“Remember = Lot’s wife.” Luke 17:32

The Pharisees were at it again.  They = started needling Jesus about when the end of the world would be.  Surely they were = righteous, and this young upstart from Galilee of the Gentiles was no more than a = fraud to deceive the people to stray from the established laws of Moses.  = They were sure that they were bound to catch him in his words sooner or later … = but it kept looking like later and later.

So Jesus uses the stories of Noah and of Lot to = describe the suddenness of His Coming.  It wasn’t that judgment is = fickle – it was that the longsuffering of God’s mercy has an end, and that = end can come in an instant when you are not looking for it.

And then He says, “Remember Lot’s wife”.  Do you remember her story?  She followed her = husband all the way from the sheepcotes of Abraham, through the division of their herds, and through Lot’s fatal decision to move to the fields around = Sodom.  Through all this, she kept close to her husband.

But it was that last longing for the world that = turned her head at the last moment and decided her final destiny.

But she was faithful for so long!  Why did = mercy fail her at this last moment of indiscretion?  Ah, but was it really a last = moment of indiscretion, or was it comfortable longing that had nestled in and = taken root in her heart, an that had been dismissed over the years as being insignificant?  No big deal.  Just a little = leaven.

Jesus then relates how that the final division of = judgment will cut between even those of the same house, the same laboring of = grinding the wheat, even the same fields of harvest – all descriptive = analogies of the Church. 

“Where will this division be?”, they = asked. 

And His answer is, “Wheresoever the body = is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.”

I had to ask, what’s the deal with the = eagles?  Well, the word is “aeros”, which is translated as “eagles”, taking it’s root meaning from the word “air”, describing how eagles fly.  While it may be used = to describe an eagle, it also brings up an image of “the Prince of the powers = of the air”, the devil himself.

So wherever you see the Body of Christ, you will = see the devil trying to get in to rip, tear, and divide.

Okay, I understand all that.  That’s = pretty much standard Gospel.  But what has that got to do with the Coming of = the Lord?

The answer is in verse 33.

“Whosoever shall seek to save his life = shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve = it.”

Some people seek to serve the Lord with all their = hearts and are not only willing, but pressing to sacrifice the things of this = world to serve God.  Ask them to give up all their possessions, their = hard-earned career, their dreams and goals that they had for their futures, = everything that the world has offered them, and what do they say?  Yes!  = Without hesitation or regret.

But there are others sitting in the same pew, = singing the same Gospel songs, professing the same Jesus, grinding the same wheat, = and laboring in the same harvest fields.  Everything in their lives run = right along in synch with the Church and you would hardly see any difference between = them and those who they are mingled with.

But place them in a position of tribulation, of = sacrifice, and of deep personal subjection, and suddenly their whole perspective = changes.  Why look for trouble instead of ease?  Why not enjoy prosperity and = money instead of poverty and self-sacrifice?  Why not seek after = blessings instead of suffering? 

“After all,” they say, “since = Jesus suffered on the Cross, we shouldn’t have to suffer.”  = Um, that sounds appealing, but it appears you’ve been skipping over some = long passages in your Bible reading … that is, if you read at = all.

The ultimate test of Christianity is not whether = or not you believe that the Gospel is true, but whether or not you will give = your life for it – either figuratively or physically.

Yes, you believe in God.  Why, you even said = a prayer once upon a time up at the altar!  But is your heart crucified with = Christ?  Does the world hold a tether to your heart that you don’t want to give = up?  Is this Reality more important to you than the next?  In the end, = people follow their hearts.

It’s easy to be a Christian when life is = good, but it is to those pilgrims in this world who look to the Cross for their = eternal home who hunger for something different.  They are willing to go = through valleys, take part in the sufferings of Christ, and refuse what this = world has to offer in order to gain that which can only be found at the foot of = the Cross. 

 “These all died in faith, not having = received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on = the earth.”  = Hebrews 11:13

And that makes all the difference.

Remember Lot’s wife.

“Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him…”  Job 13:15

Job was a picture of Christ in His sufferings. It = is a picture that many Christians try their best to circumvent in their = Christian walk, and, as a result, is one of the most misunderstood and ignored = aspects of the path that is set before us as true, converted Christians.  But = it is the compass that points us to Cross.

