Website: https://cityharvestag.com/
Podcast : https://city-harvest-sermons.simplecast.com/episodes/consider-your-ways
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CityHarvestA...
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cityharvestag/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CityHarvestAGChurch/featured
INTRODUCTION
Once there was a village atheist, a man who never believed in God. He was not interested in church and he was the only one known atheist in the area. There was only one church in that village. It was a cold and dead church, just a social club, with no decisions being made, no growth, just a church for the name sake. One day the church building caught on fire, and the whole town ran toward church to help extinguish the flames…including the village atheist!
Someone saw the atheist running toward the church and shouted out: “Hey, this is something new for you, the first time we’ve ever seen you running to church!” He replied, “This is the first time I’ve ever seen the church on fire!”
My desire is that our church will be a church on fire for Jesus Christ, not the literal fire but the fire of the Holy Spirit. Over the last week of fasting and prayer we could see people come and pray and the presence of God move in our church. My desire is that Bangalore city will see City Harvest burning and will come here for a revival.
This morning we are going to see the characteristics of people and church that is on fire of the Holy Spirit.
It is very easy for people to lose the fire of God. Our fire is usually lost when we start concentrating on us, our problems, our needs rather than looking onto God. Then going to church becomes a thing of convenience. People come late, are not bothered about church other than Sunday, no attendance for fasting, not going to cell, it all becomes the thing of the past. Believers lose their enthusiasm for God.
In the Bible such people are called lukewarm believers; they are neither hot nor cold. When this happens the worship leader and the choir just go through the songs, people sing for the sake of singing. The Sunday school teachers, ushers, leaders lose the fire and just go through the motion on a Sunday morning. Have you gone to some churches like that? Unfortunately they push God outside but everything so called ‘godly’ is happening inside.
If any one of us has got into such a habit where our zeal is gone and faith in Jesus Christ is just coming on a Sunday morning I have a warning from God for you. Let’s turn to Revelation 3:15-17 15 I know your deeds that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold, I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.
Jesus is calling the believers who have lost their enthusiasm as lukewarm. Dictionary says lukewarm is lack of feeling or enthusiasm. Some Christians have become like this – they have lost their enthusiasm for God. They come to worship and go back; the presence of God does not matter to them.
This attitude is very dangerous. See what Jesus says to this church, ‘I am about to spit you out of my mouth.’ How does lukewarm water taste to you? If you mix freezing ice water and boiling hot water and drink you feel nauseous and spit them out. This is the same feeling for God towards believers who have lost their enthusiasm. Jesus is telling if we are not enthusiastic about Him, it makes him nauseas and He will spit us out of His mouth.
Lukewarm believers were once zealous for God. Now they have good salaries, they have got new spouses, good businesses; all which God gave. Now they have forgotten God, no time for God, and are running after their own affairs and they feel they are rich. Revelation 3:17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.
If you have lost your zeal for God, you are poor in the sight of God and the fire of God is out of your life. Where is your fire? Where is your zeal? Where is your first love?
In Genesis 22 God told Abraham to take his son, Isaac to the mountains to become a human sacrifice. They arrived at the location, and Isaac still did not realize that he was going to be the sacrifice. Isaac knew there had to be 3 things to have a sacrifice: wood, fire, and a lamb.
Genesis 22:7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” “Yes my son?” Abraham replied. “The fire and the wood are here.” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” In Abraham’s life there was the fire and the wood but there was no lamb, and God provided the lamb.
Now if we look at most Christians around us, we can invert the question and ask, “We have the wood – the cross of Calvary, we have the Lamb – Jesus Christ the Lamb of God, but where’s the fire?” Where is the Holy Ghost? Where is the zeal? It is missing.
Ask one another, “Are you on fire?” We need the fire back.
What are the characteristics of a church or people on fire for God? Let us go to Acts to see an example of an on-fire people and church.
CHURCH ON FIRE
Acts 4:31-33 31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the Word of God boldly. 32 All the believers were one in mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all.
1. Prayer.
A church that is on fire is a praying church. A believer that is on fire is a believer that prays.Prayer needs to be the continuous aspect of the church and God’s people. Prayer brings the fire.
The NT church and people always prayed.
Acts 1:14 They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women.
Acts 2:42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
Acts 4:31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken.
Acts 7:59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed.
Acts 12:5 So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.
Acts 12:12 When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying.
Acts 16:25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God.
The NT church prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed. What happened when they prayed? It brought deliverance, joy, fellowship, unity, and most importantly prayer brings fire.
Acts 2:1-4 1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Illustration: Charles Finney, great revivalist of the 1700s, told about a church in a certain town…a church where the fire had totally gone out…no one saved, and even worse, no one cared, no zeal, no enthusiasm. The pastor too did not care for this situation.
But there was a blacksmith who stammered and it was painful to hear him speak. He had a heart for God, and wanted revival fire again. He was so burdened for the fire, that one day, he closed the doors of his shop, and went home and prayed the rest of the day. The next day he approached the pastor. “I’ve been praying for a revival, for God to rekindle the flames around here. Can we schedule some kind of a meeting, some kind of a revival?”
The pastor agreed, with a warning that no one will come. They had the meeting and to the pastor’s surprise, the building was full! He stood up to preach as always, but he felt very different. The power of God was so strong in that place that everyone could feel it. Dozens of people were saved that week…the fire was reignited. Why?
