“Meanwhile, the fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must never go out. Each morning the priest will add fresh wood to the fire and arrange the burnt offering on it. He will then burn the fat of the peace offerings on it. Remember, the fire must be kept burning on the altar at all times. It must never go out.” (Leviticus 6:12-13 NLT)
“This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you.” (2 Timothy 1:6 NLT)
There is nothing like a good fire to keep us warm in the winter time. Right now in Brazil, however, it is summer time and the fires are not for keeping warm. They are for grilling the famous Brazilian barbecue. If you have never experienced the delight of eating Brazilian churrasco, I am truly sorry. If you visit a Brazilian restaurant, such as Fogo de Chão’s, you will get a pretty good idea of how good Brazilian meat is.
The challenge of cooking the many wonderful cuts of meat, however, is to keep the fire hot enough. No fire, no barbecue, and no delicious meat to eat.
On a spiritual level, it is vital that we keep a fire burning inside of us. One of the images that the Bible gives us of the Holy Spirit is that of a Fire. Fire consumes, fire cleanses, fire gives light and fire gives heat. We should all be seeking to have the fire of the Holy Spirit burning in us.
Jesus rebuked the church at Laodicea because they were lukewarm. They had allowed their fire to decrease to the point where it was not creating any heat. Lukewarm people do not have influence. Lukewarm people do not really look that different from the world. A lukewarm church will never have an impact in its community. John Wesley said, “Catch on fire and others will love to come watch you burn.”
In 2015, may we all endeavor to keep the fire burning in our hearts!
Thanks so much for your support of our missionary work in Brazil. Church-planting is the most effective means to reach the world with the Gospel. We are helping develop church planters in Brazil and 2015 is going to be an incredible year. Click here to get involved. Obrigado!
