After the Fire Goes Out
By Pastor Jim May
This past week has been very challenging. Since the wee hours of the morning on Tuesday, we have been dealing with the aftermath of the fire at our church. There is just so much to do it seems overwhelming. Dealing with insurance companies; trying to get things ready to continue on with services in a new location; piecing together as much as we could all the things that are necessary so that we could come together as a family and worship the Lord, has not been an easy task. And there is still so much more work to do.
For those who were not able to come, or may not have been made aware that we were going to have services in this location last Wednesday, let me give you a brief summary of what is happening. (Summarize the details)
First, let me say that everything in the building is a total loss. Everything was either burned, water damaged or made unusable because of the thick smoke and ash. We have attempted to salvage a few things, but there is little that can be saved. If anyone had personal property in the church, it is gone. Please give us a list of those items to include on our inventory to the insurance company within the next few days if you want reimbursement for your loss.
God has been good to us through it all and if all goes according to present plans, we should end up better off than before. We will have all new equipment and a completely remodeled building in time. Whether God opens the door for a different location, or we stay here and move back in when the work is finished, is something that only time can tell. But God is in control and we will go where He leads us.
In a situation like this, it does not pay to dwell upon why things happen, or how we could have prevented them. The fact is that there is little anyone could do to keep wiring from going bad, connections from failing and accidents from happening. It’s just a part of life and the best thing to do is learn what you can, plan for the future and move on. Like that old saying goes, “There’s no use crying over spilled milk.”
Nothing can change the past, but God has laid before us a bright future. The word has spread through the community that the fire happened and there have been numerous calls and offers of help.
Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."
After the initial shock of witnessing the fire and watching the excitement, wondering what to do next, there came a time to try to clean up and salvage what we could.
As I thought about dealing with what was left the thought came to me that what I was witnessing can be compared to what is left after the fire goes out in the heart of a Believer.
All of us desire to be on fire for God. We want to let our light shine in this dark world of sin and we want to be used to do great things for Him.
It’s not unusual to hear us singing, “Oh Lord send the Fire Just Now”, or “We must have that Fire and Holy Ghost”. We are always praying, Lord, we need the fire of the Spirit, that Holy Ghost anointing. I’m so glad that God allows us to be filled with the Holy Ghost and fire. In fact, one of the songs that we sing sometimes says, “It’s the Holy Ghost and fire and it’s keeping me alive.” That’s so true, for without the fire of the Spirit we would have no anointing and we couldn’t accomplish much for the Kingdom of God.
When I see some of you singing to the Lord and clapping your hands; or when some of you are playing your musical instruments in worship to God; or when I see your hands lifted in praise, or your eyes turned toward Heaven in worship, I know that the fire of the Holy Ghost is in your heart. Thank God for that fire!
But what happens to that Christian whose fire is gone out? What happens when the “light” of God that gives them life is neglected so long that it ceases to burn?
When the fire is hot and the light is bright it fills the house with light. One single, brightly burning, lamp can illuminate a large area, making it safe to walk in, and bringing comfort to all who are in its area. There’s nothing that brings comfort more than knowing that the power is on and that you can turn on a light to dispel the darkness.
That’s the way it is with a Christian who is truly on fire for God. Everywhere you go the light that is in you because of the fire of the Holy Ghost in your heart shines forth. When you are in the marketplaces, your warm smile helps others to have a better day. When you are with your friends and family they know that there’s something different about you. Even on the job your light shines brightly when you tell someone about Jesus and His great love.
Your are like the prophet Jeremiah who said in 20:9, "…His word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay." It’s a wonderful thing to see all of you when you are really on fire for God. The light is pleasant to look at and it brings comfort to everyone who sees it.
But I have also watched as some Christians begin to lose that “fire”. When the flames begin to die down, or there isn’t enough oxygen to allow the flames to burn brightly, the only thing we can see is the smoke. It isn’t that the fire isn’t there anymore. It is still burning, but the smoke hides its brightness.
What can keep the fire from burning brightly? What happens is that the cares of this life, and our own desire for what this world has to offer, becomes a shell that surrounds the fire of God in our hearts. As we begin to focus more and more on those things, it forces the fire of God into a smaller, or lesser place in our lives. We no longer put Jesus as the center of our lives, but He is pushed aside and put into a corner, and surrounded by our own desires until the flame begins to die.
We sing that chorus that says, “This is the air I breathe, You’re holy presence, living in me”, and that’s so true. The thing that provides the air for the fire of God to burn in us is the very presence of the Lord. If He is the center of our lives, the fire will burn bright and hot, consuming everything that isn’t of God.
But when the air supply is choked off, the flames can’t burn like they should, and sooner or later the fire will go out leaving nothing but darkness.
If you were to go with me over to the burned out building and walk in it wouldn’t take but an instant to know that something is terribly wrong. The fire is gone, the light is out, darkness rules and even a bright flashlight doesn’t seem to pierce that darkness very well.
That’s what happens when a Christian allows the light of God to go out in their souls too. It only takes a moment, when you are accustomed to walking in the brightness of the Lord and you are on fire for God, to notice that something is dreadfully wrong.
