Let's Start Some Holy Fires

The following program is recorded content created by the Truth Network. To have your hearts stirred afresh, that's what I'm here to do. Your friendly voice for moral sanity and spiritual clarity, Michael Brown.

Delighted to have this time with you and ready to encourage you and infuse you with faith and truth and courage. We need courage today. We need faith today.

We need truth today. And that's what we have in God. Everything we need is found in him. Every resource. All the wisdom. All the connections. All the finances. All the favor.

All the methods. Everything we need is found in him. And that's why we point all attention to Jesus the Lord. Here's the number to call if you want to weigh in on the conversation today or if you'd like to ask me any question about anything that's on your mind. I'm going to take some calls a little later in the show. 866-348-7884.

866-34-TRUTH is the number to call. Over the weekend as I was spending a lot of time before the Lord my heart was freshly stirred about a theme that has been burning in me for more than 20 years. Namely the theme of Jesus revolution. By which I mean, Jesus radically changes us and then as we are changed we have a life-changing impact on the world around us. Jesus was not just a religious teacher but he was a revolutionary, not in worldly terms, not fighting violence with violence, not fighting hatred with hatred, not trying to overthrow an earthly government.

He was a much more radical revolutionary fighting with the weapons of love and self-sacrifice and the cross and the power of the spirit and divine truth. But he taught us to pray, your kingdom come. That is a revolutionary prayer.

Why? Because it means that the earthly kingdoms will ultimately be supplanted by his kingdom. And it means that every day as we preach the gospel to the lost, as we seek to make disciples, as we seek to live as disciples every single day we are living as revolutionaries advancing another kingdom. That's why the gospel is such a threat to totalitarian regimes because they want the total allegiance of their people and they want their kingdom to be dominant and we are preaching another kingdom. Remember the accusation against Paul and his friends in Acts the 17th chapter in Thessalonica.

Troublemakers brought false accusations against them. But they said these are the ones that are subverting the world, they are turning the world upside down in the famous addiction of the King James. Yeah, they're turning the world upside down and they're preaching another Lord Jesus rather than Caesar as Lord. Now remember if you lived in ancient Rome the emperor was worshipped as God and you needed to profess your allegiance to Caesar as Lord. Christians could not do that. They would honor Caesar, they would give to Caesar what belonged to Caesar they would give to Rome what belonged to Rome, they would be exemplary citizens in terms of being law abiding with good families, paying their taxes, etc. But their ultimate allegiance was to Jesus and this was now put in such a way that they were preaching a competing kingdom.

There was truth to it but there was falsehood to it. They were not troublemakers, they were not teaching people to hate Caesar or rebel against Caesar but they were saying one Lord only, Jesus. So we also are called to have a revolutionary impact in the world. Not by being troublemakers, not by being agitators in a fleshly, carnal sense, not by physically setting cities on fire. But we should be setting cities on fire with the Gospel, spiritually speaking. We should be igniting a firestorm of transformation through the Gospel. And as we stand for truth and as we stand against the darkness and let our light shine there will be confrontation, we will be hated. We will not be the ones taking up the sword but the sword will be taken up against us. We will be hated and rejected and reviled. That will naturally happen to us as followers of Jesus. As we are bridge builders and peacemakers we will be accused of being troublemakers.

But here's the thing, we cannot just sit back in our lovely Christian corner and have our beautiful services and our lovely devotions at home and try to keep ourselves out of trouble and keep our kids away from bad influences. We can't just do that, we are called to go. We are called to speak. We are called to act. We are called to be difference makers. And that's why I say, let's go light some holy fires across the nation.

You say, what do you mean? Let me say again, I do not mean physical confrontation. I do not mean violence, God forbid.

I do not mean being agitators and following in the footsteps say of Antifa. The exact opposite. But the Gospel is incendiary. See these things are so superficial, so fleshly, so ineffective. You're going to scream in the street, you're going to burn a building down.

