"....This is the law of the burnt offering: The burnt offering shall be on the hearth upon the altar all night until morning, and the fire of the altar shall be kept burning on it....And the fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not be put out....A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out." (From Leviticus 6)
The Moravians (Unitas Fratrum, "Unity of Brethren") took this passage as a motto for their 24/7/365 prayer watch. Some reports say that it lasted for 120 years. It was the birth of a "modern" mission movement which spread throughout the earth. My Dad often spoke of them; he was a man of prayer. In fact, I first learned of prayer not in a teaching, but seeing my Dad pray.
During this quarter's journey through the Pentateuch, the repeated emphasis in Leviticus 6 has been "staying" with me, "the fire of the altar shall be kept burning on it....And the fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it....A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out." Now I know that many in the modern church have seen this, as did the Moravians, as a "type" of continual prayer, and have attempted 24/7 prayer watches, I among them. Most fizzled out after a season, some continue today in various parts of the world, but I think there is more here than prayer watches.
I believe our text is a call to the Church to realize something which it many times refuses to admit, that there is much we can do for people, and indeed we are commanded to do by our Lord Jesus Christ. But in the "grand scheme of things," we can do so much more when we as the Church, "The Body of Christ," walk in our text, "A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out." Could this possibly reflect an "attitude" as well as, "pray without ceasing"? For example, what if the Church Universal, manifesting in local congregations, had a predominance of prayer gatherings, say, for every one hour of meetings, conferences, projects, there be two hours of prayer. No amount of meetings, seminars, "outreaches," books, CDs could have prevented the recent Boston massacre or change the heart of the leaders of nations who are out to loot the Planet.
I confess that I do not grasp the "depths" of our text and do not want to offer shallow interpretations. Yet there is somewhere in those words a call of the Blessed Trinity, a "move" of the Holy Spirit, a call and command to the Church, "A fire shall always be burning on the alter; IT SHALL NEVER GO OUT."
Father, in Jesus' Name, I don't want any "religious" interpretation of the text. Please give me Your Heart in these words. Amen.
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The Moravians (Unitas Fratrum, "Unity of Brethren") took this passage as a motto for their 24/7/365 prayer watch. Some reports say that it lasted for 120 years. It was the birth of a "modern" mission movement which spread throughout the earth. My Dad often spoke of them; he was a man of prayer. In fact, I first learned of prayer not in a teaching, but seeing my Dad pray.
During this quarter's journey through the Pentateuch, the repeated emphasis in Leviticus 6 has been "staying" with me, "the fire of the altar shall be kept burning on it....And the fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it....A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out." Now I know that many in the modern church have seen this, as did the Moravians, as a "type" of continual prayer, and have attempted 24/7 prayer watches, I among them. Most fizzled out after a season, some continue today in various parts of the world, but I think there is more here than prayer watches.
I believe our text is a call to the Church to realize something which it many times refuses to admit, that there is much we can do for people, and indeed we are commanded to do by our Lord Jesus Christ. But in the "grand scheme of things," we can do so much more when we as the Church, "The Body of Christ," walk in our text, "A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out." Could this possibly reflect an "attitude" as well as, "pray without ceasing"? For example, what if the Church Universal, manifesting in local congregations, had a predominance of prayer gatherings, say, for every one hour of meetings, conferences, projects, there be two hours of prayer. No amount of meetings, seminars, "outreaches," books, CDs could have prevented the recent Boston massacre or change the heart of the leaders of nations who are out to loot the Planet.
I confess that I do not grasp the "depths" of our text and do not want to offer shallow interpretations. Yet there is somewhere in those words a call of the Blessed Trinity, a "move" of the Holy Spirit, a call and command to the Church, "A fire shall always be burning on the alter; IT SHALL NEVER GO OUT."
Father, in Jesus' Name, I don't want any "religious" interpretation of the text. Please give me Your Heart in these words. Amen.
****************
I will be sharing about the North Korea Mission in the CCE service, May 19, 10:00. If there would be a change, I will let you know.
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
