I like what you wrote Matthew Oliver. I would add to it that both must come and both have a purpose, although as you well put most people seem to have a knack to stop at the fire and miss the rain. In the end they get tired too: Charlie Brown in his peanuts wisdom sat by the fire and said I like watching the fire ... but the program is quite always the same.
The fire is a breakthrough, a starting point and then comes the rain, and in between sowing. I grew up in the country and saw this done many times: the fields were set on fire which cleaned it, and produced some acid substances good for the soil. It was awesome to see the snakes! Snakes have one of two reactions to fire they either “run” away with all their might in whichever direction, or they stand against and fight the flames trying to bite them, obviously they get barbecued quite fast. What a figure, and that is what the fire does!
The devil in all his millennia of existence has not yet learnt how to react to the fire of God! Hallelujah! Run, baby, run!
Then the seed was sown.
And then rain made the seed produce.
Back to Elijah, he must have read 2 Ch 7:13-14
13 When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people,
14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
NKJV
The lack of rain was a result of people having lost their connection with the source. It is not one sin that causes the rain to stop, we are weak and we sin all the time, but we have an advocate with the Father so we may come to Him and receive grace; it is not that kind of situation that stops the rain, it is rather our stubbornness in believing that we know better than God and end up disconnecting from Him. God’s complaint against the people was not one or two sins but “their wicked WAYS”. It is about time that the church realizes that our ways will not take us to the place of blessing.
Elijah’s “contest” (it was not a contest actually cuz the winner was set) with Baal’s prophets simple served the purpose of bringing cleansing, establishing the “who’s who” in the kingdom, and RECONNECTING with the source of their blessing from which they had wandered away.
And then when this reconnection took place, rain followed, and heavens were opened and there was food.
However, God sent rain but it rained water, it did not rain seed!
The result of the rain was new life to the land and the seed that was planted at some point produced fruit.
That’s revival.
Me thinks.
So what’s the seed? The Word? The teaching? Your money?
No my friend:
THE SEED FOR REVIVAL IS YOU.
Moving toward a move of God
J. Conrad Lampan
-----Original Message-----
From: bounce-revival-fire-2902599@hub.xc.org [mailto:bounce-revival-fire-2902599@hub.xc.org] On Behalf Of Amelia Gaillard
Sent: Friday, May 30, 2008 1:02 PM
To: A forum for Revival Discussion and Posts
Cc: A forum for Revival Discussion and Posts
Subject: [revival-fire] Re: Rain or Fire? you decide.....
******* REVIVAL FIRE!!! *******
Well put, Matthew! Soon we'll all sing "I've seen fire & I've seen rain" !!!
On May 29, 2008, at 10:44 AM, matthew Oliver wrote:
******* REVIVAL FIRE!!! *******
I love experience the Fire of the Lord. The all consuming fire, that purifies, that ignites, that consumes, that burns with passion, spirit, power. It is hot and intense and it is real. But it falls short of the fulfillment of the promise of God.
It is good, it is real, but it is not enough.
I truly believe that right now what is taking place at specific locals is FIRE. The fire from heaven falling on certain spots, consuming, intense, powerful. And everyone who comes into that fire gets blasted. They get changed. They get ignited. They experience God. It is good, it is powerful, it is awesome.
but there is MORE!
When Elijah called down the fire, it blew everyone away. All that were there new that God, was the one true God! They were amazed, in awe, they began to worship God! The fire came down and was an expression of the anointing, the power, the Spirit.
YET!!!!!!
That was not enough for Elijah. WHY?
Because the Fire was not the fulfillment of the promise. Why would he stop short of what God had promised?????
Fire was great, but that was not what God had promised. God had promised the RAIN!!!!!
and here is the difference.
Read this....
Fire hits a local spot! Rain saturates a region!
What Elijah experienced on the mountain top, the whole region experienced when the rain came!
When the rain comes everyone benifits from the outpouring.
It is not contained. It saturates all!
I have seen and experienced the FIRE! But i want the promise of the COMING RAIN!
The word says that he will pout out the Former and the Later rain together! Yes!
Then He says that in the season of the RAIN - Cry out for RAIN! because there is MORE!
I want to see the glory of the Lord saturate this LAND!
I will not be appeased by the FIRE! I want the Promise of the LORD in its fullness!
We so often get sidetracked by the WOW of God, and stop short of the fullness! I have seen the WOW - but I want MORE!
I want the PROMISE!
Let's pursue together! Let's cry out for rain!
Last night at
It was like liquid Glory falling down!
There were healings - a back was completely straightened out. A broken Finger was completely healed, the bruising and the swelling gone, knees were healed, where someone couldn't even bend them before!
And the glory was present. Hearts were being healed, love was flowing. The power was there! And we want MORE!
Let us pursue together and not lose site of the fullness of the promises of God! Let us not be so easily appeased. Let us not be so easily satisfied.
I love miracles, but I want to see the miraculous
I love the fire, but I want the Rain
I love the encounters, but I long for transformation
I can’t wait to get to heaven, but I long for heaven to come to earth!
Oh – that we would stay passionate and pursue the MORE of God!
See ya on the battle lines
Matthew Oliver
Just as wild as ever, and loving every minute of it!
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