Close to the Fire

Only one life,

Twill soon be past;

Only what's done for Jesus will last.

~ C.T. Studd

A dear friend recently left America to visit a country I can hardly pronounce in the middle of the Arab World. She is compelled to give her retirement years greater purpose than her leisure or comfort. “Give,” according to GOOGLE, can mean "freely transfer the possession of (something) to (someone); hand over." My friend has freely and generously transferred the possession of her life, her goals, and the control of her next season to Christ—her Best Friend. "Give" has another meaning, however. "Give" may also be used as a noun, which is acceptable in this case. My friend's "capacity to bend or alter her life into shape under the pressure of a strong force” has occurred as her life is bending by the power of His Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has transformed her life. Her old life has given way to a new calling and life in Christ.

Bending is not new terminology in the church for those who desire more of His presence. During the Great Welsh Revival of the early 1900s, an evangelist, Seth Joshua, was overheard praying, "Lord, bend me." Another young man, later to become one of history's greatest evangelists, Evan Roberts, listened and heard the Holy Spirit say, "That is what you need." 

 According to The Revival Library, Evan wrote in his diary, "I felt a living power pervading my bosom. It took my breath away, and my legs trembled exceedingly. This living power became stronger and stronger as each one prayed until I felt it would tear me apart. My whole bosom was a turmoil, and if I had not prayed, it would have burst … I fell on my knees with my arms over the seat in front of me. My face was bathed in perspiration, and the tears flowed in streams. I cried out, 'Bend me, bend me!!' It was God's commending love which bent me … what a wave of peace flooded my bosom … I was filled with compassion for those who must bend at the judgment, and I wept. Following that, the salvation of the human soul was solemnly impressed on me. I felt ablaze with the desire to go through the length and breadth of Wales to tell of the Savior."

Evan went on to lead one of history's greatest revivals, during which the masses cried out, "Lord, bend us!" They were saying, "Holy Spirit, take over and empower us to make a difference and give us compassion for the lost."

I have been there in Wales, where the revival took place, and even sat in the small pews of one of the revival churches. The mission team and I were in awe of the historical significance of that space. Oh, God, do it again in us. I noticed no extensive square footage, vast lights, comfortable seats, or sound systems. There were no plaques or degrees on the walls of God's elite saints who had ushered in the presence of God that affected the world. No. The only accounts of His glory filling the room were the stories of His presence, which changed the hearts and minds of local coal miners and town's people—the stories were present in archived newspaper clippings and historical books. I could imagine the small sanctuary trying to hold the masses of hungry men and women who, like my friend, wanted to leave their everyday lives and be instruments in our Savior's mighty hand. God's presence was there. He is the same yesterday, today, and always. As the team and I sang hymns, which once again filled that small chapel, His presence was there.

"God created us to live with a single passion: to joyfully display his supreme excellence in all spheres of life. The wasted life is the life without this passion. God calls us to pray and think and dream and plan and work, not to be made much of, but to make much of him in every part of our lives." - John Piper

There is something so satisfying about expending or depleting ourselves and offering everything for the cause of Christ. Our lives are not our own. Say that out loud and feel its meaning; it will give your heart rest and peace. We don't have to carry the weight of our future. Jesus died so we might have an abundant life in Him—entirely in Him.

For some, this may seem too demanding of our Savior—that our lives belong to Him, that He created us for His glory, that we are to sacrifice our plans and retirement funds to build His kingdom—or that we would suffer for His name's sake. I would challenge those to see what happens when they begin showing up more, praying the "Lord, Bend me" prayer, and being proactive in their faith. After all, fire can warm us gently; however, the closer one gets to its hot coals, the more heat consumes.

"It was not always plain to me that pursuing God's glory would be virtually the same as pursuing your joy. Now I see that millions of people waste their lives because they think these paths are two, not one."  -John Piper 

Pursuing Christ is entirely, utterly, and ultimately our best life. Why? Because we encounter the very purpose for which our omnipotent, omnipresent God, created us. Being transformed into His likeness means His heart and passion for the lost consumes us and bends us. We abandon our former selves. A seasoned ministry couple shared with my husband and I early in our ministry life that we would experience the best love and marriage as we pursue the Kingdom of God together. We have found this to be true. I would add that everything this life offers is better when we carry His glory into that space—parenting, serving, working, and relationships.

We must realize that when our lives genuinely reflect His heart, holiness, and glory in everything we do--we are at our highest place of purpose, fulfillment, and joy. We were made for this!

“You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” -1 Cor 6:19-20

This is the meaning of our lives.

"You weren't an accident. You weren't mass-produced. You aren't an assembly-line product. You were deliberately planned, specifically gifted, and lovingly positioned on the earth by the Master Craftsman." -Max Lucado

Our Father did not create us to be ordinary. Ordinary people do not cross the river Jordan and slay giants. Ordinary people do not say, "I will go before the King, and if I perish, I perish." Ordinary people do not advocate for foster care and adoption. Ordinary people do not defeat drug addiction, overcome heartbreak, or leave comfort to serve Christ in a Muslim nation. We must leave the ordinary to live our best lives.

Another friend fell in love with Jesus so hard that nothing else she did seemed to matter. She was walking out her faith, and there became a stirring she could not explain, so she laid it before the Lord. She knew she was created for more than her survival life, even though her days were full of many "good things."

 “For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. -Eph 2:10

She put herself in places where God was moving and chased after His heart. She found that if we seek Him wholeheartedly, we will find Him, and then the giving and the bending will become easy. She became compelled to give her life into full-time service to the Lord right in the middle of one of the darkest parts of England that has no Pentecostal AG presence.

You may ask, "What does this giving and bending feel like?"

During her journey, my friend shared with me, "I feel God tugging at my heart to begin to contemplate that my going to Liverpool will turn out to be so much bigger than I can imagine or expect. My heart stands in awe that He would consider me for such a time as this. I heard Him whisper to me: You were made for this! I'm excited and grateful."

Do you know what this sounds like? Intimacy. When we fall in love, His love consumes us. He is love, so He is better at it than we are. We need to walk closer to Him to understand the depth and breadth of His love. The power of His love overtakes us. It becomes more critical and louder than the nay-sayers or those convicted by your life's generous giving.

I have two more friends who recently took the plunge into missions. Why not? Why not offer every skill set and include Jesus and His mission in every season and aspect of our lives? I want to have men and women surrounding me who challenge me to do more for Christ and lead the way.

One of these girls sent me a powerful quote, but I wondered whether it was too sharp. Stepping into her new calling in foreign missions, she has a fresh perspective. She said,

"Just because you have access to the gospel and spiritual freedoms doesn't mean God loves you anymore… it does mean you have a greater responsibility. There are people around you who are waiting for you to share the message of Christ with them. Do it because you can!"

We should continue to listen to these voices around us as if they are our favorite playlist. We need access to those on fire so we may light our lives with their flames, just as Evan Roberts was spurred on to good works by Seth Joshua. Others are watching and are inspired by and shown the way as we worship—or they are not. Is there a ripple effect, response, or fruit from the onlookers of our worship? We have work to do, dear friends. Living in America, the Land of the Free, does not exempt us from the missional call; no, as we see the hurting around us, let us join the hope-givers and darkness-lighters who are running full speed, crying out for God to bend us for the sake of bringing the light of Jesus Christ into every corner of our beautiful nation and world. Who's next to answer the missional call? Come talk to me.