18plus: Spirit on fire
27th April 2010 by Craig Pennell
Growing up in the country with bonfires and attempting to 'express-cook' my first roast chicken in the oven at 250 degrees has taught me many great lessons about fire.
Fire is unpredictabile and mysterious, but ironically the things that start a fire - the conditions required to spark a flame, maintain its "burninating" existence and further fuel it into a towering inferno - are reliable, tried, tested and predictable.
Your "spiritual temperature" is no different. The flame that sets you alive with an unrelenting passion for the 'lost, last and least'; that equips you with strength, conviction and wisdom from God; and that creates in you a heart that truly loves others, is a gift given to you from God – the Holy Spirit.
Its very existence within us is not made to be contained, nor is it one that our minds can fully comprehend. Also, as with building a fire, building a life that stays spiritually hot does not happen simply by chance but through making right choices and positioning yourself in the right conditions. To receive this gift, you need to want it.
Lesson #1: Even a cold pink chook can catch alight if the conditions are hot enough
When I cooked my first chicken, I wanted it hot and I wanted it now. I placed the moist raw chicken on a tray of baking paper, shoved it in the oven, turned the dial up to the maximum temperature of 250 degrees and walked away.
Twenty minutes later, I smelt that something was not quite right. Entering the kitchen, it took just one glance through the glass oven door to see my dinner engulfed in flames. I got the 'chargrilled' chicken out in a flash and as the fire fizzled away, I had a moment of silence for the life I nearly lost thanks to my hungry stomach and ambitions of becoming the next Masterchef.
A church on fire?
A church 'on fire' has become a clichéd term to describe a church with music cranked up so loud your ears hurt and a yelling preacher who spits on the front row of patrons. Today, let's reclaim this term.
A church on fire is a place where the word is spoken truthfully. It is where Christians don't just speak love – they live love. It is where people pray in faith for each other with devotion, and where congregational worship is not a time for showmanship, but for a true encounter with God in Spirit and in truth. It is where worship is lived out through mission and acts outside the church building.
Acts 2 gives us a glimpse into the early church where they were all together in one place when suddenly the Holy Spirit came and rested on them like tongues of fire. Are you part of a church or life group like this?
At the moment, are you in an oven or a freezer?
If your church isn't on fire, you don't need to to leave. But perhaps you might benefit from finding another environment that is really hot - maybe a Bible study, or maybe a mid-week church service - and do that as well for a while.
Lesson #2: You can't have a camp sing-a-long around a fire when it's raining
Growing up as a skilled and awarded Adventurer, I knew all there was to building a fire: newspaper; a packet of matches; a pile of dead sticks and a dry spot away from the tents. I was set.
The problem was that my bonfire-making debut at one of my first SAGALA camps also happened to be the same weekend God attempted a second flooding of the earth. Thanks to the downpour, the newspapers became one giant spitball and the pile of dead sticks floated down the creek never to be seen again. While the camp and the mud were memorable, the fire was an epic failure.
Stay clear of the rain
If you want to live a life that is hot and stays on fire, stay clear of the rain. Your old schoolmates want you to go clubbing with them every Friday night. The new movie that everyone says 'you have to see' has strong sex scenes and nudity. You see your Bible in the cupboard but instead 'invest' every free moment into networking on Facebook. Many rain clouds come with an allure of fun and pleasure, but they only wash away your flame, and diminish the good work God has begun in you.
Adulthood heralds an age for decision making and each decision you make has the potential to either put out your fire or kindle the flame within. As well as positioning yourself in a church on fire and connecting with a life group, make life choices to pray daily, discover and hear the truth found in your Bible and connect with God intimately. Allow this private time with God to influence and expand into every other decision you make and word you speak. Dump the wet blankets of life that want to smother your flame and instead throw another log on the fire.
Paul says in Romans 6:11 "Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus," (NIV).
Don't be a cold pink chook or driftwood floating aimlessly down the creek. Cut away sin in your life, and consider Jesus' invitation to come alive and be ignited with his consuming flame. Turn up the spiritual temperature in your life today.
Craig Pennell is a leader from Centenary Corps in Brisbane who works as a Radiographer at the PA Hospital taking X-rays and CT Scans. He is the FUEL Music Director and plays piano at many youth events and every week at his home church. Craig is passionate about seeing others discover freedom in worship and changing culture. He loves ice-cream, graphic design, music and the colour red.
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Comments
awesome word craig
Amen. A truly inspiring message. thank you.