Three universal themes of Christianity pour forth = from this picture: brokenness, suffering, and trust -- all themes that are impossible to fully grasp without a crucified walk in = God.

At church the other day, the meaning of what a = crucified walk was presented as the refusal of sin.  But the idea of being = crucified with Christ encompasses so much more than that.  It is not merely the = refusal to allow oneself to fall to temptation, but the severing of our hearts and = souls from the perspective of this world and all it’s desires, and to = reach forth into the realm of God’s holiness to walk in His = Spirit.  There is a change in our point of view to deny oneself of being led by what we = want, and to surrender to another master other than ourselves.

Everyone wants to walk in the Spirit, but there = is a price to pay.  It is not accomplished through work, or edification; it = doesn’t come through our own efforts, accomplishments, or victories; neither = does it reveal itself through seeking wisdom by reading someone else’s = books.  It comes through surrender.

Only when we give up trying to reach God by = building our own Tower of Babel, and finally acknowledge that, no matter how hard we = try, we will never come to that place in God where He, and only He, is in = complete and total control of our lives.  We read books, do good works, force = ourselves to witness, pay money into worthy ministries, and try our hardest to be = good Christians worthy of His Love.  But all those, while they may be = wonderful things, will not bring us into the presence of His righteousness.  = No, you have to be broken before you can be used of God.  It will not be your = works in God that justifies you, but allowing Him to do His works in = you.

To come to that place, you first have to admit = defeat.  Only then can you ever understand the power of the sufferings of the = Cross.  The world (and worldly Christianity) can never understand that.  It = is not that we suffer because He suffered first for us, but rather that we are = issued into the glory of the Cross by allowing the sufferings of our faith to = separate us from this world and all that it entices us with.

The separation of flesh from Spirit opens our = eyes to see things in a totally different light.  Becoming a Christian is not = like joining some club, a member of some Church, but rather we now see as God sees = because our eyes no longer look through a worldly lens.  We are different = because we see differently, our desires are no longer our own, and the comfort of = our lives is no longer our goal.

Once you are broken to that extent, the = sufferings of the Body of Christ become the joy of your existence.  It no longer = matters what happens to you, because your life is invested in Him alone.  Is = there pain? Are there insurmountable problems and destruction that you are going = through?  Have you lost everything?  It no longer matters.  You are in that = secret place of the Most High, your life is in His hands, and you rest in the knowledge = that it is part of His plan for your life.

It takes brokenness to allow us to be willing to = suffer for His name’s sake.

Whenever I preach, I try to bring forth this one = point that encompasses the essence of Salvation: the Gospel of Jesus Christ is = not about you; it is about others.  Always others.  It is the = message of the Cross, the cornerstone of Christianity upon which all else is built.  Get = this wrong, and you will never understand the Cross, nor the sufferings of the Body = of Christ.

Only once you are broken, can you truly trust = God. You can trust Him through the valleys, through sickness, through destruction, = through the loss of all things, even through death, because it is no longer = about you, but about the Plan of God.  You are broken; your sufferings have = extracted you from your fleshly desires, and you are now only an instrument for His = glory, and He will direct your paths.

Then you will understand what a crucified walk in = God really is.

Brother Dale

There’s = something great and vast about Life that eludes me.  Often we try to pierce the = veil of this reality with feelings and emotions that are thrust out of our soul like = spears into the night in an attempt to touch that ethereal something that = barely escapes the fingertips of our soul. 

We call it searching = for Truth, but the concept is always so nebulous.  We try to use words to wrap = something tangible around those feelings and paint them into something that we can = grasp, but there are some things that can never be roped into anything rock = solid.  There’s more to Life than we can ever understand.

We think we know, but = it is all beyond our comprehension.  And much bigger than we can = imagine.  We all have a concept of what God is, how big He is, and where He resides, but it is = only the translucent glimmers of our soul.  Somewhere, way up there, is = God.  We feel that If we could just slice into the fabric of Reality with a knife, we = would see Him sitting on His throne surrounded by all those angels.  But = we don’t have anything sharp enough.

So we try to bring it = all into focus with words, vaguely aware of the impotency of our efforts.  = Still we try, because somewhere down deep inside us is an urgency that knows that = Eternity is waiting for us at the end of our lives.  Somewhere on the other = side of that dark door of death our ultimate destiny awaits us, silently, patiently, = and immovable.  We can feel it, but we can’t quite put our finger = on it.  We try to grasp it, but our fingers come back empty.