What do you sense when you get around those who have left God? First, you don’t see the light shining in their hearts any more. You don’t see them in church worshipping the Lord. You never hear them talk about Jesus. You never hear them mention the Word of God. And they don’t have any friends hanging around who are on fire for God because they have chosen to run with people who are in the darkness with them.
All of us have experienced times when the power goes out in our homes during the night. Suddenly, a room filled with light, turns into a dark cave and we scramble to find a candle or something to light our way. But where the brightness of a light bulb seemed more than adequate, a candle or a flashlight doesn’t seem to really do the job. It’s as though the greater darkness is actually choking out the light and it barely makes a difference.
There is no one harder to reach than someone who has been saved, filled with the Holy Ghost and fire, and then “backslid” into the world of sin. The darkness that engulfs them is hard to pierce. No matter how much “light” is given to them, it just doesn’t seem to help. They won’t hear the Word of God. They won’t respond to the light that is given to them. It’s a miracle of God’s Love and Grace that any of them can be salvaged from the gross darkness of sin that surrounds them, and many are never able to see the light and be on fire for God again.
Hebrews 6:4-6, "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame."
Simply said, When a man turns from God, rejects the grace and mercy of God, and chooses to fall into the darkness of sin, where else can they go to be delivered? There is no other light, and no other source of fire than God. When we reject Him, it is though we crucify Him again in our own hearts. If we refuse to recognize Jesus as Lord, and turn away from the truth of the gospel, there is no other place of repentance. It doesn’t mean that a backslider can’t be saved, but if never turns back to the only source of light, then he can’t be. It’s impossible to find another way because there is none.
There is hope for the backslider thought, just as there is hope for anyone who is lost in the darkness of sin. Let look back at that dark room with that little candle and remember that no matter how dark it is, that light still has the power to penetrate it and drive it away. Light is more powerful than the darkness and cannot overcome it. Even a little light of the gospel has the power, through the Holy Spirit, to penetrate the darkness of a soul lost in sin and lead them to the foot of the cross.
Another thing that I want to mention in this: Everything in our burned out building still bears the unmistakable odor of smoke. You might even get a little whiff of it during this service because we are a few things that we have tried to salvage and clean. But no matter how much we scrub and clean and disinfect, the smell of smoke still seems to linger. It’s so hard to get rid of that odor that even though some of the equipment may still operate, we won’t be able to use it because of the stench.
I had to try to retrieve some data off of our smoked up computer systems and thank God I will be able to do that. But to do so, I had to clean them up as much as possible and take them to my house where I could power them up for a while. Even though I scrubbed the outside and made it look good, there was still smoke on the inside. Now the whole house smells and I will soon have to cast them aside to get rid of the odor.
I’ve seen that same thing in the life of a backslider as well. That “sweet-smelling odor” that comes from truly loving the Lord, serving the Lord and loving people, is no longer the same. Instead I find the stench of self-serving attitudes and the love only of self. When the fire of God is allowed to burn out that heart is never the same.
We can dress up the outside, put on a false front, clean up our speech and our appearance, but everyone knows that we aren’t what we seem to be because the air about us is filled with the stink of the sin that has settled on our hearts.
Where we once heard someone praise the Lord, we hear them praise men or praise self. Where we once heard them talk about the Word of God, we can only hear them talk about the news, the weather, sports or anything but the Word of God.
Where we once saw someone whose joy in life was serving God, we now see them serving the devil.
Where their focus was once on God’s will, now it’s on their own will.
Where they once worked for the things that are eternal, their hearts are now set on the things of this world.
The air about them bears the smell of a burned out fire and no matter where they are you can sense it in them. No matter where they go, they don’t feel welcomed. The world rejects them because they had the fire in the first place and now they are considered losers because they failed to fulfill their commitment to the Lord. The church rejects them too because they have turned their backs upon God and now they have become a reproach to the gospel and a stink in the nostrils of God.
Let me assure you today that Victory Temple will go on in victory. The House of God may have been lost for a while, but the Church of God is as strong as ever and will go on. You are the church; not that burned out building, and I believe that you are still on fire for God.
We have already began to piece it back together and over the coming weeks we will see that God will lead us and open doors for us and that every need will be met. God is already blessing us, giving us favor and our church will be stronger than ever. There is nothing that builds a stronger bond among family members than facing the winds of adversity and overcoming every challenge. We are a family, and we are all of the Family of God, so this will only serve to make us closer together and stronger as we work to rebuild.
In the meantime, let’s not cease to pray for those who are lost. Their lives are in shambles and most don’t even know it. They are walking in darkness and the smell of smoke surrounds them, and they have grown accustomed to that way of death so that it seems normal. Let’s be the bearer of the light to them.
Just as Victory Temple will rise from the ashes by God’s help; so can the lives of those who are lost or backslidden be salvaged by the Grace of God.
Let us thank God for everything He is doing for us and pray that He will move in the hearts of those who need salvation and deliverance.
