As Christians we are called a living sacrifice to God (Romans 12:1). To be a living sacrifice means to offer ourselves completely to God. When we do this we will not be like the world, but we will be transformed by the word of God through the power of the Holy Spirit.
In the Old Testament, the altar fire that consumed the burnt offering was a gift from God (Leviticus 9:24) that was never to go out (Leviticus 6:13). In the New Testament, John the Baptist tells us that Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire (Matthew 3:11). This fire is also a gift from God. When the Holy Spirit first appears to the church in Acts 2:3-4, He appears as tongues of fire resting above each one present.
Purified By Fire
This symbol of fire that God uses is meaningful because just as fire can purify something, like removing impurities from gold or silver, so too does the Holy Spirit purify us and sanctify us, in our walk with Jesus. The fire of the Holy Spirit consumes the things in our lives that separate us and keep us from walking in the spirit as Christ would have us do. In 1 Peter 1:2 addresses "pilgrims of the Dispersion"..."elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ,". It is the Holy Spirit who sanctifies us. The purpose of sanctification is so that we will be obedient to become more like Christ.
Strength And Power By His Presence
Fire also represents God's presence in our lives. In the Old Testament, the tabernacle was covered over with God's presence in the form of a cloud by day and fire by night (Numbers 9:14-15). In the New Testament, Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 6:16 that we are the temple of God and that God dwells in us. His presence in His gives us strength and power (Romans 8:26 and Acts 1:8) and it is His indwelling fire that enables us to be courageous for our faith.
In Revelation 12:11, the Bible speaks of those who are overcomers. They overcome evil by the blood of Jesus and their testimonies. They overcome in the face of persecution, and John tells, "us they did not love their lives to the death." Even as believers overcome persecution today and die for their faith—it is the Holy Spirit living in us that gives them this strength and power.
We are told that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us (Ephesians 1:20). That power is the Holy Spirit. Because we have that power we can be bold.
Fan Into Flame The Gift Of God
Our zeal and passion for God comes from the Holy Spirit. We should have a burning desire to know God and to share Him with others. Just as the two disciples on the road to Emmaus say that their hearts were burning within them after their encounter with the resurrected Christ, so we also have a flame that needs to be kept burning. When Paul writes Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:6 he reminds Timothy to "fan into flames" the gift Paul gave Timothy when he laid hands on him.
"For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands." 2 Timothy 1:6
How does a person "fan into flame" our gifts? The gifts are from God, but we have to cooperate with the Holy Spirit to stir them up. Our diligence, as faithful workers for God, makes us disciplined and produces the fruits of the Spirit that Paul speaks of in Galatians 5: 22-23. We are not to neglect the gifts that we have (1 Timothy 4:14). We are to seek the Holy Spirit's guidance and direction for our lives (Galatians 5:25).
In Romans 12:11 Paul tells us to be spiritually fervent when serving the Lord and never to lack zeal. Fervent means to show intense feeling while being sincere and steady. Zeal refers to being enthusiastic. Paul says Christians shouldn't be bored, unemotional or insincere. As Revelation 3:19 tells the church at Laodicea, "be zealous and repent". The Bible tells us complacency is foolish (Proverbs 1:32).
God Gives Us Gifts
The gifts that we have been given are to be used for others. Just as Jesus describes in the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30). We have the Holy Spirit who helps us use our God given talents and abilities to spread the kingdom message. The Spirit gives us boldness to speak of Jesus to others (Acts 4:31). The indwelling Spirit of God also enables us to be obedient to the command to love and serve others. We are told to be rivers of living water to bless others. As Peter tells us in 1 Peter 4:10,"As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God."
In 1 Corinthians 12:12-27, Paul tells us that by one Spirit we were all baptized into one Body—the Body of Christ. And although, we may feel that our gifts are unnecessary or unimportant, each gift, each person, is necessary for the proper functioning of that Body. We all have something to offer.
Consumed By Fire
The fire that was started by God to consume the sacrifices of the Israelites is, in essence, the same fire that was given to us, in the form of the Holy Spirit, when we became Christians. Just as their sacrifice was consumed by fire so our lives should be consumed with the fire of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, this gift of God that purifies, sanctifies and empowers us, not just so we can have a beautiful experience with God, but so that we can obediently and zealously share Him with a lost and dying world.
Do you have the Holy Spirit? If not, "... the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely." - Revelation 22:17
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