The Function of Fire
Hello, friends! Pastor Brandon Marshall here, and I am thrilled to share with you some reflections from our recent sermon series on the power and presence of God, as demonstrated through the story of Elijah on Mount Carmel. If you were with us, you know we’ve been diving deep into the significance of fire as a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Today, I want to explore how this powerful imagery can transform our lives and ignite our faith.
Fire Falls
In 1 Kings 18, we see Elijah challenging the prophets of Baal to a divine showdown. The God who answers by fire is the true God. And what happened? The fire of the Lord fell, consuming the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and even the water in the trench. This miraculous event reminds us that the Holy Spirit is a consuming fire, ready to fall upon us when we invite Him into our lives. We don’t need to be perfect; Jesus has already made the ultimate sacrifice. All we need to do is welcome the Holy Spirit, and He will come.
Fire Consumes
When the fire of God falls, it consumes everything in its path. Just as the fire consumed the sacrifice and the fat in Leviticus 9:24, the Holy Spirit consumes our burdens, our sins, and our struggles. Whatever you bring to Him, He will take. Whether it’s a personal challenge, a family issue, or a workplace dilemma, the Holy Spirit is ready to consume it and bring transformation.
Fire Reproduces
Fire has a unique ability to spread and reproduce. On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended like tongues of fire, and the church exploded with growth. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, our passion and zeal for God become contagious. Our lives become a testimony, drawing others to the warmth and light of Christ.
Fire Sterilizes and Purifies
Fire is a powerful agent of purification. Just as a refiner’s fire purifies gold, the Holy Spirit purifies our hearts and lives. He brings to the surface the impurities that need to be removed, helping us to become more like Christ. If you’re going through trials, remember that God may be using these challenges to refine and purify you for His greater purpose.
Fire Heats and Sets Free
The Holy Spirit warms our hearts, just as Jesus did for the disciples on the Emmaus road. When we encounter the fire of God, we are set free from the chains that bind us. Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, the fire that was meant to destroy us becomes the very thing that liberates us.
Fire Exposes
Finally, fire exposes what is hidden. In Acts 28, when Paul placed wood on the fire, a viper was driven out by the heat. Similarly, the Holy Spirit reveals and exposes the things in our lives that need to be addressed. He brings clarity and truth, helping us to walk in freedom and victory.
Friends, I invite you to embrace the fire of the Holy Spirit in your life. Let Him fall, consume, reproduce, sterilize, purify, heat, set free, and expose. As we open our hearts to His presence, we will experience a revival like never before. Let’s continue to seek His fire and watch as He transforms our lives and our church.
Blessings,
Pastor Brandon Marshall
Fire Falls
In 1 Kings 18, we see Elijah challenging the prophets of Baal to a divine showdown. The God who answers by fire is the true God. And what happened? The fire of the Lord fell, consuming the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and even the water in the trench. This miraculous event reminds us that the Holy Spirit is a consuming fire, ready to fall upon us when we invite Him into our lives. We don’t need to be perfect; Jesus has already made the ultimate sacrifice. All we need to do is welcome the Holy Spirit, and He will come.
Fire Consumes
When the fire of God falls, it consumes everything in its path. Just as the fire consumed the sacrifice and the fat in Leviticus 9:24, the Holy Spirit consumes our burdens, our sins, and our struggles. Whatever you bring to Him, He will take. Whether it’s a personal challenge, a family issue, or a workplace dilemma, the Holy Spirit is ready to consume it and bring transformation.
Fire Reproduces
Fire has a unique ability to spread and reproduce. On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended like tongues of fire, and the church exploded with growth. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, our passion and zeal for God become contagious. Our lives become a testimony, drawing others to the warmth and light of Christ.
Fire Sterilizes and Purifies
Fire is a powerful agent of purification. Just as a refiner’s fire purifies gold, the Holy Spirit purifies our hearts and lives. He brings to the surface the impurities that need to be removed, helping us to become more like Christ. If you’re going through trials, remember that God may be using these challenges to refine and purify you for His greater purpose.
Fire Heats and Sets Free
The Holy Spirit warms our hearts, just as Jesus did for the disciples on the Emmaus road. When we encounter the fire of God, we are set free from the chains that bind us. Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, the fire that was meant to destroy us becomes the very thing that liberates us.
Fire Exposes
Finally, fire exposes what is hidden. In Acts 28, when Paul placed wood on the fire, a viper was driven out by the heat. Similarly, the Holy Spirit reveals and exposes the things in our lives that need to be addressed. He brings clarity and truth, helping us to walk in freedom and victory.
Friends, I invite you to embrace the fire of the Holy Spirit in your life. Let Him fall, consume, reproduce, sterilize, purify, heat, set free, and expose. As we open our hearts to His presence, we will experience a revival like never before. Let’s continue to seek His fire and watch as He transforms our lives and our church.
