When The Church Is On Fire Series

When the Church is on Fire - Acts 4 - 2/12/17

Turn with me this morning to the book of Acts, chapter 4.  Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts - the 5th book of the NT.  If I asked you what an ideal church looked like, what would you say?  We might start thinking about what type of building it would be - traditional or contemporary - or what type of music we would sing - hymns or choruses.  But the truth that we sometimes forget is that this building is simply the place where the church meets - WE are the church.  So when we think about the ideal church, what we are really thinking about is what WE as Christians should look like.  Sadly, we have to admit that sometimes we are not the faithful Christians we should be.  God wants to change us to become more than we are right now.

Here in Acts 4, we see the continuing story of the healing of the lame man, which took place in chapter 3.  But in this chapter we can see several characteristics in the apostles of what it looks like when the church is on fire, when we become passionate followers of God.  A small town once had several church attenders, as well as one outspoken atheist.  One day the town church building caught on fire, and the whole town ran toward it to help extinguish the flames…including the village atheist!  Someone hollered out: “Hey, this is the first time we’ve ever seen you running to church!” He replied, “This is the first time I’ve ever seen the church on fire!”  When we are spiritually on fire, and have a burning love for God in our hearts, others will take notice!

Sadly, if we admit the truth, many times when we come to worship we have to admit that our church is not on fire.  We are not the passionate Christians that God wants us to be.  In Revelation 2, Jesus writes to the church at Ephesus and says, Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.  There once was a time when they had a passionate love for God, but their love for God had grown cold.  And sadly sometimes that is the story of our lives as well.  We think back about how “on fire” we USED to be - but if we are honest we admit that the fire has grown cold.  But there IS good news in all of this: if you have lost your fire for God, you CAN get it back.

Paul writes to Timothy, his young disciple, in 2 Timothy 1:6 and tells him, I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you.  He is telling him to stoke up the fire, blow on the coals, get the fire rekindled.  And for many of us here today, maybe you still believe in God and love God, but what you need is to fan those glowing coals back into a blazing fire again.  Allow God to stir your heart once more.  Don’t worship God because it’s Sunday and you know you ought to; rather acknowledge all that God has done for you and allow that to stir your heart in a spirit of praise and worship.

God wants a church on fire.  So as we come to look at the scripture today, let’s pray that God would stir our hearts once again.  Let’s pray.  PRAY

Our scripture passage this morning is Acts 4 - I’ll begin reading at verse 1.  READ 4:1-31  

Here in this chapter we see several characteristics of Christians who are on fire for God.  We want to consider them today.  The first characteristic is this:

• Powerful Presence - When you are on fire for God, the Holy Spirit rests upon your life with great power.  Who is the Holy Spirit?  God Himself!  Remember that God is one, but He exists as Father, Son, and Spirit.  Can I explain that?  No.  Do I believe that?  YES!  And when the Holy Spirit empowers you, that is God at work in your life.

So how do we get the Holy Spirit?  We receive the Spirit at salvation, at the moment we place our faith in Christ.  Romans 8:9 - You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.  If you are a Christian, then Scripture says you have the Holy Spirit.  If you don’t have the Spirit, you aren’t a Christian.  There is no “2nd blessing” or “second work of grace” - when you get saved you get all of the Spirit that there is to get.