The Burden of Having No Burden
The most decisive moment in my life came just weeks before my nineteenth birthday. The setting was my dorm room at Canadian Bible College in Regina, Saskatchewan. Eight students had gathered for a monthly prayer meeting. The college had scheduled these dorm room gatherings to give us the opportunity to encourage and pray for each other. I remember only two details of that meeting.
The first thing I remember is that one of the upperclassmen was in charge. He went around the room asking us if we had any burdens. That was short for, "We need some prayer requests to pray for."
The second thing I remember was that the Holy Spirit convicted me, showing me that I really didn't have any burdens. I loved Bible college. My family were all healthy and on their way to Heaven. I was pretty much carefree and only thinking about the next activity on the calendar. I knew God cared about people who were broken, lost, sick and dying, and I knew I should care more about other people and not just my own happiness.
Going around the room, the leader finally got to me, and asked me. I had to quickly decide if I was going to save face and think of something to pray for, or if I was going to be honest with my peers. With God's help, these words popped out of my mouth: "My burden is that I don't have one."
I don't remember a single thing said after that, or how they reacted. My heart was broken and under conviction, and all I wanted to do was go somewhere where I could be alone and pray. One thing I do know, however, is that my life has never been the same.
A Deep Burden for Revival
What followed that event was a thousand times more than I anticipated or even asked for. God began to wake me up well before the dorm bells rang at 6:00 AM. In case this sounds strange – this was back in 1965. Bible colleges were deeply committed to training disciples and not just supplying an education. We had thirty minutes to use the washrooms, followed by thirty minutes in our dorms to have our private devotions with our roommates. Student monitors were empowered to report us if we were out of our rooms during devotion time. Breakfast was served at 7:00 AM.
I quickly discovered that this schedule would not work for me. My heart was craving time alone with God. My roommate was not Pentecostal, and I needed to pray out loud and let my emotions get involved. I started getting up well before 6:00 AM. As quickly as I could get ready, I walked over to the administration building, which housed our cafeteria, chapel, classrooms and offices. Beneath the chapel were several small piano practice rooms for voice and piano students. One of these little rooms became my prayer closet for many weeks and months.
I had asked God for a burden, but never anticipated the power of the burden to radically change my life. The piano bench became my altar, and the Book of Acts became my daily bread. I normally read through the twenty-eight chapters every two days. I can't even write about it now without tears, just remembering how tears poured down on my Bible as I wept for God to do again what He had done in that wonderful manifestation recorded in His holy Word. (Photo via Pixabay)
Yes, God gave me a burden, but not just for a few individuals. It was an enormous and deep burden for revival. I saw the Church as a powerful sleeping giant, unaware of the power God had given it. Morning after morning, tears stained my Bible as I knelt at that piano bench, pouring out my soul under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. I know there were a number of times that I could hear the students' lively chatter as they arrived in the cafeteria for breakfast while I was still in deep intercession, weeping for revival.
I'd never fasted or even studied the subject, nor had I ever skipped breakfast, but the thought of leaving that sweet place of intimacy for mere physical food was not a bit appetizing to me. I would spend another forty-five minutes before classes, reading and praying and crying out to God to bring revival. I wanted to see that Book of Acts happen again in my day.
God heard my prayer and granted me to see a partial fulfillment of it. A few years later, an amazing revival hit our city, although not like the Book of Acts. However, in 1973, I was privileged to visit Argentina with an older man of God. We saw hundreds of incredible miracles and about a thousand souls saved in six glorious weeks. They that sow in tears do reap in joy. Praise God!
Back to my personal revival. When my burden would finally lift, an overwhelming joy would flood my soul and carry me through the day of classes and activities. I found all the fruit of the Holy Spirit manifesting like I'd never experienced before. Even the attitude of an angry roommate couldn't take away my joy. Instead, I had compassion and pity for him. He was going to graduate that year and was still carrying a lot of baggage.
It was during these months of revival that God also connected me with a beautiful girl named Brenda Pinkerton, who was hungry for more of God. I was overflowing with the need to share what God was doing in my life. We were a great fit, and have been now for almost fifty-five years.
It was decades later that God highlighted an amazing passage to me that encapsulated the burden that God had given me. Here it is:
"Now David said, 'Solomon my son is young and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the Lord MUST BE EXCEEDINGLY MAGNIFICENT, FAMOUS AND GLORIOUS throughout all countries. I will now make preparation for it.' So, David made abundant preparations before his death." (1 Chronicles 22:5 emphasis mine)
David, the "man after God's own heart," had a passion to build a temple for God's presence, as described in verse 19 in his instructions to Solomon, his son.
"Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God. Therefore arise and build the sanctuary of the Lord God, to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the holy articles of God into the house that is to be built for the name of the Lord." (1 Chronicles 22:19) (Photo via Wikimedia Commons)
Building God's Temple
Watching a recent Christian TV program, I heard a lady testify that without any history of a walk with God, she heard the audible voice of God saying, "Rebuild My temple." This happened a number of times to her until she became a radical minister of the good news of Jesus Christ. She is now fulfilling that calling.
The first physical temple, built by Solomon, was indeed exceedingly magnificent, famous and glorious throughout all nations. The Bible tells us all about it in 2 Chronicles 9. But it was destroyed and later rebuilt and then destroyed again. Many believe it will be rebuilt once more for Jesus' reign on the earth. However, the natural temple is just the pattern or type of the spiritual temple not made with hands. The Church must remember that Paul said that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit.
The early Church, described in the Book of Acts, was the FIRST MANIFESTATION OF THE HOUSE OF GOD that was exceedingly magnificent, famous and glorious throughout the whole earth. We are now coming to those glorious days that I prayed for fifty-five years ago, where once again, God's true and living temple will be EXCEEDINGLY MAGNIFICENT, FAMOUS and GLORIOUS throughout the WHOLE EARTH.
The truly magnificent Church is a Church where God's presence manifests in power, with signs, wonders and miracles. It's a Church where nobody leaves the way they came in. It's a Church that doesn't tolerate sin...remember Ananias and Sapphira? It's a Church filled with love for God and for each other. It's a Church which attracts the crowds of curiosity seekers, the addicts, the prostitutes, the homeless, the politicians and entertainers. Every hungry heart will be fed, and the temple of the Lord will be famous for its power and glory, not for its dead religion. Let's be the Davids and the Solomons working together to build that glorious temple for our God!
David (representing my older generation) made abundant preparation for Solomon (representing today's younger generation) by gathering great quantities of building materials. We ought to be very excited about preparing our natural and spiritual sons and daughters, who will be building this magnificent edifice (God's temple) to the glory of God.
How do we prepare for the building of this temple? We should start by supporting the youth in our lives and spheres of influence – praying earnestly for them to hear God's voice and become builders of this temple, and helping them get the training they need with every kind of practical and spiritual help we can give them.
We can prophesy to them their value and potential. We can support the current revival movement leaders such as Sean Feucht, Mario Murillo and many others, who are reaching the lost and waking up the Church. And we can do so much more...all we need is the vision of a Church that is truly MAGNIFICENT, FAMOUS AND GLORIOUS THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH. Let's declare and decree it today!
Whatever you do, don't miss another ELIJAH LIST email! Subscribe at this link: elijahlist.com/subscribe.
Ben R. Peters
Kingdom Sending Center
Email:Â ohmint@gmail.com
Website:Â www.kingdomsendingcenter.org
Ben and Brenda Peters have said "YES" to the call of God to challenge, equip, and send dedicated lovers of Jesus into the harvest fields of the earth, including the seven mountains of society. Together they have ministered to tens of thousands of individuals in several countries of the world. After establishing and serving churches and Christian schools for almost thirty years, they began a traveling ministry under the name Open Heart Ministries. More recently, they also founded an Illinois-based ministry called Kingdom Sending Center. Ben has published over 23 books. Ben and Brenda now live near Sacramento, California, close to most of their children and grandchildren.
To receive more words like this in YOUR inbox, subscribe FREE to the Elijah List at this link: elijahlist.com/subscribe.
Find us on:
* Facebook click here
* XAPiT click here
