...And You Shall be Baptised With the Holy Spirit and Fire

The Fire of God is a fascinating topic. When you do a word study on Fire in the Bible there are certain characteristics that show us when the Fire is from God and when it is the creation of or by people. One of the symbols of the Holy Spirit in Scripture is that of oil.

Lk 3:16-1716 John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire . NIV

We use the symbolism of oil when we are speaking about being anointed by God. You will discover that this anointing oil is also used in conjunction with the lamp stand or that which burns in the lamp stand. One of the concepts connected with fire in scripture is the refining that fire brings forth. The example that we most often think of related to this concept is the refining fire that causes a separation of the gold and the impurities in it, which are separated out when enough fire is applied to the gold.

The fire of God keeps buring in our lives until we go to meet Jesus. The purifing work of the Spirit's fire can cause us to wonder if we will survive the anointing of God in our lives.

There are three books that I want to recommend to you if you find the anointing of the Spirit just a little to hot! The Upside of Adversity by OS Hillman, Surviving the Anointing by David Ravenhill and Praying Through Job by Elmer Towns.

The Up Side of Adversity by Os Hillman

It can be extremely difficult to see God's Hand in our lives when we are going through hardship and adversity. TGIF Today God Is First Daily Devotional author Os Hillman knows this all to well. He lost his marriage, his business, and his financial "nest egg" all within a short period of time. Through a challenging seven-year process, Os learned that God was at work using these painful circumstances to prepare him for the calling God had on his life.If you are in the middle of adversity, or you know someone who is, or just want to learn more about why God allows adversity into our lives, this new book by Os Hillman will be a tremendous encouragement as well as a Biblically-grounded discovery of what God may just be up to "behind the scenes" during this painful and challenging time.

In The Upside of Adversity, you will learn…
Why some people are called to extraordinary adversity.
Why adversity is sometimes necessary to fulfill your ultimate destiny
Whether you have the key attributes of a Joseph Calling upon your life and what this will mean for your future
What the Black Hole is and whether you are in it!
The four tests Joseph had to pass to fulfill his destiny and why you MUST pass these same tests
Why good people suffer
Why leaders God uses always experience adversity
The role generational strongholds play in adversity
Why fear of failure often causes adversity
What you can learn from successful people who have faced adversity
How to avoid becoming a victim to your circumstances
What the upside of adversity really is
Why adversity is sometimes necessary to fulfill your ultimate destiny
Whether you have the key attributes of a Joseph Calling upon your life and what this will mean for your future
What the Black Hole is and whether you are in it!
The four tests Joseph had to pass to fulfill his destiny and why you MUST pass these same tests
Why good people suffer
Why leaders God uses always experience adversity
The role generational strongholds play in adversity
Why fear of failure often causes adversity
What you can learn from successful people who have faced adversity
How to avoid becoming a victim to your circumstances
What the upside of adversity really is


Surviving the Anointing by David Ravenhill


Surviving the Anointing is a solid teaching tool for church leaders who are facing not only their own struggles but also reaping the fallout of recent moral failings of nationally well-known church leaders.
David Ravenhill addresses the very real issues of how and why modern-day pastors and church leaders succumb to the enemy. He offers practical ways to survive the calling and the anointing. He openly discusses the inherent pitfalls of being anointed and compares today's trials and troubles to those faced by biblical leaders.

This book candidly discusses a wide range of important topics, including:
Intimacy
Authority
Persistency
Empathy
Humility
Worship
Diversity
Family
Adversity
Integrity
Unity
Eternity

Each topic is thoroughly discussed and documented as it pertains to a leader's responsibilities and its importance to Surviving the Anointing.


Praying the Book of Job by Elmer L. Towns

The book of Job was the first book written in the Bible. It represents the thoughts and logic of the early patriarchs. Even though early and embryonic, it contains the root fundamentals of Christianity. It contains a view of a sovereign God, Creator, guide, and judge of all men. The author tells us salvation is found only in God and even though we pass through the inevitability of death, yet there is coming a resurrection when we shall see God. The righteous will live with God and the wicked will be punished in Sheol (Hell).
This book will help you understand why there is suffering in the world and what God wants to accomplish through it. Also, learn the wrong reactions to suffering. Some of the "poor theology" you might hear in hospitals today is as old as Job.
Praying the Book of Job is not just a translation to help you know better the book of Job, but this is a devotional to help you know God. So reach out to touch God as you pray the book of Job, but more importantly — let God touch you.

