Devastate Evil With A Tongue of Fire
The early Church did not have a feel-good message. Neither did it produce feel-good believers.
Too many American Christians do not know what they believe or why they believe it. They cannot withstand the corruption of our sick society. Their endless quest to hold on to “groovy feelings” guarantees we will never save our nation from destruction.
When the Holy Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost, the early Church could have easily turned that blessing into an excuse for gorging on emotion. They could have formed a secret society that endlessly soaked in the presence of God. Instead, the Holy Spirit immediately drove them out of the relative safety of the upper room and out to the masses gathered in Jerusalem.
But they stopped there.
And then, after thousands were saved, they could have retreated into festive fellowship. But the disciples knew better. So did the new converts. Training was the order of the day.
And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine [teaching] and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles (Acts 2:42-43).
The apostles understood that the Church must be saturated with the Word of God. They saw the urgency of right doctrine and fervent prayer. Look at modern Church growth models. In virtually every model, doctrine and prayer are the first things to go. And it goes further than that—there is an anti-Bible spirit in many churches. Even in Spirit-filled churches.
The doctrines that the disciples taught were the very words of Jesus. Words remembered and quickened by the Holy Spirit were arranged into our New Testament. Those words were so orderly, in fact, that they are called the Apostle’s Doctrine. Remember again what Jesus said: “Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:20). Early disciples were trained on the words of Jesus!
The early Church did not depend on ethereal emotions or inner impressions. They relied on the work of the Holy Spirit who is unswervingly committed to the Word of God. If you turn your back on the Bible, the Holy Spirit will stop speaking to you.
Do you want to be trained? Do you want the training so that you can make a glorious noise before you leave this earth? Here’s how to get the training.
Our training begins with these verses:
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God (Romans 12:1-2).
Training for spiritual warfare begins by emptying yourself of false teaching. Some incorrect teaching has been put into your spirit. Those false ideas will strive against your training. To embrace true training, you must recognize and reject any false training you received in the past.
You must surrender your right to a personal opinion. You are a soldier, not a consultant. You have orders from King Jesus, not talking points. War is too urgent for double-mindedness or hesitation in following orders.
You must maintain this training attitude for the remainder of your life. You are not testing the waters. You are not coming into this to see how it goes. This is a discipline you will walk in for the rest of your life.
You must find your assignment. There is something you are supposed to do before you leave. There is something you are supposed to shout from the rooftops.
It’s time to see the monster. Then see what is at stake. And see what we must do—no matter what it takes. In Acts 16, Paul models what it means to not leave quietly, and I explain this more in my book, Do Not Leave Quietly. We must start our training.
The greatest weapon God has given you is a voice. Your voice is not supposed to be silent. It is not supposed to be silenced. Never underestimate the power of a voice. With just their voice, heroes of God have defeated armies and raised the dead. The world was created by the Voice of God.
Many verses tell us about the power of our God-given voice. Isaiah wrote, “And He has made My mouth like a sharp sword” (Isaiah 49:2).
The Lord God has given Me the tongue of the learned [trained], that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning; He awakens My ear to hear as the learned (Isaiah 50:4).
But the greatest promise refers to our time and this present darkness. Jesus said, “For I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist” (Luke 21:15).
The training God will give you will not only remove fear, it will make you bold as a lion to face the enemy. Louis Wilson said, “The aim of military training is not just to prepare men for battle, but to make them long for it.”
That convulsion you felt in the background is satan. He just felt pain because you said that you were going to start your training. You have decided to be a living weapon that is honed, crafted, and empowered to speak up, speak out, and devastate evil with a tongue of fire!