Flaming for Him

Campfires are the perfect place to sing songs, tell jokes, and warm up on a crispy fall eve. They give enough light to see and enough warmth to brown your marshmallow.
An ember snaps away from the fire and glows brightly amidst the dark, flaring for a second or two until it fades to a darker black than coal. We swat them away as minor trifles to a fire, but in reality, join enough of those embers together and you start a forest fire.
Smoke wafts toward your face with smoldering heat. We cough and move away, but, in reality, enough smoke can choke out life.
So what does this have to do with our standing with God? We all know the dangers and the benefits from a fire; but do we realize the potential and fire from God’s people?
The most traditional form of getting light was starting a fire. And, since we are the Lights of the World, I thought it fitting to study fire a bit more in depth. So, take a church, or a family dedicated to God. “Where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of them” is the promise that God’s presence burns brightly in us as we gather for His glory. We’re like that bright campfire that stands out on a chilly October night. People can see the glow from it for miles away, although they might not be able to appreciate the warmth.
But, for a fire to continue burning, it needs to be continually growing. Forest fires start from embers breaking away and lighting up a nearby dried leaf, and the flames joining in to engulf the pit fire emerging. But if an ember breaks away and is not joined by its flames, it simply fades away like the pesky campfire pricks we carelessly swat away.
And, for a church to continue growing in the Lord, for the church of God to continue being set afire for Him, we need to be constantly setting others on fire. We need to have those embers breaking away to find that leaf just waiting to be found. But most importantly, the flames of the church need to follow and engulf the new addition. One person alone can only do so much, but when reaching becomes a church ministry, so many new flames can develop! To keep stressing this point would never be enough, because too often we are guilty of instead being the smoke that develops when a church begins to smolder. Instead of bringing new life, we choke out the surrounds, choking our own feeds, our own growth in Christ to nada.
Where are the flames of our passion for Christ? Where are the flames of His love for the lost?
Every fire requires one spark to ignite it. Let’s be His spark.

For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them. Matthew 18:22
His word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot. Jeremiah 20:9b
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Hebrews 10:24-25