Maintain The Flame

Maintain the Flame

by Pastor Donny Granberry

Our family has been outdoors people most all of my life.

Many of our vacations were camping, hunting, and fishing.

It may be hard for some of you to imagine, but my Mom can be an outdoors lady.

She always caught the most fish and she would always get a good Buck.

One thing we loved as boy’s, and that was building a camp fire.

There were many times we would sleep outside by the fire, and Mom and Dad would sleep in the camper or whatever we took to stay in.

Dad would find us a big stump with the heart in it because that would burn all night long and we would still have fire the next day.

He would get up and work the fire so that the flame would not go out.

Leviticus 6:8-13

8 The LORD said to Moses: 9 "Give Aaron and his sons this command: `These are the regulations for the burnt offering: The burnt offering is to remain on the altar hearth throughout the night, till morning, and the fire must be kept burning on the altar. 10 The priest shall then put on his linen clothes, with linen undergarments next to his body, and shall remove the ashes of the burnt offering that the fire has consumed on the altar and place them beside the altar. 11 Then he is to take off these clothes and put on others, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a place that is ceremonially clean. 12 The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest is to add firewood and arrange the burnt offering on the fire and burn the fat of the fellowship offerings on it. 13 The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out.

It was the responsibility of the priest to make sure that the fire did not burn out,

They would keep watch to assure that the fire was maintained.

I remind you, it is our responsibility to assure that we maintain the fire of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Some might say, Pastor, I am not a priest, it’s the Pastors job to maintain the fire, it’s the staff’s job to maintain the fire, it’s the husbands job to maintain the fire.

1 Peter 2:9 NIV

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

What does this scripture mean? It means that through Christ, every believer has been made a priest before God and allows us direct access to God.

It means that it is our responsibility to guard the flame, to be keepers of the flame, and to maintain the fire.

How do we maintain the fire?

We maintain the fire with the right components.

There are three components to fire, “fuel, oxygen, and ignition source.”

There are three components to maintaining the fire.

1. Fuel – Prayer

Acts1:14

They all joined together constantly in prayer…

The 120 were joined together with one focus, prayer.

Notice the parallel between the spirit descending upon them, and upon Jesus.

Jesus’ Baptism:

Luke 3:21 NIV

When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."

The Disciples Baptism:

Acts 2:2-4 NIV

Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

They were getting alone to pray.

Jesus was always getting alone to pray.

When the disciples could not cast the demons out of a boy, his father brought him to Christ who cast the demons out.

They asked Jesus, why were we not able to cast the devils out, he responded, “This can come forth by nothing, but prayer and fasting.”

If we are to maintain fire, we must be people given to prayer.

2. Oxygen – Praise

The Lord is worthy of our praise.

2 Samuel 22:4

I will call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised.

*Israel had just been to war again against the Philistines.

David was getting up in years and grew tired in the battle and there were four giants fighting with the Philistines. Three were the sons of Goliath and the forth the brother of Goliath and their objective was to kill David.*