Fire, Fire
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Fire, Fire
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Benoni Bulletin--281007--"Fire, Fire Burning Bright in the Cities of the Night"FIRE, FIRE BURNING BRIGHT, IN THE CITIES OF THE NIGHT
(with apologies to William Blake)
"Fire!" That cry motivates us to action. If the
military commander says it, we pull the trigger. If the board says "Fire
him!" we know they are not talking about launching a missile. It's more
like the cryptic poem--"Hired...tired...fired!" That urgent cry also
causes people to evacuate their places of safety, to run for cover; to
seek a fire extinguisher. Their trembling fingers will also be hastily
dialing 9-1-1. Fire is something we use and something we avoid depending
on the circumstances. The Bible uses "fire" as a description of what
hell is like, Matthew 25:41. No extinguisher will ever quench that fire,
Luke 3:17, so it must be avoided at all costs.
"It's not "Mississippi Burning" but "California
Burning." The first was the theme of an old movie on "racism," the
latter is real fire presently devouring the forests and suburbs
in California. Eighteen fires have already devoured 700 square miles of
terrain. Sixteen hundred luxury homes have already gone up in smoke.
Damages are already estimated at over one billion American dollars. So
vast are the flames, smoke and ash that they are clearly visible
from distant satellites. The greatest evacuation in the history
of California is taking place with thousands of people being
displaced. Firemen from everywhere have descended on the catastrophe and
navy helicopters are tirelessly deployed in dousing water on the
relentless flames. When someone related an event of a $17 million
mansion being razed, my reflex reaction was that this shows how little
God cares about material goods!! All that is left is ashes. It has not
yet been determined how the inferno started. Arson has been
suggested. Looking at the TV news scenes is a vivid, physical portrayal
of what hell must be like. Scary!
Fire also illustrates many lessons in life. God is
described in terms of "a consuming fire," Hebrews 12:29. When Nadab and
Abihu offered unauthorised fire before the Lord contrary to his command,
fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, Leviticus
10:1-2 The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah fell under the rain of fire and
brimstone as a result of their unnatural, unacceptable homosexual
practices, Genesis 19:5-7, 24. Abraham noticed the dense smoke rising
from the land in the area of those cities "like smoke from a furnace,"
Genesis 19:28. That must have been very much like what is being seen on
local TV news today. A human mystery is why some buildings still stand
unscathed in the wake of the inferno. Someday on God's timetable, he
will deliver his own children from the conflagration reserved for
the godless, 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10. So fire cleanses and eliminates
undesirable elements in God's world, Hebrews 10:26-27.
Fire victims in California answer the question, "What
were you able to save?" with "My most precious possessions." Detailing
that boiled down to "my wife, my kids and my pets." Significant
relationships give life meaning even in the midst of disaster.
Possessions can't mend a broken heart or return a lost loved one. The
most significant relationship that we can have in the midst of disaster
or delight is a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. Some evacuees
mentioned the role of prayer. God is an ever present help in time of
trouble, isn't he? Hope for extinguishing the fires came from God when
prevailing winds changed direction or died down.
Our heavenly fireman, Jesus Christ, came to extricate
us from hell fire. He still dispatches "firemen" (whom we call
"evangelists") to rescue the perishing. Isn't it appropriate that our
initiation into God's modern refuge of safety (the church), is by faith
and by being dipped in water (baptism), Hebrews 10:22; Titus
3:5. Similarly to the case in California, water is the main element used
to quench those consuming fires. Material things will also be of no
consequence to barter our deliverance. Physical things will be dissolved
with fervent heat, 2 Peter 3:10-12.
We salute the admirable firemen who risk their lives
daily for folks they don't even know. We salute the folks who care
enough about lost souls to share the gospel with them to save them from
impending disaster. Let us remember that "the unquenchable fire" is far
more tragic than the fiery loss of physical things. The most valuable
possession we have is our soul. Let's allow the Saviour to save us
and others who remain in danger. Evangelise! Evangelise!
Evangelise!
Love you all,
Al --"The Horne of Africa"
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