WE NEED A TERRIFYING COLLISION WITH THE GLORY OF GOD

by | Aug 13, 2018 | Christianity Today | 15 comments

We need a terrifying collision with the Glory of God.  But right now we are awash in advisory sermons. The titles are similar and predictable: “How to handle fear, uncertainty, finances, relationships, marriage, and children.”   We are drowning in whiteboards, blackboards, statistics, PowerPoint presentations, props, and illustrations.

The problem is, with all the anger, division, loud perversion and persecution, teachers find their instructive messages woefully inadequate.  What happened?  The answer is…life.   Life happened and it is gripping believers with fear.  This is a new kind of fear coming from the screaming villains, who now have an out-sized influence.

Happy face sermons do not give power over a time like this.   What is happening now runs off the over-optimistic maps drawn in pulpits. Tragedies can uproot neat formulas like a palm tree in a hurricane.   Hip theories will collapse like a brick house in an earthquake.

Every honest Pastor can report causalities in their church.  Many who were once vibrant soldiers, today languish in a shadow existence.  They are out of church, disconnected from their former passion and sick in body and soul.  The ongoing political debate and demonstrations have only added to the crisis. The conflicting opinions of church leaders leave the army of God baffled and vulnerable.

Leaders have brought a lot of this on themselves.  The culture changed dramatically in the last few months.  The American pulpit has not.

Why are we surprised that modern believers suddenly need more?  The power that could answer a thousand questions and extinguish a myriad of personality ills has been ushered out of church.

Closing the altars, ordering people to tone it down, and focusing on recovery programs indeed brought in a crowd.  However, what is the end game if the crowd leaves as weak as they came—and in some cases weaker—without power to face our culture?

Paul’s cure was simple: an undeniable encounter with the fire of God…”that your faith should not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. -1 Corinthians 2: 5.

The answer to fear today is to burn it out!  Just for shock value, I’ll use this phrase…perfect love casts out fear but so does perfect fear.  No doubt many will think it is crazy to take a wonderful verse like 1 John 4:18 “perfect love casts out fear” and mess it up.  But I am not messing it up I am fulfilling it!

PERFECT FEAR DOES CAST OUT FEAR!  We have downplayed and even banned something that Christians desperately need…A TERRIFYING COLLISION WITH THE GLORY OF GOD.

Go back with me to 758 B.C.  Isaiah the prophet enters the Temple in fear for his life.  The tide of public opinion has turned against him.  The death of his friend and protector King Uzziah has put the finishing touch on 5 years of ministry that was just treading water.  His despair is now complete. He is enters the Temple looking for comfort from God.

He kneels in prayer, resting his elbows on the altar seeking solace from the storm. Instead, the building starts quaking, knocking his elbows so that he is now punching himself in the face.

He looks up and sees Seraphim:  Angels of fire, fire that burns hotter and brighter than any sun. They tower over him from each end of the altar.

Their voices roar, vibrate, boom and dislodge the mighty beams of the Temple!  “HOLY, HOLY, HOLY, IS THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY.  THE WHOLE EARTH IS FILLED WITH HIS GLORY!”  Back and forth, again and again, they blast this mighty proclamation until Isaiah could not bear the fright!

The mighty God Himself stands before Isaiah unfurling the indescribable train of His Glory!  The prophet convulses beneath weight of glory.  From his bone marrow came an all-consuming cry… “WOE IS ME!”

 

The startling effect of the Glory of God—a wonder working fear—overrules human fear.   No threat matters now.   This demonstration of Glory conquered his suffering.   Isn’t this exactly what Paul meant?: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” -Romans 8:18.   Of course Paul is speaking of the final GLORY…but it is a part of our birthright to have earthly collisions of glory: “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all.”-1 Corinthians 12: 7   An overarching, fear destroying encounter is the legacy of every child of God.  “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all

The twelve disciples were gripped by fear of the storm.  But when Jesus rebuked the storm their fear of drowning was replaced with an awestruck wonder.  They exclaimed: “what manner of man is this that even the wind and the sea obey Him!?”

We are told that General Patton won battles because his men were more afraid of him than the Germans.   Again, ours is not a negative fear but the  holy awe born from the manifestation of God’s glory.

This truth reinforces the fact that “Perfect love casts out Fear”  because love disciplines, love gives us what we need… and what we need today is not a subtle pat on the head.   We need a fear-killing encounter!  Solomon said in Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”

raw bravery

Why are we blocking people from experiencing the fire of God?  Why would we keep this miracle from people?   I am talking about fire—fire that keeps them from the evil one—fire that forges a reverence, and turns them into your best soldiers

We should have made room and time for people to be filled to prevailing levels of the Holy Spirit and fire.  If we had, we would not be nursing hordes of Christians on life support. We would have an unstoppable army!

There is still time to reverse course.  If you have never been drenched by God then obey Him and seek to be overcome by His Glory.  If you have received in the past now is the time for FRESH FIRE!

15 Comments

  1. Rosemary Garrison

    I believe the Father has been gentle with me.Because I’ve been tried and tested ,and still stand in Grace He doesn’t overwhelm me in His Glory. But holds me in His love. Pastor are you in Las Vegas. I believe the Father is calling me to come out in ministering. If possible could I speak to you.

