Fire
Luke 12:49 “I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished! 51 Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division.
Jesus spoke these words to the disciples in response to Peter's question "Lord, do you speak the parable only to us?"
Later, Jesus addresses the crowd, but here, He is telling those closest to Him, "I came to set you on fire, and this fire is going to cause division".
The question nagging Peter began with Jesus telling His disciples to "seek the kingdom first". Jesus told these men following Him, men who had worked hard for a living, that instead of giving any concern to the necessities of life: food, drink, and clothing, they should seek after God's kingdom, and God would provide what they needed. Jesus said:
Luke 12:31 But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you. 32 “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Jesus said that worrying about what everyone else cares about produces an "anxious mind" that distracts us from what we are really called to: being on fire for Jesus.
From the beginning, Jesus intended those following Him to be on fire. In fact, look at what John the Baptist said:
Matthew 3: 11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
From the very beginning, the presence of Jesus...the truth of God in the flesh...Immanuel, was equated with God's identity as a consuming fire, and those who were His were also to be on fire.
What John said about Jesus confirmed what Jesus later said about Himself: I will baptize you with fire, if you will have it, and the fire will cause division between those inside, and outside, the kingdom. This division will result in the separating of the wheat and the chaff.
Jesus says He separates the harvest, keeping what is of value, and burning up everything useless:
Matthew 13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”
The truth is, fire is the only option. We are either part of the fire now, made gloriously valuable by the fire, or we are consumed by the fire later. This is the message of John and Jesus. When I am in agreement with the fire, on-fire for Jesus and letting everything else take last place, the fire is good. When I am indifferent to being on- fire for God, or worse yet, against the fire, the fire should be terrifying...if I believe what Jesus says.
The idea of our fiery relationship with Jesus causing division between us and anyone, let alone other believers, is almost un-relatable to most Christians in America. We have, by and large, bought into the idea of Jesus being part of a balanced breakfast.
Fire is so uncomfortable...warm is much more comfortable than burning hot. Plus, warm doesn't draw nearly as much negative attention. Everyone wants to put out a hot and "dangerous" fire! Having balance in our lives makes the most sense.
Balance...this idea of being at least as warm as the next guy, but not "extreme"... Wants to keep me from the fire God says will bring life in full.
If I choose the fire now, I will burn brightly like the stars in heaven, storing literal treasure where I will live forever, where moth and rust do not destroy. Fire spreads, so if I choose fire, I also catch others on fire who have hearts to agree with God.
If I choose warm now...good enough... instead of being on-fire, I spread warm to those closest to me. I run the risk of infecting them with my same blandness and balance.
My relationship with Jesus is displayed by how I obey Him, by what I do and the attitude I do it with. He said if you love me, you will obey me...in that order.
I want to be anxious for giving Jesus everything, not preserving myself...drawing boundaries to protect what I think is mine.
If I "put in my time" at church, or "phone in" my connection with my family, mostly ignore my neighborhood, volunteering begrudgingly for the stuff that "someone has to do", giving the minimum of my time, talent, and money when I have to...anxious about how much time, money, or recognition I have for myself, rather than how much fire for Jesus I have...this is what Jesus says:
Revelation 3:15 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— 18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. 22 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Jesus equated allowing myself to be on fire for Him to "overcoming."
The natural state is lukewarm. My natural state is comfort-seeking, but the rewards of overcoming are worth it. Jesus is worthy. He is worth it!. To overcome, Jesus says "buy from Me gold refined in the fire."
There is only one way to buy anything from God: like a child. We bring what we have to the table: our willingness, and our anxious thoughts about our own well being. We give what we have to God and we humbly ask Him for fiery desire for Him!
Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
We ask God for fire, we reach to Him with our words and our willingness to agree with Him. As we draw near to God with our reach to have Him be our consuming fire, we see He is consumed with desire for us. This is how the fire spreads from Him to us!
Jesus spoke these words to the disciples in response to Peter's question "Lord, do you speak the parable only to us?"
Later, Jesus addresses the crowd, but here, He is telling those closest to Him, "I came to set you on fire, and this fire is going to cause division".
The question nagging Peter began with Jesus telling His disciples to "seek the kingdom first". Jesus told these men following Him, men who had worked hard for a living, that instead of giving any concern to the necessities of life: food, drink, and clothing, they should seek after God's kingdom, and God would provide what they needed. Jesus said:
Luke 12:31 But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you. 32 “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Jesus said that worrying about what everyone else cares about produces an "anxious mind" that distracts us from what we are really called to: being on fire for Jesus.
From the beginning, Jesus intended those following Him to be on fire. In fact, look at what John the Baptist said:
Matthew 3: 11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
From the very beginning, the presence of Jesus...the truth of God in the flesh...Immanuel, was equated with God's identity as a consuming fire, and those who were His were also to be on fire.
What John said about Jesus confirmed what Jesus later said about Himself: I will baptize you with fire, if you will have it, and the fire will cause division between those inside, and outside, the kingdom. This division will result in the separating of the wheat and the chaff.
Jesus says He separates the harvest, keeping what is of value, and burning up everything useless:
Matthew 13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”
The truth is, fire is the only option. We are either part of the fire now, made gloriously valuable by the fire, or we are consumed by the fire later. This is the message of John and Jesus. When I am in agreement with the fire, on-fire for Jesus and letting everything else take last place, the fire is good. When I am indifferent to being on- fire for God, or worse yet, against the fire, the fire should be terrifying...if I believe what Jesus says.
The idea of our fiery relationship with Jesus causing division between us and anyone, let alone other believers, is almost un-relatable to most Christians in America. We have, by and large, bought into the idea of Jesus being part of a balanced breakfast.
Fire is so uncomfortable...warm is much more comfortable than burning hot. Plus, warm doesn't draw nearly as much negative attention. Everyone wants to put out a hot and "dangerous" fire! Having balance in our lives makes the most sense.
Balance...this idea of being at least as warm as the next guy, but not "extreme"... Wants to keep me from the fire God says will bring life in full.
If I choose the fire now, I will burn brightly like the stars in heaven, storing literal treasure where I will live forever, where moth and rust do not destroy. Fire spreads, so if I choose fire, I also catch others on fire who have hearts to agree with God.
If I choose warm now...good enough... instead of being on-fire, I spread warm to those closest to me. I run the risk of infecting them with my same blandness and balance.
My relationship with Jesus is displayed by how I obey Him, by what I do and the attitude I do it with. He said if you love me, you will obey me...in that order.
I want to be anxious for giving Jesus everything, not preserving myself...drawing boundaries to protect what I think is mine.
If I "put in my time" at church, or "phone in" my connection with my family, mostly ignore my neighborhood, volunteering begrudgingly for the stuff that "someone has to do", giving the minimum of my time, talent, and money when I have to...anxious about how much time, money, or recognition I have for myself, rather than how much fire for Jesus I have...this is what Jesus says:
Revelation 3:15 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— 18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. 22 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Jesus equated allowing myself to be on fire for Him to "overcoming."
The natural state is lukewarm. My natural state is comfort-seeking, but the rewards of overcoming are worth it. Jesus is worthy. He is worth it!. To overcome, Jesus says "buy from Me gold refined in the fire."
There is only one way to buy anything from God: like a child. We bring what we have to the table: our willingness, and our anxious thoughts about our own well being. We give what we have to God and we humbly ask Him for fiery desire for Him!
Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
We ask God for fire, we reach to Him with our words and our willingness to agree with Him. As we draw near to God with our reach to have Him be our consuming fire, we see He is consumed with desire for us. This is how the fire spreads from Him to us!
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