It wasn’t methods or programs, activities or organizations. It was because somebody prayed.
Where people pray God sends the fire.
2. A church on fire is endued/filled with power.
You can see the fire of the Holy Spirit the way a church worships; the worship leader’s attitude to worship and the pastor’s attitude to preach.
First of all when a church is on fire, it is the pastor and the leaders who have to be on fire first. Acts 4:8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit said to them.
Then the people have to be on fire. Acts 4:31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the Word of God boldly.
We cannot depend upon man-made excitement to get the power of God. For many of us our worship stops when the drums and the keyboard stop. None of these things can substitute for the power of the Holy Spirit upon a church.
What happens when a pastor and people are praying and endued with power?
a. Souls will be saved. At least 8,000 people in Jerusalem were saved by now.
b. Inspiring worship. Worship services will be inspiring, the music will be uplifting.
Choir you want life in our praise and worship? Be filled with the spirit! We can have the best musicians and the best equipments but until you pray and are filled with the power of the Holy Ghost it will just be a Sunday band or a Sunday musical morning.
c. Missions. Church will get involved in missions. A revived church will never collect money aggressively, but the church will give money for missions and missionaries.
Acts 13:2-3 2 While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.
3. Oneness in church.
A church on fire has unity in it. All become one
Acts 4:24 When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God.
Acts 4:32 All the believers were in one heart and mind.
Listen, City Harvest is on fire for God! We have a common goal we’re looking for, and we all must join hands in equality and unity.
There is no magnifying oneself. There is no preferential treatment for anyone’s social status or economic status or spiritual status. We are all one and only God is recognized here.
That does not mean that our importance is minimized. When there is no special consideration or when there are so many people active in the church some try to minimize their importance. They say it doesn’t matter if I’m there or not. Don’t minimize your importance to this body of Christ. There is something for all to do! Just be faithful in what you are doing and what you still can do at City Harvest.
4. Evangelism.
When a church is in fire evangelism is the priority
Many of you are excellent in evangelism. It’s very evident that you are bringing people to church, you are witnessing on your job, neighborhood and everything. It is God who gives the growth through your contacts. This is exactly what happens when a church is on fire – it is all about evangelism and growth.
R.G. Lee, “God never intended for the church to be a refrigerator in which to preserve perishable piety…He intended it to be an incubator in which to hatch our converts.”
City Harvest is to be open for sinners to come and repent for that we need to be on fire for God. This year is ending, let us take a decision to talk about God and your church to 5 families and invite them to church, follow-up with them and make them rooted in the church.
How is our condition today? Are we zealous for God or have we lost our first love?
I want to conclude by going back to the lukewarm church that we started, the church at Laodica in Revelation 3.
Jesus is telling them that physically and financially God has blessed them and they have accumulated wealth but spiritually God sees them as poor. Is it not the same with many of us? God has blessed us so much but spiritually we are becoming poor, wretched, blind, and naked. In other words we have become lukewarm, no zeal, no enthusiasm. See what Jesus is telling to the spiritually poor people: Revelation 4:18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
God is telling them that they are indeed poor. How can a poor man buy gold, clothes, and salve for eyes? How can you buy gold when you are broke? Spiritually they are broke, then how can they buy? I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire. When the fire comes spiritually you become rich and everything else will automatically come. Have the fire in you.
How to have the fire? Revelation 4:20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
We feel this verse can be applied to an unbeliever to open his heart for the Lord, but that is not its purpose here. It is addressed to lukewarm Christians who have lost the fire. It is addressed to churchgoers who have lost their enthusiasm for God.
So how do we have the fire? Pray. Verse 20 shows prayer. I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. God is telling if you pray, He will come in and have fellowship and communion with you. He will rekindle the fire in you.
Illustration: One day while on vacation D.L. Moody visited a large but dead church in London. The pastor prevailed upon him to preach there in all services…he didn’t want to, but agreed to anyway. He preached, and later said that they were so unresponsive, it was all he could do to get through the morning message.
Then it occurred to him that he’d have to endure the same thing that night, when he’s supposed to be on vacation. He dreaded it all afternoon! But behind the scenes, something was going on. An elderly woman that morning went home to her invalid sister, and told her about Moody being there. Her eyes lit up, for she had been praying that God would send Moody to England. “Put lunch away, we’ll spend the rest of the afternoon in prayer and fasting,” she said. And they did.
Moody said he stood up that night before the people, and he could tell something was different. It was alive with the electricity of the power of God…you could feel it in the air.
He preached and gave the invitation to rise if they wanted to be saved and restored, 500 stood to their feet. Shocked, he thought maybe they had misunderstood. “Be seated,” he said. Now, I’m saying, stand up if… (He repeated in more detail) 500 again stood. It was the beginning of what became one of the greatest revivals that ever swept England. Why? Because 2 old ladies, one of them bed-ridden paid the price in prayer and God sent his power.
When many of the city churches are losing its flame, it is my desire that City Harvest will be a church on fire, and everyone who walks into this place will be set on fire by the Holy Ghost. Amen!
For more sermons visit our:
Website: https://cityharvestag.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CityHarvestA...
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cityharvestag/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CityHarvestAGChurch/featured
