The
Fire of the Holy Spirit
by Don Schwager
The Scriptures present us with a variety of
visible images which signify the presence and
action of the Holy Spirit. These signs include
wind, fire, breath, and rivers of living waters.
Signs of fire in Scripture signify in a special
way God’s holy presence, power, and glory, as
well as the purification and cleansing action of
the Holy Spirit. Some examples include:
• The Burning Bush
– Exodus 3
• The Pillar of Fire in the
wilderness – Exodus 13:21-22
• The Consuming Fire on
Mount Carmel – 1 Kings 18:17-40
• The Burning Coal that
purified the lips of Isaiah the Prophet –
Isaiah 6:6-7
• The Tongues of Fire at
Pentecost – Acts 2:1-4
• God’s Consuming Fire in
the new heavenly Jerusalem – Hebrews 12:22,28
When the Lord Jesus began his public
ministry, the first thing that John the Baptist
said about him was:
“He will baptize you with the Holy
Spirit and with fire” (Matthew
3:11 and Luke 3:16).
What does it mean to be baptized with the fire
of God's Spirit?
When the Holy Spirit comes he sets our hearts on
fire with the love of Jesus Christ. Paul the
Apostle tells us that,
“God’s love has been poured into our
hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been
given to us” (Romans 5:5).
When we surrender our lives to Jesus Christ, and
pray for the Holy Spirit to be fully released in
our lives, what happens – what does the Holy
Spirit do?
• The Holy Spirit opens our
ears to hear God’s voice – the Spirit enables
God’s Word to come alive in us so that God’s
word becomes a living and life-changing Word
that is sharper than any two-edged sword – Paul
the Apostle calls the Word of God the Sword of
the Spirit (Ephesians 6).
• The Spirit opens our eyes to
give us vision of what God is doing today in the
Church, the world, and our personal lives.
“Without vision the people perish” (Proverbs
29:18)
• The Spirit opens our minds
to give us knowledge, wisdom, and understanding
of God and his ways (Isaiah 11:2). Jesus said
the Holy Spirit will teach us the truth and help
us remember all that Christ has taught (John
14:26; 16:13).
• The Spirit opens our tongues
to praise God and to speak his word with faith,
conviction, and boldness and to encourage the
fainthearted, the hopeless, and the weak.
• The Spirit anoints our hands
to bring blessing, healing, comfort, and help to
others.
• The Spirit equips our feet
with speed and haste to bring the good news of
the Gospel to every neighbor near and far.
• The Holy Spirit purifies our
hearts and minds and sets us on fire with the
love of Christ.
When Jesus began his ministry, he was led by the
Holy Spirit to proclaim the good news of the
kingdom to every village, town, and region of
Israel. The Spirit gave force or power to
every word Jesus spoke. The Spirit revealed the
thoughts and intention s of people’s hearts to
Jesus. The Spirit empowered Jesus to perform
signs and wonders and miracles, and power to
free people from Satan’s oppression in their
lives.
We are Christ’s body – members of his church on
the earth. Jesus calls us to do the same
works he did and he equips us with spiritual
gifts to carry on the work which he began.
Saint Theresa of Avila (1515-1582) wrote:
“Christ has no body now but yours.
No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours
are the eyes through which he looks compassion
on this world. Yours are the feet with which
he walks to do good. Yours are the hands
through which he blesses all the world. Yours
are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are
the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body
now on earth but yours.”
Outpouring of the Holy Spirit
today
Why is God pouring out his Holy Spirit today,
with signs, healings, and spiritual gifts? I
believe one reason is that the Gospel and the
Christian people are under unprecedented attack
today. We need spiritual power to counter
this attack and to proclaim the Gospel in the
joy and power of the Holy Spirit. The
charismatic renewal is a key part of God’s work
to renew, restore, and equip God’s people to
stand strong in faith and courage, to persevere
with unwavering hope, and to be on fire with the
love of Christ. Our task is to make Jesus known
and loved by all who will receive him and the
good news of salvation he brings.
Our role in the charismatic
renewal movement
We are first foremost disciples of Jesus –
disciples who are personally committed to the
Lord Jesus, to follow him and obey him and to
submit to his word for our lives.
The Lord Jesus calls us to be servants just as
he came "not to be served, but to serve." As his
servants who use their gifts, talents, and time
to generously and selflessly serve others to
help them grow in faith, hope, and love. We use
our gifts, not to build up ourselves, but to
build up the body of Christ and to advance his
mission in the world.
The charismatic renewal is a sign of what God is
bringing about through the gift of being
baptized in the Holy Spirit. It is a visible
public sign of the Lord’s work of renewal in
bringing people into a revitalized relationship
with God and a sign of the unity he desires for
all of his people. The Spirit unites,
Satan divides. A true sign and fruit of
charismatic renewal is love for our church – our
church leaders and members, and for all
believers who are brothers and sisters in
Christ. A sign can’t do everything – but it can
point to God and to the work of the Holy Spirit
to renew the churches and to bring God’s people
into greater unity and love for one another.
Some traps or pitfalls we must
avoid
We don’t lead or serve to draw attention to
ourselves, to gain esteem, praise, or applause.
We serve in humility like John the Baptist who
said, “He [Jesus] must increase, but I must
decrease” (John 3:30). Our reward comes from our
Master Jesus Christ. He suffered abuse,
mistreatment, and even rejection, and yet he
loved his own to the very end (John 13:1), even
those who rejected him and those who nailed him
to the cross. Paul the Apostle said, “It is no
longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me”
(Galatians 2:20).
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