SET OUR HEARTS ON FIRE

Chapter 10

Revival Spreads Through Simple Acts of Service

Once your heart has ignited through personal revival, you become a torch in God's hand. Wherever God brings this torch into contact with other lives, the fire is able to spread to them. The Spirit's redemptive life in you flows out as you come into contact with other people.

But the contact has to be genuine. Your heart has to be open to them, even as it is open to the Lord. As the Pharisees passed through the marketplace, they brushed against all kinds of people. Yet it was as if the Pharisees were far above the ordi­nary citizens of Jerusalem, the tax collectors and sinners. They were aloof, insulated by their "righteousness," so that there was no personal flow between the Pharisees and ordinary people who surrounded them as they passed through the city.

Jesus, on the other hand, moved among people as one who was available. He ate with tax collectors and sinners. He lived among them as their servant. "For which is the greater, one who sits at table, or one who serves? Is it not one who sits at table? But I am among you as one who serves" (Lk 22:27). And Jesus taught his disciples to follow his example. To serve people we have to come near to them and allow them to come near to us.

During the first few years we lived in Detroit, our family was housed in a church-owned parsonage in a quiet neighbor­hood, far from the church. It was a safer place to live than the church neighborhood. The schools were better. But the people who lived in the shadow of our church would often ask, "Where do you live?"

I knew what they meant by that question. Are you one of us, or are you above us? You're not afraid to come here to preach. Are you afraid to come here to live?

My wife Jean and I talked about it and prayed about it. "Lord, you gave us four children. If you want us to serve Messiah Church, we believe you also want us to live in the church neighborhood. We're going to have to trust you to watch over our children in that neighborhood and in those schools."

We scratched together a down payment, with the help of some friends and relatives, and bought a house a few blocks from the church. That "tough" neighborhood received us with more kindness and friendship than any place we had ever lived. Our children probably learned more about the real world in those schools than in all their years of university that followed. And for twenty-three years we lived among people who taught us and gave us far more than we could ever give them.

The fire in our hearts does not leap to others from a dis­tance, by "remote control." It spreads through proximity, sim­ply by being near to others. We need to remove the insulation from our lives and be available to people, so that the fire in us can find its way into their hearts just by being near them. And the simplest way to be near to people is to "wash their feet" ... to serve them. Don't worry about giving them the seven steps to salvation or the four spiritual laws. Don't premeditate what you're going to say. Just be there as a servant, in the name of the Lord. Because revival spreads through simple acts of service. "Go preach the gospel," said St. Francis, "if neces­sary, use words."

Since Jesus commanded us to wash one another's feet, we begin our acts of service in the church where God has placed us. Then we move out beyond the church to the numberless people we encounter in our daily lives who have never tasted the redemptive power of God. And all the while we remember that God is using us as a torch in his hand to ignite the hearts we touch as we serve in simple ways, such as....

Who Needs a Ride?

Not everyone who comes to church owns a car. There are those who would like to be part of a church, if they could only find a way to get there. Some communities do an excellent job of transportation networking. But even in the best of them, people are slipping through the cracks because the bus doesn't run on Sunday or the church building is out in the "boonies."

If we have no car ourselves, we may still be able, with a little chutzpah, to facilitate rides for others. If we own a car it's easy to find people who would appreciate a ride.

Remember, when you are giving someone a ride, you am doing more than giving them a ride; you are touching them in a personal way with the flame of the Spirit that burns in your heart. Don't underestimate what God can do through you, just by your presence with people, as you travel together.

Opportunities will come to offer a word of encouragement, a listening ear – opportunities that would never arise if you weren't taking the trouble to provide rides for people.

Help in the Nursery

A few churches have a trained nursery staff. Some hire child­care workers. But for most churches, the nursery is a volun­teer proposition and is often needy and shorthanded. Young mothers and fathers take their turn, but there's a place for men and women of any age to come and help. Because it is a low-profile job with few rewards to the ego, it's Christian foot-washing at its best. Service. And fellowship too, because there's almost always somebody there besides yourself, help­ing to watch over and care for these little ambassadors of the kingdom.

But how can a person spread revival in a nursery? That's what the disciples thought, and they tried to brush the moth­ers away. But Jesus rebuked them. He had time for the little ones and their mothers, because they were very important to him. They still are.

Visit a Shut-In

Synneuve is close to ninety. Her husband, Sig, died a few years ago, and she lives by herself in a little house on the north end of town, surrounded by neighbors who are like sons and daughters to her. Synneuve loves company. Her face lights up when she welcomes you. "Cup coffee?" she asks in her rich Norwegian accent. But no one from church has been to see her for a month. She needs a visit from one of us.

