Fervent In Spirit by Apostle Emmanuel Iren: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

Lessons from the World Cup

Paul often taught spiritual lessons from sports.

1 Corinthians 9:24

"Do you not know that there are many runners who run, but only one receives the prize?"

This year's World Cup broke the all-time record for comeback wins, teams leading confidently and then losing late. Not many people have the mental fortitude to stay successful till the end. Some people's worst enemy is tasting success too early. Even Isaiah prophesied it: the young man shall faint.

We struggle with consistency, not just in football, but in relationships, in finances, and in the things of the spirit. Some couples start a relationship with so much vim, promising the whole world, and somewhere along the line stop talking. Some people hit a certain height of success and don't know how to behave, and the money finishes. The Bible says money can take wings and fly away.

Not lagging in diligence, but fervent in spirit

Romans 12:11

This is a diagnosis. Your external structure in devotion is a reflection of your internal health. If you are lagging in your prayer life, in your consecration, you are not fervent in spirit.

Food taken out of the fire is still hot for a while, so you won't notice you've gone cold before anyone else does. Unlike medical diagnosis, in the things of the spirit the symptom is also the cause: the symptom of not being fervent is that you are lagging in devotion, and the cause of not being fervent is also that you are lagging in devotion.

One symptom of backsliding is that you begin to look down on the simple things that keep you on fire, calling a devotional "just milk." It's not about the information, it's about the consistency.

In the Old Testament the fire on the altar came from heaven, but the priests were instructed that night and day the fire must not go out, so they had to keep putting wood.

Leviticus

When the Lord touches you in a service, if you don't go back and fan the flames, it will only be a matter of days before it looks like you never met God.

You cannot serve the Lord on your own terms, choosing your prayer style purely by personal temperament. Jesus fell to the ground and cried with a loud voice. Jesus stood in front of a tomb and shouted, "Lazarus." If he shouted, shout. That's how dead things come back to life.

Fervent means to be red hot, boiling hot. It can be measured, the way steam that never touched the kettle can still burn you, or the way steak is ordered rare, medium, or well done depending on how long it stayed on the fire. It's not just that you are on fire, it's staying on long enough to begin to emit.

We are the circumcision who serve God by the spirit

Philippians 3:3

Paul instilled in his people a collective identity. We are the circumcision, but not the circumcision of the flesh who prided themselves in cutting themselves. We serve God by his spirit and boast in Christ Jesus, putting no confidence in the flesh. This is our identity as a church: a church of fervency. When we worship, we worship from our heart. When we pray, we pray from our heart. When we respond, we respond from our hearts.

Three areas fervency will show

1. Your prayer life

   If you have no prayer life and only open your Bible once in a while, you cannot beat Satan with passive Christianity, even in Christ.

2. Your consecration

   Consecration is not just about what you do, it's about what you don't do. Fire brings consecration. Isaiah found himself in the throne room of God and shouted, "Woe is me, for I am a man of unclean lips." A seraph flew to him with a live coal from the altar and placed it on his tongue.

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   Isaiah 6

   If there is fire in your life, it becomes easier to say no to some things.

3. Your evangelism

   Jeremiah did not want to deliver God's messages, but it was like fire shot up in his bones and he could not stay.

   The more fire of God you have, the more irresistible evangelism becomes. If your mouth is too heavy to talk about Jesus, that's a heavy red flag. In the upper room, cloven tongues of fire sat on every single person, not just the leaders. That is the simple spiritual technology behind revival: every person on fire, spreading it as fast as possible.

Create structures to stay on fire

• When is your prayer time? When do you fast?
• What extra seasons of devotion do you keep, praying longer than usual to recover any lag?
• Who are the people you will stay close to, to remain on fire, and who are the people you must stay away from?
• What will you always do even on days you don't feel like praying?
• Who will you be responsible for spiritually, encouraging and following up on?

• In the name of Jesus, I decree and declare Jesus is Lord over my life. I believe he is the Christ. I have received his spirit into my heart.
• Let fire fall on my altar. Let prayer fire fall. Let consecration fire fall. Let a fresh passion for preaching fall. I receive it right now.

There's someone who led a fellowship on campus, then entered a relationship that derailed you, and you've been struggling to find your footing again. The Lord says he has restored you in this service.

Apart from your personal devotional life, find at least two people you will encourage in the things of God this week. Share them links to sermons that answer their questions, call them, pray for them, invite them to church.