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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

THE TITLE FOR TODAY’S EPISODE:  FIRE ON THE ALTAR

Across all denominational boundaries almost all would agree that we need to see revival. We often think of revival as a meeting set up weeks in advance. There is a preacher from another church to bring the word. But if he doesn’t bring the fire, no one will come to know Jesus. If the people have not prepared the altar, there will be no fire.

Mirriam Webster online defines revival as: the restoration, re-connection or to bring back to life something that has declined faded or died.

The word revive means – an improvement in the condition or strength.

If we allow God to revive us, we will gain strength and improve in condition, we will re-connect with him. It is easy to let life get in the way of our relationship with God. Revival can restore our faith walk.

A congregation can have church services every night for a year and call it revival, but it will accomplish nothing until the saint are re-kindled with God’s holy fire. Until they pray the fire down.

Which brings me to my next point. The story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal.  A large portion of these people were God’s people who had turned aside to serve baal. We too at times allow things to creep into our lives. Often ours is more subtle than turning to worship a false little “g” god.

Elijah was tired of watching God’s people chase after the false god. He put forth a challenge and said, we will set up an altar and worship. Which ever God answers by fire, let him be God.

For times sake I am starting at verse 30, I suggest you read the whole chapter and think about how amazing that God answers by fire. We pick up with where the prophets of baal had spent all day crying, cutting themselves with knives and nothing happened.

I KGS 18:30-38 And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down. 31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the Lord came, saying, Israel shall be thy name: 32 And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed. 33 And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.  34 And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time.  35 And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.  36 And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. 37 Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. 38 Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.

Notice the sacrifice that was on the altar to baal was not the sacrifice Elijah used.  He prepared his own sacrifice.  Just like we must put ourselves on the altar and rededicate and re-surrender. We need to become broken before him and allow him to send down the fire to consume our sacrifice.

He asked the people to pour not four, not eight barrels but twelve barrels of water on the altar, the sacrifice and the area around the altar. Think about what a sacrifice it was to use the water, there was a famine and drought in the land. But they still offered it to God.

Notice Elijah didn’t use the altar of the enemy and try to pray to God. He repaired the altar before adding the sacrifice and water. He didn’t have to cry and cut himself with a knife, like the prophets of baal.  He just said a simple prayer and all off the sudden there came a fire from heaven. God not only answered by fire, he consumed the sacrifice, the wood, stones, dust and all the water.

True revival will come when we see God’s fire. But first we have to repair the altar.  It is not just a place for sinners to repent. The altar is a place to make changes in our lives through sacrificing what our flesh wants to do and spend time crying out to God for real change. Some churches have made a mockery of the altar.

What if Elijah’s sacrifice was like we are, as soon as the prayer gets serious our flesh wants to get up and call it a day. But in bible times the sacrifice was tied to the altar.  What if our desire for God kept us tied to the altar until we were saturated with is presence? We must pour out everything before God. Re-connect to him in a deeper way.

There is no shame in needing renewal. Everyone needs to be refreshed (with the washing of the word), refilled with God’s spirit so we can pour him out to others. We need renewed so that we have fresh bread and not the same stale message for those who are lost.

If there was ever a time in history that needed God more than now, I do not know when it was. The only way people are going to be drawn away from the bone chilling coldness of this world is for the church to get on fire. It can only do that, if we sacrifice time to pray for the fire to fall once again. 

As spring begins and people start to plan revivals in their churches, I pray each one prays for lost souls to come to know God. And that there will once again be fire on the altar.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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