Therefore this is what the LORD God Almighty says:
“Because the people have spoken these words,
I will make my words in your mouth a fire
and these people the wood it consumes.”
— Jeremiah 5:1

Today, I believe that people’s hearts are like dry wood, and we are poised for the sweeping fires of awakening. When author and professor Leonard Sweet was asked if we have moved into a post-Christian era, he said, “No.” He believes we are moving into a pre-Christian era—a time when Christianity is once again new and on the move.

The hearts of university students are dry. Religion Today reports that enrollment in religion classes is rising, and that questions of spirituality are seeping into non-religion courses as well. Why? Because their hearts are dry.

The hearts of adults are also dry. Christian publishers say that the demand for books on forgiveness and repentance is increasing rapidly. Throughout America, it is evident that the hearts of the young and old alike are dry for God. We are poised for the fires of an awakening. Yet one questions remains: “Who will start the fire?”

According to Jeremiah 5:14, God assumes the responsibility for preparing the wood. However, He expects us to start the fire. He said, “I will make my words in your mouth a fire and these people the wood it consumes.” He says today, “I’ll prepare the people, but you need to start the fire.”

This was God’s strategy for the first revival ever recorded in scripture. Exodus 19 documents the revival at the base of Mount Sinai. However, Exodus 3 reveals how it started. It started when the heart of Israel was dry for God, and God lit up a man named Moses with a burning bush. As a result, Moses would become the burning bush of God for Israel, and Israel would become the burning bush of God for the world.

God is making the hearts of people dry for Him. But in order for revival fires to start and spread, God needs believers and churches that are willing to pray, “Lord, make me your burning bush.” If you are willing to pray this prayer, then you need to understand that there are four requirements to becoming God’s burning bush.

Standing on Holy Ground

The first requirement to becoming God’s burning bush is to be standing on holy ground. This was Moses’ first step in Exodus 3:1-5:

1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” 4 When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” 5“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”

We are told that water boils around 212º F. One degree separates hot water from boiling water. One degree separates something that warms from something that purifies. One degree of holiness can determine whether you are warmed by God or on fire for God. One degree of unholiness is important to God, for unholiness puts out the fire of the Holy Spirit in your life.

God told Moses to take off his sandals because he was standing on holy ground. In 1 Thessalonians 5:19-24, God identifies what needs to be taken off in order to preserve the Spirit’s fire in your life. He lists what needs to be taken off in order to stand on holy ground.

Take Off Casual Scripture
First, you must take off any casual use of scripture. Verses 19-20 say, “do not put out the spirit’s fire; (How?) do not treat prophesies with contempt.” Do not say, “I know the Bible says I shouldn’t, but I can’t stop” or, “I know the Bible says I should, but I can’t start.” The Bible is not a book of suggestions, but standards. It’s not a book of recommendations, but regal commands from God Almighty. It is not to be seen as a list of options, but a love letter from God to be read and obeyed. You can’t stand on holy ground and casually handle scripture.

Remove Cancerous Sin
You also need to remove any cancerous sin. Verse 21 says, “Test everything. Hold on to the good.” Conduct a spiritual MRI. Be still and let God examine all of you. He will reveal areas where you are spiritually healthy and strong, but He will also point out areas that are offensive to Him. Those are the ones you will have to take off in order to stand on holy ground.

Discard Future Compromises
Furthermore, you need to discard any future compromises. Verse 22 says to “Avoid every kind of evil.” It doesn’t say to avoid some because some are worse than others. And it doesn’t say to select the least of two or three evils. It says to avoid every kind of evil. You must take off any compromises and avoid every kind of evil. Only then can you stay on holy ground.

Shed Complacent Attitudes
Finally, you have to shed any complacent attitudes. Verses 23-34 promise, “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.” Many Christians fail to become burning bushes because they believe two words—“I can’t.” We say, “I can’t obey all of scripture. I can’t take off my current offenses. I can’t take off my compromises. This is the way I am and I can’t change it.”

God knows that on our own we can’t take off what must come off to stand on holy ground. Thus, in verses 23-24 God promises to help us take our unholiness off by pouring His holiness in. He promises to “sanctify us through and through.” Sanctification is a work of God that takes place from the inside out.

