Fight Fire With Fire
Luke 24:13 And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs.14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened.15 And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.16 But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.17 And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?
18 And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass therein these days?19 And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people:20 And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him.21 But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.22 Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre;23 And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive.24 And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not.25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.28 And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further.29 But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them.30 And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.32 And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures? KJV
Just as for Cleopas and his traveling companion, when a hungry heart is in the presence of the Lord, the heart burns within…
Fire is a powerful force of nature. As an element, fire can be used to build and construct, as in the making of steel for a structure…but it can also bring destruction to things in it’s path, as in a devastating forest fire. The Lords fire can build up or construct, as well as it can destroy in judgment. Today the fire he wants to light within us is to build us up in the realm of the Spirit. He wants that fire to be burning hot, because his desire is that His church would be hot, not lukewarm.
In Luke 24:13-35, The Scriptures talk about these two who walk the road to Emmaus…encounterring the recently resurrected Christ, and yet did not recognize it to be Him. Jesus saw that they were downcast over the events of the past few days, heard their anguish, and then began to talk to them and open their eyes to the scriptures from Moses and on, revealing the teachings that were actually about Himself.
As they walked that dusty road, their fire was in danger of going out. But Jesus desire was to keep that fire burning within them. It is for that reason that he opened their hearts and their eyes to who he was and how he loved them.
There is in the field of firefighting a way in which fire is actually used to fight a fire itself?The firefighters will light a controlled fire in the path of the oncoming flames so when the raging inferno arrives, there is nothing left for it to burn as fuel.
The Bible tells us of a Holy Ghost fire that will do much the same for us in the spirit…
Acts 2:2 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. KJV
The Lord brings that certain fire into our lives just as he did on the day of Pentecost?when we receive the Holy Ghost…
On April 14, 1912, signals of distress pierced the dark night of the North Atlantic in all directions from the magnificent but ill-fated ship, the Titanic. I did learn however that there was a ship that could have reached the Titanic…
The S.S. Californian was the nearest ship to the scene. It would have required only about one and a half hours for the Californian to have reached the Titanic as it sank. This was later acknowledged by the commanding officer of the Californian. Still the Californian never reached the place where the Titanic sank.
At the investigation of the sinking of the Titanic in Washington, D.C. Senator William Smith of Michigan asked the commanding officer of the S.S. Californian why she didn?t sail immediately to the scene of the accident when the transmission reached her. The officer shifted uncomfortably in the witness chair. Then he explained that they had feared icebergs. So they were lying motionless in the water. Even more importantly, he explained, they had extinguished their fires and had no steam up.
?Such was the explanation given as to why the Californian, which could have reached the Titanic before it sank, never got there and never rescued a single soul. No fire, no power, not one soul rescued!?
Let that never be said of us… that we have a form of godliness, but not its power? That we bear the name of Christ, but we lack the power the fire and the zeal to be his people in the world today… Let the fire of God ignite in your soul today by the power of the Holy Ghost fire?
Synopsis of message from 3/14/14 By Sue Keller and Pastor John Soshea
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