Set A Fire

Have you ever felt so impassioned by something that it consumed your thoughts? Maybe a project that you devoted all of your time and energy to. Maybe that new courtship that you wanted to get just right. Or even a cause that you felt needed to be defended. 250 years ago, the founders of America felt that way about the cause for freedom. Patrick Henry once declared during the session to discuss independence said the battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave (Patrick Henry, Second Virginia Convention, 1775). A statement often attributed to Samuel Adams on the steps of Independence Hall in Philadelphia captures the spirit of the Revolution in that If you love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude greater than the animating contest for freedom... go home from us in peace (Samuel Adams att., Independence Hall, August 1776). The leaders of what would become the United States believed so deeply in their cause that they were willing to fight to the end for it. So inflamed was their passion for the cause that it set in motion events that would change the course of history. Reflecting on that, should we, as believers in the gospel of Jesus Christ, be equally as impassioned to share the message of Jesus with the world?

That’s how the movement began. Paul once wrote to Timothy to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me, his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God (2 Timothy 1:6-8 NIV). The Spirit God gave us is a spark within our soul meant to give us power. As believers, Paul tells us to fan that spark into a flame. To set it ablaze within our hearts that burn for more. The reality we face in the modern age is that the greatest threat to the Church isn’t persecution or false teaching. Those are problematic, no doubt. But the greatest threat to the movement of the gospel in this world is spiritual indifference. It’s allowing the fire we had for the gospel to die down to embers.

The call from Paul here is to reignite the passion we had to share the gospel. To become so impassioned by the Spirit that it consumes us with renewed energy. To say set a fire down in my soul that I can't contain, I can't control. I want more of You, God (Jesus Culture, Set a Fire). 250 years of independence is truly something worth celebrating, but if there’s something to be learned by our founding fathers is that the nation’s beginning wasn’t fueled by comfort. It was fueled by conviction. Patrick Henry said the battle was for the vigilant, the active and the brave. Samuel Adams spoke of an “animating contest for freedom.” They understood something that we often forget. That great causes are sustained by hearts set on fire, not merely minds informed. Fan the embers. Ignite the spark. Let conviction fuel the flame of the Spirit of God within you this week!