this 12 part series of devotionals as we're getting ready to start going through the Book of Acts at our church on Sunday mornings. We are starting a new series this weekend called, "Supernatural: Contending for Signs and Wonders Today" that will run all summer long - a study in the Book of Acts. Enjoy!]
"On the Day of Pentecost, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." (Acts 2:1-4).
It’s time to get out of the boat. For too long we’ve been content to sit around and have a good time at youth group, playing and praying together. The time has come for us to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ into our world, where people are lost and dying and going to hell because they don’t know the Good News about God’s love! As we’re heading into 2003, we have changed the name of our youth group to Firestorm. What is a Firestorm? It is a fire of great size and intensity that generates and is fed by strong winds from all sides. This new name signifies the new mission that the Lord has given us for this new year: Taking the Planet by Storm with the Fire of the Holy Spirit. But before we can hope to ignite our planet, we need to head to the Upper Room first!
Just before Jesus ascended to Heaven, He had gathered His disciples together and, “He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, which, He said, you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” (Acts 1:4-5) Here we see the divine pattern for effectiveness in ministry. Is this not what Jesus did when He first called the disciples? “Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons.” (Mark 3:14-15).
1. GET IGNITED - IN THE UPPER ROOM:
If we want to take the planet by storm with the fire of the Holy Spirit, we first need to GET the fire of the Holy Spirit. This happens in the Upper Room—the place of PRAYER. What do you think Jesus’ disciples were doing in the Upper Room while they were waiting for the promise of the Holy Spirit? “And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room…These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication.” (Acts 1:13-14).
Notice too that the Bible says it was while the disciples were praying together that they heard the sound of a rushing wind, and saw the tongues of fire, as the Holy Spirit fell on them. If we want to have the fire of the Holy Spirit that will empower us to take our planet by storm, the foundation has to be prayer. We need to get ignited with a passion for the living Christ. We need to get so consumed with a passion for the Lord’s presence and His Word that we become like Jeremiah, who said, “His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones.” (Jeremiah 20:9). Lord, set us on fire with a passion for your presence and your Word!
2. TAKE THE PLANET BY STORM:
After we’ve gotten alone in our prayer closets until we’re not alone anymore, and waited on the Lord until our strength has been renewed, it’s time to get up and go. Jesus told His disciples to come and be with Him, then go to the world, to preach the Gospel, heal the sick, and cast out devils. On the day of Pentecost, the disciples weren’t content to just sit around and have a nice little church service. No. The Bible says that, when this first firestorm occurred, “when this sound occurred, the multitude came together.” (Acts 2:6). The Holy Spirit sent the disciples out into the streets to impact their community with the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It’s time to let the Lord send us out into our world with the Spirit’s power. Jesus said, “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8). Let’s get ignited, and ignite our planet.
Suggested Bible Reading for Today: Acts 1-2
- Pastor Chris Jordan
http://www.beausejourchurch.ca/
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Daily Connections with God - July Devotionals
Dear friends,
Now you can download a whole month of devotionals at a time, to print out &/or share with your friends. Just click HERE to download the devotional booklet for the month of July. Some of these have already been posted on The Word of the Day Blog, others are new. Enjoy!
http://player.sermoncentral.com/c/chrisjordan/pdf/2185060_3793.pdf
Pastor Chris Jordan
www.beausejourchurch.ca
Now you can download a whole month of devotionals at a time, to print out &/or share with your friends. Just click HERE to download the devotional booklet for the month of July. Some of these have already been posted on The Word of the Day Blog, others are new. Enjoy!
http://player.sermoncentral.com/c/chrisjordan/pdf/2185060_3793.pdf
Pastor Chris Jordan
www.beausejourchurch.ca
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