Keepers Of The Flame

Primary text Le 6:12-13 Keeper of the flame

Secondary text Acts 2:1-4

One of the most exciting and powerful things that happened on the day of Pentecost was every head got a flame.

I think one of our greatest failures as Christians is that so many fail to realize that God gives the flame, but it's our responsibility to keep, to tend the flame.

Our primary Scripture tells us that it was the responsibility of the priests to keep the fire burning on the altar.

They were responsible to remove the ashes, the waste, the old, and the expired and to add new wood.

We are New Testament priests and we are now the keepers of the flame.

It is our responsibility to provide fuel for the fire, it is also our responsibility to get rid of the trash, to get rid of anything that threatens to quench or hinder the flame.

We have to see to it that every day we provide a fresh supply of wood.

The Holy Ghost comes to us as a flame that can either grow and develop and become a devouring fire.

Or it can remain a small flicker, or he can actually be quenched till he cannot be seen or experienced at all.

Just being in church doesn't stoke your fire; just hearing the preaching of the Gospel does not add any Flame or fuel to your fire.

You can be in a place where miracles happen yet never receive a miracle.

You can be where the presence of God is and the power of God is moving and not be moved.

Not long ago my wife and I along with some other church friends; went to a brother and sister 's house for fellowship after church: and after we ate, we went outside to sing around the fire.

(But there wasn't any fire just a fire pit and a bunch of wood).

No matter how long we looked at it and thought about it and wished we had a fire nothing happened, nobody got warm no marshmallows got roasted until they put fire to the wood and even that wasn't enough they had to get some kindling and poor starter fluid all over the wood.

The same is true for you and I, we have to feed the fire, we have to add kindling and pour starter fluid all over it. That's something you have to do for yourself.

You say how do I do that?

1. You have to have the word that’s the kindling

2.You have to pray (pray until the Fire falls and then keep on praying until the flame begins to consume everything in your life)

Read the word, study the word, pray, praise, worship

(Pray in tongues, sing in tongues, worship in tongues.)

(You have to give yourself to the flame)

Romans 12 1-3 I beseech you therefore brother by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice holy and acceptable in the God which is your reasonable service and be not conformed to this world will be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good acceptable and perfect will of God.

The Scriptures tell us of a man named Joab he had a very important job he was the keeper of the Kings oil.

Whenever the King, or the Kings household needed oil they came to Joab he was in charge of the oil (oil was used for almost everything) oil was necessary for cooking

Oil was necessary for the lamps to keep the lamps burning.

Well that's what we are: we are keepers of the Kings oil.

Oil makes the Fire burn; the oil is the fuel of the fire

Being a keeper of the oil means:

1. To be sure that there is always oil available

2. To be sure that the oil is always fresh

3. To keep the oil free of contaminants.

The Bible says dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savor. Ec 10:1

In other words dead things, carnal things, selfish things, fleshly things make the anointing stink.

It doesn't matter how anointed you are if you have carnality, fleshly things, earthly things (criticism, jealousy, envy, strife, debate, rebellion, anger, selfishness, stubbornness, resentment,) it causes the anointing to stink.

In other words: Your fleshly character can make your anointing, invalid, or undesirable.

And put a bad reflection on Christians.

The Christian is suppose to produce a sweet aroma: The Spirit of Christ is sweet, and pure, and honest, and precious, and draws people to Christ.

But a carnal, selfish, self-willed, critical, stubborn, argumentive Christian drives people away.

Many years ago kerosene lamps had to be tended to, first of all; they head have kerosene then they had to have the globe cleaned from time to time, because when the wick got burned instead of a beautiful clear light, it would smoke up the globe.