Wasn’t it = Thoreau who said, “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation”?  Life = in this reality is absorbing, but transient.  Our time seems to be spent in = a sea of long pauses that are filled up with work or amusement, while we wait for = those intermittent islands of something truly meaningful.  Not that love, = charity, fun or any of the other things of life that we value are vain, but every = once in a while, we are able to reach through that veil and we touch = something eternal.  Sometimes, it is just for a moment, but it is enough to = realize that we had a fleeting grasp on something that transcends this = world.

A friend of mine said = that there’s more to God than what we want.  Just as God is = greater than what we can want, so life is much more than what we see with our = eyes.   I want to finish the course of my life knowing that I have at least touched some = islands of true reality, and not gone through a lifetime numb to my eternal = destiny.  If God is true, then being able to touch the Throne of God is the only = real thing that we can do.  To dismiss that as a secondary interest is = to miss the meaning of Life.

We pass through the = road of Life only once, and then the door of Death slams shut.  Reach through = the veil and go through life with your fingers grasped around the hand of = God.

Dalen Garris
dale@revivalfire.org
Waxahachie, TX

 =

Fire in  the = Hole

Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and = charity and holiness with sobriety.  – 1^st = Timothy 2:14, 15

In the middle of a message I was giving when I was in Africa, the Lord = showed me that this verse was not referring to women, but to the Church.  = Lets’ face it, Paul was not saying that if a woman didn’t give birth to = babies, she was going to Hell, but rather that the purpose of the Body of Christ = was to win souls. 

If we are the Bride of Christ, then the picture of matrimony is a picture = of our relationship with our Husband, Jesus Christ.  We see, especially in = the Old Testament, that it was a shame for a woman to be barren.  Her = primary purpose, besides ministering to her husband, was to bring forth children.  = Hence Rachael’s cry of “Give me children lest I = die!”

But let’s back up a verse or two. 

“For Adam was = first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being = deceived was in the transgression.”   

If we keep the analogy in focus, then this is a reference to the fact that = Jesus Christ was first, before the Church ever was, and Jesus, the = 1^st Adam, was sinless, but humanity has fallen and been deceived through sin = and our desire to be wise. 

Of course, the Trinity always was –that is a principal of the Gospel = – but Jesus was also “the beginning of the creation of God” (Rev. 3:14).  Not that Jesus did = not always exist, but that He was first manifested as the Word of God when Creation = was spoken into existence, and “by Him all things consist” = (Colossians 1:17). 

So then the Church was formed after our Lord, and we are subject to = Him.

So far, so good.  But let’s go back a little bit = more.

“Let the woman learn in silence with all = subjection.  But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to = be in silence. “  (2:11,12)

Going back to the actual Greek, we can see that this does not mean that women = have to come to church like deaf mutes, but that the words suggest tranquility = and proper order in the Church.   In other words, don’t get crazy = on me!  We are to maintain our proper subjection, not just to our husbands, but the Church = is not supposed to take over the dominant role of the = Lord.

But when we allow our thirst for wisdom to drive us (as Eve’s = deception in desiring the Tree of Knowledge), we will develop a tendency to get ahead = of the Lord in our theological pursuits, and wind up missing the whole = point.  Never before have we had so many Christian book stores filled with thousands = of Christian self-help books, and yet nowhere in America do we have the = powerful moves of God like we had a few generations ago before we were invested = with all this Christian scholasticism. 

Hmmm.  Is something missing?  Have we missed the mark someplace?  = Perhaps we should back off and let the Holy Spirit take over.

Going back just a couple verses more, we read Paul’s admonition to the = outward appearance of women in the Church:

“In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with = shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly = array; but (which becometh women professing godliness) with good = works.”  = (2:9,10)

If the analogy holds, then perhaps Paul is not trying to tell women how to = dress or wear their makeup.  (What man in his right mind would try to = tackle something like that?)  Maybe it is more of an admonition of how we = present our churches.

I have preached in mud huts way out in the jungle where there were but a = dozen or so believers and have repeatedly watched the power of God fall so heavily that it crushed people on their faces to the ground, where the = Spirit was so strong that you couldn’t stop dancing, where the Shekinah = glory beamed so brightly that it overwhelmed you and all you could do is utter praises to God. 

