My notes from an incredible talk by Katia Adams at last week’s Wildfires Festival.
God is inviting us into something more radical.
Jesus didn’t say we’re called to be sugar. He said salt.
“You are the salt of the earth.” — Matthew 5:13 (NIVUK)
Not to make sense to an ungodly world. Human wisdom is not enough to solve its problems. Only the Spirit of God can solve the problems we face! Stop play-acting Christianity. She walked into a hotel and her child ran toward what looked like a huge fire but it was fake, a digital representation.
No more simulating fire and calling it church. God wants to bring wild fire that will run uncontrolled.
“The Holy Spirit has been made like a drunk uncle at a wedding: still technically invited, but stuck in the corner in case he embarrasses us.“
The Fire Starts with His Voice
Look at 1 Samuel 3.
“The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions.” — 1 Samuel 3:1
Notice – Samuel wasn’t ministering to the crowd. He was ministering before the Lord, in the presence of Eli. He was not ministering first to the people but to the Lord. That’s where it all starts finding His face, first.
God speaks to Samuel, and Eli, the high priest over the house of God – doesn’t even recognise it. His spiritual hearing is gone.
His sons? Worse. They thought they were amazing because they were on the platform. They took the best the people offered, took what was sacred and used it for themselves. They had no fear of the Lord.
Recover the Fear of the Lord
Fear of the Lord isn’t terror. It’s whose opinion matters most to you.
The Hebrew midwives feared God more than Pharaoh. That fear led them to disobey man in order to obey God.
Fear is an awareness of God above all else so you choose his way rather than anyone else!
Eli’s sons took themselves heavily and God lightly as they took from the offering, it’s interesting that Eli himself became heavy as he didn’t stop them.
What you fear, you will serve.
What you serve, will own you.
Eli and his sons lost the fear and feeling the Lord. They were surrounded by God’s presence and felt nothing.
How? How could that be?
Psalm 115:4–8 gives us a clue:
“Their idols are silver and gold, made by human hands. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see… Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.”
If you treat God like an idol – if we trust in idols instead – we lose our feeling and ability to respond to him. Idolatry numbs your spiritual senses. You and I are designed to encounter and experience God. Idols can’t speak or hear.
If there are idols in your heart – we need to smash the idols to experience God afresh.
Recovering Fascination
In 1 Samuel 3, God is audibly speaking, and Eli stays in bed.
Let that sink in.
God continues speaking, he’s still in bed! Is he so bored with God? How is that possible? What’s he doing in bed? I know God is omnipresent, but there are times when he’s gloriously manifest and if you’re hungry you will go to them.
If you’re hungry, you go to the place where the food is. You don’t wait for it to show up at your door. You move.
Only the hungry are willing to travel. Religious people who lack hunger stay where they are and say “If God wants to do it, he can do it here – where I am.”
If your Christian life is boring, you’re doing it wrong. It’s not about religious habits. It’s about holy hunger. The Holy Spirit wants to come with inconvenient fire!
We may be called to do things that look crazy – so we wish he’d picked someone else. Well if you want to be liked – sell ice cream.
Recovering Fruit
We are called to bear MUCH!
Jesus said:
“Apart from me you can do nothing.” — John 15:5
Success and fruit are not the same. Eternity will tell. We’re called to bear fruit that lasts. The branches of the vine were not used for making furniture or even fuel – only to bear fruit. That’s all it’s meant to do.
“This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” — John 15:8
Fruit in character. Fruit in miracles. Fruit in souls saved. Supernatural.
That means if you have the same love as a nice unbelieving friend, that’s not the fruit of the Spirit.
When we bear and carry peace that the world cannot give, your meditating neighbour should see it and want it.
People should see your joy and ask: “Where did you get that?”
That joy joy joy joy down in your heart? That’s seed, not fruit.
You don’t rely on your strengths — you relinquish them as you steward them as you waste time on Him. (What a crazy phrase!). The disciples waited in the upper room. And the Spirit came in power and thousands were saved in a day because it was worth the wait.
Recovering Fire
We think waiting is a waste of time. But it’s how we recover the fire.
Eli’s apathy and Samuel’s zeal are such a contrast. As you follow Samuel he’s consumed by the power of God and none if his words fall to the ground.
Whereas Eli just says, “He is the Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes.” — 1 Samuel 3:18
Sounds spiritual doesn’t it? But it’s really apathy.
Que sera sera.
He should have cried out for mercy – like Nineveh did when they heard the word of the Lord through Jonah.
Carry The Fire
We’re not here to describe what we haven’t demonstrated.
Not here to show people a picture of bread while they starve.
Not here to talk about revival without making room for it.
If the fire is inconvenient, uncomfortable, unpredictable – good. That means it’s real.