Blessings,
Pastor Brandon Marshall
1 Comment
HPSM, September 9, 2024
nPeggy McClain, Essay Assignment 1
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nHaving traveled down around and back out of a ‘rabbit hole’ on this assignment, in part all by myself (in my own mind), in part with my fellow classmates, and in part with the ‘wild wild web.’ Please forgive me, it is not a pretty sight, because what I am dealing with basically is my hunger and starvation for more knowledge and understanding. Maybe if I wasn’t starving I could settle down and be a better student. Maybe like many of my classmates who have years of bible study under my belt so to speak, a long life of bible reading, to continuously chew on like a bone. I might be somewhat content, at the start of this class, well this first assignment anyway. I felt like a kid in a candy store. I wanted to study all of the verses.
nThe first dilemma into the ‘rabbit hole.’ I stumbled just looking at the list of scriptures that you wanted us to consider. I read each and every assigned chapter and verse/verses and remembered I was breaking my own rule. i.e. read the entire book not just the chapter and most definitely not just the verse or select verses. It’s too easy to be misled by a sentence in the Bible. Honestly I have seen a sentence twisted to strengthen someone’s point of view. Then I remembered what you said in class. I should understand the background, the time period, the author, the purpose of the writing, through the lens of Jesus Christ as I currently understand who HE IS and what He has done for humanity and what He has already done for me.
nA deeper descent into said ‘ rabbit hole’ came when chatting with classmates about the assignment format of writing. I decided that all you really wanted was to know who we were and how much we had gleaned from past experiences and your teaching(validated by your video, thank you for that). Which by the way told me a great deal about you, the teacher. Having grown up in a family of teachers, a teacher, teacher assistant to a university professor, and mother of a university professor, I know that reading 105 essays is no small task and just the tip of the iceberg considering we are not your ONLY students. That being said I chose Ephesians 5:22-33, because it was at the top of the list and the one I didn’t want to study because I have had two failed marriages. I will NEVER do that again, I was thinking. Both marriages failed after 11 and 12 years. Being single has worked out well for me for thirty one years and two months. Or has it? Anyway, I started by reading the letter from beginning to end and imagined Paul in prison, a suffering apostle of Christ, separated from his flock of baby Christians. He was no doubt, in a dark, damp, cesspool with other men, unenlightened Romans, humiliated by his own very state of being. He wants more than anything beyond this deplorable existence to strengthen, encourage, and guide his children from inside prison. Looking at his usual greeting at the beginning of the letter, I would say my dearest family in Christ…. I thought, is this the same greeting for all of his letters? Well sort of but not exactly the same. This greeting is recited over and over in Catholic churches all over the world and widely accepted as undeniable truths of Christianity or Catholicism. In that instant, my mind strayed to millions of people around the world chanting, “ my dearest friends, I hope this letter finds you well.” Sorry I couldn’t help it, the ‘rabbit hole’ is unpredictable sometimes. Reading Chapter 3 verse 1 of Ephesians he identifies himself as “a prisoner in Christ,” which just brought everything into focus for me. His mission, ordained by Christ himself, is to teach the Gentiles and evidently he was really accomplishing his mission or the Romans or the enemy would not have imprisoned him. He knows the Ephesians well, because he lived among them, with them for years prior to his imprisonment. It was easy to see his love for them and how he felt personally responsible for them to the Ultimate Authority, Christ Jesus. So this letter is sincerely from his heart not just some edict out of his morals book. What I saw was LOVE, how to be loving and caring for one another. The entire letter is about using Christ’s example of selflessness, unconditional love and sacrifice for others not just your spouse and your children but everyone near you and everyone you meet. That’s what it means to me.
nThen I decided to consult the web and BAM:
nAwe…come on MAN, I really don't want to consider whether or not Paul wrote this letter in the first place . I was just looking for historical facts that might be available like when was this written (60 -62 AD), who was Paul/Saul anyway(Acts ) , and where was he in prisoned( at the time of the letter probably in Rome). Oh I researched the origin/ meaning of the word grace. Definitely NOT looking for controversy. At this point truthfully I really wanted to know what things were deleted from the bible and why? Does that fall into the blind faith realm…? I don’t know. Do I trust men from the past with unrivaled power, which many had throughout christian history, to always say and do what Christ intended for others less educated and less knowledgeable of the written word? Where are the deleted texts,who took them out and who has them now? How do I resolve that dilemma? More work for another day, I think. By the way, what I found was that grace means truth? BAM indeed!
nReading Ephesians has given me a better way to approach all of my relationships. We say that we love the people ‘we really love,’ OK? Are we really loving by Christ’s standards, by those guidelines set out by Paul to the early Christians? Looking back I have to say NO, looking forward I want to do better.
nToo many words I know, please forgive me. I learned a lot through this exercise. Thank you for this assignment, Pastor Casey.
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