The process of sanctification is the process of cleaning a coffee cup. If you put dish soap in the bottom of a dirty coffee cup, you’ll find it hard to get all the soap out. Fill it with water and the soap will bubble up. Pour out the water and fill it again, and the soap will bubble up again. The only way to keep the soap from bubbling up is to hold the cup under the faucet and keep pouring the water in. The more you let God pour in, the more He will help you pour out (take off) everything that prevents you from standing on holy ground. This process of pouring in is seen in the second requirement in becoming a burning bush.

Burning Bright but not Burning Out

The second requirement in becoming a burning bush is that it burns bright but doesn’t burn out. Exodus 3:2b says, “Moses saw that though the bush was on fire, it did not burn up”—or for our purposes, “burn out.”

For many of us, our life as a Christian resembles the life of a match. Everything about the strike of a match is exciting. The sight, sound and smell hold our attention. Then we watch the flame move down the shaft. As it moves, it leaves portions of the match dark, cold and lifeless.

Our Christian story is like the match. Everything about becoming a Christian is exciting. Our senses are alive and we are on fire for God. But in time, we notice that God’s fire only touches portions of our life. And if we were honest, we would say we were burning out, not burning bright.

The only way to keep all of the match in all of the flame is to keep the match turned up. Likewise the only way to burn bright without burning out is to keep your life turned up toward God.

Now, it is your responsibility as a Christian to determine what turns you up and keeps you burning bright. In a book entitled Spiritual Pathways, the author identifies several pathways that keep us turned up and burning bright. They include

• RELATIONSHIPS Being in a small Bible study or prayer group turns you up.
• INTELLECTUAL PURSUITS Digging deep for a nugget of truth turns you up.
• SERVING Helping at a soup kitchen, meeting the needs of others turns you up.
• CONTEMPLATION Alone with God reflecting on His word and your times.
• ACTIVIST Working with God on a cause with impossible odds turns you up.
• CREATION Surrounding yourself in the grandeur of creation turns you up.
• WORSHIP Offering yourself to God in worship and praise turns you up.

God provides all these pathways to keep us turned up, burning bright, and not burned out. For God knows, if we become burned out, we lose our effectiveness as a burning bush.

Bruce Feiler, in his book Walking the Bible, tells of a monastery built in South Sinai in the 4th century a.d. It was erected around what was believed to be the original burning bush. This monastery had been in place for 1500 years, and had conducted over 5 million Byzantine Greek services. What amused Feiler was what he saw beside the burning bush. Someone had placed a fire extinguisher there. It was either a practical joke, or someone was afraid it might catch fire again. Others may try to put out the fire in your church, but you are responsible for the fire in your life.

As a student at Baylor University, Bailey Stone was reminded of the importance of keeping turned up and burning bright. Billy Graham had arrived in Waco for several engagements, and Bailey was asked to drive him from place to place. During a lag in time, Bailey asked if he could take Dr. Graham to his house to meet his parents who had recently become Christians. All in all, it was an unforgettable day, yet what young Bailey remembered most was Dr. Graham’s parting words. He stepped from the car and pointed his long, lean finger at Bailey and said, “Young man, if you catch fire for Christ and burn, you’ll never have to want for a crowd. They’ll come to watch you burn.” Young Bailey Stone would eventually become the Director of Evangelism for Texas Baptists. God would use him because he never forgot Dr. Graham’s words and the importance of keeping turned up, burning bright, and not burning out.

Delivering a Word from God

The third requirement of becoming a burning bush involves becoming heard. A burning bush delivers a word from God. The burning bush did this in Exodus 3:7-8a.

7 The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians.”

Through the burning bush, God delivered His word to Moses. He told Moses what was on His mind.

In Matthew 4:19, Jesus said, “Come follow me…and I will make you fishers of men.” The principle is easy to see. If you are not fishing, you are not following. Then in Philemon 6 the Bible says, “I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.” Here the principle is, “If you are not sharing, you are not learning.” When you tie these principles to the bush, it says, “If you are not talking, you are not burning.”

When something is burning in your mind, you have to talk about it. Think about the following.

Cattlemen talk about cattle
the way fishermen talk about fish.

Farmers talk about crops
the way businessmen talk about business.

Grandparents talk about grandkids
the way gardeners talk about flowers.

