Perspective: Fire in Our Hearts

Developed while contemplating things I learned in a Bible study on the Book of Leviticus.
I share these thoughts, hoping they are of help to someone else.

Fire in Our Hearts

Scripture:

When the Feast of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Without warning there was a sound like a strong wind, gale force - no one could tell where it came from. It filled the whole building. Then, like a wildfire, the Holy Spirit spread through their ranks, and they started speaking in a number of different languages as the Spirit prompted them.

Acts 2:1-4 (The Message)

We are Your burning ones
We are consumed by You
We set our lives apart
We are consumed by You

Let this love be like a fire
Let our life be like a flame
Fill our souls with Your desire
Let our passion bring You fame

From "The Burning Ones" by Chris Quilala (Jesus Culture)

Fire is a powerful thing. It provides some of life's basic necessities, such as light and heat, and it is used to prepare our food. Fire can be used to create, and it can be used to destroy. Fire brings life to the machinery we use on a daily basis, and it is used to shape and to strengthen materials like glass and metal. At the same time, fire can clear out whole forests and ravage entire cities.

Fire is also what powers ministry.

After God brought the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, they spent many years in the desert before finally entering the Promised Land. It was during the time when they were camped at Mount Sinai that the Israelite priesthood was established. It was the ministry of the priests to make offerings to God on behalf of the people. These offerings were brought to the priests for a number of reasons including atonement for sins and thanksgiving to God.¹

On the day that the first offerings were made to God by the newly ordained priests, fire came down from God and set the altar ablaze, consuming the offerings.² This holy fire from God was never to go out but to be kept burning on the altar.³

After these first offerings were made, something very strange and tragic happened. Two of the priests decided to burn incense in their censors. For some reason, the fire they burned was deemed unholy, and God was extremely unhappy with them. Fire came from God and burned the two alive.⁴ There are a number of theories regarding why God was so upset with the two priests. One theory is that the fire that they burned in their censors did not come from the altar, meaning that the fire was not from God but from another source.⁵

Centuries later, the final sin offering of all time was made when Christ gave His life on the cross. Ministry changed from burning offerings on the alter to proclaiming Christ's grace and mercy and sharing His love with others. One day, after Christ rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, God sent holy fire from heaven once again. On that day, called Pentecost, Christ's disciples were gathered together in their meeting place when a powerful wind suddenly blew into the room. Then fire spread throughout the room, touching each of them. Afterward, the Disciples were empowered to do things that they never thought possible, the types of miraculous things they saw Jesus do.⁶

The fire that filled the room and touched the Disciples that day was the Holy Spirit. Ever since, followers of Christ have burned the fire of the Holy Spirit on the altars of their hearts as they offer their lives to God. This fire has empowered people to do things they could never have accomplished on their own.

Though the nature of ministry has changed, there are still people who burn unholy fire. St. Paul writes of people "proclaim Christ from envy and rivalry" and "out of selfish ambition."⁷ Such people claim to do the work of God, but, in their hearts, they are driven by their own selfish agendas. There are even people who use their ministry as an outlet for their own animosity toward others. They twist and pervert the message of Christ so that people do not hear a message of hope, mercy, and love but a message of hatred and condemnation.

These people do not speak for God, and they do not speak for the Church. The fire burning in their hearts is not the fire of the Holy spirit, but an unholy fire. Though we do not see very much spontaneous human combustion in our day, I cannot help but feel that God is just as upset with these people as He was with the two aforementioned priests.

Not all of us are called to be ministers who serve churches, but each one of us are called to minister to others in some way. We are called to be the hands and feet of Christ, showing His love to the world. As we seek to do God's will in our lives, let us ask God to search our hearts, to snuff out any fires that did not come from Him, and to set our hearts ablaze with His Holy Spirit.


Notes:
1 - Leviticus 1-7
2 - Leviticus 9:22-24
3 - Leviticus 6:12-13
4 - Leviticus 10:1-2
5 - Brought to my attention by a minister friend. See also Wikipedia article: Nadab and Abihu.
6 - Book of Acts
7 - Philippians 1:15,17


If you have any feedback, thoughts, stories, or even arguments to contribute, please leave comments.