On Fire

2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

How can you really know you're saved? How can you prove with absolute certainty that you're in the faith, and on the way to Heaven? The Bible commands us to examine ourselves to prove it, because many people proclaim Christ, but they have not been reborn. 

We must test to ourselves to know if we truly have eternal life, or not. You must prove that Jesus Christ is in you. That His Spirit literally dwells within your temple. Because if He doesn't, then you do not have eternal life, and you are not saved. Jesus says throughout the gospels, that many people who say they're Christians, will not be found so. 

Romans 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

Being a Christian is not a matter of opinion. But a matter of evidence. Your faith is not proved by what you say...it's proven by what you do. Jesus says that we can know a tree by its fruits. And so we can know a person's faith by their works. Not that you're saved by works. But works follow those who are saved, and faith without works is dead. 

The word reprobate used in 2 Corinthians is the greek word, adokimos (G96). Adokimos means to fail a test, to be not approved, to be rejected, castaway, or worthless, in the context of testing metals or coins. In the ancient world this was done through a refining process where a furnace would be heated to extreme temperatures to separate base metals (like lead or copper) from noble metals (like gold or silver). Noble metals are able to resist heat at higher temperatures than base, so with enough heat base metals melt away, and the noble are purified. Just as these metals are tested by fire, so too is the human soul, and only the noble ones will pass through God's Judgment.  

Malachi 3:2-3 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: 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.

The LORD our God is an all consuming fire. He refines us with the fire of His Spirit, and He washes us with the soap of His Word. As a Master Blacksmith, he takes each human soul through the furnace of this world, purifying those who are filled with His Spirit, while casting off those who are not. Only those who are purified will be saved from the fire, while the rest are destroyed by it. 

The Levites in the Old Testament are a picture of The Christian. Just as the Levites were a chosen priesthood, separated for the purpose of serving God; when a person receives the Holy Spirit, they are adopted into a royal priesthood, separated from the world for the purpose of serving Christ. 

All believers are priests. The idea of a religious institution ordaining someone a priest is a falsified, unbiblical, human invention. Only Jesus Christ Himself ordains priests; and He chooses both men and women alike. If you aren't a priest and minister of God's Word, then you aren't a saved Christian. 

1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;

With that understanding...let's go to the book of Leviticus.

Leviticus 6:9-14  Command Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the burnt offering: It is the burnt offering, because of the burning upon the altar all night unto the morning, and the fire of the altar shall be burning in it. And the priest shall put on his linen garment, and his linen breeches shall he put upon his flesh, and take up the ashes which the fire hath consumed with the burnt offering on the altar, and he shall put them beside the altar. And he shall put off his garments, and put on other garments, and carry forth the ashes without the camp unto a clean place. And the fire upon the altar shall be burning in it; it shall not be put out: and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order upon it; and he shall burn thereon the fat of the peace offerings. The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out. And this is the law of the meat offering: the sons of Aaron shall offer it before the Lord, before the altar.

Everything in the Old Testament is applicable to The Christian, spiritually. Here we see the statutes and directions the Levites had to follow in order to make sacrifices to God. The first thing we see is that there was a fire in the altar that would burn all night, and all day, every single day. We can see the priests had to wear special clothes, that each morning they had to remove the ashes from the altar, then they would put fresh wood on the fire, and the fire could never go out. 

For the Christian, the altar is your heart. As the Levites made sacrifices on their altar, we too are called to make spiritual sacrifices on ours. 

1 Peter 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

Where the Levites offered animal flesh to the fire, we offer our bodies, our flesh, and our sinful nature, as a sacrifice to God. 

Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

We see the Levites have to put on linen garments to perform their priestly service. The Christian also has to put on the garments of salvation, which is the righteousness of Christ, in order to serve Him. 

Isaiah 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

Just as the Levites put on their linen garments, The Christian puts on The Lord Jesus Christ.

Galatians 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Romans 13:14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

Every morning the Levites had to remove all the ashes from the fire before they could add wood to it. The ashes in the altar are a representation of sin in the heart of the believer. If you don't remove the sin from your heart, those ashes will continue piling up, smothering the fire until it is eventually extinguished. These ashes had to be taken all the way outside of Israel's camp to be properly disposed of. So too must the sin be taken all the way out of our lives, and all the way outside the walls of the church body. Only when the ashes are taken all the way out and properly disposed of, can wood be added to the fire.  

Anytime you see wood in the Bible, it often represents some aspect of The Cross as a symbol of our salvation. That's why Noah's Ark, Moses' Ark, and The Ark of The Covenant, are all made out of wood, foreshadowing how salvation will come forth from the wood of The Crucifixion. 