That is so childish. However, when you stand for truth, when you swim against the tide, when you go against the grain, when you risk your reputation, your career to do what's right, when you refuse to play games with darkness and shine brightly instead, oh then, then we're making a difference. And that's how change came in the early church.

Not by dominance, not by taking over, not by wielding a sword, but by serving and loving and speaking the truth and being sacrificial and operating in the power of the Spirit. That's how lives were changed. Now, let me remind you of the world in which we live today.

And then let me tell you exactly what I mean by lighting some holy fires. This is from MTV's VMA Awards. They get as raunchy and fleshly and carnal and even demonic as anything you could imagine on major TV. So this is a gentleman named Billy Eichner and he's talking about a new movie that he wants everyone to support. Now, I'm playing this clip just so you can hear the crowd, realize millions of people watching this on TV and get a feel for how many in our society are thinking these days. Let's listen.

What's up MTV? Now listen up. Some of you know me as Billy on the street. But on September 30th, I have a movie coming out called Bros. Bros. is making history as the first gay rom-com ever made by a major studio and the first where every role is played by an openly LGBTQ actor, right? And I need you all there in theaters on September 30th because we need to show all the homophobes like Clarence Thomas and all the homophobes on the Supreme Court that we won gay love stories and we support LGBTQ people and we are not letting them drag us back into the last century because they are in the past and Bros. is the future.

Are you with me, VMA? Alright, so I never heard of Billy Eichner before that clip that I saw yesterday. I don't know who Billy on the street is. However, millions of people know who he is. Millions of young people know who he is, know who Billy on the street is and they're with him.

They are cheering him on. The culture has shifted dramatically. The Supreme Court, Clarence Thomas, those that voted rightly or ruled rightly on key issues in recent years, they are the homophobes there of the past. So, this is the reality.

More of the same on the church's end is not going to cut it. You say, didn't you say that yesterday? Yes, and the day before that, maybe not in so many words, but I've been saying it over and over for many, many, many, many years. And look, I know things in my own life that I wanted to see change. For example, when I was overweight and wanted to see change there or get rid of some unhealthy habits like being a chocoholic and stuff.

I tried the same thing for years and years and years and years and years and it's different this time. That's just self-deception. It's only when I made radical revolutionary changes with God's help and with Nancy's help that my life was dramatically transformed. It's going to be the same in the church. Oh, tomorrow won't be any different and society's only going to get worse. You say, well then we're out of here any moment Jesus has come. I've been hearing that for over 50 years and he hasn't come yet. He hasn't returned yet, which means let's do what we are called to do while we are here.

Okay, this is the world in which we live today. I say these things not to attack those who identify as LGBTQ. Jesus died for them or if that's you, for you the same as me.

He shed the same blood. We are all created in God's image, all fallen, all needing a redeemer. I'm simply illustrating the degree to which our society has shifted. So, look at this. This is just from an article that I saw online. A 10-year-old child, the world's youngest transgender model lives with her transgender mother and her mother's trans partner and is set to undergo surgery at age 16.

Irreversible surgery. Let me read this again. And presumably she's on hormone blockers to stop the onset of puberty already, which will have a lifelong effect on her.

Let me read it again. A 10-year-old child, the world's youngest transgender model lives with her transgender mother and her mother's trans partner and is set to undergo surgery at age 16. Do you think, perhaps, possibly, could it be that this young lady is confused, that this 10-year-old girl is as confused as she is because of the environment in which she has lived or been raised or what she has been exposed to? This is the madness of our society. This is the insanity of our world. And the world is not holding back.

The world is full out aggressive. It's time for us, as God's people, to not hold back, but not to fight the way the world fights to do what God's given us to do. Let's talk about this when we come back. How can you, how can I light a holy fire in the world in which we live, in the places that God has given us, the spheres of influence? What can we do?

Let's hack it up when we come back. Get on the line of fire by calling 866-34-TRUTH. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown.

Welcome back to the Line of Fire. Michael Brown, delighted to be with you. If you'd like to chat with me as we change subjects a little later in the show, give me a call, 866-348-7884. Often, Thirdly Jewish Thursday, we get a ton of Jewish-related calls.

