Our FIRST LOVE for Jesus is meant to be an unquenchable fire.
Look at this stunning early morning sky, captured in a photo taken on Valentine’s Day, 2023. Is that the kind of fire people see when they look at our lives? Are we a captivating witness of love for Jesus, with hearts on fire?
Jesus takes our struggles and chaos, and by the power of His love, He turns chaos into victory. His victorious love casts out fear. And it is His desire to make our love His love, that we would relentlessly, faithfully, joyfully pursue Him. His shout of love, His victorious love, is a fire! Religion is no substitute for His love. Lukewarm shall never satisfy. More love, Lord! Set us on fire!
The fire of God’s love makes us bold to reach for things beyond our grasp. As we step out into the unknown, His fire spreads. Nothing and no one can stop it. God IS love. His fire refines and purifies, but it also gives joy unspeakable, full of glory. Nothing compares! And yes, we are all made for this. We are made for Him. We are made to have unquenchable fire!
In this first quarter of the new year, 2023, we are seeing the hand of God move in powerful ways. Recently we took 25 students and adults to see the movie, Jesus Revolution. We watched the historical reality of literally thousands of hippies and young people becoming followers of Jesus during the 70s. They turned from drugs to faith in Jesus. And as these young people believed and were baptized, they became a radically sold-out generation of disciples.
When we were loading up to go home after the movie, one child hurried to my side to ask me an urgent question: “May I please be baptized?!” Since then I’ve had more requests for baptism, one from an adult. And I believe we will hear from still more children and adults, because Holy Spirit is touching hearts. Hearts are being set on fire!
Thanks to the encouragement of one of our coaches, many of our children have chosen to meditate and journal a new scripture each day. They journal their work (S=Scripture, O=Observation, A=Application, P=Prayer), and at the end of the month if they’ve been faithful with the scriptures, they are rewarded. Their reward for completing February SOAP was an outing to a Christian concert. We are witnesses: God’s word does not return to Him void, because the love story of His word is a fire! (Jer. 23:29).
This is a journal entry written by one of our young women. What a prayer, what a heart on fire!
As God appoints times and seasons, He is doing something new, right now. Jesus is the baptizer, and He is moving among us by His Spirit.
John the Baptist said in Matthew 3:11, “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Let the fire fall, Lord! Baptize us!