E09 1945 © Project Winsome International, 1999

"LET THE FIRE FALL"

Evangelist Johnnie Lavender

1 Kings 18:1-2; 17-41

We are living in Old Testament times. We are facing today what Elijah faced in ages past. As it was then . . . so is it now. A tidal wave of infidelity has swept across our land. God has been denied. Christ has been dethroned. The Bible has been defiled. Unrestrained greed and unbridled lust coupled with unparalleled self-indulgence, have driven our country into deep and dire difficulty.

The serpent of sin has plunged its fangs deep into the very bloodstream of our nation. It's deadly venom has entered into the majority of our homes, into almost all of our schools, into our social, economic and political structures, and, God help us, it has even crept into some of our churches.

As a result of this venomous influence, our nation is sick and shaken. We have been so weakened from within, we are in an almost constant state of panic because of pressures from without. And, if America needs one thing today more than any other, it is a great heaven-sent, Christ exalting, Holy Spirit inspired revival. She needs to cry out, as did Elijah in ages past:

"Let the fire fall!"

A while back I made that statement to a college professor friend of mine. We were talking about the current plight of our country, and I mentioned the pleas of many people (from the President on down) for renewed faith in God who has the solution to our problems.

Well, my professor friend made some snide remark as if to suggest that was the most ridiculous suggestion he had ever heard, so I said, "Well, Doc, what is your answer? We have a million and a half crimes committed every year. We carry a 20 million dollar annual crime bill. A murder is committed every 40 minutes. A robbery every ten minutes. A burglary every two minutes. There are hundreds of thousands of illegitimate parents -- and notice my choice of words -- for there is no such thing as an illegitimate child -- there are hundreds of thousands of illegitimate parents every year, and the number is steadily increasing. If renewed faith God and a fresh commitment to basic moral values are not the answer, what do you suggest?"

He rubbed his chin, settled back in his swivel chair, kicked his feet up on the desk and said, "Now, John, don't be alarmed. These facts merely indicate that our present system of government is antiquated and is no longer able to cope with this modern situation. I would say that what we need is to replace this system of government with a new, modern, vigorous social order. It's difficult to say just what it ought to be like, perhaps something on the order of Plato's Republic with certain revisions, of course. But as far as I'm concerned the only real answer is in a new system of government."

Now I do not mean to ridicule modern education for I'm a firm believer in it. God gave us minds and he expects us to train and use them. But hear me! We've systematized, organized, institutionalized and philosophized until we've fossilized.

We don't need a new social order. We need to place Christ at the head of the one we've got. Our need is not for a system, but for a Savior. Not the atomic bomb, but the touch of God. Not a new deal, but a new zeal. Yes, only a God-sent, Heaven-directed, Holy Spirit-empowered, Christ-exalting revival will lift us out of the pit and from miry clay.

No, we must have the unusual. We must have the answer by fire. We must have such a shower of power, such an outpouring of God's blessing, that the most wicked among us, the most carelessly indifferent in our midst, will know that God is not dead. That God is still in his heaven and that he very much cares about what is taking place on his earth.

Now God alone can give us such a demonstration. And he is ready, willing and able to do so. The God that sent revival fires in Elijah's time is still on the throne. This God is our God. Moody's God is our God. Spurgeon's God is our God. Wesley's God is our God. He lives! And he will answer by fire, for he has promised, "Call upon me and I will show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not." What a promise. What a power. And it's ours if we will but pay the price.

Now it seems to me that God's program for revival as revealed in our text is threefold. It begins with Penitent People who are filled with Purposeful Passion and undergirded by Prevailing Prayer. I say that the first of these requirements for revival is a need for

PENITENT PEOPLE.

A fellow got off of a train, went over to the station master and asked him where the revival was. It was back in Billy Sunday's day and Billy happened to be in that particular town preaching. The station master thought for a moment and then said, "Why, the revival is here." And he pointed to his heart. "Billy Sunday is down the street at the Tabernacle."

And that's where every revival begins. In the heart and life of the saints. There never has been and there never will be a wave of evangelism among the unsaved until there is a revival among the saved. But let the Church be gripped by revival, and evangelism will naturally follow. Someone has said, "You get on fire for God and other people will come and watch you burn."

