We are indebted to Luke the physician for recording the declared basic purposes of our Lord Jesus for coming to planet earth: to seek and to save the lost (19:10); and to set the earth aflame (12:49). Perhaps we should say that in these two verses we have the motive (to seek and save the lost) and the manner (to set hearts aflame) for His coming. Immediately following His declaration of setting hearts on fire, Jesus said, I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! (12:50).
Jesus had been baptized with water and Spirit; now He faces a baptism of blood. He is referring to Calvary, where in His death He will win the battle of the ages over sin, death, hell, hostility, ignorance and suffering. There He will shed His blood in atonement for the entire human family. There He who knows no sin will be made sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (II Cor. 5:21). There on the cross He will disarm principalities and powers, and make a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them (Col. 2:15). Then from the grave He will rise up, breathe on His apostles the promise of the Holy Spirit and ascend to the Father with the parting promise to all believers, for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now (Acts 1:5). And we never tire from reading the fullfillment of this promise: Now when the Day of Pentecost had 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 the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:1-4).
A number of symbols are employed in the Bible for the Holy Spirit to help us understand what He seeks to do in and for and with and through us. But no symbol is more striking than that of fire. John the Baptist, though mighty in ministry himself by the power of the Holy Spirit, felt the need to minimize his own ministry in contrast to what he foresaw in the coming ministry of Jesus. While John baptized with water, Jesus would baptize His followers with the Holy Spirit and with fire (Matt. 3:11; Luke 3:16). On the Day of Pentecost the Father and the Son sent the Holy Spirit into the hearts of 120 believers and set their hearts aflame. This heavenly fire was so attractive in the lives of these early Christians that it drew the multitudes by the thousands to investigate this glorious love, this powerful life, this marvelous freedom demonstrated by these radiant Christians.
These fire-baptized believers were not ignorant of the fact that for centuries fire had been a symbol of the Divine Presence. They knew about the burning bush that had attracted Moses and was his turning point from indifference to obedience, from apathy to commitment, from pathos to power. They had read about the pillar of fire that had guided the children of Israel through the wilderness. They knew about the consuming fire on Mount Sinai and the fire that hovered over the tabernacle. They were familiar with the victory of Elijah when the fire fell on Mount Carmel and the resulting judgment on the false prophets of Baal. They had studied Isaiah’s vision of the holiness of God during which the prophet experienced the traumatic cleansing by a coal of fire from the altar. But now each and all are amazed at the personal cleansing by the fiery manifestation of the Holy Spirit. If in the past the Divine Presence had rested on Israel as a corporate entity, and upon many of her leaders for special purposes, these early believers now understood that under the New Covenant the Holy Spirit would rest upon them both individually and corporately if they would meet the conditions.
Working against incredible odds, the apostles and early Christians with burning hearts made an amazing impact on the Graeco-Roman culture before indifference, fragmentation and institutionalism put out the fire of Christendom and the Church’s salt lost its savor. From the Word of God and from Church history we should have learned by now that this fiery baptism with the Holy Spirit is not an automatic transmission from generation to generation or from leader to leader. The Holy Spirit’s fire is not inherited from our elders. It is the Father’s delight to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask, who seek, who knock (Luke 11:9-10). Jesus promised, If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him! (v. 13).
Elijah’s mantle does not automatically or voluntarily fall upon Elisha (II Kings 2:1-15). Elisha had to meet some conditions in order to experience the same anointing of the Holy Spirit as Elijah had enjoyed: he had to make the choice that he wanted this anointing more than he wanted anything else in life – commitment; he had to ask for it sincerely and intensely (“please, let a double portion of your spirit be upon me”) – desperation; he had to keep his eyes on his master until his master was lifted up – devotion; he had to strip himself of his outer garments, reach out and receive the master’s fallen mantle and wrap himself in it – obedience; finally, he had to pray over the first obstacle in his path (the flooded Jordon), release the sleeve of the mantle and shout, “Where is the Lord God of Elijah?” – faith. Only then did the Jordon divide so that Elijah could cross over. Only then did the sons of the prophets cry out in praise to God, The Spirit of Elijah rests upon Elisha!
Dear readers, there are just two questions that I must ask. First, What are we depending on? We might be properly motivated, soundly indoctrinated, charismatically endowed, highly educated, thoroughly organized and amply funded. We need all the above, but we can have them all and still be unfruitful and unprofitable servants in the Kingdom of God.
The second question is, What are we waiting on? We already know the secret. Jesus spent most of His time with His disciples preaching and teaching on the Holy Spirit and on Prayer. Please let me remind us: For the lack of passionate prayer, we lack the Holy Spirit and fire; for the lack of the Holy Spirit and fire, we lack conviction; for the lack of conviction, we lack holiness; for the lack of holiness, we lack repentance; for the lack of repentance, we lack obedience; for the lack of obedience, we lack faith; and for the lack of faith there is a pandemic of spiritual disease and death throughout the Church.
Why do we tarry? The hour is late, and we should be praying after the manner of those who had the fire, who saw revival, who through the anointing of the Holy Spirit advanced the Kingdom of God. Consider the way some of them prayed:
David Brainerd testified, About nine I withdrew to the woods for prayer. My soul was exceedingly enlarged and drawn out. I pleaded with such earnestness that when I rose from my knees I could scarcely walk. The sweat ran down my face. I was wholly free from selfish ends in my supplication for the poor Indians.
George Whitefield declared, Whole days and weeks have I spent prostrate on the ground in prayer that God might pour out His Spirit on His people.
Charles Spurgeon prayed, Oh, God, send us the Holy Spirit! Give us both the breath of spiritual life and the fire of unconquerable zeal. You are our God … The Kingdom does not come, the work is flagging. Oh, that You would send the wind and the fire! And you will do this when we are all in one accord, all believing, all expecting, all prepared by prayer.
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