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Chapter 6THE FIRE OF CHRIST
(Rev 2:18-29 KJV) "And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass; {19} I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first. {20} Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. {21} And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. {22} Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. {23} And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works. {24} But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. {25} But that which ye have already hold fast till I come. {26} And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: {27} And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. {28} And I will give him the morning star. {29} He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."
When the Lord wants to do something in His church, He reveals Himself in a certain aspect. In this case He reveals Himself as one who comes with eyes like flames of fire and with feet that are going to move in strength and authority among His church.
FIRE separates, consumes, destroys, and kindles.
Matt. 3:7 tells us when we are baptized in the Holy Spirit He brings the fire. We must understand the purpose of the Holy Spirit is not to make us look good, but to burn out everything that is not of Him.
The Fire will do at least five things for us:
1. FIRE WILL TEST OUR HEARTS (Prov 17:3 KJV) "The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts."
When silver is refined from its natural state, it is put into a smelting pot, and the flame is turned up until all the dross comes to the surface. [Look at us!] Aren't we being tried like this today? Hostilities, insecurities, and fearfulness-- those are the dross He wants to take out. But we have learned well how not to deal with these areas because our intellect has convinced us we are OK in Christ. This view is called "self-righteousness."
2. FIRE WILL PURGE OUR NATURES (Isa 1:25 KJV) "And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin:"
It is not enough to allow the dross to come up, but while the fire is still burning, the dross must be removed. (Tin speaks of mixture.) The removal of the dross is to get rid of our mixture so we can become PURE and HOLY. The church is under Gods' fire today because when this dross comes up, instead of dealing with it, we stuff it all back down, thus producing mixture. [Notice, this dealing does not come from the devil, but from God.]
(Isa 1:26 KJV) "And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city."
Because the church doesn't know what to do with it, this purging is going to increase in this hour. We want to hold on to our life, our sense of security, our identity, but He is not going to allow it any longer. [Our church is primed for this move.] We cannot just pray away every issue; we must hear the voice of the Spirit and deal accordingly. The judgment of God’s church must precede the glory that is about to be released.
3. FIRE WILL MAKE US CHOSEN (Isa 48:10 KJV) "Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction."
When do you get chosen to be used? In the fire! This is an incredible revelation of what is wrong with our ministers today. You cannot be used of God and avoid the furnace of affliction, but so many have tried to. We are not called based on our goodness or our spirituality, but by our afflictions. [Our church should be full of ministers because of all the afflictions. Praise the Lord.] This is why I have become very sensitive to deliverances. I do not want to deliver someone out of God's hand and direction. Woe to the man who fails to discern the difference!
4. FIRE WILL BECOME AN OFFERING OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (Mal 3:1-3 KJV) "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. {2} But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: {3} And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness."
There is coming a time when the Lord will show up, not because we conjure Him up or do anything to make it happen, but because we are to become His righteous ones. Who will abide (be maintaining)? The ones who are allowing Christ to fill their being. (John 15:4 KJV) "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me."
You cannot bear fruit on your own except you abide.
Why does worship become mundane? Where is your offering of righteousness? Why do you not experience His presence even though He is here? Do not allow yourself to come into praise and worship and not expect to give something and then wonder what is wrong with the music! We must allow the purging and cleansing even in our worship. I do not take it for granted. Allow the refining process, not to destroy you, but so you can continue to handle His presence more and more and more. Offer your sacrifices of righteousness because He will manifest when you least expect Him. [His manifested presence is not contingent on the songs; it is contingent on your embracing Him and His dealings!]
When you begin to get into worship, what happens? All these thoughts start to come forth about how sinful you have been. And while we have rebuked the enemy, it is God who has been purging us. Repent; be cleansed so He can come.
(Mal 3:4-6 KJV) "Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years. {5} And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts. {6} For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed."
Sons of Jacob, those who have dealt with the flesh, will not be consumed.