As far as I know there is just one thing that can keep us from having victory in this campaign. Would you like to know what it is? Go home and look in the mirror! There between the frames of that mirror you will see the only thing that can keep us from having a great spiritual awakening.

God is ready, willing and able to bless us. But before he can -- before he will -- we must return unto him in penitence. We must confess and forsake our sins. We must lay them all upon the altar. Our sins of omission and commission. Our carelessness. Our pride. Our jealousy. Our criticism. All of our thoughts, words and deeds -- both public and private -- must be hidden behind the cross. There must be nothing to hinder the working of God through us.

You know without my telling you that when a crew sets out to build a giant skyscraper, the higher they go, the deeper they must go. As the walls go higher, the basements and sub-basements must go deeper. The same is true of revival. To build a great structure to the glory of God and the salvation of the lost, we must dig and blast and carry away all those things in our lives which might hinder progress.

And so, I urge you in this opening service of our time together that you go into the secrecy of your own prayer closet, and there retrace your steps back to God and to his Christ. I urge you to face him and ask him to reveal any fault or failing in your life which might be a hindrance to revival. Regardless of the cost or consequence . . . the pain or penalty . . . I urge you to turn away from every idol -- no matter how near or dear -- so there might be nothing between you and the fullness of God's power. And when you do, the revival will have begun.

The second great requirement for revival is

A PURPOSEFUL PASSION.

Now I said purposeful because I mean just that. By passion I do not mean that which is displayed and played up on motion pictures screens, in our modern hit tunes, in magazine articles and even on sign boards. By passion I do not mean that emotion which causes people to weep when a beautiful or touching story is told.

By passion I mean that fire of concern which burns in the hearts of the saints when there is no revival. That fire which burns brighter on Monday that it did on Sunday, and so on each day throughout the week. Seething. Surging. Swelling within the hearts of those, who are anxious for the souls of the lost.

And I say to you, we need that kind of passion today. We need a passion which will cause us to go to bed each night with the earnest prayer upon our hearts, "Oh, God, for Jesus sake, save our country."

We need a passion which will wake us in a morning crying, "Oh, God, let the fire fall. Today. Now. On me!"

We need a passion that will give us no peace, no rest, until we have given the best of our thought and time and talents in an effort to win the lost.

Oh, the preacher -- that's right, me -- I need this kind of passion if we're going to have a revival. How my heart was thrilled and stirred within me as I read of the great revivals of yesterday. And, as I poured over the biographies of the men God chose to lead them, I was humbled as I learned of their great passion for souls.

There was John Knox who cried out in anguish and agony, "Give me Scotland or I die."

There was George Whitfield who, out of a heart of love for the lost voiced the passionate plea, "Oh, God, give me souls, or take my soul." There was Jonathan Edwards . . . John Wesley . . . William Carey . . . Charles Haddon Spurgeon . . . Martin Luther . . . D. L. Moody and scores of others who, down throughout the years, have burned in their breasts with the spirit of real revival.

As I read the story of their great lives, the pages were often blurred with my tears as I prayed,

"Oh, God, may I see such a revival in my lifetime. May I share their passion for souls. May I burn out for thee, as they did."

Now God knows, and I know, and you know that I'm not worthy to wipe the dust off their shoes. But I do want you to know that I long for that same driving, burning, yearning passion for souls that was theirs. Yes, we must have earnest, passionate preaching if we're going to have revival. But the people must also share this longing for the lost.

Sometime ago there was a young man living in the Midwest. His name was Gordon Davies. He worked in there in one of the major cities, earning a little more than $6000 a year. Now, as I've said, this was back during the depression, and $6000 a year was a great deal of money. Gordon Davies was a man who was serious about his commitment to Christ and, after much thought and prayer, he decided to leave his job at $6000 a year to go to Africa as a missionary, for less than $600 a year.

One night while he was in London on his way to Africa, he was standing on the street corner when a little ragamuffin of a boy came up to him said, "Hey, mister, have you got a sixpence?"

That's about a nickel in American money.

