Posted: 15 July 2025

From a sermon given on 13 July 2025:

And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.
(1 Kings 18:24)

Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
(1 Kings 18:38)

Elijah stood boldly before the prophets of Baal and called upon the true and living God. In a moment of holy confrontation, God responded - not with a whisper, but with fire from heaven. This was no ordinary flame - it consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, even the water. It was undeniable proof of God's presence and power.

God still answers by fire. His fire refines, purifies, empowers, and sets hearts ablaze. Today, the fire of the Holy Spirit is available to ignite our passion, fuel our faith, and demonstrate God's reality through us. But this fire must be maintained, just like the altar fire of old.

Keep your altar burning by surrendering daily, praying fervently, worshipping passionately, and living obediently. When our hearts are aligned with His purpose, we too can experience the fire of God falling afresh on our lives. Let us live in such a way that when others see us, they know we serve the God who answers by fire!

Further Readings:

And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
(Exodus 3:2)

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:
(Matthew 3:11)

For our God is a consuming fire.
(Hebrews 12:29)