What does it mean when we speak of people being ‘on fire’ for God? Is this a good fire? Does it hurt? What happens when we are on fire?
On the Day of Pentecost a number of phenomena were apparent as believers met in the Upper Room in Jerusalem (Acts 2:1-4). 120 followers, men and women, were observing the instruction given by Jesus to wait and pray until the power of God came upon them.
After a period of waiting on the Lord, on the very Day of Pentecost, the first thing that happened was the sound of a rushing mighty wind that blew into that room. Wind is synonymous with the Holy Spirit (John 3:8). He is called the pneuma; the Spirit or Breath of God.
Secondly, tongues of fire were seen upon all the disciples. Fire, a positive sense, is also directly associated with the Holy Spirit, which we’ll look at further along in this post.
Thirdly, they all began to speak in languages they did not understand as the Spirit gave them utterance.
It was time of celebration in Israel and many people from the diaspora had gathered in Jerusalem for the festival of Shavuoth.
As they passed the Upper Room the diaspora heard the disciples loudly glorify God in the languages of the passers-by, who wondered how these seemingly unlearned followers of Jesus could suddenly speak in tongues of other nations.
Obviously this was a very loud and spectacular event. It was miraculous and led to many people giving their lives to Jesus as they wondered what was happening in that gathering.
The fire
Jesus had told His disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit to come upon them.
And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
Acts 1:4-5
To be baptised means to be fully immersed, saturated to the point of change. It means a complete change of nature and even character as the Holy Spirit makes us in to a different person.
Matthew and Luke record John the Baptist prophesying about this event as being ‘baptised with the Holy Spirit and with fire (Mat.3:11, Luke 3:16).’
John answered, saying to all, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Luke 3:16
Matthew and Luke then go on the talk about a second fire; that of judgment for unbelief (Mat.3:12, Luke 3:17).
There are two meanings in this passage referring to fire, then.
One was the baptism with the Holy Spirit and with fire which was for those who would believe, who would be empowered with the Holy Spirit.
This fire is linked to the power of God. For instance, Luke tells us that Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power (Acts 10:38). That power was to go about doing good and healing all who were oppressed of the devil. The fire in this case relates to the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives to go about doing good.
The other meaning of fire was for the burning of chaff, which is a judgment that refers to those who will not believe even if they hear the gospel and are given an opportunity to repent and receive salvation. Chaff is representative of unbelief, whereas wheat refers to those who believe and receive Christ.
Fire, when linked to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, relates to purification and empowerment.
Even natural fire, when used for advantageous purposes and harnessed well, is of great benefit.
For instance, in the steam age of travel it was the fire that caused the water to heat and produce the steam that drove the steam engines. That fire had to be constant and instant and kept at a high temperature.
So it is with Holy Spirit in our lives. He is at once the fire, the water and the wind that empowers us to be who He called us to be.
Empowerment
Jesus explained what would happen once the Holy Spirit came into the disciples’ lives.
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Acts 1:8
That power is the dunamis of the Holy Spirit. It’s God’s virtue in us. It’s His inherent power residing in us for His purposes. It’s His strength, power and ability in us to perform the tasks He sends us to accomplish.
It’s His power in us to be witnesses to Him in all the earth. The Greek word martys means, in a legal sense, to be a witness, to give evidence, one who is a spectator of anything. We give evidence that Jesus is alive and that all He did on earth is now available through His disciples.
He empowers the Body of Christ through the baptism with the Holy Spirit.
For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake.
1 Thessalonians 1:5
Jesus told His followers that He would rather them not be lukewarm in their witness, neither hot nor cold (Rev.3:16). He wants us to be on fire. Blazing hot. He is referring to the passion that comes with being fervent and committed as His witnesses.
Evidence
So when we say a believer is on fire, we mean they are empowered. They are zealous in a good and positive way. Fire speaks of godly zeal, of being energised and inspired to perform exploits on behalf of the One who sends us into the world to give evidence of the risen Christ.
This began at Pentecost, the day when the Holy Spirit came into the Church to create witnesses and empower disciples.
