Worship

“Fresh Fire” by Maverick City Music, featuring Brandon Lake and Naomi Raine

Scripture

“As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the Lord on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord , saying, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.” And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord , because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord ’s house. Then the king and all the people offered sacrifice before the Lord.” -2 Chronicles 7:1-4, ESV

The Response of Worship

When the Lord began to really stir up a hunger in me for the Holy Spirit, this was one Scripture that my heart took to. I longed for the fire of God to fall on me. In fact, all of a sudden, I had this insatiable love for the passages of Scripture about fire. It’s my heart’s cry to burn for Jesus all of my days.

David’s passion and Solomon’s obedience to build the temple resulted in God’s people encountering the glory of God. They went face down in worship and declared His love in their encounter. They could have worshiped Him for His holiness or majesty or power, but it was His love that consumed them. It was His love that propelled them to make sacrifices of extraordinary measure.

“King Solomon offered as a sacrifice 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated the house of God.” -2 Chronicles 7:5, ESV

“This is a staggering—almost grotesque—amount of sacrifice. Each animal was ritually sacrificed and a portion was dedicated to the LORD, and a portion given to the priests and the people. It was enough to feed a vast multitude for two weeks.” -David Guzik, 2 Chronicles 7 commentary

The people were not afraid of the power or judgment of God, normally associated with fire. Instead, they were compelled in God’s presence and glory to worship.

When the Lord comes to consume you, His love invades every place in your life, and the only response is surrender and worship.

“To obey is better than sacrifice. God is so worthy. He’s the One in charge. He is the One I love. He is the One I serve. And He is the One for whom I want to be a laid-down lover at His feet. Whatever would bring Him pleasure, that is what I want with my little life. I feel God has led me to be a laid-down lover and to pay whatever the price.” -Jennifer A. Miskov, “Fasting for Fire”

Biblical Teaching on Sacrifice

When Lizzy had graduated from high school early, she said, “Yes,” to the Lord to live in the bush in Uganda for several months. She would minister to the child soldiers with the staff from Village of Hope Uganda. As we were getting her packed and she and I were ready to head to Africa, there was an Ebola outbreak in that part of the world. It was gaining more airtime on the news as the virus was spreading into Uganda. Unwavering in her call, she was not backing down from what God was asking of her. But this mama was wide-eyed as I literally had to place my daughter on the altar before the Lord. She belonged to Him. Period. And for her, to truly live is to follow Christ, even if it cost her her very life. I left her in Uganda with a lot of tears but trusted that whatever the “sacrifice” would be, God was loving and He was still good. It was a training in faith and obedience and worship for both of us.

“Beloved friends, what should be our proper response to God’s marvelous mercies? To surrender yourselves to God to be his sacred, living sacrifices. And live in holiness, experiencing all that delights his heart. For this becomes your genuine expression of worship.” -Romans 12:1-2, ESV

The Finished Work of Christ

He never expected us to be a sacrifice without making the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf. Jesus withheld nothing, but gave Himself as the total payment for our holiness and forgiveness and salvation. So now, our sacrifices of faith and obedience to the Lord are not for the payment of righteousness but rather the deepest response of worship.

“Yet every day priests still serve, ritually offering the same sacrifices again and again—sacrifices that can never take away sin’s guilt. But when this Priest had offered the one supreme sacrifice for sin for all time he sat down on a throne at the right hand of God, waiting until all his whispering enemies are subdued and turn into his footstool. And by his one perfect sacrifice he made us perfectly holy and complete for all time!” -Hebrews 10:11-14, ESV

“God wants to flow through you with measureless power of divine utterance and grace till your whole body is a flame of fire. God intends each soul in Pentecost to be a live wire. Not a monument, but a movement. So many people have been baptized with the Holy Ghost; there was a movement but they have become monuments and you cannot move them. God wake us up out of sleep lest we should become indifferent to the glorious truth and the breath of the almighty power of God.” -Smith Wigglesworth

Prayer Request for Missions

Sisters, it’s time to crawl up on the altar and bring everything that you are with you. Don’t leave anything for safe keeping. You are the temple Jesus has filled by His Spirit. And the very glory of God and His presence on you is yours to carry. It’s time for the consummation of all things in our lives by His fire and His Spirit. It’s time to carry the fire of God to the streets. It’s time to carry the fire of God into our workplaces and intimate relationships. It’s time to bear witness to the work of Christ in our lives. These are not days we withhold ourselves in preservation, but rather we ask the Lord to consume us and pour out His fire and His glory on us.

Fire of God, come and rest on Your people. I pray for each one reading this word, that You would call them to crawl up on the altar so that You could consume us. Come and ignite such a depth of hunger and longing for You that nothing and no one would take Your rightful place. Prepare us now to carry the fires of revival in this hour. May others catch fire by merely being in our presence. Prepare the places ahead of us that our feet will walk and the trails we will blaze. May we burn for You, Jesus!

Please pray for my Arise team heading to the mountains of Latin America on Saturday. Pray that we would carry the glory of God into that region. Pray the Spirit stirs up hunger before we even arrive. Pray for the people to have dreams and visions. We will be in a region where no one wants to go to share with unreached people groups. Pray for the unity of our team and for many to encounter the love and power of Jesus!

Set me on fire, Jesus, for You and Your purposes!