Well, Gordon Davies reached into his pocket, pulled of a small coin and gave it to the boy. As the lad turned to leave, Gordon said, "Son, I'd like to tell you about something far more precious than that coin." The little kid's eyes lit up and he said, "Yeah, mister, what is it?"

And then Gordon Davies dealt on the street corner, took a little boy to his heart and began to tell him the story of Jesus. He told him how he left his home in heaven to come and dwell upon earth because he loved little boys so much. He told him how he lived a sinless, perfect, holy life, and yet how in spite of all this he was betrayed and led away to a cross. He told him how he died upon that cross for him. And there on that corner in London, Gordon Davies led his first convert to Christ.

As he got up to leave, a little boy grabbed him by the sleeve and said, "Hey, mister, have you got a match?" My, how that cut Gordon. After he spent his time telling the little boy about Jesus, it seemed all the youngster was interested in was a cigarette. He said, "No, I haven't," and started to leave. Once again the little boy tugged at his sleeve and, looking up into his face, he said,

"Gee, mister, I'm sorry, 'cause I wanted to light it and hold it up to your face and look at you, 'cause you're the first man whoever loved to me enough to tell me about Jesus."

All around us there are little boys like that. There are little girls, and mothers and fathers, and businessmen and farmers, and office workers and housewives. Hundreds of them. Thousands of them. In all walks of life. People who are heart hungry for something. They don't know what it is and all they need is someone to tell them. Someone who really cares.

And if we go after them, they will come. But they will not come unless we go after them. And that's nothing new. For while it's true that "by the foolishness of preaching" God is pleased to save those who will believe, it's also true that personal, hand to hand, heart to heart, house to house, visitation invitation is the plan which Jesus used. It is the plan the disciples followed. And the plan God is blessing mightily today.

The great need of our churches today is for people with a passion. My heart just thrills within me as I think of what could happen in this city if just one out of ten of the members of this church would catch a vision of soul winning. Why, souls by the scores would be saved. Lives would be changed. Homes would be reunited. The church would be revived. Christ would be glorified. And the devil would be defeated.

Oh, for saints with a passion for souls. Oh, for boys and girls and men and women who are really in love with Jesus. So completely in love with him they will make every possible human effort during this short campaign to win at least one soul for Jesus.

If we're going to have a revival, then we must have people with such a consuming love for Jesus -- such a burning passion for the lost -- they will visit and invite and plead and pray and talk and telephone and give and go for Jesus' sake.

The fields are white unto harvest. Will you help bring in the sheaves? Will you join me in a great soul winning effort? Not just in mind, or in spirit, or in word, but with all of your heart and soul. Will you sacrifice all else during this campaign that we might see a blessed outpouring of divine power upon us? I pray that you will!

Then may I say the final requirement for revival is

PREVAILING PRAYER.

Not only must we have penitent people who are filled with purposeful passion but they must be undergirded by prevailing prayer.

We must pray without ceasing. We must pray as we've never prayed before. We must pray for the preacher. Pray for the pastor. Pray for the church leaders. Pray for the backslidden, the indifferent, the unconcerned, the uncommitted. We must pray for ourselves as well as our unsaved neighbors. We must literally saturate our community with prayer.

Persistent prayer can produce a revival and persistent prayer will produce a revival. Revivals are not out of date. Not while sin still floods the world. Not while the cross still stands as the only way to salvation. Not while the church is spiritually indifferent. And we limit God when we do not believe him. When we do not pray. When we do not expect great things from him. When we do not step out on faith in his promises. Wesley claimed that God never withheld from him one thing for which he seriously prayed. And I say to you, Wesley's God is still on the throne!

Actually, the world is full of examples demonstrating the power of prayer. We are told that before Charles Haddon Spurgeon ever stepped into his great Tabernacle to preach, an hour was spent by his deacons praying for the blessing of God upon their pastor and upon the people for that particular service. They thought he might never preach again. That people might never come back again. That some person who, in the Providence of God had slipped into that service, might never have the opportunity to hear the gospel again.

