Rekindle the Fire

Not too long after I accepted Christ I met the pastor of a local Christian fellowship. He invited me to his church and not long afterward I became a member. Naive as to what being a Christian was all about I didn't know what I was about to get myself into. Right from the start they put me to work. They enrolled me in the Singles Ministry and the Men's Ministry. And were always looking for me to "volunteer" for any other group that came along. Before long it seemed like Church had become, like a friend of mine once quipped, "another job." It seemed like every spare moment was to be occupied with something surrounding church. Eventually, I got warn out because of that, and other teaching issues I had with them, and decided to leave the church. That is why I can sympathize with my Christian brethren when they say things like:

"Hey guys for awhile I was absolutely on fire for God. It was like me and him were best friends. Now all of a sudden I feel more distant then ever to him. It was like before I knew that I was saved and I was gonna be in the presence of God forever, but now I seem more to second guess myself. So does anyone have any advice on how can I rekindle that fire for God?. Thanks."

Most of us can remember how we were "on fire for God" when we first got saved. I can still remember all, but shoving Jesus Christ down the throats of friends and family in my zest to share what little I knew of the Gospel with them. It is human nature to want to please others and it is no different then when we come to the Lord. What child doesn't want to make their Father proud of them? The only problem is that for most Christians we are told what we need to do for God rather than being instructed on what God, in Christ, has already done for us.

"It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience. Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later he spoke through David, as was said before: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts."For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience." Hebrews 4:6-11

God is already pleased with us because of our faith in Christ. However, most Christians are told that in order to please God they have to get busy for Him by trying to show Him just how great a Christian they can be. This is the first step on a long, frustrating and burdensome journey. Our initial enthusiasm, which we call being "on fire for God," is the perfect fuel for this well-intentioned, but misguided quest. Like your first day on the job you are eager to get instruction on what you need to do in order to be successful. And each fellowship is more than willing to hand you the list. We are all familiar with terms like the "first act of obedience." This usually means that you have to get water baptised (which isn't a requirement of salvation). Although, it is never identified as such, the "second act of obedience" is to tithe (although Christians are not commanded to tithe) so you can start supporting the church you belong to. With all do respect, this is like a warden taking a collection from the inmates; effectively paying him to keep them incarcerated. Each subsequent "act of obedience" is determined by the respective denomination you enroll in. Thankfully, God is patient with us like any good parent is with their children.

As you progress through your walk you will soon realize that as time passes the requirements to be a "successful" Christian get increasingly more difficult and never ending. The demands on our time, treasure and talent soon become unbearable. Besides our constant involvement in church activity comes the impossible task of trying to reach sinless perfection. This is enough to bury even the most determined individual or, at the very least, leads them to a lifetime of silent suffering as they mask from others the futility and disillusionment they are experiencing. Christian author, Bob George, in his book "Classic Christianity" summed it up this way. "Is this then, what Jesus had in mind when He talked of an "abundant life"? No! But if people have never experienced anything different, they will accept their predicament as normal. They will assume "that's just the way it is. I have got great news. The Christian life really isn't a matter of perfecting your acting ability. It can be real!"

The only way for the Christian life to be real to you is to realize that you can't live it. Best of all is the fact that God doesn't expect you to. If you think about it, if we could live the Christian life than what was the purpose of Christ's coming? Because of the sinless life of Christ, His death, burial and resurrection, we have received a glorious and eternal inheritance. The moment we accepted Christ by faith we received total forgiveness, total sanctification, total acceptance, Christ's righteousness, total justification, total love, eternal life and were made at peace with God. In other words, as scripture says, we have received everything we need for life and godliness and have been blessed with every spiritual blessing. Is this not what your average Christian is striving so hard to receive from God through their efforts? In reality, when we try to receive from God what He has already given to us, as a gift for our faith in Christ, we are being disobedient and are guilty of failing to enter His rest. If you are no longer "on fire for God," chances are that you will not be able to rekindle that fire until you rest from your own work and allow the Lord to live His life through you.