Sunday Morning 1st Service | Fire Within: Starting the Year with Holy Momentum #3

``God does not give fire after obedience. He promises fire in obedience. God does not give fire after obedience. He promises fire in obedience. Now, guys, what we're talking about this morning, this isn't about earning something new, but it's about receiving what God has already promised for this moment. [01:18:48] (34 seconds)  #FireInObedience

And what he realized is that holding that fire in hurt more than it did to release it. Holding that fire in on the inside, I mean, it said it was burning in his bones. Guys, shut up in his bones, like, let me out, like aching. You know how some of y'all feel on a cold morning? Aching, that hurt. His bones, his inner being was burning to release what God was wanting him to do. And so silencing the call produced more pain than obedience ever did. Silencing the call produced more pain than obedience ever did. [00:57:31] (47 seconds)  #ReleaseTheFireWithin

And so what I want us to recognize is that Jesus did not promise power so that we could feel spiritual. Now it's awesome when we have those moments when his presence comes and it's heavy and we sense it in a different way. I love those special moments that we have with him. But in this moment, what we're talking about today is that power that he's put within us was not just for ourselves, but it's so that we could be a witness of Jesus, so that we could boldly proclaim who he is as king and savior and lord. And so that fire was never meant for private comfort. It was always meant for public testimony. [00:55:04] (42 seconds)  #PowerForWitness

And so prayer that releases fire is not passive. It is aligned, it is bold, and it is expectant. And James uses the word in ergo for prayer that works powerfully. And how many of you know that Elijah's persistent prayers controlled the weather? We also know that ordinary believers aligned with God released heaven's fire. [01:08:19] (29 seconds)  #PrayersThatWork

Here's the thing. Prayer alone doesn't finish the assignment. How many of you were like, yes. I can just pray. Great. But how many you know that oftentimes when we pray, he speaks and then what is required of us? We have to step out in obedience. Right? So step three is we have to step out in obedience. [01:11:37] (19 seconds)  #PrayAndStepOut

Could he do it in his strength, own way? Absolutely not. But God being with him, he did exactly what he was asked to do, was he not? God assured hesitant Moses at the burning bush that divine presence, his guiding fire would enable the impossible task of deliverance for his people. [01:13:56] (25 seconds)  #GuidingFireEmpowers

What might obedience look like for you? Maybe it's actually sending that text to a person when they pop up into your mind, and I said I should encourage them or I'm praying for you. Maybe it's actually starting that conversation that you're afraid is gonna be rejected or that you're fearful that I won't have all the answers. Maybe it's forgiving someone. Maybe it's you thought you forgot forgave somebody and it was dealt with, and the holy spirit said, we need to work on that a little bit more. There's a little bit more that needs to be released there. Maybe it's signing up to serve. [01:17:29] (49 seconds)  #ObeyInTheSmallThings

We don't want moments of just fire, but we wanna be a people that live ignited. We don't wanna have you a people that every January have to see the ashes and stir it up. We don't wanna have to be a people that are like, okay, what discipline do I need now? We wanna live in that place where we are carrying the word twenty four seven, three hundred and sixty five days a year, period. No matter what opposition comes, no matter what trials come, that it does not shake our faith, does not shake who we are. Guys, let me tell you, momentum is not accidental. It is sustained by our obedience, by our bold prayers, and by our courage. [01:29:58] (45 seconds)  #LiveIgnitedDaily

And so guys, we know that the early church, they faced arrest, they faced opposition, But I believe that corporate prayer sustained explosive growth despite the danger. I mean, we see it. You can't deny it. It's in the word. Right? After Peter and John's release, the believers prayed and the room shook, and boldness increased on the inside of them, and the church multiplied. [01:08:48] (35 seconds)  #PrayerFueledGrowth

What happened before that? In the same chapter, they had been arrested. They had been threatened. They had been put in prison. They were commanded to stop teaching about this Jesus. And as soon as they left the prison and were released, they immediately went where? To their church family. And what did they immediately start doing? They started praying. And guys, when we look at scripture, and we're gonna read it in a moment, they didn't pray for safety. They didn't pray for comfort. What'd they pray for? Boldness. [01:05:58] (33 seconds)  #PrayForBoldness

Fearful disciples became world changers. We are a byproduct of what they did today. They became bold after the resurrection and after the experience that they had at Pentecost. They stepped out. The gospel spread everywhere. [01:15:27] (29 seconds)  #FromFearToBoldness

today, we're gonna talk something about something a little bit different. We're gonna kinda shift gears a little bit because we are on fire. Right? We've got those disciplines going on. And here's what we need to know is once we have tended to that fire, then we have a responsibility to release it. It's not meant to be contained within us and only for us. And so, you know, if God has lit something in you this year or in the past couple couple weeks, what is the next question? It shouldn't be how do I keep it, but it should be how do I release it? [00:51:18] (34 seconds)  #ReleaseTheFire

And I believe that he wants to fill us with the Holy Spirit. Now let me remind you that if you belong to Jesus, the holy spirit already lives within you. This moment is not about getting more from God, but it's about God getting more of us for boldness and for mission. [01:19:29] (25 seconds)  #SpiritWithinBoldness

but it was feeling that stirring of God, what do you want me to do in this moment? And I believe that a lot of us have that. And I know we always all of us can probably share opportunities where we felt that stirring and we missed it. Aren't we thankful that the Lord uses people and we know he's got a way through somebody else even when we miss it. But I'd rather get to the place where I don't ignore it and I obey it more than I dismiss it. That's sharing that fire. [01:00:23] (29 seconds)  #AnswerTheStir

And if I had to be honest, I bet maybe some of you have even felt something similar to this this week. Maybe at work, maybe at home, maybe at the gym, maybe at school, you almost said something. You almost prayed for someone. You almost invited someone, and that fire just kinda stirred. Anybody ever been there? You know, I thought about an example several weeks ago. [00:58:18] (30 seconds)  #ActOnThePrompting

to go forth and to speak. And so that's kinda what I see here is that, like, that fire leaped. Right? Jesus said, wait for it. They were waiting. They were praying. They were filled, and then it empowered them to go out and to share. Because when we look in the New Testament, we see that a lot of times the disciples were kind of fearful. Were they not? They were hiding. How many times did Peter deny Jesus? [01:02:36] (21 seconds)  #WaitPrayGo

You know, at Pentecost, this is actually in Acts chapter two, it talks about how tongues of fire rested on each believer. Maybe you guys ever remember hearing that story or maybe seeing some videos, like, you know, they're in a room and they're praying and all of a sudden you see, and then they have like this little flame over over their head. [01:00:53] (23 seconds)  #PentecostFire

And so prayer that releases fire is not passive. It is aligned, it is bold, and it is expectant. And James uses the word in ergo for prayer that works powerfully. And how many of you know that Elijah's persistent prayers controlled the weather? We also know that ordinary believers aligned with God released heaven's fire. [01:08:19] (29 seconds)  #AlignedBoldPrayer

And if I had to be honest, I bet maybe some of you have even felt something similar to this this week. Maybe at work, maybe at home, maybe at the gym, maybe at school, you almost said something. You almost prayed for someone. You almost invited someone, and that fire just kinda stirred. Anybody ever been there? You know, I thought about an example several weeks ago. [00:58:18] (30 seconds)  #StirredToSpeak

And the China Inland Mission was actually founded, and then they sent out hundreds of missionaries that went out to share. So his simple act of obedience, lives were transformed across generations all because he stepped out and trusted that that fire would go with him. [01:16:50] (28 seconds)  #ObedienceTransformsGenerations