Don't worry about conversation. She'll keep it going. A few questions, and she'll tell you about her life, of her years of separation from Sig during the war, and of beginning again in a new land. She loves to talk about her son, Svein, and his family, who live in another city. And she'll finish off by telling you how good God is.

So call a friend and say, "Let's go see Synneuve." Drink her coffee and listen to her wisdom. She'll be pleased if you offer to pray for her.

Arc you bringing revival to Synneuve's house? Of course. But more important, the Spirit of the Lord will quicken the revival in you as you visit her. She will teach you, if your heart is open to it, how important it is to be there for another per­son, how powerfully God uses a listening ear.

Open Your Life to a Local Survivor

John called just to ask how you're doing. In passing he men­tioned that he's down to ten cigarettes, two cans of soup, a loaf of bread and a little coffee. He didn't ask for anything, mind you, but he'd be delighted if someone would come through with some groceries or a few dollars.

John isn't what you'd call an "active church member." He lives by himself in a small apartment on an even smaller disabil­ity check. Through you, he's part of the church. He's a sheep who needs to be fed in more ways than one. Go see him, and if you could spare a few dollars, John would be grateful.

You may not see the flame of revival leap across the kitchen table and ignite John's heart, but you will know the Spirit of God has moved you to be there. You will be aware that what­ever material help you give this man is conveying a sacramental blessing, a heavenly gift flowing through something as earthly as a can of soup or a loaf of bread. Any revival that doesn't quickly flow out and touch people like John with material help will be short-lived.

Join a Small Group -- or Start One

One of the best places to discover opportunities to serve is in one of the small groups in your church. In the Sunday morn­ing adult class, the Wednesday-night Bible study, one of the cell groups, you will find people who aren't afraid to tell you about an approaching operation, or the depression they're try­ing to beat or how uncertain their employment prospects are. A small group within the church is where you have a chance to get close to people and let them get close to you.

In such intimate settings the first Christians prayed and wor­shiped and cared for each other. "And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they partook of food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people" (Acts 2:46-47). On Sunday everybody gets together to celebrate the feast of victory at Jesus' cross and to give thanks for his resurrection. But sometime through the week we need to be with other believers in a smaller setting, where we can share our burdens and our blessings and encourage each other to walk the walk.

If there is no small group meeting in your church, it may be time to start one. Go through whatever channels necessary to have the full approval of the pastor and the leadership. Make sure that the group is open to everybody. Let the gathering start on time and end on time. The meetings need to be warm, friendly, informal, so that every newcomer feels at home. At the same time there needs to be enough structure so that the meeting doesn't sag into idle chatter.

"How's it been going in your life this week?"

"Before we go to prayer, what are the needs, and what are the things to give thanks for?"

"Tonight we're looking at First John, chapter one."

It's great to begin the meeting with some singing and per­haps close with a song. Refreshments should be simple. Having refreshments at the beginning, as people come in, is a good way to encourage fellowship. Then, after closing prayer, people can be on their way with their souls refreshed.

Gathering a small group in a church where there is none is a practical and helpful act of service to its people. An announce­ment should be made to the whole church, explaining the purpose of this group and making clear that everybody is wel­come. But this announcement needs to be followed up with personal invitations. If only three people come on the first evening, don't be discouraged. Three people is a wonderful start. Share your vision of how helpful a small-group setting could be to many in the congregation, and enlist their help. Trust that the Spirit of the Lord will guide you and empower you in this service to his people.

Most Christian bookstores carry books about forming and nurturing small groups. These books can be helpful, as long as you remember that God may have plans for your group that differ in some ways from the models which these books provide.

Help Out on Work Day

Almost every church has a Work Day, when folks join together to do some special housecleaning. They wash down the chairs, scrub the nursery, plant shrubs, clean windows, sweep the parking lot, paint, do minor repairs. Work Day might not seem to be a particularly "spiritual" occasion. Yet it gives you a chance to work side by side with people you've been praying for, people you rarely see except in church on Sunday morn­ing. At noon they'll be serving soup and homemade bread, and you can sit down and eat with people you may never have had a meal with before.

Revival in the New Testament was a very down-to-earth thing. It took place in fishing boats and tax offices. The author of revival, Jesus, did not confine his ministry to the synagogue. He was where people were. He moved among them not as some high-ranking religious dignitary, but as their peer. Jesus preferred to set fire to their hearts in the real world rather than in some spiritual hothouse. And to this day, Jesus often gets more done on Work Day than in the most elaborate and glow­ing service. Be there; for you're bound to find his Spirit at work among the sweepers and the window washers.

