Relighting The Fire Series

I can't count on one hand the number of revivals I have attended in my life time. I think they may take both hands to number. I can, however count on one hand how many revivals I have preached, as a mater of fact I can count on one finger...So Far.

But if there is one thing that I am passionate about it is the rekindling of that fire that you get when you first receive salvation and are baptized by the Holy Spirit.

Our nation is facing a crisis and from here we only see images on the nightly news. Some of us see it online but we know that for us in this community it has little affect. In some ways we are so well isolated that even the Pandemic had little impact on us. As we start moving around and our little town starts coming back to life we are still a little weary of those who might introduce the virus into our community. And we, with caution, follow the mandates of the health organizations we hope that we are not impacted by those that are careless.

You walk into Ridley's and there are markings on the floor which indicate new rules to follow, and in the Family dollar you see the same. Some are fancy some are not, but they all indicate a change that affects all of us. Some of us wear masks to protect us from spray, and that seams to be a new norm.

When I watch shows on TV about travel when ever you see Japan they always seem to be wearing masks. Maybe it's not such a bad Idea after all.

A side note here and a little humor, as a young child an ear injury made me very hard of hearing, and I learned to read lips when people would talk to me. Well now I am 71 and I realize that my hearing has gone down hill and I am back to reading lips when I can't hear you. My hearing seems to affect a range of tones and in those tones I can't make out the words. So imagine, if you will my dilemma when it comes to talking to people with masks on. I have gone so far as to find an app on my phone that will listen for me and print what it hears. So I can read what is being said. This comes in handy during the Sermons on Sunday. Speaking of sermons, I think I should get on with mine for tonight. If you have your Bibles Lets go to Matthew;

24:1 Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you ,not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

When you look at Jerusalem today there is no temple, because shortly after the death of Jesus the Romans tore it down as Jesus had predicted. But there was another reason God allowed this to happen Because the temple of God was no longer a building that required certain laws and rituals to be followed but the Temple has moved to the hearts of those who follow Christ the Son. Who gave his life to ransom everyone. Every one knows John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

My wife passed away from cancer in 2013 and her favorite saying was “I am a “whosoever”. And we used to sing a Hymn that said, “whosoever surely meanth me.”

John 3:16 is the Good News, this is the message that turned us from our sin and set us on the path to eternity with God the Father and Jesus the Son. This is the hope that gives us peace that is not understood by the rest of the world. This is the news that we are told to share, 2 Timothy 4:2

2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.

There is no time like the present that we as followers and servants of the most high God must step up to the plate and represent the truth. But, How do we do that if over the year we have lost that zeal that we had when we first realized we needed the saving Grace of God The Father through Jesus Christ blood on the cross.

Revelations 2:4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. (NKJV)