2012-09-07 - Fire

A pastor woke up in the middle of the night with his phone ringing. The caller told him that his church was on fire. When he arrived he saw his church engulfed in flames. The pastor also saw a neighboring business owner he’d been unsuccessfully inviting to church for several years helping the fire department in extinguishing the flames. With the fire extinguished and the church in ruins, the pastor said to the businessman, "Well, this is the first time I’ve seen you at our Church." He replied, "You’re right preacher and this is the first time I’ve ever seen your church on fire too!"

The story is funny but some people have never seen our churches burning for anything! God is a consuming fire but somehow we manage to keep his fire contained within sanctuaries on Sunday mornings. Or perhaps many of us are just not really on fire.

2 Chronicles 7:1 (NIV) - When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.

1 Kings 18:36-38 (NIV) - At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed... Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.

Acts 2:1-4 (NIV) - When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit...

While we don't need physical fire to fall from heaven, we can use a dose of the fiery tongues that anointed the early church. If we want the fire in our lives it begins with prayer.

IHFHBOH
Adam

acdum@hotmail.com

All scripture references from KJV unless otherwise noted