  2. Roger Culwell

    big amen, it’s the fire that turn’s us from whimp’s into warrior’s, the enemy has tried so hard to get rid of the fire, with our fire there is no fight, nothing to put him in his place, the one thing they have done there best to do in me is kill the fire, BUT FUNNY AS I STOOD FACE TO FACE WITH JESUS AND HE SAID NOW GO BACK AND TELLL THE CHURCH THERE NOT READY, AND PREACH WITH MORE FIRE, MORE FIRE, THAN EVER BEFORE, every body else was saying and still saying tone it down, but JESUS SAID TURN IT UP, NOW GUESS WHO I WILL LISTEN TO, To many fire killer’s out there today. God Bless Brother

  3. Michael A Druckenmiller Sr

    Yes and No…

    I always preferred to stand in awe in my Fathers Presence.

    And, it’s not fear I am feeling, it’s frustration.

    I know there is more! I know that He never changed…

    And, I don’t care what anyone says about why can’t you do it solo. There’s a reason for The Church, there’s a synergy in The Church…

    Frustrated… Not Fear…

    Oh for the Selah of Jehovah…

    I’d rather have the solemn assembly and majestic if moldy stately old hymns that the modernistic show tune based music we are getting!

    Perhaps, though you are absolutely correct, we need Jehovah the break out upon the church and strike corrective fear on His People, at least those still willing to listen…

  4. Mary Hinkle

    WOW! WOW! WOW!!! AMEN!!!!!! Remember the song, ‘The zeal of God has consumed me, it burns in my soul, a driving force that cannot be stopped, a fire that cannot be quenched…”?

  5. John Garber

    Fasting and prayer

  6. John Garber

    Church worship today to bring down Gods Fire is no more than, worshiping worship!

    • Glen H. Kippel

      Yes, too many people now seem to praise praise and worship worship instead of praising and worshiping the living God! Jesus said the Father wants us to worship in spirit and in truth. That word “in” refers to a location, not HOW we worship. John was IN the spirit on the Lord’s day. (Rev. 1:10) Carnal worship can be singing an old hymn from a hymnbook just as well as singing some new song off a computer screen. Granted, a lot of the new songs have all the theological depth of a coat of paint. But, between Fanny Crosby and Hillsong United, there are thousands of good songs for worship – many of them just scripture set to music. Singing scripture is a good way to memorize it.

  7. Carolina

    Mario’s words remind me of the letter to the Hebrews, “…our God is a consuming fire!” And Jeremiahs’s words, “…is like a fire shut up in my bones.”
    Approximately 12 years ago, I was standing in an intensive prayer group where Holy Spirit was encouraged to come, and I went into a vision…Suddenly all I could see was smoke then just as suddenly through the smoke came a galloping mighty steed with nostrils flared from the distance traveled, mounted there on the majestic steed was a King wearing His crown, the mighty steed stopped. Fearful as I looked up standing very low only reaching to the foot stirrup of the King, I found the courage to raise my head and look up at Him. The flowing smoke parted and I suddenly saw His armor glistening through the mist of smoke and what was written on His thigh was the word HOLY…through the smokey mist I saw the words written on His thigh HOLY…I bowed my head again in humility, and the vision was over.
    When I left the group that day I finally understood ‘in small part,’ the majesty of THE King’s holiness of The King’s power in glory, and I had gained a tangible, palpable FEAR of God.

  8. Lynn Reeb

    Yes Lord. Breathe on us with Your awakening breath and rekindle love, power, and fresh fire within us. May we know Your glory. Burn out everything that is fear of man and burn in passion for Your Presence, a holy hunger and humility. You are our glory and the lifter of our heads.

  9. Janice Seaver

    Amen! I can’t even respond in English! I cry out in tongues! Have Your way, Lord!❤️

  10. Patricia

    No one seems to be excited about God/Jesus. I think this is a result of basing our faith on “feeling”rather than what we know.bi feel a frustration because it seem as though prayer has grown cold and our hearts have waned. We need our first love back. We’ve forgotten that we are in a war between good and evil and we’re becoming passive.

  11. David Larson

    Mario, whatever your back condition was or the cause of it, and I’m thrilled that you have been healed, but it really has inspired you. You’ve done your best writing and the most thought-provoking and spirit filling words you’ve ever written have come from you since that incident. It seems now you are truly ready to rally the remnant. Let’s go!

  12. Dennis

    I think the time has come for is to start praying fearlessly for the judgements of God to be revealed…and for grace to persevere…His judgements are true and righteous altogether! He does not make mistakes!!! At the same time we should also pray for His hand of protection on those who are destined for salvation…and salvation of our families through our obedience to faith….but judgements must come in order to cleanse and purify….With all wickedness in this world Yehovah Almighty can not be mocked!

  13. Denise

    Booyah always believed the 7 spirits if the Lord According to Isaiah 11 are essentially required. The fear of the lord tops my list.
    Great word so necessary.

YOUR CART

POPULAR PRODUCTS

UPCOMING EVENTS

No event found!

SIGN-UP TO GET OUR EMAILS

Get Mario's Blogs delivered right to your email address and receive updates about upcoming events, promotions and news.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Share This