The Fire of God

"John answered them all, 'I baptize you with water but one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire'" (Luke 3:16).
      Fire is a common metaphor of God in scripture; He is described as a "consuming fire" in both the Old and New Testament. A fire is an accurate description because to believers He is the fire that warms, protects and comforts but to those who don't know believe He is the fire of judgment. The fire of God brings conviction and leads to repentance.
      One of the missing ingredients in the modern church is the fire of God. We pride ourselves on revelation knowledge but our message is powerless and unable to bring life transformation. The modern church has been guilty of operating without the fire burning in our altars and consequently people are dying form exposure in the cold, lifeless world we live in.
     The Apostle Paul told Timothy to "stir up the gift of God that was within" which places the responsibility directly on the individual. To have the fire burning in our churches it must be burning within us. We have to take the responsibility for feeding the fire and fanning the flame through our spiritual disciplines like bible reading, prayer, fasting, church attendance and serving.
      God is ready to send the fire but we must prepare the altars of our lives, clean out the debris from past fires and ask God for fresh fire to fall upon us. As a church, we must seek the fire of God to burn in our services so hearts will be changed and lives transformed. God is ready....are we?

I Love You!
Pastor Mike