Get Into the Dishpan

Lily had been attending our church for only a few months. Already she was in the kitchen, helping with the dishes, every time there was a coffee hour.

"Lily, you don't have to be washing dishes all the time," someone said to her.

She smiled and answered, "I love it. And besides, it gives me a chance to get to know the folks."

Clearing the tables, washing dishes, stacking chairs. These simple acts of service put us where we need to be – close to our sisters and brothers in the body of Christ. And we can trust that the Lord will deepen our fellowship with the people we work with, spreading encouragement to others as he chooses.

Serving Beyond the Church Walls

When God revives an individual, that person becomes a torch in his hand to bring fresh fire to the body of Christ. And when God revives a church, that church becomes a "city set on a hill," giving light to all around it. The light of that church shines out to the world through the deeds of its people. "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works", simple acts of service give glory to your Father who is in heaven (Mt 5:16).

The simple acts of service you perform within the body of Christ are only a warm-up for your ministry beyond the church walls. Every time you perform an act of service in obedience to Christ (letting your light shine) beyond the walls of your church, you are spreading revival. You are man­ifesting the kingdom of God in the clearest possible way.

While revival begins with fresh vision and holy joy, it flowers into a life of thanksgiving to God which is expressed in acts of service toward your neighbor, particularly your neighbor who is suffering. "If any one serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there shall my servant be" (Jn 12:26). You will find Jesus, not only where two or three are gathered in his name, but also where any man or woman or child on this earth is suffering.

Follow Jesus down from the mountain heights of spiritual vision into the valley of suffering. Every time you perform the simplest act of kindness, even as minor as giving a cup of cold water to someone who is thirsty, you are spreading revival. For you are ministering to none other than the Lord Jesus himself. "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me" (Mt 25:40).

Human suffering is much closer to us than we allow our­selves to believe. We are inclined to think that international relief organizations stand in for us where people suffer from drought, floods, earthquakes and local wars. After all, we can't be there, and some of our tax dollars are paying for all that rice.

Closer to home, government and church agencies represent us as they strive to help the increasing numbers of people who are falling through our "social safety nets." Some of our offer­ings find their way there. Yet it all seems so distant.

This feeling of distance is heightened by the reports of tele­vision journalists who fly into hunger-ravaged countries, show us the wasted bodies of children and their exhausted mothers and fly out again. Tragic, we say, and hope that the food trucks get there in time. What can we do? It's all so far away.

But when we dare to lift our hearts to the Lord and ask him, "Lord, what do you want me to do about all this suffer­ing?" a very simple answer comes back to us: Start where you are and do what you can.

"I was hungry and you gave me food." Certainly, if you became aware of a family in your church where the children were going hungry, you would find a way to help. But now you learn of a family in the neighborhood going to the food bank, because they just can't make it on their income. So you do what you can. You help the food bank. Or you help the family as anonymously as possible. It's part of the revival. It's putting the love of Jesus into action.

You're watching the evening news and once again find yourself looking into the eyes of a malnourished child in some faraway land. But this time, you hear the Spirit of the Lord encouraging you to do something. You can. It is not beyond your power. You can send a check to Care or World Vision or the church agency of your choice. People who haven't even met the Lord yet are digging into their pockets, like Cornelius the centurion, and sending generous help. Surely the revived sons and daughters of God are going to share their abundance with the hungry. It's part of the revival that spreads most purely through simple acts of mercy.

"I was thirsty and you gave me drink." It's a hot summer day. The city workmen repairing a water main in front of your house are sweltering in the heat A pitcher of cold water or lemonade and a few paper cups would refresh them. It seems like a trivial thing, but such a simple act of service spreads God's life to others. Pour a few prayers into that pitcher before you take it out, if you like. But be aware that you are touching lives that you would be able to touch in no other way. Or per­haps you're visiting your cousin in the hospital. The man in the next bed has no one to give him a sip of water. "Would you like a drink?" you say. He nods in gratitude and eagerly draws on the straw you put in his mouth.

Broaden the concept of thirst to include people who are thirsty for an encouraging word, a listening ear or even a smile. Give them a drink in the name of the Lord and know that you are refreshing them with the life of God.

Shortly after we moved into a certain neighborhood, Jean smiled and said hello to the older man across the street. She didn't realize that the neighbors had virtually ostracized this man and his wife for reasons unknown to us. A few minutes later the man was at our door with a beautiful rose he had cut from his garden. Pop Dozer was thirsty for a little warmth from a neighbor and was so grateful when somebody finally smiled and said hello.

