FIRE

Aloha Saints, Family and Friends,  beloved of Jesus and me,   John 3:16

FIRE     “WORTH CONSIDERING”   9/1/21  By Ken Smith
 
In the days before Edison,  all lights by man on earth was a product of FIRE.   Sun,  Lightening did start fires.   Now we have LED with hardly any heat at all.   So fire is an interesting study through the Bible.  Both good fire and painful fire, so we shall try to sort out the good fire for you.      I grew up on a hillbilly farm with no electricity at all,  all our lights were by fire.  After it was sold and the new owners put power to the house, it burned down.

When Jesus started HIS ministry on earth HE made an interesting comment about fire.   Luke 12:49,   “I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?  Matt. 3:11,  John the Baptist said,  “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:   Luke 3:16,  “John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:  The disciples became Christians at the resurrection in the Upper Room,  but the  fire power came on Pentecost.

And this happened, as a mighty public witness on Pentecost,  Acts 2:3,   “And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.   3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.   4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 

And it is interesting to me that many years later the writer of Hebrews (Paul I think) added this note.  Heb. 1:7,  “And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.   There are some 515 verses mentioning fire in the Bible but most are equating the pain of fire with hell.   This is not the context of this note.  So lets go back in the Old Testament and find the threads.   In Deuteronomy 4:24,  33,  5:24 we have this observation that God is a consuming fire,  speaks from the midst of fire, and that HIS Glory and Greatness is a voice in the midst of fire.  So for us to really know who HE really is, HE had to send the son of man in our image and likeness to help us know HIM and to help us become in HIS image and likeness.   Notice in Ezek. 28:18 where the fire is seen as our starting point:  God here is giving a prophesy to Ezekiel as to how lucifer will meet his end.   “28:18,  “Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.

Hey, Guys!!!   We all got our start as the children of Adam in sin.   We grew up in sin.   We have all sinned and come short of the Glory of God.   But then comes along Isaiah 53 and tells us how God has made a way for us to still become like Him and in HIS Image and LIkeness,  Gen.1:26 if we will want it enough and believe it enough to go for it.

So when Jesus was resurrected what did HE look like in that we are told that HE was the first born of many brethren.  Assuming that I have your attention and wonder what you would look like in the resurrection if you really made Jesus LORD.  We will always  be different but this will give you the idea of what God means for us to be like in HIS Image and Likeness.    Rev. 1:23-17,   “And in the midst of the lampstands [One] like a Son of Man, clothed with a robe which reached to His feet and with a girdle of gold about His breast.14 His head and His hair were white like white wool, [as white] as snow, and His eyes [flashed] like a flame of fire.15 His feet glowed like burnished (bright) bronze as it is refined in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters.16 In His right hand He held seven stars, and from His mouth there came forth a sharp two-edged sword, and His face was like the sun shining in full power at midday.17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as if dead. But He laid His right hand on me and said, Do not be afraid! I am the First and the Last.”   ( So as we yield to become in HIM we will become like HIM.)

In the resurrection there will be only one Jesus, that looks like HIM in the image of the “Word of GOD” But we also will carry GOD’S identity and in our own personal identity as Joint Heirs for our LORD become HIS “Rod of Iron” to help minister HIS rule throughout the Creation of God through the universe in the God dimension of time-less-ness.

Oh! think we are the only ones alive in God’s Creation,  think again.  Only that we have been in a spiritual hot house as there is only one lucifer who has either made us strong or sent us to hell as per our decision.  John 14:1-3,   “Do not let your hearts be troubled (distressed, agitated). You believe in and adhere to and trust in and rely on God; believe in and adhere to and trust in and rely also on Me.2 In My Father’s house there are many dwelling places (homes). If it were not so, I would have told you; for I am going away to prepare a place for you.3 And when (if) I go and make ready a place for you, I will come back again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also.

Interested in being on fire?    Paul ask that question to disciples in Acts 19:2 long ago in Ephesus,  “And he asked them, Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed [on Jesus as the Christ]? And they said, No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.3 And he asked, Into what [baptism] then were you baptized? They said, Into John’s baptism.4 And Paul said, John baptized with the baptism of repentance, continually telling the people that they should believe in the One Who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus [having a conviction full of joyful trust that He is Christ, the Messiah, and being obedient to Him].5 On hearing this they were baptized [again, this time] in the name of the Lord Jesus.6 And as Paul laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them; and they spoke in [foreign, unknown] tongues (languages) and prophesied.”   (Same as on Pentecost.)  This should be norm for the Church of Christ Jesus and I hope so for your church, but if not,  read 2 Tim.3…   A man at my fellowship ask me one day about this,  and I felt to give him a book:   “A Handbook on Holy Spirit Baptism” by Don Basham.  He went home, read the book, did what it said and has been on fire for the LORD from that time on.  Find on Amazon,  get a copy,  “WORTH CONSIDERING” you will be glad you did.   

Be blessed in your day,   Ken<><  www.trinity-aloha.org 

World Views:
 On Afghanistan Loss:   Glenn Beck
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