Fire
Acts 2:1-12

The comparison of fire is used often in scripture when God appears to man or acts in the affairs of men.  

·        God appeared to Moses in a burning bush.  
·        When Moses was on the mountaintop receiving the 10 Commandments, the people could see fire
on the mountain.  
·        Jeremiah said that the Word was like a fire in his bones.  
·        Jesus said he would send fire.
·        On the day of Pentecost the Spirit came down like tongues of fire on each of the believers and
their lives were changed.  

Several things we notice about fire:
·        Fire is contagious.  It spreads.
·        Fire is hard to control.  It seems to have a mind of its own.  It goes where it wants to go.
·        Fire is powerful.  It can destroy a forest or make a train move.

There are several kinds of fire we need in the church.

1.  We need to see the fires of hell.  People are perishing.  Booth had a vision of people drowning in a
lake of fire while the church was on the beach having a picnic.  We need to see the perishing souls and
do something about it.  We need to feel the fires of hell!

2.  We need cleansing fire.  Isaiah recognized that he was “a man of unclean lips”.  He had sin in his
life.  He needed the cleansing fire of God.  So God sent and angel to take the coals from the fire of the
altar and touch it to his mouth to cleanse him.

3.  We need Holy Ghost fire.  On the day of Pentecost, the fire of God came down and the church was
born.  3000 people were saved as a result.  It’s hard to keep a fire quiet.  People came from all around
because of the excitement of the fire.

We need that kind of fire in the church today.  

Fire is passion.  There is too much casual Christianity in the world today.  We need fire in our
preaching!  We need fire in our pray-ing!  We need fire in the pulpits and fire in the pews!  

Jesus said:
Re 3:15  I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!
(NIV)
Re 3:16  So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
(NIV)

Do you know how to start a fire?  Strike a match.
Each one of you can be a match – a spark that starts something big.  But in order for that to happen,
you have to get serious about God.  You have to get set on fire.  

Jesus said we would be baptized with fire.  But we have to willing before that can happen.  We have to
be hungry for God.  Are you hungry?  Do you want the fire of God in your life?