"THE FIRE OF GOD
When I was young, I heard a man make a statement that so gripped me, I had trouble following the rest of his exhortation. He said, 'Wanted: a baptism of fire.' The verses that kept ringing in my heart were, 'He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire,' (Matthew 3:11) and 'But ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost,' (Acts 1:5). But what really intrigued me was the word fire. I couldn't imagine being baptized with fire, and yet I felt like thats what I wanted. I had so many questions, like 'Is it for everyone?' 'What does it mean?' 'What does it accomplish?' 'Is it necessary?'
One day I said, 'Lord, that's what I want.' When I said that, let me tell you what happened. I discovered that fire refines and purifies (Malachi 3). I got such a revelation of myself as I never had before... of my selfish and self seeking ways. Water will wash the outside, but fire will cleanse the inside. You can remove the dirt on the outside of your life by simple reasons of reformation, but the internal sin and selfishness can and will only be cleansed by the revelaing fire of God's spirit.
There are conditions which must be met when a people expect a spiritual awakening and desire His purifying fire on an ongoing basis: (1) the forgiveness of every past sin, (2) the renunciation of every questionable practice, (3) the forgiveness of all enemies, and (4) instant obedience to the leading of His Spirit.
The fire of God is not only a personal necessity, but a practical necessity because, as I have discovered, fire spreads. In Chicago, in the 1800's, an elderly lady was milking one of her cows with a lamp on the ground beside her. The cow kicked the lamp over, the grass ignited, the flames spread, and in 48 hours only two bulldings were left standing in that part of chicago. Fire will spread, but no fire moves as fast or accomplishes as much as the fire of the Holy Ghost (Acts 1:8).
One of my favorite lines is, 'If you want an epidemic, be a carrier.' If you hunger for love, obedience and kindness to characterize those around you, then seek those things with a whole heart. If you desire cleansing and purity in others, then personally seek His purifying fire. To the first-century church the Lord said, 'Don't go into the world to preach the gospel until first you've been ignited by His baptism of fire' (Acts 1:4), for God's kind of fire spreads, too.
Ron Mehl"