The Effects of Fresh Fire

Rev. 3:15?19

I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.

So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

(1) The purifying work of fresh fire

The most outlandish error of charisma was to overreact to early Pentecostal legalism.  We went from makeup to critical mascara.  Holiness is not legalism; legalism is fear and hatred garbed in rules.  It judges by outward appearance and afflicts the flesh in order to gain power.  This is a corruption of the cross of Christ.

Holiness is born in love!  It is the behavior of royalty.  True holiness transcends the flesh by gracing the heart with a delight in the commands of the Lord.  Holiness is the new affection of a new heart.

Fads in charisma have refused to elevate the believer to higher plane: it chose, rather, to lower God.

The vehicle for this deception was a misapplication of the doctrine of justification.

Yes, we are justified by the blood of Christ at rebirth, but this dealt directly with what we had done.  It now takes the daily work of the cross to deal with what we are.

Teachers began to espouse the idea that we already had privileges and authority, and were innately blessed because we were born again.  We had only to release our inheritance and awaken to the already completed work.

Sanctification dropped out of our vocabulary.  Character development was, at best, peripheral.

This error took one step further by redefining success in terms of church size, money, possessions, and visibility, instead of humility, compassion, and a Christlike spirit.

The first touch purifies.  False motives for serving God disintegrate; counterfeit faith goes up in smoke.  Hay, wood and stubble projects are consumed.

No other work of darkness is more lethal than the insidious pride that lies to us about our true condition.

Samson “……….wist not that the spirit had left him.”  He rose up as at other times expecting victory, only to embrace Philistine ridicule and death.

The New Testament Samson was the Laodician Church.  First, the Spirit exposed their condition.

Rev. 3:17

Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

Then fresh fire was prescribed.

Rev. 3:18?18

I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

But what was their greatest danger?  They were in the midst of moral disaster and knew it not!

This new flame, this next dose of raw Holy Ghost power, is meant to launch our next level of conformity to the image of Christ.

The furnace is our friend.  We emerge from its holy work a vessel unto honor.  God will find important things for a holy person to do!  He will delight in them; He will joy over them!

Satan’s knees just buckled at the thought that you might surrender to this purifying work of fresh fire.

(2) Fire illuminates.

Stephen had the face of an angel.  With an angry mob poised to pound the life out of him, a miracle happened.  He was filled with the Spirit and saw Jesus standing in the power of God.  Death lost its fearful advantage; pain was rendered inconsequential.  The vision of Christ lifted Stephen to a plane of glory that robbed the murderers of satisfaction.  All that was left for them to do was to stone the wrapping that he was discarding.

This was a crisis baptism!  It has been the divine gift of godly warriors and holy martyrs throughout the ages.

Elisha prayed for his fearful associate who could only see the raging charge of 10,000 enemy soldiers.  “Lord, open his eyes!”

The servant saw innumerable fiery chariots poised to vaporize any threat to the anointed.  Nothing influences our behavior like our perspective.  What we see is the thrust of our life.

Fire carries light.  Fresh fire carries divine light.  Scales fall off our view of things, and to see rightly is to empower to live rightly.

The fire which is from God awakens the nominal believer.  They are elevated to being “seated with Christ in heavenly places.”  What an astonishing difference when you gaze at life from this vantage point!

You make excellent choices.  The frowning problems of your life become insignificant compared to the vista that floods your soul!  The walls of doubt become speed bumps.

You can’t compromise because you see the glory that will be revealed in you.  You walk holy because you see it is making you like Christ.  You take hold of mighty projects because you can see the completion of them.

Your passion for the lost becomes gigantic because you see their dreaded state.  You are given the gift of sight!  Eyes of the Spirit!  By this fire’s light you become a mighty warrior!

As I have already said, how significant that as David’s mighty men were being described for their special strength, the weapon of the men of Issachar was, “…….they knew the times and what Israel should do.”  Their perception was their weapon!

So will the Spirit give us sight in this present darkness.  We will forgive our enemies, for we see their offences from heavenly ramparts.  We work with fellow soldiers because the vision if unity pervades us.  We march with swords drawn to the very throat of Satan because we see his doom is sure.

(3) Fire fuels.

“According to the power that works in us.”

Change requires power.  You may want to change; you may possess the will to change and the opportunity.  Yet the desired alteration escapes you.  We are prisoners of a force greater than we know!

Even when all the elements for transformation seem present, nothing will happen unless a vital ingredient is present.

It is that irreplaceable element that converts good intentions into resurrection living.  It is that fuel that fires up the engine of lasting change.

It is a wonder that the same fire that can destroy can be utilized as fuel.  “If the same spirit which raised Christ from the dead dwell in you, it will quicken your mortal body.”

“For it is God who works in you both to will and to do His good pleasure.”

Sometimes progress is so hard to come by that radical action must be taken.  The inner man must be jump started; re-emerging lusts must be overpowered; extra force must be applied when the weight of daily life threatens our advancement.

The fresh fire experience is a power surge that animates failing limbs, weak knees, and a faltering spirit.  But this fuel is so much more!  The fire that I speak of imparts the energy to do the will of God!

Saul cowered before the destiny Samuel described for him.  “How can I do this thing?” Saul asked.  Hear the prophet’s resolute reply, “The Spirit of the Lord will come upon you and you will be changed into another man!”

Fresh fire is no mere “clean up your act” encounter.  Here is the fuel to fire up the engine.

Was it this enduement of dunamis that Daniel prophesied?  “Those who do know their God shall be strong and do exploits.”  (Daniel 11:32)

Let the crowd become a warrior and the faint a force.  Let us embrace our launching from mere living to multiple triumphs.  Here is higher octane for a higher calling.

(4) Fire warms.

The joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10).  A lifetime of study will not reveal the weight of this statement!

Joy from God is our great distinction from the world.  The pagan must have right circumstances to have right feelings.

Remove possessions from the world of pagans and their life stops.  For the lack of God they are bound to outer life support systems for satisfaction.

Curiously, the church forgets her first love so easily!  You can tell when the level of the “oil of gladness” is low; it shows in the preaching and worship!