So they waited at the throne of grace, praying that the breath of Almighty God might be so upon their pastor that people would turn to the Lord and be saved. It was out of such a holy atmosphere as that, Charles Haddon Spurgeon came every time he stood in his great Tabernacle to preach the word of grace to the gathered thousands. I ask you, is it any wonder they had revival?

When John Livingston preached in Shotts, Scotland, years ago, a great many people were amazed at his preaching. On one occasion 500 souls were saved. Think of it! 500 people in one service. Why, if we had 500 people in a two or three-week campaign we'd call it a revival. They had 500 in one meeting. When observers began to look into the matter, they discovered that the night before several hundred people had gathered and prayed all night. Not just a few minutes, or a few hours, but all night that the following day the Spirit of God might so rest upon the preacher that a backslidden church and community might know that God still had the power to save. I ask you, is at any wonder they had a revival?

The same is true of every great revival. When the people of God come to see that the work of God can only be done through the power of God, things begin to happen. When they realize revival is never worked up, but always prayed down. That no preacher in all the world carries a revival with him in his suitcase. That they, the people, must get right with God first, and then undergird all that is done spiritual power, then prayer ceases to be a farce and becomes a force. And, as prayer upon prayer ascends to the throne of grace, God hears and heeds and opens the flood gates of heaven, and pours out such a blessing upon them they can hardly contain it.

Oh, for such a revival as that here.

"Oh, for a passionate passion for souls.

Oh, for a pity that yearns.

Oh, for a love that loves unto death.

Oh, for a fire that burns.

Oh, for prayer, prayer that prevails.

That pours out its soul for the lost.

Victorious prayer in the conqueror's name.

Oh, for a Pentecost."

Elijah prayed and God gave him revival fires.

Peter prayed and God gave him Pentecost.

Joshua prayed and God gave him Jericho.

Luther prayed and God gave him Germany.

Knox prayed and God gave him Scotland.

Wesley prayed and God gave him England.

Moody prayed and God gave him America.

And if we pray -- you and I -- if we really pray, I believe God will give us this city for Christ.

One of my favorite places is Yosemite Valley. It inspires me every time I am privileged to be there.

I love to visit Bridal Veil Falls which sways hither and thither in the summer breeze and at sunset reflects all the colors of the rainbow.

I love to stand beneath the giant Redwoods which tower hundreds of feet into the heavens.

I love to gaze into Mirror Lake at sunset and see all of the surrounding scenery mirrored in its crystal clear waters. But most of all, I love to watch the Fire Fall which takes place each evening at nine o'clock.

Those of you who have seen this glorious spectacle remember that, as the hour of nine approaches, an awesome stillness comes over Camp Curry, which is the center of the Valley. Every eye is turned toward Glacier Point which rises hundreds of feet above. There, in the darkness, you can see the faint glow of a fire which is burning.

Suddenly the stillness is broken as the announcer at Camp Curry cries out, "Hello Glacier!" After a moment of silence, a man on top of Glacier Point calls back through the night air, "Hello Camp Curry!" As an air of expectancy sweeps over everyone in the Valley, the announcer calls out, "Let the fire fall!"

And then, the fire which has been burning all evening waiting for that one cry, is pushed out over the edge of Glacier Point and tumbles down through the night. Shimmering and shaking -- glowing and growing -- until at last it resembles a tremendous illuminated waterfall, and the whole Valley glows with its brilliance.

The first time I saw this unforgettable sight my eyes filled with tears. It's so impressive. And I thought of that Great Fire which burns in the heart of God above. I thought of God standing there in his great heaven waiting for the one cry that will send that fire tumbling down upon the earth in showers of blessing.

This evening we stand in the midst of the darkness of a world in sin. And the cry of my heart is, "Hello, Heaven!" And God, standing there in his great heaven, answers back in all of his love and mercy, "Hello, (name city) I've been waiting for your call."

And then the cry of my beating, beseeching, pleading heart goes shooting out across the skies --

"Oh, God, let the fire fall. Let it fall upon me, oh God. Let it fall upon this church. Upon these people. Upon this pastor. Upon this community. Oh, God, let the fire fall!"

Will you join me in that cry? I pray that you will. Amen!

Download this Teaching