Consecration - moving from spectator to fully engaged….
I believe that the Lord is calling to his people. I believe that He is speaking throughout the world, our nation and to us at Lamb of God. We would be foolish to not see that ministries like International House of Prayer, the Call, The Luke 18 Project, and Paradise are clear indications that God is moving across the nation calling us to prepare ourselves for a visitation of the Holy Spirit.
It wasn’t that long ago that none of these large national ministries devoted to prayer, fasting and sustained intercession did not exist. The Lord has stirred, first behind the scenes, wooing his people to come to Him and to seek his face. David Bryant, and others like him have been at it for decades. However, recently the intensity and breathe of this has increased. God is on the move.
Sunday (Dec. 9th) I spoke about the relationship between the pursuit of spiritual gifts and consecration. I used a very familiar passage, Romans 12 as the basis of this message. I urge you to meditate on this scripture: (1) And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. (2) Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (3)Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.
Consecration - the dictionary defines it this way: to devote or dedicate to some purpose. Scripture sees it as necessary to fully engage the things of God. The New Living Translation of Romans 12:1 reads like this - I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. Notice the intensity of the language. Paul, the great pastor and apostle, pleading with the believers in Rome: Give your whole self to the Lord, let your life be as a living sacrifice to the Lord. Conscious, fully aware, taking into account what it means to be devoted to the Lord - it is to this the Lord is calling His people. What makes it different today? Isn’t God always after this?
The answer is yes He is always desiring to have His people be fully devoted to Him. However, OPEN YOUR EYES AND YOUR HEART, because He is clearly doing something right now, here in the U.S. that is unique. All of the ministries which are national in scope (Paradise, The Call,etc) are new developments and I believe indicative that God is moving NOW to do something NEW for the sake of His Son Jesus. Remember the parable of the wise and foolish virgins. The five foolish virgins were foolish because they were not prepared to receive the bridegroom. They were unprepared for the delay, and when the word came that He was coming they missed it because of the lack of preparation.
What is the preparation which makes us ready? It is precisely what Romans 12:1-3 states. We offer ourselves to the Lord, we pray, fast and watch. We carefully consider how God is calling us to disengage worldliness. We make a sober estimate of ourselves. Beloved - Ask yourself the question: Am I fully engaging the Lord? Am I listening to what He is saying to me? Am I seeking to be obedient? Is my consecration reflected in giving, serving others, prayer, fasting, and a humble tender heart toward God?
I believe that God is saying to Lamb - I have called this church to be a forerunner church. That means, as I understand it, that for our area we are called to be a band of intercessors who faithfully pray and believe for this entire region. So far we have assembled a small band of intercessors who have learned to be faithful in nearly two years of regular intercession. But it is small. I am very grateful for those who have week after week given themselves to pray together for the sake of Lamb, the churches in this region and for the Lord to pour out His Holy Spirit. But I know we have not yet broken through to where I believe God is calling us. The Cry for Awakening is an example of the “not quite yet” quality of where we are at right now. We have (at least in name) over 10 different churches involved in the Cry for Awakening. That should translate into hundreds of people gathering each month to prayer for revival. The truth: only a small number (but growing) find that they have the time to come out and pray one time a month. I believe that we should be busting at the seams, however we have not yet seen the response that we long for.
In terms of our own prayer meetings. We have a faithful remnant. Those folks rarely miss being at one of the five weekly prayer meetings. But the majority of our congregation rarely come to any of the weekly prayer gatherings. I believe that God wants to change this. Let me say numbers are not the guarantee of sucessful prayer meetings, faithful believing hearts are the only necessary human ingredient. Yet, shouldn’t a church full of “faithful, believing hearts” be reflected in passion for corporate prayer? Isn’t it a reasonable thing to expect a church which is genuinely stirred by the Holy Spirit to respond more intentionally with regards to prayer?
I am not a legalist. I really try to walk and talk in a way that avoids manipulating people. I don’t believe that cajoling is an acceptable means of pastoral care. However, I do believe it is fair to ask the questions. I ask them of my own household. May God stir your heart to consecration.