Bankers talk about money
the way workaholics talk about hours.

Girls talk about boys
the way boys talk about cars.

Geologists talk about rocks
the way astronomers talk about stars.

Shoppers talk about sales
the way travelers talk about flights.

So wouldn’t you think Christians on fire for God
would want to talk about Jesus Christ?

On a street outside Oxford University in 1555, Hugh Latimer and Bishop Ridley were burned at the stake. Their crime was preaching that salvation was a gift from God, not the church. It came through God’s grace and not the sacraments of the church. As the fires were lit beneath them, Latimer said to Ridley, “Be of good cheer, Ridley… We shall this day, by the grace of God, light a candle in England that will never be put out.”

Latimer was right. Their lives contributed to a reformation that swept Europe. They were a burning bush delivering a word from God.

Calling for a Commitment

The fourth requirement of becoming a burning bush is commitment. Being a burning bush requires you to both make a commitment and ask for a commitment.

Your Commitment
In Exodus 3:10, God told Moses, “So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” Through the rest of chapter three and much of chapter four, Moses gave excuse after excuse of why he could not do what God asked. Yet eventually, he committed himself fully to God’s task.

Many need to go through the same process of transformation as Moses. The great evangelist D. L. Moody said,

Moses spent 40 years thinking he was somebody.
Then he spent another 40 years learning he was a nobody.
Then he spent the last 40 years learning what God could do with a nobody.¹

Don’t make God wait two-thirds of your life till you finally commit to Him and His plan. You can become His burning bush now and discover all that God can do through a life wholly devoted to Him. And if you ever doubt your ability to be a burning bush for God, just remember the words of John Maxwell’s friend, Bill Klassen. He says to become a burning bush, “Any ol’ bush will do as long as God’s in it.”²

Others’ Commitment
As a burning bush, He also expects you to ask for the commitment of others. At Mount Sinai, Moses became God’s burning bush. He delivered a word from God and told the people all God expected. He asked for a commitment from the people. Exodus 24:3 reads, “When Moses went and told the people all the LORD’s words and laws, they responded with one voice, ‘Everything the LORD has said we will do.’”

Years ago a missionary in China became frustrated. For months he had been telling others about Jesus, but no one would commit. Time and again he said, “It’s easy; all you have to do is ask His forgiveness and place your trust in Him.” Finally, a Chinese man he had been talking with opened his eyes. The man said, “You keep telling me how easy it is. Yet in China, we believe if something is easy it must not be worth having.” The missionary listened and remembered Christ’s words in Luke 9:23: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” He told the Chinese that Jesus required complete sacrifice. They listened and surrendered.

For some reason, some believers today think that they can’t make a full commitment or ask for a full commitment. Yet Rick Warren at Saddleback Community Church proves this wrong. His church asks everyone interested in joining to sign a commitment sheet. They agree that their membership requires a certain standard of commitment. If they fail to maintain that standard, their membership is dropped. He told a group of pastors that in 1996 they dropped 2,000 members from their church. (Most pastors would like to have 2,000 members!) Yet he added that on Easter of 1997 they had to hold seven services to host the 28,000 in attendance. Warren believes that people want to be committed, but they are selective. They want to be committed to something larger than themselves, something that will make a difference.

What a day to be committed as a burning bush and call for people to make a commitment to God!

Joe’s Burning Bush

I believe that when we become burning bushes our churches will become burning bushes. When that happens we will attract lives and make a difference.

The story has been told of a downtown church that caught fire. Members of the community worked side by side trying to put out the fire. When the fire was under control, all stepped back to see what was left. The pastor looked beside him and was surprised to see Joe covered in soot. Joe was the local atheist. The pastor had talked with Joe for years. Time and again, he invited Joe, but Joe refused. So after thanking Joe for helping with the fire, the pastor asked him, “Joe, after all my invitations to church, why did you come now?” He answered, “Because, Pastor, this is the first time your church has ever been on fire.”

Ask yourself the following questions:

• How many Joe’s are in your family?
• How many Joe’s do you work with or go to school with?
• How many Joe’s have you invited to church but refuse to come?
• How many Joe’s are waiting for someone to start the fire?
• How many of them are waiting for someone to pray, “Lord, make me a burning bush”?

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[1] John Maxwell
[2] Ibid.