Did you ever try to start a fire … but couldn’t? Maybe you were at a campsite, and your firewood was damp from the rain last night and flames just wouldn’t catch. Or maybe you were fussing with charcoal on the grill and couldn’t get those coals to take. Or maybe you had a pile of brush and you couldn’t even get the oil you drenched it with to ignite. I’ll be honest. I have encountered many miserable times when my fires just wouldn’t start.
And now, here we are in the spring of the year in North-Eastern Wyoming. The countryside is full of dead grass which dried and seasoned all winter long. The winds are strong. And we are all afraid to even think about striking a match for fear of starting a wildfire that would get quickly out of control.
Ministry can be like starting a fire. A program, a preaching series, a seminar, a discipleship class or a Bible study might be a nice little fire to get a warm little ministry moving. Sometimes our little fires light right up and are a blessing. Other times they just smolder and smoke and we wonder what we are doing wrong. But realistically, even if we get a fire to start in our ministry, our little fire in the church seems small and insignificant in the midst of this big, dark, cold, and cruel world.
But look around and see. The world around us is ready to ignite. It is full of hearts that are dry and seasoned. One small gospel match from us, tossed out of the church and into the world will start a fire that the Spirit of God will spread like never before. Now is the time to make sparks. Now is the time to strike matches. Now is the time to let the gospel flames of Jesus spread uncontrollably. The world is ready to hear God’s word but the devil is issuing fire bans. Take up the gospel of Jesus Christ and start God’s fire!
“I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!” Luke 12:49