The Fire of God

Earlier this month, David Stockton invited me to join him and Ryan Romeo, our church’s Creative Arts Pastor, for a conference on the Holy Spirit in Portland. We flew to Portland and checked into an Airbnb. Our accommodations in the basement of an old three-story house with stuffed chairs, no TV, and a throw rug on the floor reminded me of a hippy crash pad from the 60’s.

That evening we walked through the rain to join 1,000 people who were packed into the sanctuary of the Imago Dei church. David’s friend John Mark Comer, lead pastor at Bridgetown Church, was hosting the event. He had invited worship leaders from England to lead us as we began the conference. The congregation was soon deeply engaged in praise and worship.

As we worshiped, I sensed freedom and grace in the presence of the Lord. The worship leaders stopped and asked everyone to wait on the Holy Spirit. They prayed and we all became silent. After a few minutes, I saw a vision of fire. There were orange flames emanating from the presence of the Lord. As we waited in silence, I kept my eyes closed and tried to see the vision more clearly.

A prophetic message came to my heart. I wasn’t sure what to do. We were sitting in a back row of the church. I didn’t want to draw attention to myself. If I spoke the message out, it could be awkward. I hoped the moment would pass. The worship leaders continued to wait in silence on the Holy Spirit. I thought about asking David what I should do, but I didn’t want to put him on the spot. We were in a big sanctuary, but I have a loud voice. I decided to just go for it, so I spoke boldly.

“There is a fire burning in this house.
It’s a fire of glory and a fire of grace.
Open your heart to welcome His presence.
He will fill you with power, for that is His essence.”

Everyone stayed quiet after I spoke out. I felt awkward. They probably weren’t expecting anyone to prophesy. Then the worship leaders started a song about the fire of God. Afterwards, I thought about how tongues of fire came upon the believers at the day of Pentecost, and how it can empower us today.

The following week I attended a pastor’s gathering at New City Church in Phoenix. Over sixty pastors and leaders from Evangelical, Reformed and Catholic Churches attended. After introductions, one of the leaders led a prayer asking God to bless us and our churches. Then he asked us to wait on the Holy Spirit. As we stood in silence, I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit. The Lord gave me a message but I was reluctant to speak, so I said nothing. I ended up feeling worse after refusing to cooperate with the Spirit that day, than after the Portland meeting.

Today, I watched on TV as the Cathedral of Notre Dame burned. Like thousands of others, I have prayed in that magnificent cathedral when visiting Paris. Many are mourning the loss of the artist treasures in the cathedral. Fire can destroy and fire can inspire. One day everything we have done will be tested by fire (1 Corinthians 3:13-15). If we live for pleasure rather than serving God, we will suffer a loss on the day of judgment. The world needs to know the treasures we have in Christ.

It is a big loss if the fire of God in us is quenched. We have to be willing to take risks if the Holy Spirit is going to use us. Sometimes I have the courage to obey the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Other times, because of fear and insecurity, I let the moment pass. If we are asking God to use us, we need courage and faith, as well as wisdom and grace. Today is the day of salvation.