Seen that in any of our huge Mega-churches lately?  =

Constructing huge edifices with golden altars, high-tech sound systems, rich carpets, = and laced with opulence to display our “prosperity in the Lord” = does not make you holy.  Neither does it manifest the power of = God.  Neither does it win souls.  It’s a pretty candy wrapper, but it is not the = costly array that touches God’s heart, but the sobriety of a church that has = the fear of God and is willing to sacrifice all to see souls get saved.  =

The sacrifice that God is looking for comes from your heart, not your = outward display.  Your wisdom comes from the Word of God, not our vast = array of carnal intelligence.  The focus of Christianity is not about you; = it’s about others.

The beginning of 1^st Timothy says it well,

“Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a = pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:
From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling; = desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor = whereof they affirm.”

Ah, yes.  Charity – more important than faith or hope, the focus = of the Word of God, the essence of Christianity, the purpose of the Cross.  = Charity transcends all other aspects of the Church because it is the giving of yourself, out of love, so that souls can be saved.  Without it, all = we have is Religion.

“She shall be saved in = childbearing…” 

Dalen Garris, dale@revivalfire.org<= /span>

PO Box 822, Waxahachie, TX 75168

         &n= bsp;    Fire in  the Hole

A Sound in = the Mulberry Trees

“And the Philistines came up yet again, and spread themselves in the valley = of Rephaim.

And when David enquired of the LORD, he said, Thou shalt not go up; = but<= i> fetch a compass behind them, = and come upon them over against the mulberry trees.  And let it be, when = thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou = shalt bestir thyself: for then shall the LORD go out before thee, to smite the = host of the Philistines. “      - = 2^nd Samuel 5:22-24

David was a pretty smart guy.  Smart enough to = know that he didn’t control his own destiny.  Smart enough to know that = Life is in the hands of God, and those who ignore that, do so at their own = peril.

David had just been anointed king over all = Israel.  He had finally come to his Bethel experience, the place of his ultimate calling = in God, and Satan had gone on full alert.  The ears of his minions had = picked up at the news of David’s ascension, and they knew that if they = allowed David to become established on the Throne, it would be devastating for = them.  They went to war.

The Philistines rushed into battle, probably = assuming that they could roll over David’s forces.  After all, the kingdom = had been divided.  Many of the troops of Israel had been loyal to = Saul’s son, Ishbosheth, and had been chasing David for years, but now all of a = sudden, their former employer was dead, and their former enemy was now their = boss.  David was just now getting settled in Jerusalem, so now was time to = strike while he was weak, and thrust a stake through Israel’s = heart.

But they met the Lion of the Tribe of Judah on the battlefield, and it did not go well for them.  David was no = pushover.  He was a warrior of God who zealously pursued the destruction of the enemies of = darkness whenever he met them.

Okay, so that was last year.  Maybe this year, = it would be different. 

The Philistines would set up the battle just as = before to make David think it would be the same battle that he had won so easily the = last time, and hope that he would be overconfident and stumble into their = trap.

But David feared God. 

When a man fears God – really fears Him, not = the churchy type of “awesome respect”, but the bone-chilling, soul-washing, fear and trembling that the Bible speaks about – = then he discards all pretenses to his own ways, his own intelligence, and his = own desires.  He relies completely upon God for his direction, and = fears to step outside of His will.

Had David stumbled into the Philistine’s = trap, he not only might have lost the battle, but could have destroyed God’s = Plan of Redemption for the entire world.  But David knew that God = wasn’t just in charge; God was in command.  Any victories would have to come = through Him and Him alone.

Often, however, in our zeal to pursue what we = consider to be our calling to promote the Gospel, we can get ahead of the Lord.  = We already know what we want to do, and proceed at full steam, waving the flag of unfettered zeal but end up stumbling through the quicksand of our own presumption.  We confuse what we want to accomplish in God with = what God wants to accomplish in us. 

We call it pursuing our “vision”.  =

You’ve heard of that, haven’t you? Yup, = gotta have a vision!  And so we rush out to manufacture a vision that fits the = picture that we have in our mind of our calling in God, instead of waiting to = find out what God’s vision for us is.  Rarely are they the = same.   As it says in Proverbs 20:24, “Man's goings are of the LORD; how can a man then understand his own way?” 

