CALLING DOWN THE FIRE OF GOD - by Lovesickscribe

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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The author's position is reactionary. She is not intent on explaining the use of the metaphor of fire, she simply is looking for a reason to disagree with charismatics. As a result she misses some pretty significant Bible verses that talk about the fire of God in ways she rejects.

We have no intention of defending any particular practice of contemporary churches. We are only intent on critiquing the author's presentation. As as we have come to discover via the author's other articles, she is not a competent Bible teacher.)

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“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” Matthew 3:11,12

(...)

Though Matthew 3:11 sounds like something desirable, if we read verse 12, “His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire,” we begin to see that the context of fire seems to refer to judgment. This is not a fire one would want, and it is not a fire invoking fervency and passion. (The author is a former charismatic who has clearly swung too hard to the other side. As a result she simply does not see clearly when it comes to what the Bible says about supernatural things.

First we need to consider the audience. John was speaking publicly to hundreds, perhaps thousands of both regular people and the leaders of Israel. Great crowds of Jews were coming to confess their sins and be baptized [Mt. 3:6]. 

When John saw the Pharisees and Sadducees he lashed out them. John tells the Jewish leaders that their lineage won't save them [Mt. 3:9]. This is the crucial moment. The Jews thought that being a Jew was enough to be saved. John completely contradicted that idea, warning them that the tree [Israel] was about to be chopped down and burned.

It is in this context John tells them about someone greater than him is coming. This one is bringing a superior baptism (...but he who is coming after me is mightier than I). This baptism is much better than his baptism because it is from Jesus (He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire). He's more powerful, so it's more powerful. This baptism is much greater than mere baptism with water.  

Fire and the Holy Spirit are mentioned together. It would be a tortured interpretation to attempt to try to separate them [i.e, He will baptize some of you with the Holy Spirit and others of you with fire]. This sort of bifurcation contradicts the direct statement of another Scripture:

Mk. 9:49-50 Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other.

Note that "everyone will be salted with fire." Everyone. Clearly and unequivocally, we will all experience this. "Salt is good." 

Considering the sublimely positive gift that is the Holy Spirit, it is reasonable to conclude that the coupling of the baptism of the Holy Spirit with fire is good. We can safely assert that baptism by fire and the Holy Spirit is positive.)

I was recently reading an article concerning the fire of God in Scripture, and the author (We evaluated this article nearly 10 years ago and found it to be extremely flawed. 

In it he wrote this egregious statement: Don’t ask for more 'holy fire' in your life; you might get cancer when God answers your prayers. He seems to think that asking God for the wrong thing could lead Him to give you a disease.

Does anyone really believe that God would inflict a disease on someone who has called on His name, believed on His Son, and desires to serve Him with more adequately? Is this the capricious god we serve, one who would pour out curses and pain on those who love him?

This single statement by that person is more than enough evidence to completely reject him as a teacher of the Word.)

noted that the Holy Spirit who authored Scripture never used “fire” in a metaphorical way to describe passion or excitement. (1 Th. 5:19: 

Do not put out the Spirit’s fire.

He also noted that the term “holy fire” is not used in Scripture, ("Trinity" and "rapture" are not found in Scripture either.)

and fire is not used in the context of spiritual renewal or conviction. :(Ac. 2:3:

They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. 

 Lk. 24:32 

They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”)

You can read that article here. 

Another thing to consider with this belief and practice is the fact that we do not see the Apostles of Christ acting in such a manner in Scripture. An impartation or anointing of fire was never decreed or released to anyone by them. (2 Ti. 1:6-7: 

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

By engaging in such acts, it would seem that individuals believe they can have such authority as to call down the fire of God on people to empower. We also should consider that if individuals today believe they can release the fire of God so as to spark another Pentecost in others, this was not the case in Acts 2. God in His sovereignty sent the Holy Spirit to believers on the day of Pentecost, a one-time event, (Of course this was a one-time event accomplished by God. All impartations, judgments, empowerments, corrections, and anointings are accomplished by God. Yet we just quoted 2 Ti. 1:6-7 which indicates an impartation through human agency and uses the metaphor of fire in connection with it.)

and tongues as of fire appeared and rested on them, empowering them supernaturally to speak in known languages they did not know (Acts 2:3,4).(Tongues of fire and speaking in tongues were two signs of the new thing God was doing, which led Peter to preach to the crowd that this was a fulfillment of Joel's prophecy:

Ac. 2:17-18 “`In the last days," God says, "I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy."

So this "one-time event" commenced the last days, a period of time which continues to our day. So while Pentecost was a single event, the outpouring is for all people, not just those people 2000 years ago. And there are other signs of this outpouring, according to Joel: Prophecy, visions, and dreams.

The tongues of fire was a sign of impartation, empowerment, and it was a good thing.)

Wanting to have a genuine zeal in our fellowship with God and to the glory of God is a good thing. We should have a fervency to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and to live in such a way that we glorify the Lord while being in awe of His majesty and holiness. The concern comes when we adopt practices creating an experience, which can lead to the experience becoming the foundation of truth. (This is certainly problematic, but not unique to the topic we are discussing. Many things about church, including the author's church, are not found in Scripture. Most of these things are from tradition. 

Perhaps the author might want to examine here own traditions and those of her own church, and tell us where in Scripture there is a pastor standing on stage delivering a sermon. And tell us where the Bible talks about Sunday school. What verse tells us to separate the children into their own mini church. 

There are many things churches do that are not biblical. The author is not concerned about any of these things, however.)

These experiences can become addictive, and it can even lead others to believe that if they do not have such experiences, then they really do not know God as they should. This can lead to creating a class of Christians, which does not exist in the Kingdom of God. Our commitment to God can be found in the day-to-day life without a touch, manifestation, or thrill. As we desire to have our hearts burn, may we be found agreeing with His word and loving the One who is the Word.

Listen to this episode discussing the fire of God: The Lovesick Scribe Podcast: Calling Down the Fire of God on Apple Podcasts