5 DAYS TO PENTECOST
TEXT: 1 THESSALONIANS 5:17-24
16 Rejoice evermore.
17 Pray without ceasing.
18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the
will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
19 Quench not the Spirit.
20 Despise not prophesyings.
21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is
good.
22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.
23 And the very God of peace sanctify you
wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved
blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also
will do it.
KEY TEXT: 1st Thessalonians
5:19 “…Quench not the Spirit…”
REFLECTION: Listen to the Baptist, “I indeed baptize you
with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I,
whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:” (Matthew 3:11).
That
John compared the baptism of the Holy Spirit with fire should not be thought
coincidental. The Holy Spirit himself inspired the comparison.
God appeared
to Moses in a fiery burning bush (Exodus 3:2,3). When the Law of God was delivered to Moses there
was fire at the summit of Sinai (Exodus 19:16-20). And then at the first Christian Pentecost,
when the Law of God was written on the hearts of the disciples, there were
tongues of fire that sat over the heads of the Spirit-filled.
Fire brings
light—The Spirit enlightens.
Fire
produces heat—The Spirit warms and invigorates the cold-hearted.
Fire
consumes—The Spirit completely purifies
Fire
attracts—The Spirit attracts and then demands attention
Fire
spreads—The Spirit’s influence spread from Jerusalem to the uttermost parts of
the earth
Without the Holy Ghost
and fire, our hearts are cold, our religion is formal, and our influence is for
naught. It’s no wonder that the Apostle
Paul was moved by the Spirit to warn the first Christians, “Quench not the Spirit.” Do not “extinguish” the Spirit.
And what is it that
quenches the flaming Spirit of Holiness?
+ Disobedience to the
will of God
+ Negligence of the Word
of God
+ Inattention to the
Voice of God
+ Disinterest in the
Worship of God
+ Yielding to unkind or
unholy tempers and permitting anger, malice, and revenge to rise
+ Loving the world –craving
the lusts of the flesh, the desires of the eye and the pride of life.
+ Compromising to please
ourselves or others
Every Christian is made
a partaker of the Holy Ghost (Hebrews 6:4) and they who do not have the Spirit of
Christ are none of His (Romans 8:9). Do
not quench the Spirit, rather stir up the gift that is you.
Let the fire of the
Spirit burn brightly on the altar of your heart, fueled by the oil of the
Spirit, and fanned by the breath of God!
William Booth, the founder
of the Salvation Army expressed the heart-cry of the Spirit-filled in the words
of this great Salvationist Hymn:
Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!
Thy blood bought gift today we claim,
Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!
Look down and see this waiting host,
Give us the promised Holy Ghost;
We want another Pentecost,
Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!
God of Elijah, hear our cry:
Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!
To make us fit to live or die,
Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!
To burn up every trace of sin,
To bring the light and glory in,
The revolution now begin,
Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!
PRAYER: Our Father in Heaven, It is with profound awe that we come
into your presence. We are amazed by
your love. We are touched by your
grace. We are grateful for your
mercy. We thank thee for the bleeding
sacrifice of Christ at Calvary. We
praise thee for the purifying power of the Spirit that was poured out at
Pentecost. We pray that the flame of
Pentecost would burn brightly in our hearts today. May thy Spirit consume all of the dross from
our lives, perfect our love for Christ and for others, and establish us in true
holiness and righteousness. In the name
of Jesus we pray, Amen. “Our Father,
&c.”
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