When we replace the fear of God with religious = zeal, we are destined to fall into the trap that the enemy has set for us.  =

Wait for that sound going in the tops of the = mulberry trees.

Dale Garris, dale@revivalfire.org 

I’m not 100% = sure about this, but if I was a betting man, I’d bet that the thing God hates = the most is Christian lethargy. 

When you have no idea = what the Truth is, and you’re not all that sure that God really exists, you = will be attracted to the things  in this world because that’s what = you can see.  I understand that, I really do.  I don’t expect an = atheist to be on fire for God – and if he was, I’d figure he was either = really crazy or trying to pull some stunt.

I figure God looks at = it the same way because He says He would rather you were hot or cold, but if = you are lukewarm, He will vomit you out of His mouth.  (Spit is one thing; = vomit is a whole ‘nother level.) 

That doesn’t = leave us much of a choice, unless you want to choose the “cold” option, = but as near as I can figure, “cold” is going to be rubbing = shoulders with “lukewarm” as they both burn in Hell.  Maybe the = temperature will be a little bit different between the two, I don’t know, but = I’m not so curious that I want to find out.

Zephaniah put a = different way.  He said God was going to destroy those who have not sought the Lord nor inquired for Him, and he likens it to wine.

I don’t know = how they do it today, but wine used to ferment with all the stuffings in it – = the grape pulp, skin, seeds, etc.  The lees are the sediment that forms = during that fermentation, and eventually the lees settle to the bottom where they = harden. 

In other words, these = are people that are “in the wine”, so to speak.  They know about = God, have been partakers of the wine of God, and understand and know the Truth, = but they are just floating -- Ho hum, La de dah, (yawn) -- slowly drifting in the bottle, little by little making their way to the bottom where their = lethargy will finally harden their hearts.  At that point they will no = longer be part of the wine.

Zephaniah says that = these are people that say God will not do good, and neither will He do evil.  = They may acknowledge the Truth, but they don’t believe in judgment because = God is a God of Love, and He would never exact the terribleness of judgment on = us because He’s our Daddy. 

Yup.  Same lie = that Satan told Eve in the Garden of Eden:  “Hath God said?”  = “Oh no, don’t worry about that.  God wouldn’t really kill = you.”  Oh yeah?  Well go check for our ancestral couple under “A” = in the phone book and tell me what their address is, will you?

But the real = showstopper for me is nestled in the midst of Zephaniah 1:12 where God says He will = search for these bums.  He is hunting them!  Yikes.  It’s = bad enough to show up at judgment when you are 11 cents short of a dime, but for God to = actually go on the hunt for you?  I don’t ever want God that mad at = me.

So what is the big = deal?  Why is being apathetic so bad?  What is it that ticks God off so much that = He will actually go looking for you to destroy you?  After all, most of = these people are just good ol’ church folks and are really nice people.  = While they may not be exactly energetic, and I sure wouldn’t call them on = fire for God, they do go to church.  And while they may not be squeaky = clean, they don’t seem to be that bad.  So what’s the = problem?

A person who is = "settled on his lees" is one who, through spiritual idleness and ease, has = gradually become morally indifferent so that sin doesn’t seem so bad = anymore.  He becomes tolerant of his own lack of spiritual drive, because he no = longer really cares, and ultimately becomes hardened to God and sin. In the = process, he becomes blind to his spiritual state, and is, in all reality, a = Christian Atheist.

But Jesus Christ gave = His life on the Cross so souls could be saved.  He shed blood for us -- = that’s how much He cared.   When we dismiss the poignancy of that = sacrifice and breeze over it as if it was some academic precept, then we find ourselves = guilty of trampling the very blood that was shed to save our souls, and far more = guilty at the Judgment Bar of God than the sinner who never got saved and never understood the reality of Christ’s sacrifice.  At least they = made an honest choice.

I argued in prayer = one time, “But God, they’re really nice people!”

And the answer came = back, “I will spue the lukewarm out of my mouth … and you think they’re nice?”
“If they are so nice, why aren’t they cut to the heart for = lost souls? 
“Why are they more infatuated with the world and its prosperity = than the sufferings of the Cross? 
“Why don’t they care?

When you allow = yourself to be settled on your lees, you begin a separating process that will end with = you on the bottom of the bottle, no longer part of the wine of = God.