5. FIRE WILL BECOME FIRE TO OTHERS (Jer 5:14 KJV) "Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them."
We must expose the false. That is a ministry you will become as you allow the fire to do its work. Your words, who you become in Him, will be the ministry of the remnant -- not your works, although they will follow, but your words. [The vultures, the foxes, the serpents all come to steal our confession and testimony because of the power in our words.]
(John 15:19 KJV) "If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you."
This is the light we are to become. (Psa 104:4 KJV) "Who maketh his ministers a flaming fire:" Becoming hardened to difficulties requires maturity and steadfastness.
Who will these be?
(Zec 13:7-9 KJV) "Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones. {8} And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. {9} And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God."
One-third will survive the fire and purging. It will be this group that when we call upon His name, He will hear and answer us. (1 Pet 4:12-13 KJV) "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy." But I cannot rejoice until I do what Zechariah says, "Call on Him," the WORD. His Word produces the joy, but not because I make it happen! His Word produces faith and faith brings rejoicing.
What happens when we refuse the purging?
(Ezek 22:17-24 KJV) "And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, {18} Son of man, the house of Israel is to me become dross: all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are even the dross of silver. {19} Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye are all become dross, behold, therefore I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. {20} As they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you. {21} Yea, I will gather you, and blow upon you in the fire of my wrath, and ye shall be melted in the midst thereof. {22} As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof; and ye shall know that I the LORD have poured out my fury upon you. {23} And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, {24} Son of man, say unto her, Thou art the land that is not cleansed, nor rained upon in the day of indignation."
Counterfeits! Do we know them? This says the fire came, but they did not give heed to it! How dangerous it is to refuse the ways of the Lord! Mixture will be destroyed.
(Jer 6:27-30 KJV) "I have set thee for a tower and a fortress among my people, that thou mayest know and try their way. {28} They are all grievous revolters, walking with slanders: they are brass and iron; they are all corrupters. {29} The bellows are burned, the lead is consumed of the fire; the founder melteth in vain: for the wicked are not plucked away. {30} Reprobate silver shall men call them, because the LORD hath rejected them."
We do not understand a God who will come to the end of this mess and make things right. But it will happen. There is an end to His longsuffering.
(Rev 2:18 KJV) "And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;"
His coming with feet of brass speaks of judgment, of strength and authority. With the fire and the purging, He brings the judgment. So, if what we see God doing right now in the church is the fire and the purging, you can believe the judgment is right behind it.
(Rev 2:19 KJV) "I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first."
They exhibit love, do works, and have faith and patience.
(Rev 2:20 KJV) "Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols."
You can have love, works (service), faith, and patience, which makes you sound pretty good; but [in judgement (Mal.3:5) the sons of Jacob are saved but not adulterers, or spiritual fornicators] do you tolerate and allow the mixture, the counterfeit to remain ‑- operating so that it affects others? Why has our local assembly been tested two times with this? To see if we can handle what He wants to give us! Is it easy to remove this spirit (person)? NO! Do we give room for repentance? YES! Are others out there ready to come in? MAYBE!
Who are the Jezebels? "The self‑proclaimed prophets," not the ones brought forth in the fire. How do these affect others? Through seduction! Do you know how you can be seduced? By not submitting to the true authority of the church! These are the reprobate silver! The mature church will test these and obey the voice of the Spirit.
(Rev 2:21-23 KJV) "And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. {22} Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. {23} And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works."
The fire comes to all in the church, but according to Verses 22-23, there will be those that will not repent and will not accept the teaching of repentance for the believers or death to self.
(Rev 2:24-25 KJV) "But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. {25} But that which ye have already hold fast till I come."
Hold fast to the love, patience, good works, and faith.
(Rev 2:26 KJV) "And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:"
What you are now longing for -- if you remain through this process of the fire ‑- it will be yours. The desire to bring in the lost and have the authority of Christ will be yours. YOU DO NOT HAVE IT YET BECAUSE IF YOU DID YOU WOULD GO AND DESTROY WITH IT.
(Rev 2:27 KJV) "And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father."
It must be by the Spirit that we are broken and then are enabled to rule over others!
(Rev 2:28 KJV) "And I will give him the morning star."
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