Focus: The Spirit's Fire (Pt.2)

Text: Mt.3:11

"He shall baptize you with the HOLY GHOST, and with FIRE."

The church in every succeeding generation needs a heaven-sent Pentecost and new fire of the Spirit. No Christian should run on the gas of self-mechanized Pentecost. We need another Pentecost - personal and corporate.

*Let's go for the original

We need real fire, not counterfeit. For it is with the real spiritual fire that we can effectively put the counterfeit out of business. Satan and his hordes of demons cannot stand or withstand this fire.

*Man-made fire

There's so much strange fire in the church of Jesus Christ today - humanly generated or fleshly mechanized fire. The fire of human emotion and sensationalism. The fire of pop psychology. The empty fire of showmanship. The fire of zeal without knowledge. No, no, no! We don't need any of that. We need the original, not the fake. Genuine power, not emotional gyration.

*Poisoned gospel

I learned from another, that when the gospel came to Greece, they turned it into a philosophy, when it came to Rome, they turned it into an institution, when it came to Europe, they turned it into a culture, and when it hit the shores of America, they turned it into an enterprise. Today, the gospel is a big business - a commercial venture. Poisoned gospel is being sold everywhere both wholesale and retail. We even hear from preachers in certain quarters that anointing without money is annoyance. What a horrible thing to say! Paul admits to having profited so much from the Jewish religion above many of his equals. Does that not sound like personal commercialization of religion (Gal.1:14)? O Lord, save us from making a merchandise of the anointing!

I reflected on Africa and Asia, and then added that in these two continents, the gospel has been turned into a magic wand or talisman. We see God as a means to an end - God exists just to meet our needs, and he must hurry to do so. Again, instead of going to God for real power, some so-called ministers of God are going to all the wrong places in search of power. Scriptures are twisted to tickle our fancy. A friend of mine wrote a book entitled, The Era of Errors, and we are truly living in that era.

*Elisha's staff in Gehazi's hands

Let's remember that the staff of Elisha did not work in the hands of Gehazi. And if it didn't work then, why do you think that it will work now (2Kgs.4:29,31)? Elijah's power worked in Elisha because he had Elijah's spirit. Let every modern Gehazi realize that it is neither by power nor by might, but by the Spirit of the Lord.

*Strange fire

Moses wrote, "And Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD, when they offered STRANGE FIRE before the LORD," and again, "And Nadab and Abihu died, when they offered STRANGE FIRE before the LORD" (Num.3:4; 26:61). Strange fire kills. We need the real fire of the Holy Spirit, not the strange fire of the flesh.

When Simon the sorcerer saw the real power of God in action, he bowed and pleaded with Peter and John, "Give me this power also…" Let me have this authority, this legal right from heaven, this supernatural audacity.

*The fire of divine judgment 

Jesus says, "I am come to send FIRE ON THE EARTH; and what will I, if it be already kindled" (Lk.12:49). Now tell me, how do you survive or escape this kind of fire - the fire of divine judgment - except you possess in your spirit the fire of the Holy Spirit?

Lord Jesus Christ, please grant us this baptism of spiritual fire and fervency! Please, as your ministers, make us a flame of fire (Heb.1:7).

Let me close with the words of A. W. Tozer, who said, "We need a baptism of clear seeing. We desperately need seers who can see through the mist - Christian leaders with prophetic vision. Unless they come soon it will be too late for this generation. And if they do come we will no doubt crucify a few of them in the name of our world orthodoxy."

Lord Jesus, raise up for the church, prophets and ministers of holy fire and pure passion for global change. Amen.

by Bishop Moses E. Peter