A Need For Fire

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It is my prayer that you prosper, be in health, even as your soul prospers. Today we will be coming from the book of Acts beginning at the first chapter and the first verse

And it reads, 1. The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, 2. Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: 3. To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: 4. And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. 5. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. 6. When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 7. And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. 8. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Within the context, we learn that after we receive the Holy Ghost we should receive power. In this text as well as the Bible fire is often used to represent the power or the presence of God. The subject manner today is that there is a need of Fire. There is a need of fire, and there is a need to understand that God has made this power accessible to us. Many times we are disappointed when we lay hands, and nothing happens. We pray hard, and we speak life into the different areas of our lives and sometimes it seems like we hardly see the results. Considering our circumstances and our shortcomings we should always consider patterning ourselves after Jesus our savior. Jesus healed the sick, raised the dead, and casted evil spirits out of people. Sometimes the devil will try to trick you into thinking that you’re not supposed to do be able to do the things that Jesus did, because Jesus was God. Yes, Jesus was God manifested in the flesh, and He is the Son of God. Jesus was God and man. But that same Jesus told us, in Acts Chapter 1 verse 8, But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. The bible also teaches us that Jesus healed a leper. A leper is a man that is carrying the disease called leprosy. Scientist now call leprosy Hansen’s disease, and now doctor's have created medicines for the disease. However, people of biblical times did not have any dealings with those who had the disease known as leprosy. The disease was once non-curable. These people were left up to chance after they were exiled, and after that if the priest considered them unclean there was no hope. The scripture shows us that Jesus has power over the situations that seem impossible.

Faith in God

St. Matthew Chapter 8 v.2-3 2. And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 3. And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Now how in the world could Jesus touch this man who was declared unclean? He had to have power.  He had to have Power to do the unthinkable. He had to have power to cure the uncurable. Not only that, but the demons that sorely tormented the people were scared of him. They are terrified at that name. As a young boy the in Pentecostal church I would often hear the older saints say that demons tremble at the sound of the name Jesus, but one day I read a scripture that I loved. That scripture taught me that my Jesus has power over any and every situation. We have to position ourselves to continuously be in the center of God’s will in order to exercise this God-give authority. St. Matthew 8 v.23-32 23. And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. 24. And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. 25. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. 26. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. 27. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him! 28. And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. 29. And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time? 30. And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding. 31. So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine. 32. And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters.

Those demons were terrified. There was something very powerful about Jesus, and in order for us to get power we’re going to have to live just as Jesus lived. St. Matthew Chapter 3 verse 13-16 teaches us that Jesus wanted John the Baptist to baptize him. And it reads: 13.Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. 14. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? 15. And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. 16. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: Everything that Jesus did, He did according to the word, because when He desired of John the Baptist to baptize Him he was fulfilling the prophesy spoken of by the prophet Esaias. 3For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight."

The Importance of Humility

Jesus was humble before God and to the people of God. A humble person is exactly the type of person that God wants to use, because he or she will always give the glory to God no matter what. For John the Baptist was a servant of God baptizing Jesus the Son of God. That’s the way it was prophesied by the prophet Esaias. Jesus had every intention to fulfill the words of God that were spoken through the prophets of God such as Esaias (Isaiah). Just as Jesus sought to fulfill the prophecies and the commandments of God we are required to do those things as well if we want to walk in our God-given authority. Jesus would have it no other way but to fulfill the prophecies and the commandments of God, and then the Spirit of God descended upon him like a dove. Therefore, the text reveals that obedience is required before power is given. Do you remember how Jesus desired to wash His disciples feet, He did that to teach them the importance of being humble. It is important to be humble, because we are not here to reap any kind of glory. Humility is required before power is given. For All of the glory belongs to God. Our jobs and our callings are to serve. Jesus always lived according to the Word, and He was humble.

Prayer and Fasting

The earlier scriptures revealed to us that Jesus was not afraid to handle business when adversity came. Jesus also let us know that there are some tough demons out there, and the only way you can cast some of them out is by fasting a praying. St. Matthew Chapter 17 14. And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying, 15. Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. 16. And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him. 17. Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me. 18. And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. 19. Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? 20. And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. 21Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. As we review this scripture, Jesus teaches us that we must believe in the source of the power which God through Jesus Christ. Jesus also taught us that the way we are to reach higher levels of power in God is through fasting and prayer.

Elijah Calls Down Fire

The next passage of scripture gives us an example of how the prophet Elijah was able to call for the fire of God in time of trouble. Ex. 2Kings v.2-17 2. And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, Enquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease. 3. But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to enquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron? 4. Now therefore thus saith the Lord, Thou shalt not come down form that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. And Elijah departed. 5. And when the messengers turned back unto him, he said unto them, Why are ye now turned back? 6. And they said unto him, There came a man up to meet us, and said unto us, Go, turn again unto the king that sent you, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that thou sendest to enquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron? Therefore thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. 7. And he said unto them, What manner of man was he which came up to meet you and who told you these words? 8. And they answered him, He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite. 9. Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him: and , behold he sat on the top of an hill. And he spake unto him, Thou man of God, the King hath said, Come down. 10. And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire and consumed him and his fifty. 11. Again also he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said unto him, O man of God, thus hath the king said, Come down quickly. 12. And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty. 13. And he sent again a captain of the third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and besought him, and said unto him, O man of God, I pray thee, let my life, and the life of these fifty thy servants be precious in thy sight. 14. Behold, there came fire down from heaven, and burnt up the two captains of the former fifties with their fifties: therefore let my life now be precious in thy sight. 15. And the angel of the Lord said unto Elijah, Go down with him: be not afraid of him. And he arose, and went down with him unto the king. 16. And he said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Forasmuch as thou hast sent messengers to enquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron, is it not because there is no God in Israel to enquire of his word? therefore thou shalt not come down off that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. 17. So he died according to the word of the Lord which Elijah had spoke. And Jehoram reigned in his stead in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehosaphat king of Judah; because he had no son. This particular passage of scripture is important, because it reveals that jealousy of God, and reveals the importance of consulting God in every facet of our lives. In this case, King Ahaziah fell through a lattice, and he was injured badly. However, he made the mistake of consulting a sorceror on whether or not he would die from his injuries. The prophet Elijah sent the message to King Ahaziah would surely die, because he consulted a worker of witchcraft on his well-being rather than consulting the Most High of Israel.

A Zeal For God

The passage of scripture in Deutoronomy 6 v.14-15 explains that God is a jealous God. He will have none before Him or beside Him. Also, the king sent armies to the prophet Elijah to enquire of the message that he sent regarding his punishment of death for consulting a worker of witchcraft. Elijah called down fire which killed a hundred soldiers that were sent by the king. Elijah was a zealous prophet for God, and God gave Elijah much power. Like Elijah we must have a zeal for God. We must hunger and thirst for the righteousness of God. Being zealous is required for those that desire the power of God. It is true that God does not change, and he is capable of giving us power to withstand the works of evil in our lives. However, there are requirements that we must meet. We must seek God with humble hearts. We must strengthen our spirits with belief in God, a zeal for God, humility, fasting and praying. After these thing have been done, we will be given power to call down fire in our individual situations.

Conclusion

God is able to give us power, but we must remain humble. We must make it our purpose to heal in the name of Jesus. We must also understand that we can receive more strength through prayer and fasting. Therefore, praying and fasting is imperative for witnesses that seek to spread the word of God with the evidence of healing and the casting out of evil spirits. Also, we must serve God alone with faith, humility, and zeal. God will provide for us the fire that is needed today, and he will take care of us. However, we must remain in the right spirit and stay faithful to God.