The first step of the Christian walk is explained in Matthew Chapter 16...verse 24 reads the following: 

Matthew 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

The Bible says; if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: The old things are passed away, and all things become new. When you become born again, you no longer live for yourself, but now you live for Jesus. That's why He says before you can follow Me, you must deny yourself. 

The true Gospel is in diametric opposition to this society. Everything you see in this world is a perpetual stream of Self-Worship. It's all about self-help, self-pleasure, self-gratification, self-love, follow your heart, whatever makes you happy, if it feels good, do it! No wonder our society is so diseased and depraved today. It's filled with vapid people too busy worshipping themselves instead of God! Everyone's their own god, following their own ways, manifesting their best lives, making up their own religion as they go. This ideological filth coming from television and social media, is all based in pride. 

Pride is the way of Satan. If you look up the core tenet of Satanism, or read it off one of Jay-Z's tee shirts, you'll find the words "Do as thou wilt". Have it your way. Welcome to America. The most self-centered society on planet earth. 

Jesus preaches against this philosophy in every single way. He teaches against pride, and commands his followers to be humble. The Bible tells us to love our neighbors as ourselves, and to put others first. That's Christianity! Jesus then calls us to jump up on the cross with Him, and crucify ourselves, putting to death our earthly desires and ego, so that we can destroy the sinful nature within. Only then can we even begin to follow His example, and strive after Him, daily. 

Luke 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Just as The Levite in the tabernacle had to burn wood on the fire every morning, so too must The Christian pick up their cross every morning, and die to Self, daily (1 Corinthians 15:31). 

After receiving this law, and setting everything up perfectly, The Levites were ready to make their first sacrifice. But they didn't have any fire...until chapter 9. 

Leviticus 9: 1-4 And it came to pass on the eighth day, that Moses called Aaron and his sons, and the elders of Israel; And he said unto Aaron, Take thee a young calf for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering, without blemish, and offer them before the Lord. And unto the children of Israel thou shalt speak, saying, Take ye a kid of the goats for a sin offering; and a calf and a lamb, both of the first year, without blemish, for a burnt offering; Also a bullock and a ram for peace offerings, to sacrifice before the Lord; and a meat offering mingled with oil: for to day the Lord will appear unto you. 

Here we see, The Lord Himself is going to appear to His people. In verse 23 it says:

Leviticus 9:23-24 And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the people. And there came a fire out from before the Lord, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces.

The fire in the altar (that burned with the children of Israel throughout all their 40 years of wandering in the desert) did not come from this earth, but that fire came down from Heaven, from God Himself. That is same exact fire that enters into the heart of every believer-when they fully surrender their lives to Jesus Christ.  

Matthew 3:11-12 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

The baptism of Jesus is not of this world. He baptizes His followers with The Holy Spirit. He sets the Christian heart on fire-with fire from heaven. We can see this fire first come down to the church in the book of Acts. 

Acts 2:1-4 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

When you encounter The Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ, everything changes. Your entire worldview shifts. We're all born into this world in the flesh, upside down, but when you become born again, in the spirit, Jesus turns you rightside up, and you see reality for what it is. You understand the eternal nature of your soul. You understand the wickedness of this world. You know The Truth beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Jesus Christ of The Holy Bible, is The Almighty God.

Imagine you're walking down the street, and you get hit by a bus. If that happened, you would walk different, you would talk different, and you would act different having been run over by a massive object. Jesus Christ is infinitely bigger than any bus, and when you encounter Him, you do not come out the same way. You walk different than you used to. You talk different than you once did. And you act contrary to your old lifestyle. When Jesus Christ hits you, your old self dies, and He resurrects you to lead a new life. 

Notice that when the disciples received the Holy Spirit, it appeared to them as cloven tongues of fire. If you imagine each of them as a walking candlestick, it's like the Holy Spirit was the ball of fire that ignited the wick, causing the light to shine. We can also see this represented in John the Baptist. 

John 5:35 He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light.

Just as the disciples appeared as burning and shining lights on the day of pentecost, we see the same description here of John. He was a burning and shining light in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. He burned with the fire of the Holy Spirit, and the same goes for every born again believer. 

Matthew 5:14-16 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

A True Christian is called to be a light in this dark world, just as the disciples and John were. When someone is filled with the Holy Spirit, they are set on fire, and they burn with a passion for Jesus. That's how you know if someone is saved. That's how you can test if someone has Christ in their heart. You can tell by their fire. You can tell by their passion. You can tell by their desire for God. 

