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Reconciliation of Fire Mat 3:10-12 “And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. (11) I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and [with] fire: (12) Whose fan [is] in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” There are two types of fire that come from the Lord. One is a fire of cleansing unto righteousness, through the sufferings of our Lord in this day and hour. The other is a fire of torment which will come to all who refuse the first. The second fire shall last for eternity. This baptism with fire is a cutting down of every tree that does not bring forth the good fruit and casting it into the fires of divine judgment. It is a fanning of God’s threshing floor in order to separate the wheat from the chaff, after which the chaff is burned with fire that cannot be quenched. It is in this fire of God that the earth now stands. From it shall bring the true Saints of God. To most believers there are two works of grace. The first, known as the born-again experience, includes water baptism. The second work of grace, known as Pentecost, is referred to as the infilling of the Holy Spirit for sanctification. But the Bible clearly indicates a third work of grace, a baptism of fire so the Father and the Son can come with all the fullness of the Godhead. Jesus says in John 14:23 “If a man love me and keep my words, then will we come and make our abode with him.” Paul says in Eph.3:19 “That we might know the love of God which passes knowledge so that we might be filled with all the fullness of God.” The believer is instructed to be saved and baptized and then to press into the spiritual fulfillment of resurrection life. It is a wake-up call to live life in the Spirit of God, and not the flesh. This call must take place with the coming of the Lord. His coming, announced by the blowing of trumpets, has begun. It is the beginning of spiritual warfare for our souls and lives. We fight so that we might provide a place for God to rest in us. The goal of all the works of redemption is God in Christ settling down in rest in us so that we become the eternal Temple of God. Christ is being formed in us and will abide in us in His fullness for all eternity. This makes us an integral part of the invisible God in bodily form, for our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. The goal of redemption is the construction of the temple in which the Father becomes All in all, first in Christ, then in us and then in the entire universe. We believe this “spirit of burning” also called the “baptism of fire,” will produce a greater measure of Christ in us than we have thus far experienced. For you see, we must have a greater formation of Christ in us in order for the fullness of the Spirit to operate. We know that the full dwelling of God does not occur until we receive our glorified bodies. But in order for the work of the kingdom to be accomplished now, we must be made ready. And until the self-will and the sin attitudes of our present life are dealt with entirely, we cannot have the final step of our being filled “with all the fullness of God.” We are in the “Day of Reconciliation,” the day of fire. It is God’s divine judgment upon the church. It is the “slaying” of the old nature that Christ paid the price for so we can walk with God. It is the wounding, and tearing down so the Lord can heal us and construct that which He desires in us. It is the baptism of fire that will eventually reconcile us to the all Consuming Fire which is God. There is no other way to the rest of God. It is either an eternal fire that will draw us to the Father or a fire that will burn upon us in eternity because we neglected so great a salvation. Every true believer must experience the chastening hand of God. The one who rejects it becomes a bastard child and God is not his Father. (1 Peter 4:12) What is this fire? How do you know if you are in it? This fire is a judgment on all that we think, all that we imagine, and all that we speak. It is operating all around us. (Think about it!) the process is painful now, but the result is a pruning of all that is useless and dead – A true day of reconciliation. How does Paul explain it? (2 Thess. 1:5-8) This suffering is to produce a struggle, like Jacob’s (21 years), to see what life we truly want to be a part of. Most spirit filled believers think they know all about God until He sends the baptism of fire. Then they get offended at God because He is not nice to them anymore. {If you had a cancerous growth in you, would you want the doctor to pamper you or cut that ugly thing out? It would be painful and sometimes not too nice.} With this baptism it is the same, but the result will be “the peaceable fruit of righteousness.” (2 Cor. 5:11) “Knowing the terror of the Lord we are made manifest unto God.” But woe to the ones who make merry in Zion in this hour of reconciling. When God turns His attention toward their present condition, it will be a terrible surprise to those who do not know repentance. When the Lord shows up in all His splendid glory, coming as a man of war, He will cast out the money-changers. The cleansing always takes place when Jesus comes to His Father’s house. Malachi 3:1-2 tells us we will forever live in the all-consuming fire of God or we will live in the fires of hell. Please understand this: the sinner is justified by the blood of the cross, but the purpose of that blood is to bring us before the throne of God so we may find mercy in time of need. The mercy is the sanctifying power of the Spirit to enable us to walk with God in holiness and obedience to the cross so we will continue to be cleansed from all unrighteousness. But if we don’t continue to seek the Lord and obey Him, we come under the fiery separation of judgment. “Come out from among them and be ye separate saith the Lord and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you.” (2 Cor. 6:17) Making a confession of Christ does not mean we are fully reconciled to God. It is only coming out and being separate from the world that makes us eligible to be received by the Lord. For sinning Christians, the day of Christ will be a terror. The eyes of the Lord are a fire that penetrates our every motive. The question is “Who shall be able to stand in this day?” The answer: “He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly and despises the gain of oppressions, that shakes his hands from holding of bribes, that stops his ears from hearing of blood and shuts his eyes from seeing evil.” (Isa..33:15) This is a requirement. The prophecy has gone forth. It shall come to pass. The Lord of Hosts is setting apart for Himself a glorious church. The unblemished church will be selected from all groups of Christians. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches today! The glorified church shall be the body of Christ, the eternal Temple of God. It will be filled with all the fullness of the Father and all the Fullness of the Son, and anointed with the Fullness of the Spirit of God. God will reconcile you to Himself with fire. And when your “warfare has been accomplished” (Isa. 40:2), He will settle you down as a resting-place for eternity. -Pr. Steve September Newsletter 2005 | Reconciliation of Fire | Distractions | Pastor's Journal September 2004 Holiness is for Now | Arise-Become-Build and Shine part 3 of 3 |
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