FRESH FIRE FROM ABOVE!

Today is Pentecost Sunday, the day that the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples of Jesus Christ in the form of cloven tongues of fire.

So today, we want to look at “FRESH FIRE FROM ABOVE!” “Ask ye of the Lord rain in the time of the latter rain; so the Lord shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to everyone grass in the field” (Zech. 10:1).

A wise believer doesn’t rely on the experience of yesterday’s victory to fight today’s battle. Rather he makes sure he receives fresh fire from above for each day’s task.  For your Christian life and ministry, you need to receive fresh fire from above.

The church was born by fire on the day of Pentecost. Acts 2:1-5 says, “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared unto them CLOVEN TONGUES LIKE AS OF FIRE, and it sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.”

“And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? 13 Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine. 14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: 15 for these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. 16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; 17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: 18 and on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy” (Acts 2:12-18; Joel 2:28-29).

Every Christian must receive the baptism of fire if he will do anything meaningful for the LORD. The presence of the fire of God in the life of a believer is an evidence of divine approval that indeed he has been called, appointed and anointed by the Almighty God for the work of the ministry.

It is impossible to do the work of God without the fire. It is like trying to cut an iroko tree without a sharp axe head.

In Luke 24:49 Jesus said, “And, behold, I send THE PROMISE OF MY FATHER upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.”

In Acts 1:8 Jesus said, “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.”

Jesus is the One that baptizes believers with the Holy Ghost.

In Matthew 3:11 John the Baptist said, “I indeed baptize you with water UNTO REPENTANCE: but He that cometh after me is mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose [whose shoes I am not worthy to bear]: He shall baptize you WITH (1) the Holy Ghost, and (2) with fire.”

When you have the fire of God, you will not be able to keep quiet; you will not be able to stay aloof from the work of God.

Jeremiah said, “…I will not make mention of Him, nor speak anymore in His name. But His Word was in my heart as a burning fire burning in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay” (Jer 20:9).

The Word of God was like fire in his bones. It was such a powerful and compelling force that he could not hold it in.

When you receive the fire of God, people will know. It is not something you can hide. The burning desire and zeal for the Kingdom of God will consume you. We need this fire daily. We need to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph 5:18). The work of the LORD must be done by fire.

For Jesus to accomplish all that He achieved here on earth, He Himself needed the baptism in the Holy Spirit (Lk 3:21; Acts 10:38).

In Luke 4:18-19 Jesus said, “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me (1) to preach the Gospel to the poor; He hath sent me (2) to heal the brokenhearted, (3) to preach deliverance to the captives, and (4) recovering of sight to the blind, (5) to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19 (6) To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”

The baptism in [with] the Holy Spirit is the fulfillment of the promise of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

What is baptism with the Holy Spirit? Baptism with the Holy Spirit is an experience in which Jesus Christ Himself fills believers with THE POWER OF GOD.

What is this power for? The power is for (1) SERVICE. Jesus said, “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” (Acts 1:8).

You are saved to serve. Everyone in the body of Christ has been called to serve. In Job 36:11 God said, “If you obey and serve Him, you shall spend your days in prosperity, and your years in pleasures.”

This power is for (2) VICTORIOUS CHRISTIAN LIVING. Holy Ghost baptism empowers you to live victoriously as a Christian. It empowers you to live above sin. The empowerment to live victoriously as a Christian is through the baptism with fire.

Baptism in the Holy Spirit is an operation of the Holy Spirit distinct from His regenerative work. In the regeneration there is impartation of divine nature.

“Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Pet. 1:4).

But in the baptism of the Holy Spirit, there is impartation of divine power (Acts 1:8).

What is impartation? Impartation is the transference of an anointing.

The purpose of Holy Ghost baptism is therefore, to endue you with power for SERVICE. But the purpose of the baptism with fire, is to endue you with power to live above sin.

In Isaiah 44:3 God said, “For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour My spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring.”

In Joel 2:28-29 Jesus said, “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh [everybody that is willing]; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: 29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out My Spirit.”

To pour out means “to release.” In Ezekiel 39:29 God said, “Neither will I hide My face any more from them: for I have poured out My Spirit upon the house of Israel.”

In John 1:33 John said, “And I knew Him not: but He that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, the same is He which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.”