If someone claims to be a Christian, but they do not share their faith, they are deceiving themselves. He who says "I know Him", and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. You don't light a candle and shove it underneath your bed. You put it up on a stand and shine that light before all men. There is no such thing as passive christianity. If anyone tells you that their relationship with Jesus is private and they have their own way of relating to God, and it's very personal to them; what their really saying is that they have never encountered Jesus Christ and they were never filled with the Holy Spirit. 

A passive Christian is a dead Christian. Their faith is dead, their works are dead, and their spirit is dead. The people who say this, and I've spoken to many of them, are usually very prideful, very stubborn, and religious. They get very defensive when you bring up salvation, and they always try to justify themselves by saying things like "I'm a good person", and "who are you to judge", and "you're too extreme" and other nonsense. Those people need to be born again. They are not saved and they will not go to heaven unless they repent and receive the fire of the Spirit for themselves. The scripture is absolutely clear about this.

Jeremiah 20:8-9 For since I spake, I cried out, I cried violence and spoil; because the word of the Lord was made a reproach unto me, and a derision, daily. Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But 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.

Jeremiah preached God's Word to a generation of Israelites who claimed to be God's people, who thought they were saved, but were not so. He warned of violence and devastation that would come to Jerusalem, if they did not turn from their sin, and turn back to God-fully. Keep in mind all of these people were very religious. They did the rituals, they celebrated the holidays, they sang the songs, and they went to temple every Shabbat. But all of it was in vain. Their faith was in vain. They took God for granted and presumed upon His grace and mercy, while living in sin and worshipping idols. They'd be holding hands with God one day, and cuddling up to Satan the next. It was Sunday morning, Jesus. Then Monday night, football. 

Jeremiah was a lonely man. His friends and family turned their back on him. The religious leaders persecuted him. He was beaten, imprisoned, and hated by the world. The people thought he was crazy; too extreme, too unloving, too judgmental...But Jeremiah wept for these people. He would cry out to God daily, praying for them. He loved them so much he willingly suffered all this punishment, just to warn them of God's Judgment, and to compel them to repent. 

No matter how many times he warned, no matter how much he preached and pleaded, the people would not listen. At a certain point Jeremiah got discouraged...he was filled with sorrow and turmoil watching as his friends, his family, and his countrymen stubbornly marched their way to Hell. He was so disheartened that he gave up and stopped preaching. But God's Word kept burning in his heart. The fire was roaring through his bones. Even when he tried to stop sharing the gospel, he couldn't. 

That is the mark a true Christian. That's how you know someone is in the faith. And that's how you can tell if Jesus Christ is in you, or not. 

Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

When you receive the Holy Spirit, you will be on fire for Jesus. Suddenly, you will understand and know who God is, with absolute certainty. When His Spirit enters you, you are filled with a love so great and so powerful, you can't help but to share it with others. 

When you get saved, you will have a burning desire and passion for others to be saved. Please understand this: If you do not have a desire and passion for others to be saved, you can be sure that you're not saved. I'm not saying that everyone who gets saved becomes a preacher or a pastor. I'm not saying that if you get saved you have to run out and start planting churches across the country. Everyone has a different calling and different gifts. Everyone has a unique purpose and ministry for The LORD. Not everyone is necessarily an evangelist. But every Christian is a witness of Jesus Christ, and their primary purpose in life is to share His gospel and His love with the lost world. If that does not describe your foremost priority, you are probably not in the faith...and you need to be born again. 

Examine yourselves. Examine your relationship with God. Examine your priorities in life. Examine what it is you spend your time doing each day. That will reveal where your heart is. If you spend more time at the gym than you do with God, your flesh is your god. If you spend more time on social media than you do with Jesus, your vanity is your god. If you spend more time watching fox news than you do reading your Bible, Sean Hannity is your god. If you spend more time drinking than you do praying, alcohol is your god. Anything you do in life that takes priority over Christ, is an idol. If God is not number 1-2-3-4 and 5 in your life, then there is no way you've been born again, because He would be. His greatness commands it because nothing else in this world can compare to it. Believe me! I have tried it all. And it is only the Spirit of Jesus Christ that has brought me total fulfillment. He can bring that to you too. 

All you have to do is ask. Ask and you shall receive. Seek and you shall find. Knock on the door of Christ, and He will open. When you seek him with all your strength, you will find Him. When you pour your heart and soul out to Jesus, He will pour His love and His Spirit into you. The fire of His passion will burn within you and your life will be completely changed. That's what happens when you get saved. And that's how you can know whether or not you truly are in the faith. 

You have to take a leap. You have to dive deep. You have to completely surrender to Him. But once you do, you'll find something so magnificent, so worthy, and so fulfilling, that nothing else in this world will ever compare. Cry out to Him, and He will answer you. God bless.