Spicy and Hot
Acts 3:19 American
Standard Version
Repent ye
therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that so there may
come seasons of refreshing from the presence of the Lord;
A funny thing
happened the other night. I like General
Tso’s chicken, which is labeled “spicy and hot,” but usually is neither spicy nor
hot. I picked up a package at the store
in the frozen food section and brought it home.
After it heated up in the oven, I put it in a bowl and poured the sauce
over it. Sitting at the table, I stabbed
the first piece with my fork and bit into it.
The box, which read “spicy and hot,” was not lying. It was the spiciest and hottest General Tso’s
chicken I have ever eaten. After being
promised “spicy and hot” so often and only getting bland, it was a shock to
actually get “spicy and hot.” And it
tasted so good; I ate every bite of it in spite of the burning pain in my mouth.
OK, nice story,
but so what? Well, one thing I’ve heard
dozens of times in church is people praying for revival and pastors preaching
for revival. And I’ve attended a few
revival services over the years, too. All
of these are labeled, in church-y speak, “spicy and hot.” And what I’ve experienced has been
bland. In fact, most of the church I’ve
experienced in my life has been, frankly, bland.
When I read Paul’s
epistles, I don’t see bland. He lived
and preached and taught a “spicy and hot” Christian experience. Romans
12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren,
by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
Paul preaches a radical life that’s out-of-step with the
world. He pleads with us to draw closer
to God, to focus on His Word, to forget all else and serve God with our whole
being, and know that we can only live fulfilling lives when we live for Christ. Nowhere in his many writings do I see him say
it’s okay to live a bland Christian life.
Nowhere in his many writings do I see him call us to mediocrity. He calls us to be different – to be
radical.
If you’re happy
with a boring Christian experience, don’t read Paul’s epistles. If you’re happy with going nowhere and doing
nothing, don’t read Paul’s epistles. He’ll
try to appeal to you to step out of boring and bland spiritual life and into a Christianity
that’s more exciting and fulfilling.
I’ll warn you,
though. Revival will upset your
life. Revival will upset your church. Revival will cause you to lose friends. John Kilpatrick, formerly of the Brownsville,
FL. church that saw revival in the 90’s, wrote that revival rocked his life and
his world and his ministry, and also affected him some ways he never thought
about. His church lost parishioners,
some big supporters in the church. The
church’s electric bill and water bill soared and they kept running out of soap,
paper towels and toilet paper. There
were problems with the city police about streets being blocked and cars parked
everywhere.
But also there
were lives changed forever. Souls came
to Christ by the hundreds. Christians
visiting went back home re-energized.
Revival is “spicy and hot” and will change your life.
Before you ask
God to revive you, be sure you’re ready to experience revival. Before you preach about revival in your
church, be sure you want revival in your church. When you pray about revival, God may just
grant your prayer and give you what you ask.
You’re used to picking out bland food from His Word, are you ready for
something “spicy and hot?” It will burn
you and shock you and yet you’ll find you like it and want more of it. I find the more I read God’s Word, the more I
want from it. The more I pray and wait
in His Presence, the more I want to just stay there. Being in God’s Presence frightens me, and makes
me feel every failure, but also calls to me and makes me want more.
Revive us, O
Lord.
Stephen Cram October 21, 2012 Colossians 2:8
Beware lest anyone cheat you through
philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to
the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. Colossians
2:8
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