The 21st century church does NOT need more conferences, mega-churches, gregarious speakers, programs, singers, or coffee shops. Now don’t get me wrong, these things are all good and when the gospel is at the center of them, God WILL use these things to rescue someone or to spur someone on to faithful living. But today’s church is bursting at the seams with these things. What the church really needs is ON-FIRE Christians. Christians who are hot for the gospel.
It's the fired-up believers who are making the greatest impact for the Kingdom of God. These are the ones who speak truth into people, let Christ’s light shine in the dark places, live out their salvation through acts of good works (fueled by the gospel), tell everyone about Jesus because they are concerned about their spiritual destiny, exemplify Christian living through the fruit of the Spirit. Christians who are on fire are those who have literally brought God’s Kingdom to this earth.
I know I want to be THAT Christian. I believe you do too. But the question often is… How? How can I be one of those fired-up believers? Here’s the thing… we already have the kindling – the Holy Spirit. On the Day of Pentecost, He was poured out… literally poured out. And He was poured out into us at our salvation. So the kindling, the Holy Spirit, is there, but if He is not lit on fire, then He will never burn. Then the question becomes… what is it that lights Him on fire?
The Bible tells us that it’s the WORD OF GOD. This story in Luke (Luke 24:13-32) warms my heart. These two disciples had been in Jerusalem when everything went down. Jesus was brutally beaten, nailed to a cross, and died. On Sunday morning, as they walked home discussing all this, Jesus began to walk with them. As they journeyed, Jesus began to explain the Scriptures to them. And they said that as He talked, their hearts burned within them. Jeremiah the prophet says the same thing… In Jeremiah 20, the prophet says that he had become a laughing stock to his neighbors. He says, “But if I say I’ll never mention the LORD or speak in his name, his word burns in my heart like a fire. It’s like a fire in my bones (Jeremiah 20:9)!”
This tells us that His Word is the lighter for the kindling. When Holy Spirit is lit by the Word of God, then the believer is ignited with a fire so hot that nothing can quench it. Hence, the Holy Spirit and the Word of God work together. So we must become not only students of His Word but obey-ers of His Word as well. His Word must be at the core of who we are. Let’s be fired-up today. Let’s set that kindling on fire through God’s Word. Hope this encourages you today.