"I was a stranger and you welcomed me." People across the earth seem to be returning to their tribal roots. Each tribe is pulling its own people closer together, and pity help you if you belong to the wrong tribe. If you're a Tutsi in Hum country (or vice versa), or a Croat in a Serb village (or vice versa), or a black in white territory (or vice versa) or an Arab on Israeli ter­rain (or vice versa), you will be looked upon with suspicion.

You may even be in danger. If you have ever been a CFA ("comes from away"), you have no doubt tasted what it feels like to be an outsider.

Our Lord Jesus was an outsider. "He was despised and rejected by men" (Is 53:3), looked upon with suspicion by the authorities in Jerusalem, constantly harassed by the scribes and Pharisees. By virtue of the fact that we are followers of Jesus, we too are outsiders. We are in the world, but no longer of it. And the world is not at all comfortable with our loyalty to the kingdom of God. For all these reasons it should be easy for us to spot a stranger and give him or her a welcome. A simple act of kindness to welcome a stranger carries with it the comfort of heaven.

No matter what circles in which we travel, there will invari­ably be a person of another "tribe" who is treated as an out­sider. The new person at work who recently moved from another part of the country or who speaks with an accent or wears a turban or attends a mosque. Our job, as servants of the Lord Jesus, is to welcome that person, even if no one else does; even if it costs us.

Make that person know that you are glad to have him or her in the company or the neighborhood. Have the newcomer over for a meal. Help him or her get established. This wel­come is not a means to an end (that is, to get them into your church); it is an end in itself. No strings attached. An act of simple human kindness toward a stranger in an unfriendly world.

"I was naked and you clothed me." There were plenty of naked, shivering people in Jesus' day. There are more now. And these ill-clad ones are not confined to Siberia or northern China They may live down the block from you or just off the freeway you drive every day. It doesn't take weeks of research to find a family that can't afford to buy decent clothes for its children.

As needs arise, the Spirit will show you what to do. You may want to pass along a coat that you are still wearing. Or you may decide to provide some money to buy something new. Or you may purchase three new blankets for the next blanket drive at church. Surely the fire in our hearts is moving us to do what we can to relieve the chill of a shivering body.

"I was sick and you visited me." When our relatives and friends become ill and land in the hospital, most of us are conscien­tious about visiting. We bring flowers and gifts and words of cheer. But when the illness drags on over months and years, we tend to lose track of these people. Visits decrease. Days, sometimes weeks, go by without a visit or a phone call. Those long, weary, draining illnesses especially need the comfort of regular visits from people who care. They need someone to touch base with them.

We congratulate ourselves that we saw them three times when they were in the hospital, while they wonder why, since they came home, nobody seems to care anymore. They could use touches of revival, visits to lift their spirits. And we need to let God spread some of the joy he has put into us, into them. Keep the visits going. Stay in touch.

Then there is the loner at work, who rarely speaks to anyone. The boss announces that he's in the hospital for exploratory surgery. Everybody signs a card, which the boss stamps and mails. But is anybody going to go and see this man?

Why, I hardly know him. I wouldn't know what to say. He might be uncomfortable having me come to see him in the hospital when we've hardly spoken ten words to each other in the last five years.

"Never mind," says the Spirit. "Go."

So you go, and discover that you are the only person who has been to see him. The only one. And he weeps with gratitude.

"I was in prison and you came to me." These days it's not easy to get into a prison to visit someone. Unless you're a member of the clergy or a relative, the answer at the front desk may be, "Sorry, I cannot authorize you to visit this person."

My friend, Ray, took matters into his own hands when he went to the county jail to visit his friend, Eddie. "I'm his brother," Ray insisted, and was given a pass. That was before Ray became a Christian and was still in the habit of fast­-talking his way through red tape. If you know someone who has landed in prison, you can begin by writing letters. Prisoners love to receive mail. Perhaps the prisoner can put you on his or her list for visits.

But suppose you don't know any prisoners, and you aren't involved in a prison ministry. Never mind, there are "prisons" that are easy to enter, and "prisoners" whom you do know. Nursing homes, even the best of them, are prisons for those who don't want to be there. Even if the resident is too weary or too sick or too old to express appreciation for your visit, that visit means more than you can measure. You become a link between that person and the redemptive power of God.

Some nursing home residents are so delighted to have someone to talk to, their tongues never stop. They talk about the past. They brag about their grandchildren. All you have to do is listen with an open heart. Other residents are listless. Their minds drift. They look out the window and hardly answer as you try to make conversation. Never mind, you are there in the name of the Lord, and you are reaching out in love to one for whom he died.

Never forget that the most effective way to spread the revival that has come to you is through simple acts of service. The Spirit of God flows out of you as redemptive life as you draw near to other people as a servant:

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16

From "Set Our Hearts On Fire"  published by Servant Publications 1998  

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