The materials above are from the publishes web sites or from sites trying to sell this work.

Worship: An Inductive Study

Our daily journey of faith is often consumed with the experiential elements of our walk with God and often needs to be expanded and strengthened with the anointed insights of those who have gone before us and disciplined Biblical study to keep our walk with God from becoming shallow and weakened by an over exposure to our own understanding of life and God's relationship with us. This expansion and strengthening of our perspective and grasp of God's Word will allow our worldview to grow more to fit God's and keep us from developing an understanding that is more about us than God has designed and desired that we have.

Recalling the Hope of Glory by Allen P. Ross is one of those studies of God's Word that will help us not to get off course and that will help us to drink deeply from the river of life, which can give us a more complete understanding of why we worship that will make our journey more fruitful and full of God's light and wisdom. the material that follows is from the book and can be found at Amazon.com. Please click the link below the title and it should take you to Amazone's page.

Book Description
Moving beyond worship wars over style and denominational proclivities, this book considers all the major biblical passages about worship. Regardless of their denomination, pastors, worship leaders, and laypeople interested in the biblical themes of worship will benefit from this definitive resource.

From the Inside Flap
"For any significant change to occur in our worship activities," writes Allen Ross, "we have to get behind forms and methods and changes in style and focus on the biblical theology that informs worship. " Out of his concern for worship to be as glorious as it should be, Ross has provided readers with a methodical, detailed study of all the biblical testimony on the subject of worship.

Many "biblical" studies of worship explain Scripture only where it is most applicable to the author’s own views, but very few, if any, have attempted an inductive study of worship throughout the entire Bible. Beginning not with early Israelite worship but with creation itself, seasoned biblical scholar Allen Ross uncovers the glories and beauty of worship as it is progressively revealed from its beginning in the Garden of Eden to its climax in the new heavens and new earth. Along the way, the historical development of worship is considered from the religious world in antiquity and worship in the early church to modern traditions and liturgy.

Neither technical, simplistic, nor specific to one denomination, Recalling the Hope of Glory is designed for all God’s people. Pastors, worship leaders, professors, students, and laypeople will find exposition that challenges, informs, and furthers our understanding of glorious worship. Through this study, readers will see patterns and principles of worship emerge, understand more fully our great heritage and its traditions, and discover ways to improve their worship.



From the Back Cover
"The publication of Recalling the Hope of Glory is a splendid addition to the growing number of works on biblical worship. Not only is this work a comprehensive theological vision of creation, incarnation, and re-creation, it is also a genuine work of praise." —ROBERT E. WEBBER, author of more than forty books on worship and the church



"Stunning in scope, Recalling the Hope of Glory provides a historical-theological study of worship from creation to the new creation. The logic of Allen Ross’s ranging exposition across the flow of biblical history will challenge every reader and grace every church, regardless of tradition. Here is dazzling substance for recovery of robust worship of our sovereign and holy triune God. Sure to be a standard work." —R. KENT HUGHES, pastor, College Church in Wheaton



"This book deals expertly and thoroughly with worship in the Bible. What is most refreshing: it is not at all ideological. People of all persuasions will find it valuable as a reference work. It also gives us a large perspective on worship that is likely to moderate the current discussion." —JOHN M. FRAME, professor of systematic theology and philosophy, Reformed Theological Seminary



"Allen Ross takes his readers back to the Bible itself to paint a colorful picture of worship that is spiritually vibrant, theologically sound, and focused on Christ. His passion for worship that glorifies God and his thorough knowledge of Scripture are obvious throughout. For the western church, which needs desperately to recover its biblical and theological roots, this book will be an extremely helpful resource." —DANIEL I. BLOCK, professor of Old Testament, Wheaton College



About the Author
Allen P. Ross (Ph.D., University of Cambridge) is professor of divinity at Beeson Divinity School. Prior to this, he taught at Trinity Episcopal School of Ministry and Dallas Theological Seminary. His publications include Creation and Blessing: A Guide to the Study and Exposition of Genesis, Holiness to the Lord: A Guide to the Exposition of the Book of Leviticus, and An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew.