9/8/22
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| In loving memory of my father Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023 |
In the natural realm, fire provides both light and heat, can be used for protection against wild animals, and can be used to destroy anything which is combustible. Fire also purifies and is used to refine metals.
In the realm of the Spirit, the fire of God likewise provides all of those same effects and more! The word "fire" conveys many different meanings in Scripture. God has often appeared in fire and encompassed with fire, as when He showed Himself in the burning bush, and later descended on Mount Sinai in the midst of flames, thunderings, and lightnings.
We want to look at a few examples of the fire of God, as recorded in the Bible, but we must be careful. We can memorize every verse in the Bible about the fire of God and only have a head full of facts. The Word of God must become flesh within us.
I don't know how many of you have listened on this website to David Wilkerson's message titled, "A Call to Anguish." Whether you have or have not listened to that message, I urge you to tune in to the live, full-length video on YouTube. Go to YouTube and in the rectangular search box at the top, enter "David Wilkerson Call to Anguish." Then select the full-length video of 56 minutes. That is perhaps the most powerful message you will ever hear in your life. This message tonight is a first cousin of Wilkerson's anguish.
The first occurrence of the word, "fire," is in Genesis 19:24-25 and speaks of the judgment of God.
The last occurrence of the word, "fire," is in Revelation 21:7-8, and also speaks of judgment.
Three times in Scripture the Lord is spoken of as a consuming fire.
The Lord took great pains to fully instruct Moses and the people about how the sacrifices were to be conducted and how the ceremonies of the tabernacle were to be performed. Let us consider the brazen altar which was in the outer court of the Tabernacle of Moses. The Tabernacle ceremonies are the pattern, in symbolic form, of worshipping in Spirit and in Truth. After Moses had prepared the Tabernacle and everything pertaining to the ceremonies of worship, God started the fire on the brazen altar.
That first fire on the brazen altar was not by any means ordinary fire. It looked just like other fire, and normally acted like other fire, but that is where the similarity ended. Have you ever considered how long it would take to burn the carcass of an animal using ordinary fire? No, the fire on the altar was a special fire. It was eternal fire. It was God's fire. It came from God's dwelling place ... eternity. God started that fire, but there were certain rules that the priests had to observe in the care of that fire. Though it was eternal fire, it would go out when it had consumed all of the available fuel.
That command created a problem of fuel supply. That was the responsibility of man ... to keep the fire burning on the altar. This speaks volumes. It must have been a full-time task for some folks to continually bring in all the wood to keep the fire burning. Likewise, we must do whatever it takes to keep the fire of God burning in our souls. Three main elements make up the fuel for the fire of God in our souls. They are the rhema word of God, prayer and intercession, and obedience to the Holy Spirit.
Under penalty of death, only the fire from off the altar was to be used in tabernacle worship.
Two of the sons of Aaron broke the rules of worship by taking ordinary (strange) fire to burn incense before the Lord, instead of getting their eternal fire from the altar. They found out the hard way that it was unacceptable to use man-made fire in tabernacle worship. The cost of that mistake was sudden death by the same consuming fire that had been put on the altar.
Nadab and his brother were careless and irreverent about the things of God. As a result, in an instant they were ashes. For our flesh to offer worship is the offering of "strange fire."
The fire which kindled the incense on the Golden Altar of worship within the Holy Place was the same fire which had consumed the sacrifice on the brazen altar. This tells us that there can be no incense of prayer ascending to heaven that is not based on and does not proceed from the Spirit of God. This account has relevant application for us today. We are expected to handle God's Word with care and minister to His people in the fear of the Lord. We cannot mix God's Word with foreign concepts or mix our worship with pagan practices.
We need to be careful. Strange fire is spreading in our midst - even in churches that call themselves "Spirit-filled." Fads involving angels, ecstatic worship, and emphasis on the supernatural could push us off the edge of spiritual sanity. Angels are "ministering spirits" sent to protect and strengthen believers (Hebrews 1:14). People claim to see them everywhere, but often the stories don't line up with the Word of God. Others have testified that angels took them to heaven. Many claim that angels are dropping feathers, gold dust and precious gems on worshippers. People in some streams of the prophetic movement claim to have visitations from past saints or various Bible characters. All who dabble in this area are asking for trouble. Many years ago I knew a good brother who had much maturity in Christ and who had an amazing gift of a word of knowledge. One day he asked the Lord to let him see angels. Later he did see angels, but I believe he saw the wrong kind of angels, because soon thereafter he said the Lord told him to divorce his wife and marry another woman. Of course, Scripture says that the Lord hates divorce.
The Bible warns us to "be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer" (1 Peter 4:7). There is plenty of freedom and joy in the Holy Spirit; we don't have to quench it by introducing people to pagan revelry. Christian worship is not about losing control. Those who worship Jesus do it "in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24), and our love for God is not measured by how violently we shake or how many times we fall on the floor or how many angels we see.
Sadly, that is by no means the only off-center tangent in the modern-day Christian community. Many professing Christians are enamored with anything that hints of the supernatural. Another misguided effort by some ministers is a focus on deliverance. I cannot find one example in Scripture where a true born-again believer needed or received deliverance ministry ... not one. I also have difficulty believing that the Spirit of God and the spirits of devils can co-exist at the same time within a human vessel. Most of the so-called deliverance for true Christians is simply an attempt to deliver us from the works of the flesh. We also need to remember that not every professing Christian is born again. Deliverance for non-Christians is real, of course.
Today, the watered-down Gospel is big business. Indeed, it is the best form of entertainment around! I have seen a few Sunday "sermons" that would rival a Broadway play. "The way of Cain" (Jude 11) is human inventions in Divine worship! William Branham was one of the premiere prophets in the United States back in the 1940's and 1950's. We are aware, through a brother who was a close personal friend of William Branham, that, (quote) "He [Branham] was particularly sharp in his insight and understanding of future events as well as of those personalities and organizations that would bring terrible confusion, mixture, and impurity to the body of Christ through religious programming, networking, television, Christian entertainment and music with a contemporary beat." (end quote). He was right on! The contemporary, semi-rock music is very appealing to the emotions, but has little, if anything to do with reverent worship in the Spirit.
Then we also have that misguided group of ministers, also mentioned in Jude 11, who run greedily after the error of Balaam for reward ... the false faith and prosperity teachers. Discernment is greatly lacking in the Church community.
We know God can do anything. He can make an iron axe head float, hide a coin in a fish's mouth and use a little boy's lunch to feed a multitude. Those were genuine miracles that He can still do today. But we still have to use caution. There are counterfeits. If we promote a false miracle or a false angel in the Lord's house, we are participating in strange fire. This is a time for all true believers to draw clear lines between what is godly worship and what is pagan practice. We want the miracles of God, but we also need the fear and reverence of God. We cannot allow any strange fire to spread unchecked.
Instead of focusing on getting rid of negatives, why not focus on "He must increase" ... Christ in you the hope of glory. Who wants the fire of God to burn up the chaff in our lives? We all need this cleansing.
Two good examples of the trial of our faith are when Abraham was prepared to offer up his only son, Isaac, and the three Hebrews in the book of Daniel who were thrown into a fiery furnace.
The fire shall also try every man's work.
Not only is the faith itself precious, but the trial of faith is also precious. Before His crucifixion, Jesus was put on trial by the Jewish Sanhedrin. So were Stephen and Paul. In my lifetime I have personally known several different men of God who were put on trial by a charismatic Sanhedrin.
Smoking flax describes a situation where a fire, which at one time blazed high, has, for some reason, died down to embers. Although Jesus knows the cause for each professing Christian who has become a smoking flax or lukewarm, His main concern is getting the fire going again. It should be our main concern also.
The Lord blows on the smoking embers, fanning them to life. From Matthew 13:40-43, anything that proves not fit for the Kingdom is destined for the purging fire. Getting all of the chaff out of my life is difficult. I cannot even find it, much less get it all out. Therefore, I must walk in repentance before God every day. No Christian will ever mature simply from the good preaching or teaching from Godly men.
The Spirit of burning refers to the fire and heat necessary to purge dross and tin from our lives. Spiritual purity and cleansing is most needful today. It is more important than being financially prosperous or being physically healthy. As much as we need and desire the purity of the Spirit, we shrink back from the process which produces it for us.
I want to share one of my experiences with the fire of God. In 1975, two men came from other states to our area with three things in mind. I will not go into detail because it would not be edifying. Their first purpose was to start another of their 100 churches in the Washington, DC, area; secondly, to ordain me as one of the two original elders in their new church; and third, to control me. The latter is called witchcraft. When I declined their last two purposes, they considered me to be in total rebellion. But a year or so later they gave me one last chance to "repent" and join up with them. They invited me to a gathering in Washington, D.C, with their number one leader as the speaker. I decided to go to the meeting, but before I went, I asked the Lord to surround me with a wall of fire to protect me. When I went to that gathering, the Lord's wall of fire around me was so real I could almost touch it!
In the vision of Isaiah (Chapter 6), a coal from off the altar caused his lips to be cleansed, and then he was able to speak what God wanted spoken.
The fire of God also will try every man's worship.
The Hebrew word translated as "accept" literally means "to turn to ashes." He accepted them by causing fire to fall from heaven and consume the sacrifice. No fire which has its origin in this world or from self ever consumes the sacrifices which God accepts. The Lord dictates how He will be approached. If He does not accept the sacrifice by turning it to ashes, we worship Him in vain.
Note the three symbols of the glory of the Lord ... whirlwind, cloud, and fire. "Infolding itself" suggests spontaneous ignition; i.e., without the application of external fire.
John the Baptist said, in Matthew 3:11-12,
Then, in Luke 24:49, Jesus told His disciples (and us),
The believers in the Church at Corinth had all of the gifts in operation. But they were still carnal, doing their own thing. What they lacked was the fire! For the fire of God will consume the flesh and give a man the desire to please only the Lord, not self. Unfortunately, our flesh does not want to die because we enjoy too much the pleasures of the world.
We need to walk with the Lord and allow Him to talk with us along the way if we want Him to open to us the scriptures. Then our hearts will likewise burn within us.
Therefore, may the Spirit of God breathe His fire anew and afresh on each one of us so that we may walk worthy of His calling on our lives. Amen and Amen.
In the realm of the Spirit, the fire of God likewise provides all of those same effects and more! The word "fire" conveys many different meanings in Scripture. God has often appeared in fire and encompassed with fire, as when He showed Himself in the burning bush, and later descended on Mount Sinai in the midst of flames, thunderings, and lightnings.
We want to look at a few examples of the fire of God, as recorded in the Bible, but we must be careful. We can memorize every verse in the Bible about the fire of God and only have a head full of facts. The Word of God must become flesh within us.
I don't know how many of you have listened on this website to David Wilkerson's message titled, "A Call to Anguish." Whether you have or have not listened to that message, I urge you to tune in to the live, full-length video on YouTube. Go to YouTube and in the rectangular search box at the top, enter "David Wilkerson Call to Anguish." Then select the full-length video of 56 minutes. That is perhaps the most powerful message you will ever hear in your life. This message tonight is a first cousin of Wilkerson's anguish.
The first occurrence of the word, "fire," is in Genesis 19:24-25 and speaks of the judgment of God.
"Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; And He overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground."
The last occurrence of the word, "fire," is in Revelation 21:7-8, and also speaks of judgment.
"He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."
Three times in Scripture the Lord is spoken of as a consuming fire.
For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God. Deuteronomy 4:24Understand therefore this day, that the LORD thy God is He which goeth over before thee; as a consuming fire. Deuteronomy 9:3Hebrews 12:28-29, "Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire."Exodus 24:17, "And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel."
The Lord took great pains to fully instruct Moses and the people about how the sacrifices were to be conducted and how the ceremonies of the tabernacle were to be performed. Let us consider the brazen altar which was in the outer court of the Tabernacle of Moses. The Tabernacle ceremonies are the pattern, in symbolic form, of worshipping in Spirit and in Truth. After Moses had prepared the Tabernacle and everything pertaining to the ceremonies of worship, God started the fire on the brazen altar.
That first fire on the brazen altar was not by any means ordinary fire. It looked just like other fire, and normally acted like other fire, but that is where the similarity ended. Have you ever considered how long it would take to burn the carcass of an animal using ordinary fire? No, the fire on the altar was a special fire. It was eternal fire. It was God's fire. It came from God's dwelling place ... eternity. God started that fire, but there were certain rules that the priests had to observe in the care of that fire. Though it was eternal fire, it would go out when it had consumed all of the available fuel.
"And there came a fire out from before the Lord, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces." Leviticus 9:24.
This fire from heaven was the essential part of God's acceptance of the offering.
Leviticus 6:12-13, "And the fire upon the altar shall be burning in it; it shall not be put out: and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order upon it; and he shall burn thereon the fat of the peace offerings. The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out."
That command created a problem of fuel supply. That was the responsibility of man ... to keep the fire burning on the altar. This speaks volumes. It must have been a full-time task for some folks to continually bring in all the wood to keep the fire burning. Likewise, we must do whatever it takes to keep the fire of God burning in our souls. Three main elements make up the fuel for the fire of God in our souls. They are the rhema word of God, prayer and intercession, and obedience to the Holy Spirit.
Under penalty of death, only the fire from off the altar was to be used in tabernacle worship.
Leviticus 16:12-13, "And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail: And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not:"
Two of the sons of Aaron broke the rules of worship by taking ordinary (strange) fire to burn incense before the Lord, instead of getting their eternal fire from the altar. They found out the hard way that it was unacceptable to use man-made fire in tabernacle worship. The cost of that mistake was sudden death by the same consuming fire that had been put on the altar.
Leviticus 10:1-2, "And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD."
Nadab and his brother were careless and irreverent about the things of God. As a result, in an instant they were ashes. For our flesh to offer worship is the offering of "strange fire."
The fire which kindled the incense on the Golden Altar of worship within the Holy Place was the same fire which had consumed the sacrifice on the brazen altar. This tells us that there can be no incense of prayer ascending to heaven that is not based on and does not proceed from the Spirit of God. This account has relevant application for us today. We are expected to handle God's Word with care and minister to His people in the fear of the Lord. We cannot mix God's Word with foreign concepts or mix our worship with pagan practices.
We need to be careful. Strange fire is spreading in our midst - even in churches that call themselves "Spirit-filled." Fads involving angels, ecstatic worship, and emphasis on the supernatural could push us off the edge of spiritual sanity. Angels are "ministering spirits" sent to protect and strengthen believers (Hebrews 1:14). People claim to see them everywhere, but often the stories don't line up with the Word of God. Others have testified that angels took them to heaven. Many claim that angels are dropping feathers, gold dust and precious gems on worshippers. People in some streams of the prophetic movement claim to have visitations from past saints or various Bible characters. All who dabble in this area are asking for trouble. Many years ago I knew a good brother who had much maturity in Christ and who had an amazing gift of a word of knowledge. One day he asked the Lord to let him see angels. Later he did see angels, but I believe he saw the wrong kind of angels, because soon thereafter he said the Lord told him to divorce his wife and marry another woman. Of course, Scripture says that the Lord hates divorce.
The Bible warns us to "be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer" (1 Peter 4:7). There is plenty of freedom and joy in the Holy Spirit; we don't have to quench it by introducing people to pagan revelry. Christian worship is not about losing control. Those who worship Jesus do it "in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24), and our love for God is not measured by how violently we shake or how many times we fall on the floor or how many angels we see.
Sadly, that is by no means the only off-center tangent in the modern-day Christian community. Many professing Christians are enamored with anything that hints of the supernatural. Another misguided effort by some ministers is a focus on deliverance. I cannot find one example in Scripture where a true born-again believer needed or received deliverance ministry ... not one. I also have difficulty believing that the Spirit of God and the spirits of devils can co-exist at the same time within a human vessel. Most of the so-called deliverance for true Christians is simply an attempt to deliver us from the works of the flesh. We also need to remember that not every professing Christian is born again. Deliverance for non-Christians is real, of course.
Today, the watered-down Gospel is big business. Indeed, it is the best form of entertainment around! I have seen a few Sunday "sermons" that would rival a Broadway play. "The way of Cain" (Jude 11) is human inventions in Divine worship! William Branham was one of the premiere prophets in the United States back in the 1940's and 1950's. We are aware, through a brother who was a close personal friend of William Branham, that, (quote) "He [Branham] was particularly sharp in his insight and understanding of future events as well as of those personalities and organizations that would bring terrible confusion, mixture, and impurity to the body of Christ through religious programming, networking, television, Christian entertainment and music with a contemporary beat." (end quote). He was right on! The contemporary, semi-rock music is very appealing to the emotions, but has little, if anything to do with reverent worship in the Spirit.
Then we also have that misguided group of ministers, also mentioned in Jude 11, who run greedily after the error of Balaam for reward ... the false faith and prosperity teachers. Discernment is greatly lacking in the Church community.
We know God can do anything. He can make an iron axe head float, hide a coin in a fish's mouth and use a little boy's lunch to feed a multitude. Those were genuine miracles that He can still do today. But we still have to use caution. There are counterfeits. If we promote a false miracle or a false angel in the Lord's house, we are participating in strange fire. This is a time for all true believers to draw clear lines between what is godly worship and what is pagan practice. We want the miracles of God, but we also need the fear and reverence of God. We cannot allow any strange fire to spread unchecked.
Instead of focusing on getting rid of negatives, why not focus on "He must increase" ... Christ in you the hope of glory. Who wants the fire of God to burn up the chaff in our lives? We all need this cleansing.
Genesis 15:17-18, "And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:"
Verse 18 clearly states that the Lord made a covenant with Abraham.
However, those two verses describe two different covenants. Abraham never passed through those pieces in Verse 17; he was asleep. So that established a covenant between a smoking furnace and a burning lamp. Clearly, that does not speak of the natural realm.
From Jeremiah 34:18-19, we see that under the law, when men made covenants with other men, both parties passed through pieces of a calf. We also see in that same chapter of Jeremiah that the Israelites did not keep their covenants with one another. We also know that God made a covenant with Noah, with Abraham, with David, with Moses, with Israel, with Isaac, and with Jacob ... seven covenants in all, where seven is the number of perfection or completion. Now any covenant between man and man will always be broken. That is called human nature. Moreover, any covenant between God and man will always be broken at some point by man, but God will never break His covenant with anyone.
However, those two verses describe two different covenants. Abraham never passed through those pieces in Verse 17; he was asleep. So that established a covenant between a smoking furnace and a burning lamp. Clearly, that does not speak of the natural realm.
From Jeremiah 34:18-19, we see that under the law, when men made covenants with other men, both parties passed through pieces of a calf. We also see in that same chapter of Jeremiah that the Israelites did not keep their covenants with one another. We also know that God made a covenant with Noah, with Abraham, with David, with Moses, with Israel, with Isaac, and with Jacob ... seven covenants in all, where seven is the number of perfection or completion. Now any covenant between man and man will always be broken. That is called human nature. Moreover, any covenant between God and man will always be broken at some point by man, but God will never break His covenant with anyone.
Exodus 19:18, "And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly."
In the tabernacle of Moses, the purpose of the candlestick was to shine light on the table of showbread. The candlestick more accurately should be translated as a lampstand. Candles are self-consuming but oil can be continuously supplied to a lampstand. Therefore, the smoking furnace speaks of the Father and the candlestick or lampstand refers to Jesus Christ, the Living Word of God. The covenant referred to in Genesis 15:17 was/is between the Father and the Son. That covenant obviously can never be broken. Moreover, that is the covenant that all true Christian believers enter into.
We read in Exodus 3:1-6 the account of when the Lord appeared unto Moses in a burning bush on the mountain of God, which was Mount Sinai.
We read in Exodus 3:1-6 the account of when the Lord appeared unto Moses in a burning bush on the mountain of God, which was Mount Sinai.
"Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God."
We know, from Acts 7, that Moses kept the flock of Jethro for forty years. "Jethro," which means "abundance, excellence, or pre-eminence," may simply be a title. He was an Arab sheik and priest of Midian. Midian, which means strife or contention, was the fourth son of Abraham by Keturah, his third wife. Jethro is also called "Reuel," which means "friend of God." The backside of the desert was the West side, which was very fertile. Note that the first mention of the desert of Sinai is in connection with feeding a flock! Note also that it was in the backside of the desert that the wisdom of Egypt had to be unlearned and the true God made known.
The "mountain of God," or Horeb, is also Mount Sinai. Horeb is not mentioned in the New Testament. Under the New Covenant, Zion is the mountain of the Lord (although every mountain and hill belongs to the Lord). Mount Zion speaks of the Kingdom of God, where God dwells. Psalm 76:2 states that very clearly.
God also gave a demonstration of what that fire could do when Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel. Elijah said to the false prophets,
The "mountain of God," or Horeb, is also Mount Sinai. Horeb is not mentioned in the New Testament. Under the New Covenant, Zion is the mountain of the Lord (although every mountain and hill belongs to the Lord). Mount Zion speaks of the Kingdom of God, where God dwells. Psalm 76:2 states that very clearly.
God also gave a demonstration of what that fire could do when Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel. Elijah said to the false prophets,
1 Kings 18:24, "And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken".
Then we read in 1 Kings 18:37-39, "Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, He is the God; the LORD, He is the God."
The fire of God shall try every man.
Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you. 1 Peter 4:12That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 1 Peter 1:7
Two good examples of the trial of our faith are when Abraham was prepared to offer up his only son, Isaac, and the three Hebrews in the book of Daniel who were thrown into a fiery furnace.
The fire shall also try every man's work.
13 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.14 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. 1 Corinthians 3:13-14
Not only is the faith itself precious, but the trial of faith is also precious. Before His crucifixion, Jesus was put on trial by the Jewish Sanhedrin. So were Stephen and Paul. In my lifetime I have personally known several different men of God who were put on trial by a charismatic Sanhedrin.
Jesus said, in Matthew 12:18-21, "Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in Whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon Him, and He shall shew judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear His voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall He not break, and smoking flax shall He not quench, till He send forth judgment unto victory. And in His name shall the Gentiles trust."
Smoking flax describes a situation where a fire, which at one time blazed high, has, for some reason, died down to embers. Although Jesus knows the cause for each professing Christian who has become a smoking flax or lukewarm, His main concern is getting the fire going again. It should be our main concern also.
The Lord blows on the smoking embers, fanning them to life. From Matthew 13:40-43, anything that proves not fit for the Kingdom is destined for the purging fire. Getting all of the chaff out of my life is difficult. I cannot even find it, much less get it all out. Therefore, I must walk in repentance before God every day. No Christian will ever mature simply from the good preaching or teaching from Godly men.
Isaiah 4:2-6, "In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel. And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem: When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning. And the LORD will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defence. And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain."
The Spirit of burning refers to the fire and heat necessary to purge dross and tin from our lives. Spiritual purity and cleansing is most needful today. It is more important than being financially prosperous or being physically healthy. As much as we need and desire the purity of the Spirit, we shrink back from the process which produces it for us.
I want to share one of my experiences with the fire of God. In 1975, two men came from other states to our area with three things in mind. I will not go into detail because it would not be edifying. Their first purpose was to start another of their 100 churches in the Washington, DC, area; secondly, to ordain me as one of the two original elders in their new church; and third, to control me. The latter is called witchcraft. When I declined their last two purposes, they considered me to be in total rebellion. But a year or so later they gave me one last chance to "repent" and join up with them. They invited me to a gathering in Washington, D.C, with their number one leader as the speaker. I decided to go to the meeting, but before I went, I asked the Lord to surround me with a wall of fire to protect me. When I went to that gathering, the Lord's wall of fire around me was so real I could almost touch it!
For I, saith the Lord, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her. Zechariah 2:5
In the vision of Isaiah (Chapter 6), a coal from off the altar caused his lips to be cleansed, and then he was able to speak what God wanted spoken.
The fire of God also will try every man's worship.
Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice; Psalm 20:3
The Hebrew word translated as "accept" literally means "to turn to ashes." He accepted them by causing fire to fall from heaven and consume the sacrifice. No fire which has its origin in this world or from self ever consumes the sacrifices which God accepts. The Lord dictates how He will be approached. If He does not accept the sacrifice by turning it to ashes, we worship Him in vain.
And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire. Ezekiel 1:4
Note the three symbols of the glory of the Lord ... whirlwind, cloud, and fire. "Infolding itself" suggests spontaneous ignition; i.e., without the application of external fire.
As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning.
Ezekiel 1:13
John the Baptist said, in Matthew 3:11-12,
"I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but He that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire: Whose fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor, and gather His wheat into the garner; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."
Then, in Luke 24:49, Jesus told His disciples (and us),
"And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high."
In other words, no one can do anything of lasting value or go anywhere until they receive the power of the fire of the Holy Ghost.
Today, most professing Christians are eager to be baptized in water, but a little H20 never saves anyone. The power of the Holy Ghost saves us. To be baptized in water before being born again is a waste of time. Today, most professing Christians are eager to go to church when the ritual men call "communion" is served, but eating a little piece of bread and taking a sip of wine or grape juice will not make us one bit more holy. Both of those two rituals cost us nothing. The key question is, "who is eager to be baptized with the fire of the Holy Ghost?"
Today, most professing Christians are eager to be baptized in water, but a little H20 never saves anyone. The power of the Holy Ghost saves us. To be baptized in water before being born again is a waste of time. Today, most professing Christians are eager to go to church when the ritual men call "communion" is served, but eating a little piece of bread and taking a sip of wine or grape juice will not make us one bit more holy. Both of those two rituals cost us nothing. The key question is, "who is eager to be baptized with the fire of the Holy Ghost?"
Acts 2:1-3, "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them."21 And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:22 He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people. Exodus 13:21-22
Is not My word like as a fire? Saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? Jeremiah 23:29
The believers in the Church at Corinth had all of the gifts in operation. But they were still carnal, doing their own thing. What they lacked was the fire! For the fire of God will consume the flesh and give a man the desire to please only the Lord, not self. Unfortunately, our flesh does not want to die because we enjoy too much the pleasures of the world.
Malachi 3:2-3, "But who may abide the day of His coming? And who shall stand when He appeareth? for He is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's sope: And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness."
When Jesus spoke to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus,
And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us by the way, and while He opened to us the scriptures? Luke 24:32
We need to walk with the Lord and allow Him to talk with us along the way if we want Him to open to us the scriptures. Then our hearts will likewise burn within us.
Jeremiah 20:7-9, "O Lord, Thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived: Thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed: I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me. For since I spake, I cried out, I cried violence and spoil; because the word of the Lord was made a reproach unto me, and a derision daily. Then I said, I will not make mention of Him, nor speak any more in His name. But His word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay."
And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. Joel 2:30
When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. Isaiah 43:2
Isaiah 66:15-16, "For behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with His chariots like a whirlwind, to render His anger with fury, and His rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by His sword will the Lord plead with all flesh: and the slain of the Lord shall be many."
Every Christian probably believes that he or she is worshipping in Truth, because they feel they have the Truth. However, Truth means more than a doctrine or a belief about God. Real Truth is found only in the person of Jesus Christ. There are many forms of worship in the world which do not embody Jesus Christ, and they cannot be called Truth.
What is truly spiritual is seldom pleasurable and entertaining to my flesh. Fleshly fun in a worship service is similar to a jewel in the snout of a pig ... out of place. Is it acceptable to the Lord? Or have we wasted our time, and maybe put our souls in jeopardy in the process?
The burnt offering is first mentioned in Genesis 8:20, when Noah offered burnt offerings on the altar. That, of course, was long before the law was given to Moses. The Hebrew word for burnt offering means to cause to ascend, as the flame and smoke ascend by burning. In Greek, the word is holocausts, which conveys the meaning of being wholly burnt.
Few seem to understand the great fact that God left nothing for man's imagination when He made known how He would be approached and how He would be worshiped. In the last chapter of Exodus, Exodus 40, the phrase "thou shalt" (verses 2-15) occurs 14 times in the directions given to Moses; and the significant words that all was done "as the Lord commanded Moses" occurs 8 times. Then Leviticus, the book of worship, opens with the words: "And the Lord called unto Moses ... out of the Tabernacle of the congregation, saying ... If any man of you bring an offering unto the Lord, ye shall bring," etc.
The true worshipers, who worship God, do so in spirit and in truth, and through that sacrifice which God has accepted, even Christ our substitute, on whom the Divine judgment fell instead of on His People. It is "by HIM" that we offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name (Hebrews 13:15). There is no other worship now which He accepts, and no other worshipers whom the Father seeks to worship Him (John 4:23).
I wonder what God's attitude is toward some manners of so-called worship which are taking place today. Is God concerned about our mode of worship today? Have you noticed the way in which the mannerisms of the world of entertainment have been absorbed by the churches, and incorporated into their "way of life?" The "inventions" of the entertainers have been absorbed into the Church community. Is this what God has wanted? Is He pleased? Will He accept us when we offer to Him that which was created by men (ungodly men at that) for the entertainment and pleasure of the human soul and body, which we have borrowed from them? Or have we wasted our time, and maybe put our souls in jeopardy in the process? If the basic ingredient of true tabernacle worship (fire from off the altar) had to be what had been started by God Himself, how do we hope to be accepted of Him while we grind out the mixture of human entertainment encased in an outer shell of what we think is pure in His eyes? Is this what God has wanted? What do you think?
For the past 50-some years I have been very jealous for the Lord of hosts. My desire has always been that God's chosen people might mature ... grow up into the stature of the fullness of Christ ... Christ in you, the hope of glory. I believe that the time is very short before the Lord returns to earth again.
What is truly spiritual is seldom pleasurable and entertaining to my flesh. Fleshly fun in a worship service is similar to a jewel in the snout of a pig ... out of place. Is it acceptable to the Lord? Or have we wasted our time, and maybe put our souls in jeopardy in the process?
The burnt offering is first mentioned in Genesis 8:20, when Noah offered burnt offerings on the altar. That, of course, was long before the law was given to Moses. The Hebrew word for burnt offering means to cause to ascend, as the flame and smoke ascend by burning. In Greek, the word is holocausts, which conveys the meaning of being wholly burnt.
Few seem to understand the great fact that God left nothing for man's imagination when He made known how He would be approached and how He would be worshiped. In the last chapter of Exodus, Exodus 40, the phrase "thou shalt" (verses 2-15) occurs 14 times in the directions given to Moses; and the significant words that all was done "as the Lord commanded Moses" occurs 8 times. Then Leviticus, the book of worship, opens with the words: "And the Lord called unto Moses ... out of the Tabernacle of the congregation, saying ... If any man of you bring an offering unto the Lord, ye shall bring," etc.
The true worshipers, who worship God, do so in spirit and in truth, and through that sacrifice which God has accepted, even Christ our substitute, on whom the Divine judgment fell instead of on His People. It is "by HIM" that we offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name (Hebrews 13:15). There is no other worship now which He accepts, and no other worshipers whom the Father seeks to worship Him (John 4:23).
I wonder what God's attitude is toward some manners of so-called worship which are taking place today. Is God concerned about our mode of worship today? Have you noticed the way in which the mannerisms of the world of entertainment have been absorbed by the churches, and incorporated into their "way of life?" The "inventions" of the entertainers have been absorbed into the Church community. Is this what God has wanted? Is He pleased? Will He accept us when we offer to Him that which was created by men (ungodly men at that) for the entertainment and pleasure of the human soul and body, which we have borrowed from them? Or have we wasted our time, and maybe put our souls in jeopardy in the process? If the basic ingredient of true tabernacle worship (fire from off the altar) had to be what had been started by God Himself, how do we hope to be accepted of Him while we grind out the mixture of human entertainment encased in an outer shell of what we think is pure in His eyes? Is this what God has wanted? What do you think?
For the past 50-some years I have been very jealous for the Lord of hosts. My desire has always been that God's chosen people might mature ... grow up into the stature of the fullness of Christ ... Christ in you, the hope of glory. I believe that the time is very short before the Lord returns to earth again.
Romans 13:11 "And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed."
The time is quickly approaching for the fulfillment of Revelation 22:10-12,
"And He saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be."
Therefore, may the Spirit of God breathe His fire anew and afresh on each one of us so that we may walk worthy of His calling on our lives. Amen and Amen.
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