Friday, phone lines can often be flooded, so we try to open the phones for random calls other times of the week as well. 866-34-TRUTH. Have you signed up yet for our Israel trip May 2023?

Not hype things. Seeding really is limited. We have a cutoff point as to how many we're bringing along with us, so if you haven't signed up yet, go to the website askdrbrown.org. Check out the info there. Also, you can still get an advanced copy of the political seduction of the church, a signed, numbered copy from the first printing at our website, but I think we extend that offer to the end of this week, and I think that's it.

So, go to askdrbrown.org, same website, all the info is there. Okay, so I'm always praying about God opening new doors for us to reach more people, God enabling us to have a greater impact on more people. I'm asking him to sharpen the words that I speak, to deepen the words that I speak, to make me more and more like his son, to empower me more and more by his spirit, and to amplify this voice more and more across the nation, across the world. I'm thankful for every door that God's open, I'm thankful for every platform that I have, but it's a constant prayer because the bird in me is very intense, that the Lord would be glorified, his people edified, and the nations shaken for the glory of God and ultimately Israel saved.

So I burn with that day and night. However, however, what I am responsible for right now is the platforms that I have, the open doors that I have, the spheres of influence that I have. That's what I'm responsible for now, that's what lies before me, that's what I have opportunity to use. Jesus says if you're faithful and little, then you'll be trusted with much. If you're faithful with earthly riches, then he'll entrust you with spiritual riches. If you're faithful with that which belongs to someone else, he'll entrust you with that which belongs to yourself.

That's all found in Luke the 16th chapter. So I'm very conscious of that, and it's a question I ask myself, okay, with the spheres of influence I have, the schools where I teach, the doors that we have on radio, TV, platforms we have on social media, materials that we have out, how can I, for his glory, have the greatest impact? What can I do in these spheres? The people that I know. Alright, so you may have a sphere of influence that's ten times bigger than me, or ten times smaller. That's all in material.

The material is, are we faithful in what we have? So when I speak of lighting a holy fire, here, let me give you a quick example, alright? Let me give you an example. I want to play a clip for you. This group will identify itself at the end of the clip, but I spotted this on Twitter yesterday, and it's concerned citizens speaking out about some of the cultural madness.

Let's listen. There is a war on children in America. A war on biology. A war on innocence. Schools are forcing elementary school children to share bathrooms and locker rooms with the opposite sex. They're encouraging students to question if they're really boys or girls, all while hiding it from parents. So-called health organizations are promoting experimental, dangerous, and irreversible drugs and surgeries for minors. Puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, drugs never approved for this use, leaving young children sterile, infertile, and sexually undeveloped for life.

They remove healthy breasts, wombs, and genitals, all in the name of radical gender ideology. Millions of common-sense Americans know this is wrong. They know it is dangerous. They know it is crazy. Stop the woke war on our children. Stop the far-left assault on our youth. Stop the madness. Stop the insanity.

Paid for by citizens for sanity. So I don't know anything about this group beyond that one tweet, that one video that I saw that I listened to. But that's an example of someone or group saying, let's start a holy fire.

Let's raise our voices. So how can you start a holy fire if you're just tuning in? I'm not talking about setting a city on fire physically. I'm talking about lighting spiritual fires. I'm talking about getting truth out.

I'm talking about agitating for righteousness rather than fleshly, carnal, provocative agitation which produces no good fruit. So can you do it in your community? Is there an issue you can stand up for? Is there a need that you can meet? Is there a statement that you can make?

Is there a stand of some kind that you can take? What can you do to bring about positive change to start a conversation? Maybe you're in school. Maybe you're in college. Maybe you're in high school.

What can you do? Is it wearing something? Is it bringing a Bible with you? Is it sharing your faith? Is it asking someone, hey, have you read this?

Have you watched it? What do you think of this? Here, it could be as simple as sharing, maybe I've written an article and you really agree with it? Share it in social media.

