Oh,look, the CHURCH is on FIRE.......

As fire crews rushed to the location, they knew the blaze would be bad - they could see the flames blocks away.

"When we made the turn on Broadway to go west, you could see smoke rolling up and we knew it was a bad one," said fire Capt. Martin Peplinski.

That was an understatement.

Before the first drop of water landed on the church, fire had broken out of the roof, sending flames shooting in the air.

For 4 1/2 hours, the firefighters battled the massive blaze. Less than a half an hour into it, though, most of the efforts concentrated on keeping Guildhall, the adjacent parsonage, the Lumberman's Hall from meeting the same fate.

Overloaded wiring had started the blaze in the roof, where it smoldered and grew, eating away at the huge support beams before the first smoke was visible.

Winona police served as both crowd control and taxi cab drivers that morning.

Literally hundreds gathered to watch the blaze, many with camera in hand.  Downtown roads became clogged with folks out for a scenic Sunday drive.  And a few youngsters needed to be grabbed by the collar as they got a little too close to the firefighting activities.

The above is an excerpt from an actual newspaper article chronicling the devastating fire that destroyed a beautiful and historic house of worship.  We, as members of First Baptist Church of Thomasville, Georgia, know first-hand the aftermath of a flame-ravaged church.  In 1982 a tremendous inferno engulfed First Baptist Church, taking as its victim the entire church sanctuary and all that lay within.  It was a sudden and forceful blow to the faithful of this historic congregation.  In the blink of an eye - it seems - the hand of fate had dealt a deadly blow to this family of believers, and from that point, history would take a wide and significant turn.

And in both cases - with both church fires - the one absolute commonality was that large crowds gathered to bear witness to the carnage.  Witnesses, mostly at a safe distance, allowed the images of the fires to be fully seared onto the canvas of their memory.  People poured in from miles around - some driving to the scene in their cars, leaving work and responsibilities to witness the incident.  Some enterprising entrepreneur could have captured a bundle of cash by providing folding chairs for a "reasonable price" - thus making the vigil of "witnessing the event" more comfortable.  And why did they come?  Some for love, some for curiosity, some out of disbelief, some because they couldn't stand not to be witnesses to the unbelievable destruction of a physical icon that had long stood in their midst, spanning beyond the years of their own earthly existence, and some simply to see how it all would end.  Leonard Ravenhill was once quoted as saying, "There is no need to advertise a fire."  It's kind of like in the movie Field of Dreams, if you make it, they'll come. 

And time, from that point forward, was marked - as so often happens in recording historical events (especially calamities) - by the exact moment in which these churches met their ultimate demise.  "We went on that mission trip 2 years after the fire." or "Daddy passed away the same year as the fire." might well have been spoken phrases in which the memorable devastation was used as a point of reference.

We've all witnessed fires, but very few of us have actually crossed the witness line to become actively involved.  We stand at a safe distance, preferring to remain in an ambiguous line of onlookers.  We would be intimidated and shrink back from the opportunity to "man the pumps and haul the hoses."  After all, that's work that is best suited for the professionals - those who are hired to take care of such matters.  And so often, fires that rage out of control are far too big for the handful of professionals, and the fire leaves in its wake complete loss and devastation.

Now shift your minds on the KIND of fires that overtook these churches - not fires that are "a rapid, persistent chemical reaction that releases heat and light, especially the exothermic combination of a combustible substance with oxygen."  No, think about the fire of the human spirit - most specifically the spiritual fires that burn within the very chest of a believer.  Two completely different kinds of flames, with striking similarities in the area of "attending witnesses." 

What do I mean by that?  Well, if it's not obvious, let me explain.  How many of us have seen individuals, groups, entire bodies of believers on fire with the zeal of the Lord, and we choose to witness the event from a safe distance without getting actively involved?  Sadly, most of us have been there only to witness how the thing will end.  Haven't we all learned that you just can't go around like that getting your head all full of fire and passion in the church?  Pry a little deeper into the spiritual mind, and you might be surprised to note that most Christians actually hope that such a "pentecostal fire" will burn itself out - leaving nothing in it's path but a scarred remembrance for future zealots to know the path of destruction that awaits anyone who gets "carried away" for the Lord.  And at day's end, the devil dances and shouts with with a frightening roar at the apathy that he has successfully sewn into the hearts and minds of God's children, into the very midst of the "Jesus Freaks."

But friends, we as God's "freaks" MUST find ourselves ablaze with the all-consuming fires of Pentecost, so that the fires of eternity and damnation can be diminished to the fullest extent of our faithfulness.  "Could a mariner sit idle if he heard the drowning cry?  Could a doctor sit in comfort and just let his patients die?  Could a fireman sit idle, let men burn and give no hand?  Can you sit at ease in Zion with the world around you damned?" (Leonard Ravenhill).

And the task of "tending the fires" cannot be left in only the hands of the professionals - those hired to attend to such tasks.  No, in this unified endeavor, we MUST cross through and go beyond the line of witnesses and onlookers and don the armor of the Lord in order to ensure that nothing disrupts the flames of our God.

Read these indicting words of William Booth:  "Not called! did you say?  Not heard the call, I think you should say.  Put your ear down to the Bible, and hear him bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin.  Put your ear down to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity, and listen to its pitiful wail for help.  Go stand by the gates of hell, and hear the damned entreat you to go to their father's house and bid their brothers and sisters, and servants and masters not to come there.  And then look Christ in the face, whose mercy you have professed to obey, and tell him whether you will join heart and soul and body and circumstances in the march to publish his mercy to the world."

Set my soul afire Lord, set my soul afire.  Make my life a witness of Thy saving power.  Millions grope in darkness, waiting for Thy Word.  Set my soul afire, Lord, set my soul afire!

Set my soul afire, Lord, for the lost in sin.  Give to me a passion as I seek to win.  Help me not to falter, never let me fail.  Fill me with Thy Spirit, let Thy will prevail.

Set my soul afire, Lord, in my daily life.  Far too long I've wandered in this day of strife.  Nothing else will matter but to live for Thee.  I will be a witness, for Christ lives in me.

Set my soul afire Lord, set my soul afire.  Make my life a witness of Thy saving power.  Millions grope in darkness, waiting for Thy Word.  Set my soul afire, Lord, set my soul afire!

Remember, it only takes a spark to get a fire going.

Selah (סֶלָה )