When The Spirit Is Present, His Fire Burns In You

Study: # 735 – Church in the Houses From: July 17 – 23, 2012

Topic: “When The Spirit Is Present, His Fire Burns In You” 1 Thessalonians 5:19

When something fades out it is because the fire has come to an end, it is dead, it does not exist; it ceased to be. Some Christians have many reasons to put out the fire of God in their lives, they stop believing; they no longer fight. Since they don’t believe, neither they have the strength to struggle or any desire to improve. So they move slowly and in the same way, the fall comes slowly. Later, in their thoughts, they ask themselves many questions, of doubts, of faults, and all this is felt in their body, suffering a halt, their strength goes away. They measure their strength and say: “From me, they should not expect anything!” This is how the doors are closed to the Spirit of God. Then one becomes a pessimist and for such reason criticizes everything, everything. The reason is that the flame of the Spirit has faded out. Let’s make sure that the fire of the Holy Spirit is always burning in our lives. (I Thessalonians 5:19, Leviticus 6:13) Let us not allow to put out what has been burning with fire from Heaven, being the Holy Spirit a holy fire that burns in us continually. The Spirit is faded out with the indifference and lack of love and surrender to God; the fire of the Holy Spirit that burns in the life of the believer fades out. Let us understand that where the Spirit is, it burns like a fire with much intensity blessing us with its power and direction. Look at what is said in the Bible in Matthew 3:11: “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” Then, what is faded out? The fire of the Spirit, for such reason if it fades out one feels like dead. There isn’t strength for anything, neither for prayer or fasting, or to read the Word, or for the love towards God, or the brothers, or for the work of His hands, because spiritual death leaves no movement in the body as for to serve the Lord. Acts 2:3 says: “…they saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.” Those tongues of fire were positioned among them, settling upon their lives. Jesus arrived in this world for the repentance and salvation of men, followed by the Holy Spirit to give us power, for fire! How can we be capable of putting it out? How can we put aside the one who brought the fire? If there is no fire in one’s life it is because Christ is no longer there as the first in our life. The one who died for the great sins is gone, there is no strength but rather there is a blackout of the Spirit. But what happens is what is said in Acts 7:51:“You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit!” Many face God with a hardened heart and ears, because they do not want to listen and they resist advice, the Word, the love of Christ. This is an open resistance to the Holy Spirit. In this way we cannot have freedom but rather a captive mind, a seized soul and a dull life. When the Spirit is present, it burns. To fade out the Spirit means to drown His work in our life, to put a boundary, to obstruct it. Be careful not to let this happen, beloved, not to do it with all your heart. Sin fades out the Spirit. Disunity among brothers fades it out, if you have division with someone, you fade it out. A cold expression, despicable words, silence and a calculated indifference, do a great deal to fade it out. Ephesians 4:30 says: “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” Paul gave this magnificent advice to the brothers of Ephesus. Our abusive and arrogant behavior causes much harm to the others. Many times we take our behavior lightly or natural when this is a

great responsibility; well this can be harmful to the others and to the church. This saddens very much the Spirit because the Spirit works with a perfect love with each one of the brothers. The Holy Spirit is the agency that the Father and Christ employ for the sanctification of the believer. Therefore, we need to look after His presence in our lives. If we offend the Spirit and fade it out, we have much to lose. Well, we’re saying that the sanctifying Spirit results directly offended and distressed by the believer who sins. The Holy Spirit dwells in the believer as a decorator laborer, who cleanses, decorates and embellishes. Every sin is a corrupted stain that disfigures the work of the Spirit. How is it not going to become saddened when He sees the work that is being done in our interior stained, ugly at and wasted? The Spirit is the seal that guarantees our preservation until Christ returns for us and our salvation is completed. The fact that He may be grieved shows that the Holy Spirit is a person and not merely an influence. This also means that He loves us, because only someone who loves can be grieved. The favorite ministry of the Holy Spirit of God is to glorify Christ and change the believer to resemble Him. (2 Co 3:18 “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with everincreasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”) When a Christian sins the Holy Spirit has to go from the ministry of transformation and change to work in another ministry which is the restoration of that fallen life. It hurts the Holy Spirit to see the spiritual progress of the believer interrupted due to sin. If this process of restoration does not occur in someone who has sinned, it means that the Spirit is gone and has never come back. He should be so distressed that He no longer wants to come back to that life; He knows where there has not been repentance. Let us be careful and thank God for the work of the Spirit in our lives, for His fire, His guidance and His continuous care. Let us love this communion and be watchful so that the fire is always burning in our lives and never fade for being negligent or for sinning. Amen.