At regeneration we have the Holy Spirit “resident” in our spirit-man. But at Holy Ghost baptism, we have the Holy Spirit as the “President” of our lives – Spirit-controlled. Only when the believer is baptized in the Holy Spirit is he said to be Spirit-filled, Spirit-controlled, and Spirit-empowered.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a definite experience for every believer [Born Again]. Acts 19:1-2 says, “And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, 2 He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.”

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is received only once just like the new birth experience. But thereafter, there is need for continuous and consistent re-filling with the Holy Spirit so as to remain Spirit-filled.

Acts 2:4 says, “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

This was the initial infilling. It was the first time they received the Holy Ghost baptism in the Upper Room. But subsequently, they were re-filled at other times. For instance, Apostle Peter was initially filled with the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:4).

He was re-filled in Acts 4:8. “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel.”

He was re-filled again in Acts 4:31. “And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.”

Acts 13:52 says, “And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost.” Each day, every Christian needs a fresh in-filling with the Holy Spirit.

What is the purpose of the fire?

1. The fire can come to consume or destroy. Hebrews 12:29 says, “Our God is a consuming fire.”

It destroys the yoke of sin, affliction, poverty etc. For instance, on Mount Sinai, God confirmed the validity of the Old Testament law with fire from heaven.

Exodus 19:18 says, “And Mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.”

In the New Testament He appeared unto people in cloven tongues of fire. At Pentecost, God confirmed the validity of the Holy Spirit’s ministry by sending fire.

In Acts 2:3 the Bible says, “And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.”

This same fire is still available today. What looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of the 120 disciples that were in the upper room.

Why tongues of fire? Tongues symbolize speech and the communication of the Good News.

What of fire? Fire symbolizes God’s purifying presence, which burns away the undesirable elements in our life and sets our heart aflame to ignite the lives of others. The fire purifies. Fire is the symbol of the power and the presence of God.

2. The fire can come to refine or purify.

In Malachi 3:1-3 God said, “Behold, I will send My messenger, and He shall prepare the way before Me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, He shall come.

2 But who may abide in the day of His coming? And who shall stand when He appeareth? For He is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: 3 And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.”

What happens when the fire of God falls upon your life?

1. It is the presence of the fire of God in you that will reveal divinity to humanity.

2. It is the fire of God in your life that reveals the glory of God to the dying world through you.

3. If you were not needed in this world, you wouldn’t have been created. God created you for a purpose.

4. When the fire of God falls upon a life, every ridicule turns into miracle.

5. When the fire of God falls upon a life, every pain turns to gain.

6. When the fire of God falls upon a life, every sorrow turns to joy.

7. When the fire of God falls upon a life, every shame turns to double honour.

8. When the fire of God falls upon your life, your destiny will be revealed.

9. When the fire of God falls upon your life, God’s super will be added to your natural and you’ll begin to live a supernatural life in a natural world.

10. When the fire of God falls upon a life, it will take you to the top. And when the fire of God takes you to the top, you’ll become a topic.

11. When you carry the fire of God, your name will reign from generation to generation.

12. When the fire of God comes upon your life, those that rejected you will accept you and serve you. You will become the chief corner stone which the builders rejected.

In Matthew 21:42 Jesus said, “....The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?”

Example is the case of Jephthah (Judges 11:1-11). He was rejected by his brethren. But because of the fire in his life, he became the cornerstone.

You are not who people say you are. You are who God says you are.  God says that you are a flame of fire. Hebrews 1:7 says, “And of the angels He saith, Who maketh His angels spirits, and His ministers a flame of fire.”

And the flame will give you fame.

What must I do to receive the fire?

1. You must acknowledge God as God.

2.  2. You must be Born Again. Sin aborts, or terminates your destiny. Members of Abram’s family were liars. Abram lied to Pharaoh. Isaac lied to Abimelech of Gerar. Jacob lied to his father Isaac that he was Isaac. The children of Jacob lied to their father that an animal killed Joseph.

3. You must be available. You must empty yourself to receive.

4. You must stir up your faith to receive the fire.

Example in Mark 5:25-34 Jesus said to the woman with the issue of blood, “Your faith [not His anointing] has made you whole.”

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is of great importance in our Christian experience. If you must walk successfully in the steps of the Master, Jesus, you must be baptized in the Holy Ghost.

As we pray today, fresh fire will fall from heaven and fill every department of your life, in Jesus’ Name.

Watch out for the next edition of Good News from the Pulpit!

• Your friend: I. I. MADUBUNYI (Senior Pastor)                             04.06.2017