Holy Fire
‘One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai, the mountain of God. There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up. “This is amazing,” Moses said to himself. “Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go see it’
When the LORD saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush. “Moses! Moses!”
“Here I am!” Moses replied.
“Do not come any closer,” The LORD warned. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. I am the God of your father – the god of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God’ -Exodus 3:1-6
The LORD revealed himself to Moses in a blazing fire and was told he was standing on holy ground.
Have you ever had an intense encounter with the holy fire of God?
The God Who Answers By Fire
In the days of Elijah there was a lot of compromise amongst God’s people and opposition to the true prophets of God.
‘So Ahab summoned all the people of Israel and the prophets to Mount Carmel. Then Elijah stood in front of them and said, “How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!” But the people were completely silent.
Then Elijah said to them, “I am the only prophet of the LORD who is left, but Baal has 450 prophets. Now bring two bulls. The prophets of Baal may choose whichever one they wish and cut it into pieces and lay it on the wood of their altar, but without setting fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood on the altar, but not set fire to it. Then call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The god who answers by setting fire to the wood is the true God!” And all the people agreed.’ (read full story here in 1 Kings 18:20-40)
There are many pulls on our attention and gods that call for our devotion. Even religion in the form of Christianity can take up our time and drain us of life if it is run like a human institution devoid of the power of God. But the God who answers by fire is the true God!
When the disciples were walking along the Road to Emmaus, ‘They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked with us on the road, and while he opened the Scriptures to us?”‘ -Luke 24:32
When was the last time your heart burned within you?
Fire Falls From Heaven
‘He [King Ahaziah] then sent an army captain with fifty soldiers to arrest him [Elijah]. They found him sitting on top of a hill. The captain said to him, “Man of God, the king has commanded you to come down with us.” But Elijah replied to the captain, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and destroy you and your fifty men!” Then fire fell from heaven and killed them all.’ -2 Kings 1:10-12
Fire falling from heaven occurred twice until on the third time the third captain pleaded for his life…
The fire of judgment fell from heaven on the enemies of God’s people.
However, the disciples James and John, nicknamed ‘Sons of Thunder’ tried to replicate this supernatural sign during the ministry of Jesus [see Luke 9:54-55]. Jesus rebuked them saying they were of the ‘wrong spirit.’
It’s not the right time to call down fire on our enemies, but rather bless those who curse us
But does God still use ‘fire’ for His purposes?
My Personal Fire Experience
At the turn of the 21st Century, in the year 2000, I moved into an inner-city area of Nottingham in England called The Meadows to begin what was to become both a most joyful and challenging journey. Before moving in, someone gave me a prophetic word, saying ‘You will help bring revival to the Church of England’
To this day, I’m not sure if that word refers to the Anglican Church or the collective Church across the nation of England…
On moving into St. Saviour’s Cottage in the Meadows, one of the first things I sensed God say to me was to rise early (at that time early for me was 7am, these days it’s 6am) to pray and meditate on scripture for at least an hour on a daily basis. It took me nine months before I obeyed this simple command (how long does it take you to obey something God has told you to do?). But from the moment I did obey Jesus, things began to change rapidly.
I began getting up early to read chapters of the Bible and then journal about what I was learning, I wrote questions down concerning what I was learning and wrote answers I heard from God in my journal. I also read loads of books by and about Pioneers who had started gospel, disciple and church planting movements. At that time I was still very much engaged personally in the Arts and had a home recording studio in my bedroom where I created experimental electronic music in my spare time. During this period musicians, some who were Christian and others not, would come in and out of the church-owned cottage where I lived at various times throughout the week to record and play music together.
On one occasion two guys, Tom and Steve, who both played guitars came around to my house. We began talking about music, ate together and I shared some of the new thoughts that were jumping out of the bible at me as I’d been rising early to meditate on scripture. Over the following weeks this became more intensive, until, one day, Tom and I had a unique spiritual experience; a supernatural encounter with God!
We were sitting around my kitchen table reading from the Book of Isaiah. God was highlighting to us similarities between what we were reading in the Bible and stories we were reading in the newspapers…
Then suddenly, and without warning, both of us fell off our chairs at the same time and fell face down on the floor prostrate. We then began to shout ‘Fire’, ‘Fire’ whilst confessing our sins to each other.
We then began praising and praying with intense fervor for the rest of the day and into the evening! Tom got out his guitar and started singing worship songs with total abandon, and God was even giving him new words to sing! I quickly grabbed my djembe and started pounding the drum with joy! The atmosphere was ecstatic. Even now it’s hard to fully describe what went on that day!
