“I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled? But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!” (Luke 12:49-50 KJV).
These passages do not convey a message of damnation. Rather, it reveals an urgent longing of our Lord Jesus Christ to release the fire of God's love and grace upon the world. Using the imagery of "fire" the Lord Jesus is not warning of a destructive judgment. Instead, He is giving us a signal that the consuming fire of God’s love and the Holy Spirit is coming. He expresses His intense desire for this fire to be already kindled—a yearning for the Gospel of the grace of God to be preached and for hearts to be set ablaze with the fire of the Holy Spirit. Fully embraced by faith in Him, this fire burns away legalism, cold hearts, and rigid religious customs and traditions, replacing them with a passionate, vibrant, and thriving life lived in His grace.
The "baptism" our Lord Jesus Christ refers to is not John's baptism in water, but His imminent, overwhelming immersion into suffering and death on the cross. The Lord Jesus being in human flesh expresses distress and pressure asking "how am I straitened/distressed 'till it is accomplished?”, because the full payment for sin had to be completed before the Holy Spirit could be poured out. The emphasis is placed on the necessity of His sacrifice to bring about the restoration of grace, where the "fire" of the Holy Spirit can come and live in all believers.
In Christ Jesus our Lord, by faith in Him through grace, cleansed by His blood, He sends the fire of the Holy Spirit to make us His temple. In Him we have the Holy Spirit in us to lead and direct us how to live in grace. The work expected of us is to rely and follow His unction from within us in all that we do and say. The Holy Bible affirms, as it is written: “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”” (Romans 8:13-15 ESV).
And I say, AMEN!
Daily reflections by:
F. A. Frias
PFC Ministries
When God says... I say, AMEN! is a provocative reflection of the Lord's holy Word. It intends to challenge every seeker of truth to dig deep into the core of the Word of Life to point every being to Christ Jesus - the author and finisher of our faith, and to draw revelations for change, for nourishment and for strength of every soul.
Partners For Christ Ministries, INC.
P. O. Box 773716
Ocala, FL 34477
Touching lives in Cambodia, The Philippines, The Middle East, The USA, and... other countries.
F. A. Frias
PFC Ministries
When God says... I say, AMEN! is a provocative reflection of the Lord's holy Word. It intends to challenge every seeker of truth to dig deep into the core of the Word of Life to point every being to Christ Jesus - the author and finisher of our faith, and to draw revelations for change, for nourishment and for strength of every soul.
Partners For Christ Ministries, INC.
P. O. Box 773716
Ocala, FL 34477
Touching lives in Cambodia, The Philippines, The Middle East, The USA, and... other countries.
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