This is one fire you want to stoke …

What was the power that fueled the apostles, transforming them from timid men to bold and courageous examples of faith?

What was the power behind the birth and launch of the church?

The Holy Spirit.

So why is the church today weak and declining? Perhaps this story will shed some light:

A Lutheran bishop once told of visiting a church in California and finding a stirring red and orange banner on the wall. “Come Holy Spirit. Hallelujah!” it declared in words printed under a picture of a fire burning. The bishop then noted a sign posted on the wall directly underneath the banner which stated in bold letters: “FIRE EXTINGUISHER.”

While the Holy Spirit wants to transform, empower, and enable us, we all too often have active in our lives the things that quench the “fire” of the Holy Spirit from burning in us. The Apostle Paul gives us a simple, concise warning:

“Do not quench the Spirit,” 1 Thessalonians 5:19.

We’ll never be the disciples, or the church, God intends so long as we quench His Holy Spirit in us.

Is your life, and your church, fueled by the fire of the Holy Spirit showing Himself within you and your faith family? Or are you dousing the very source you need to live fully as a whole child of God?

Scotty