Episode Transcript
PRAYER OF CONSECRATION
Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.
Jesus, I belong to you.
I lift up my heart to you.
I set my mind on you.
I fix my eyes on you.
I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice.
Jesus, we belong to you.
Praying in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen.
Matthew 2:1–8
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him."
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written:
"'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.'"
Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."
CONSIDER THIS
Let's begin by thinking some more about these mysterious Magi. Where did they come from? We don't know; Matthew only tells us they came from the east (v. 1).
Some Bible scholars suggest they were Persian; others favor Yemen as their country of origin, and still others India or China. Persia is almost 1,000 miles from Bethlehem; Yemen is 1,250 miles; India is 2,500 miles, and China is more than 4,000 miles.
"It's a long journey," I hear you say, "We agree, so what's the point?" Here's the point: these non-believers traveled for days to worship King Jesus. In contrast, Herod and the "people's chief priests and teachers of the law" didn't bother to travel five or six miles from Jerusalem to Bethlehem to check out the Magi's claims about this newborn King of the Jews. Scripture teaches that Herod and all of Jerusalem were disturbed (v. 3), but not enough to investigate the Magi's claims. They could have ridden over to that small walled town, with an estimated population of 300–500 in their lunch hour.
Tragically, when it comes to the things of the Holy Spirit, many Western Christians, including myself, are sometimes more like Herod than the Magi. We get comfortable. We want everything brought to us. We want the flame of the Holy Spirit but avoid any inconvenience in searching for the fire to set our hearts alight.
We have to build Magi moments into our lives.
Let's now consider the implications for prophetic ministry. In his letter to the Corinthian church, the apostle Paul instructs members of this fledgling Gentile church to "Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy" (1 Cor. 14:1).
The English translation "eagerly desire" doesn't capture the nuances of the Greek word used here. The word is onomatopoeic. An onomatopoeia is simply a word whose sound helps to describe its meaning. Think of sausages sizzling in the pan. Sizzling is an onomatopoeia because it sounds like, well, sizzling. Two other common examples are a balloon going pop or the swish of curtains. You get the point. The Greek word for "eagerly desire," from which we get our word zealous, sounds like water reaching its boiling point. Think of it this way: Paul is telling his Corinthian readers (and us, too) to seek spiritual gifts, especially prophecy, with the same intensity it takes to boil water.
David, a dear friend, contacted me a few months ago. He told me he had been reading 1 Corinthians 14:1 during a recent morning devotion and had to pause to ask himself, "Do I eagerly desire spiritual gifts and especially the gift of prophecy?" He concluded that he did not and had to repent. He began seeking these gifts. A week later, he visited his son's church on the East Coast. He told me that the worship was beautiful and profound and went on to write:
I was deeply moved, sensing the profound love of God in response to this worship. I turned to my son and said, "I think the Lord has given me a word for this church."
He said, "Do you think He wants you to share it today."
"Yes, he does," I said. "He also wants me to go forward now and get on my hands and knees in worship."
And so I did. I went forward during worship alone, got on my hands and knees, and wept before the Lord near the front of the church. I was weeping with joy, not sorrow. I was experiencing what the Father feels when He is welcome and how precious it is to Him to be loved and welcomed by His people. After about 5–10 minutes, I returned to my seat.
My son had checked with a church leader and the pastor, and they permitted me to share the prophetic word with the body. The pastor called me up to share and gave me the microphone. I said something along these lines:
"Today, I felt the deep presence of God during worship. And He wants to say to you, 'Well done!' He wants you to know that He feels loved and welcomed here, and His presence is with you. He longs to be wanted, to be welcomed. And, today, in this place, God feels welcomed here.”
I sat down. I did not know what the Lord was doing in people's hearts, but I learned later that when I went forward to pray and got on my hands and knees, the pastor also got on the floor on her hands and knees and began weeping. Others, too, were weeping.
I have never had an experience like this before. It was overwhelming to me. And wonderful.
This is what can happen when we eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.
Let's return to the Prayer of Consecration, which we prayed a few minutes ago. Specifically, let's look at the third line: "I lift up my heart to you." Our heart is the center of our being, our will, motives, and desires. So the question is, What is it that you are eagerly desiring? What might happen the next time we pray, "I lift up my heart to you" if we add, "Help me to eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy?" I don't know, but let's add it to our prayer tomorrow and see what happens!
THE PRAYER
Lord, help me to eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy. Amen.
THE QUESTIONS
What safeguards are you putting in place to ensure you don't become like the chief priests and teachers of the law who knew the Scriptures well but lost sight of God? Are you part of a discipleship band? If yes, how has it helped you maintain your focus on Jesus? If not, would you consider joining one?