Over the next few days, Tom told another friend what had happened, and when that other friend came to the door of my cottage, and I opened it, he fell face down on the floor in my porch and began shaking!
We gathered around him and started to pray for him and he had a similar experience and encounter with God as we had previously.
That ‘Pure Fire’ experience of the Holy Spirit changed my life forever!
This encounter with God led to an extended season of intense prayer which started early in the morning, lasting throughout the whole day and often even into the night. This entire period of intense and glorious prayer and close awareness of the presence of God lasted for approximately three months!
There was strong conviction of sin as we confessed personal habits that were not glorifying to God. New songs and music emerged out of this, as we had drums and guitars to hand. We praised like wild men passionate about Jesus.
This atmosphere of prayer and new forms of worship began to draw other people like a magnet. Believers from other churches across the city of Nottingham were hearing about what was happening with us. They flocked to the cottage and we laid hands on them to be filled with the Holy Spirit. As a result, they would also have a spiritual encounter. ‘Fire’ was a common phrase being used at the time, people would shout this as they experienced the fire of God. I could only trace all that was happening to this one simple act of obedience; ‘Get up early to pray, spend time with Me and listen to My voice’.
On reflection, Hebrews 11:6 says; ‘He is a rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek him’.
The fire of the Holy Spirit is a purifier. A Pure Fire!
Baptism of Fire
Have you experienced a baptism of fire?
1 Peter 1:7 says this: “Your faith will be like gold that has been tested in fire. And these trials will prove that your faith is worth much more than gold that can be destroyed. They will show that you will be given praise and honor and glory when Jesus Christ returns”.
Farmer, You Are Blessed
Not long after my ‘Pure Fire’ experience, Tom and I and a few others went to a prophetic conference in the Midlands area of England called something like; ‘The Lion Roars…’
On our way to this conference, we traveled by train to Birmingham and on the way had a lengthy conversation about the prophetic meaning of names and shared with each other what our names meant.
When we arrived at the conference, the atmosphere was electric. The power of the Holy Spirit was present. There was a spiritual message from a lady at the front of the room who was preaching prophetically saying,
‘Are there any farmers here, if there are, come out to the front of the room’
Nobody moved…
I thought, ‘Well, my name is Farmer…maybe God could be speaking to me?’
So nervously I walked up to the front of this packed conference room and the prophetic woman who was speaking asked me,
‘Are you a farmer?’
I replied,
‘Well, my name is Farmer’
She then said in an authoritative tone…
‘Farmer You Are Blessed!’
As she said that, I fell to the floor as though dead, and my feet strangely started kicking in the air fiercely….something spiritual, something supernatural took place…
It was a turning point for me…
Because when I got up off the floor and returned home, I searched through the scriptures to see what it actually meant to be ‘BLESSED’
When I came to the New Testament I was disturbed! I started to see that blessing in many cases, actually equated to a life of suffering…
For example…
‘Blessed are the poor,
Blessed are those who are persecuted for doing the right thing,
Blessed are you when people use you, exclude you, count your name as evil because you belong to Jesus’
I wondered why I had never heard this message in all the churches I had ever been to…
Why had I never heard that blessing equaled sharing in the sufferings of Jesus?
So long story short, I chose to accept this calling and started to live out this ‘blessing’
And I’ve lived it ever since…
Because I want to know Jesus and share in the fellowship of his sufferings…becoming like him in his death…
So that one way or another I will share in the resurrection of the dead…
Suffering for Christ can take on many forms, but one form is being persecuted for obeying Jesus. I have long carried a message about being ‘Persecution Proof’ (like the 3 men in the fire) and equipping others in that regard!
Some think that we are not likely to suffer persecution here in the Western World. But I dare you to obey Jesus’ commands in public such as preach the gospel, heal the sick, drive out demons, baptize new disciples and form new churches from the harvest and see what happens!
Fire tests quality!
Tongues of Fire
‘They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different languages as the Spirit gave them power to proclaim his message’ -Acts 2:3-4
It seems most likely, that Luke meant his readers to recall John the Baptist’s statement that the Christ would baptize “with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Lk. 3:15).
Have you been ‘salted with fire?‘ (see Mark 9:49)
‘Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me…. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD.’ -Malachi 3:1–3
The fire of God is holy, the fire of God brings judgment, the fire of God purifies and flames of fire rested on the disciples…
Have you experienced the Baptism of Fire?
Are you prepared to endure many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God? (see Acts 14:22 and Romans 8:35)
How bold are you at proclaiming Jesus to those you meet?
