Read Leviticus 6.12-13.
What fire represents in the scriptures
A careful study of the scriptures reveals that fire can mean any of the following:
1. Divine judgement (Numbers 11.1-2): When the people complained and murmured, the fire of God came to consume them.
2. Divine presence or the presence of the Holy Spirit (Exodus 3.2, Acts 2.1-4): God appeared to Moses in a burning bush; the Holy Spirit appeared on the heads of the disciples as tongues of fire.
Some scriptures in which God revealed himself as fire and lessons we can draw from them
Moses and the burning bush
Read Exodus 3.1-3.
While tending the sheep of his father-in-law, Moses saw a burning bush which was not consuming. As this piqued his interest, he decided to go closer and see.
Lesson 1: The fire of God is attractive
When the fire of God is ablaze in our churches, it has the power to attract people to it. When churches are on fire, they are attractive. There is no need for human manipulation.
Lesson 2: The fire of God speaks
In Exodus 3.4, when God saw that Moses had turned aside to see the fire, he called out to him. Sometimes all you need is the voice of God. Human voices become irritating and troubling because they don’t understand so all you need is the voice of God. When you encounter the fire, you receive rhema. As we enter the week and set ourselves ablaze, may you hear his voice clearly.
Lesson 3: The fire of God directs
He does not only speak but he gives direction as well. God gave Moses instruction on what he wanted him to do—to deliver the people of Israel from Egypt. As you get into contact with the fire of God, may he speak to you and direct you.
The experience of the people of Israel after they had given an offering
Read Leviticus 9.22-24.
After the people of Israel had finished offering their sacrifice, Moses and Aaron blessed them and fire came from the presence of the Lord to consume their sacrifice. In their worship, the people of Israel saw two things: the glory of God, and the fire of God that came out of the presence of God. I believe that the fire of God and the glory of God are inseparable. Wherever he reveals his fire his glory is present, and wherever he reveals his glory his fire is present. When the people saw the fire, they had two reactions: they shouted for joy, and they bowed down with their faces to the ground.
Lesson 4: The fire of God produces joy in the hearts of people
This means that when you encounter the fire joy fills your heart. This joy does not depend on surrounding circumstances. When the church of God is on fire, people leave with joy even if they came in a gloomy state. It is a kind of joy that bubbles out of the heart of the believer and not determined by what we see.
Lesson 5: The fire of God produces a life of worship
The people began to worship without any manipulation. When one encounters the fire of God, he cannot but lift up worship to the Lord. When you encounter his fire, every aspect of your life becomes worship. This is a life that brings glory to God and honors him. When you encounter the fire of God, wherever you find yourself and in all you do, you worship him. It becomes your way of life and your life brings glory to him at all times.
Solomon and the fire at the dedication of the temple
Time will not allow me to talk about Solomon and the fire but when the temple was dedicated, the fire of God came, and the glory of God was seen (2 Chronicles 7.1). The fire came from heaven. No human hand had a role to play in it.
The fire on the day of Pentecost
On the day of Pentecost God revealed himself when he poured the Holy Ghost on the apostles in the upper room (Acts 2.1-4).
God fulfilled his promise, as prophesied through the prophet Joel, through fire. May each one of us be a carrier of the fire. I speak into your life that you shall be a carrier of the fire of God that your life shall be ablaze for him.
God is the source of the fire
The source of divine fire is heaven, and the source of the fire is God. It is God who sets up the fire. This fire is not set up by human beings or by any other person or thing. Any fire that is set up by man is counterfeit and not from God. That is what is called strange fire. So, in all these cases, no human being had a hand in the setting of the fire. In the case of Moses, the fire was not lit by men—by the time Moses realized, the fire was there. In the case of the people of Israel, the fire was released from heaven. Moses and Aaron did not have any role to play in its appearance. In the days of Solomon, the fire came from heaven and on the day of Pentecost, the fire came from heaven to settle on each one of them.
We call for the genuine fire—the one from heaven, not set by human hands. May there be a release of the fire from heaven.
Any fire that has been set up and not from God is counterfeit. We rise up against any fire set by human beings. That is a strange fire and not from heaven. Let there be the fire of the Holy Ghost burning among us. Let it burn in the hearts of people and in the church.
We have to keep the fire burning
The believer’s responsibility is to keep the fire ablaze at all times. Once it has been lit by God, the responsibility of fanning it into flame is on the believer. In other words, when the fire has been set, you are responsible to ensure that it never goes out. That is where Leviticus 6.13 comes into play. The fire must be kept burning. It must never go out. Each morning the priest would add fresh wood to the fire and ensure it kept burning. This is what we seek to do this week. We seek to add fuel to the fire to keep it ablaze. The fire has already been set by God but we have a responsibility to keep it up at all times.
May the fire in his church never go out. May it grow bigger.
Main references
Leviticus 6.12-13, Exodus 3.1-3, 2 Chronicles 7.1, Acts 2.1-4