Ignition- Embracing the call
What is our ignitibility- are we flammable or flameproof?
Luke 9: 23
“If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”
It is important to emphasis- DAILY. It is always a NOW thing. If we desire to be flammable we must yield by denying ourselves and taking up our cross daily. Every situation we face, how we respond is critical.
“For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.”
Matthew 16: 24, 25
Embracing the Call
Embracing means to cherish, love take up gladly or readily.
Let us read the job description and what is expected of us. But let us also understand that as we embrace the call, the Holy Spirit is with us anointing us to fulfill all expectations. His law He now writes on our hearts and He works in us “both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2: 13).+
“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”
Romans 12: 1
“Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips that give thanks to His Name.”
Hebrews 13: 15
What Does it Mean to Embrace the Call?
Now put that verse in context-
‘So let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.”
Hebrews 13: 13, 14
Jesus is our Role Model. He would be spent all day ministering, healing, delivering and preaching. But despite all the demand made on Him, He knew He needed the strength and power that came only by the Spirit through a relationship with the Father.
If we go back to the first verses we see that prior to that Peter had just spoken the wonderful revelation that Jesus was the Christ. Then in the next breath blows it. The rebuke was that peter was not setting his mind on God’s interests. Then in chapter seventeen, Jesus takes Peter with Him up the mount where He was transfigured. Once again peter misses it but God was always good to him. The Lord’s corrections do not condemn you or kill the hope in you. Jesus was emphasizing to Peter the importance of hearing from Heaven.
“Jesus is equal to every occasion. He is waiting for an opportunity to bless. He is ready for every opportunity to deliver souls.” SW GW 29
“The Holy Ghost has to call you, qualify you. Jesus Christ has to send you forth.” MWE 962
“When the Spirit of God comes on you, you are not going to sit around idle and do nothing.” MWE 964
“They remembered that He had charged them: Don’t preach sermons or teach the people or do anything, but tarry at Jerusalem until ye be endued with power from on high. Glory to God! I want you to see that Christ wanted to select men and women to set up His Spiritual kingdom. He wanted to qualify them to establish the Holy-Ghost religion in the world. But after all they had seen and heard and after these five hundred had seen Jesus and were thoroughly convinced that He was the Son of God, even then there were only one hundred and twenty out of the five hundred (to say nothing about the rest) who really believed and were willing to ‘face the music’- to bear death or anything else- until God qualified and sent them out. “ MWE MWE 708
“God is calling out a people for a prepared place and preparing a people in the Church of the living God to finish the work.” MWE 710
“So now the Lord is calling us to eat the strong meat, calling the saints of God to get deeper in Him. They must be filled with the Holy Ghost and eat of the living bread. By continually eating we will never die spiritually. The time has come that we must have strong meat, and we must receive it or be left behind in the Great Tribulation that is coming.” MWE 710-711
So 500 saw Jesus (1 Cor 5: 6) but only 120 were willing to embrace the call, pay the price and fulfill the will of Heaven.
“Then a scribe came and said to Him, ‘Teacher I will follow You wherever You go.’ Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
Matthew 8: 19,20
The Gospel is “the word of truth,” not the word of happiness.
Reinhard Bonnke. Godly Gems . Christ for all Nations. Kindle Edition.
“Is this true? Yes, but at the same time, it is not true. He could have had a dozen beds. Then why did He not use them? For the simple reason that the people loved Jesus and wanted Him, yet they dared not have Him in their house.”SW GW 32
“If He would go to their homes, such convicting truths would fall from His lips that they could not stand in His presence. They wanted this holy, lovely Jesus, the beautiful Nazarene, and yet they did not want Him.” SW GW 32
“But some do not want Jesus to come into their homes, and it is not because they have such great faith. They do not want Him to come because of the change they would have to make in their lives.” SW GW 32
“The hardest place God sends you is just the place where He is going to give the greatest victory.” MWE 964
The Heart Motivation
“Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; ling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.”
Romans 12: 9-11
We are to love in truth and cherish one another. We are to have brotherly love.
“Yes, beloved, there is no love like His, no compassion like His. He is filled with compassion and never fails to take those who will fully obey Him into the Promised Land.” SW GW 43
‘We can talk until we are horse and they won’t be convinced, but the power of God convinces them.” MWE 970
‘Faith without prayer is worthless; and faith and prayer without love would be profitless.” MWE 971
“When perfect love or the Christ-like nature, controls one’s whole being, then prayer- the prayer of faith- will be spontaneous; for in this event, the Holy Spirit will breathe into the love-dominated being every prayer the Father wishes to answer and with the prayer will give faith also to receive an answer.” MWE 971
Spirit is the two foundation stones on which they are laid: unity and love. If the gifts of the Spirit are to function in any church body, these two elements must be present. LS
Sumrall, Lester. The Gifts and Ministries of the Holy Spirit (p. 27). Whitaker House. Kindle Edition.
The thirteenth chapter drives home the most important point of all: There must be love, pure love. Without it, the spiritual gifts cannot function. LS
Sumrall, Lester. The Gifts and Ministries of the Holy Spirit (p. 27). Whitaker House. Kindle Edition.
The goal of the New Testament church is to sweep the world with the power of God, but it cannot be done without love. Love is the key that unlocks the door to all God has for us today. LS
Sumrall, Lester. The Gifts and Ministries of the Holy Spirit (p. 35). Whitaker House. Kindle Edition.
The power of love conquered the love of power. RB
Reinhard Bonnke. Godly Gems . Christ for all Nations. Kindle Edition.