You say, well, if I do, yeah, if you do, there will be some consequences because not everyone's going to agree with it. Unless you just have, you know, you and one family member on social media, other people are going to see it and they're not going to like it and maybe have a little controversy. Okay, you're not sharing it for the sake of controversy. You're sharing it for the sake of truth. You're sharing it to get light shining in darkness. Maybe it's a matter of your congregation doing some open air preaching and just drawing more attention to Jesus.

Or maybe it's standing for righteousness. Or maybe it's finding out how you can get involved in front of an abortion clinic in your city and make a difference. Starting holy fires. Blog. Blog about something that the society is confused on but you believe there's simple biblical truth to. Here, I'll give you an example. All right, I'll give you an example. Something came up the other day.

I don't remember exactly what provo-, okay, as I trace it back, I remember the process. But I was in prayer and I just wanted to post something very simple on Facebook, right? A statement that I've made endless times over the decades.

And I just said this. When it comes to same-sex relationships, there are many who argue that as long as the people are in a committed monogamous relationship, then it is fine in God's sight. That, of course, is ridiculous. Since the union itself, both physical and emotional, is sinful in God's sight, and doing the same sinful thing with the same person in the committed relationship doesn't make it holy or right. That's like saying that as long as the adulterous couple is now in a committed monogamous relationship, the relationship is blessed by God. Not so.

May the Lord deliver us from deception. So, pretty simple, right? Nothing that almost any of you listening could not have written yourselves. In other words, you agree with the vast majority listening agree with every word there, and you can find your own way of saying it, but it's pretty simple, right? Well, since I posted it what, August 26th, so four days ago, 6.11 p.m., so almost four full days ago, it reached on our Facebook page, Ask Dr. Brown, it reached over 111,000 people. It had more than 18,000 engagements, so either people liking it or commenting it or sharing it, over 6.2 thousand immediate reactions over 1.4 thousand comments, so that's a healthy response to something that we post, but it was just a simple truth. Just a simple truth. I saw this meme and saw it last night, it's a picture from like, I don't know, 1950s, husband, wife in their home in front of a fireplace, holding hands she's in a dress, he's in a jacket and tie, there's a little girl in a cute little dress and she's looking in the bassinet with a little baby, and across the picture it says right wing extremism. That's what it says, in other words, yeah. Get married, have kids, love Jesus, that's now considered right wing extremism. So I just no comment, I just posted that on our Facebook page.

Since I did, this was not even 24 hours yet, it's reached almost 140,000 people, had over 21,000 engagements, and on and on. Just something simple to make a point, and look at what it stirs. Nothing means spirited, I'm not attacking other people, it's not a political attack meme where I'm mocking someone, no, so and I'm not saying do it the way I'm doing it, I'm just saying for example most of us have social media, most of us can share something, can make a statement. A Bible verse, how about a Bible verse? Famous Australian football player, rugby player, Israel Falau, lost his job, I mean, big career, very very popular, one of the greatest players in his nation's history, for just posting that the Bible says this, quoted verse, so drunkards need to repent, homosexual, practicing homosexuals need to repent, this one needs to repent, with the scripture, 1 Corinthians 6, it's quoted scripture, it's uproar over it, I mean there have been legal suits and back and forth, etc. So I'm not saying try to provoke people to anger, just get people mad.

That's the flesh, that's carnality. I'm saying, let's get with the Lord, say what can I do, I own a business, I have this influence, I teach in a school, I'm in school, I live in this neighborhood, I'm on social media, what can I do to light a holy fire and start sparking conversations, thought that can lead to people waking up to reality and truth, and then with everything we back it all in prayer, prayer, prayer. We'll be right back. It's the Line of Fire with your host Dr. Michael Brown. Get on the Line of Fire by calling 866-34-TRUTH. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown. Thanks friends for joining us on the Line of Fire. Be sure you're getting our email updates and announcements of new resources and when I'm coming to your area to minister, do that at Ask Dr. Brown.