Faith on Fire

Acts 5:40-42 “And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. 42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.”

Throughout the book of Acts, we see a fire spreading. This fire began very small with only a handful of believers, but grew to cover the entire world.

Acts 19:10 “10 And this continued by the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.”

What was it that these early Christians had that we are missing today? What was it that fueled their faith—their fire—that caused it to spread throughout the world? Let’s look together at three fuels these early Christians had: THEIR FIRE WAS REAL

This wasn't just a fad or a phase or something they were just trying out—this was their life. This was who they were. God isn't impressed by who you pretend to be around your friends, families, parents, or teachers; God is interested in who you really are.

THEIR FIRE WAS VISIBLE

These believers were not trying to hide what they believed. They were not ashamed of the Gospel. We should decide that everything we say, everything we do, and everywhere we go, will honor God; no matter who’s around and no matter who’s watching us.

THEIR FILE WAS LASTING

No matter what happened to these early Christians, they weren't going to be discouraged. They were persecuted and tortured for their beliefs, and yet the apostle Paul had this to say in the book of Romans 8:37-39: “37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Time after time the Apostle Paul and these early believers were persecuted for what they believed, and time after time, they preached the Gospel. Will you still proclaim your faith during times of trial? When the devil uses family, friends and circumstances to pour cold water on your life, will you still be on fire for God? God is calling each and every one of us to be on fire for Him and to spread His Gospel just like the early church. Will your fire be real? Will your fire be visible? Will it last?