December 31, 2011

Definition of FIRE

1

a (1) : the phenomenon of combustion manifested in light, flame, and heat.

I have been wanting to do a word study on "fire" for a long time. Even though I am just beginning that process, the things I read as I study cause a stirring in my spirit. There should be a fire burning inside of all who call themselves Christians. I want to take a moment and challenge you today. Do you have the 3 elements that it takes to be a burning fire? Is there REALLY a fire LIVING inside of you? Let's find out...

As of right now you are obviously (if you come from any sort of Christian background) being reminded of the fire that guided the Israelites. In Exodus chapter 13 we see that God Himself provided His people with a pillar of fire by night as they went forth to do what He asked of them. This is exciting and is an obvious look into the future of what the Holy Spirit/Helper is to us today. Even though this is absolute amazingness (I know thats not a word) to read about and everyone in their right mind would give anything to see God do such a thing today, this is not the exact direction I want to take with the word "fire".

Let me ask you something? Do you have days where you feel like the last thing you want to do is pretend to be happy? Do you ever pull up to the church parking lot and think something like, "I really, really don't want to fake a smile again today."? Do you ever walk out of a Sunday worship experience untouched by God and wondering what's wrong? Do I sound like an advertisement for an anti-depressant right now? Haha, ok, ok... moving on...

Seriously? How many Christians are living their lives in deep, deep depressive states? How many people who call themselves Christians can't remember the last time they shared their faith? How many of us can't accept the fact that we will have ups and downs in this human life, and so when the downs hit we don't know how to handle the emotions? Again, I ask. Seriously?

I am not saying that we are to live life above emotion. I believe this concept has been wrongly taught in the church. I believe God created human emotion for a reason. I also believe that God gave us opportunity to know Him through Jesus and to know His hand on our lives through the ups AND the downs because as Jesus (God Himself manifested as human) left the earth, He gave us the Helper (Holy Spirit). Why would he call the Holy Spirit "the Helper" (John 15:26) if He wasn't here to help us through difficult times? So, lets study this "Helper" a little bit...

The first time we see it stated in the scripture that the New Testament Church was touched by the Holy Spirit was in Acts chapter 2. You will notice that in verse 3 it says that as the Holy Spirit came upon them, He appeared as if tongues or flames of fire had settled on each person. In my word study for fire, I knew I would find the Holy Spirit right in the middle of it all, but the more I think about it, the more I actually wonder how many people who call themselves "Christian" actually let the fire settle on them in their every day lives.

Lets take this back to a word study for a moment, looking at what Merriam Webster has to say about the definition of the very word:

Definition of FIRE

1

a (1) : the phenomenon of combustion manifested in light, flame, and heat 

You will see, that in Webster's opinion, fire is a combustion (act or instance of burning) of three things: light, flame and heat.

I have to admit that when I saw that fire was a combination of three things, combusting to create something new and useful, I wanted to find a way to tie it to the Trinity. I haven't done a lot of study on this, so if you feel the same as I do, search it out. Get in the Word and ask God to reveal something to you today. That's your homework. Let me know what you find out. Moving on...

When I was a kid, I had this friend named Irna. We were soooo passionate about the things of God. We literally got school bullies saved and sang worship publicly in supermarkets at the top of our voice. As life moved on and things changed, I began to notice that this passion/fire I used to have seemed to slowly dim or even at times fully burn out. Part of my desire to research and do a study on the word "fire" was because I wanted to restore something inside of me. I wanted to remind myself of who I really am and of what I am capable of with God on my side. 2 Timothy 1:6 is a reminder to stir ourselves up in our faith. In the New Living Translation it even says "fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you..."

As I try to remind, build and stir myself up, I remember the fire I used to have. So, lets look again at the word fire...

Definition of FIRE

1

a (1) : the phenomenon of combustion manifested in light, flame, and heat.

Fire begins immediately when three things are combined: light, flame and heat. Where do we find these elements in our lives? How do we work these three ideas into spirituality? Obviously the light, to me, would be the light of salvation: Christ in me. I could get super deep just on this one point, but for the sake of writing a BLOG and not a book, I will refrain. However, if you want to know more about this salvation and how Christ can live in you, feel free to ask questions or to contact me in any way. 

Now, we know we need light (the light of salvation, Christ in us). Where do we get the flame? I want to refrain to Timothy when God told him to "fan into flames the gift God has given". God has put a passion inside of every one of us, a calling you might even say. When you have Jesus living in you, begin to search out what God is really saying to you. What passions has He given you? As you begin to stir yourself up in that way, you will find that He has placed a boldness inside of you to accomplish the calling. Fan it into a flame. 

Next, we will see that we need heat. I struggled a little bit with what this might mean. In the end I came to this conclusion: you need a little heat in your life. You need the strength to speak up. To speak out against wrong. Don't let others dominate what you do and believe. You need the ability to speak with heat. Its like when you burn yourself on the oven. It likely isn't a burn so bad that it will leave a scar, but in the end... without even trying... the oven has taught you a lesson about what it is and how you treat it. We need to take the boldness God has put in us, and use it to teach others how to react to who we really are. This may be more difficult (and applicable) where family and friends are concerned. They have known you most of (if not all) of your life, and when they see that you have plans to follow Christ in a way that is bigger than what they had imagined for you, this is when you will need this heat. In a way that doesn't leave a scar, you will need the heat/boldness to proclaim the truth about every step you take. You will need the heat to burn when they tell you it can't be done.

Fan the flame. 

Unfortunately, you cannot (in any way) have fire without the risk of burn. I encourage you today to begin to ask God what passions and gifting He has put in you. Ask Him how He would like to use you in this world. It may be bigger than what you had expected. Then, begin to study His Word. Learn about Him. Learn Who He is. Let Him speak to you. Fan into flames what He has put inside of you. Don't let the world, family, friends, or even the church put it out. It will take boldness. Learn to burn without scarring. Learn to be refined inside the very flame you are stirring. Don't be afraid to let God change you. It will burn and it will hurt at times in the process, but something brilliant and blazing will arise, if you will only let Him do the work He WANTS to do in you.

Be a fire in the church. There are so many Christians who go to church every week, but are still only Christian by name. They find ways to bend the rules to fit their life and the way they want to live. If you wanted to be a firefighter, you would not show up to work in a clown costume and expect to be able to ride on the engine and do the work. Why do we show up at church (often times in theoretical clown costumes) acting like we want to be something that, if we were to look at the way we live, we really don't want to be. If you don't want to live like a Christian, don't go to church and tell the world you ARE a Christian. However, if you feel like there is something inside of you that God has placed that can be fanned into flames, then go to church, seek counsel, get on your knees before God. Ask Him to change the things in your life that you struggle with. Seek out accountability and practical guidelines to help you overcome whatever you are battling. IT IS POSSIBLE. Christianity is not a game. Don't treat it like one.

Fan it into flames.

Thanks for reading.

J