How Do We Receive the Baptism of Fire?

Three Transforming Experiences - Part 20

Water Baptism is received by faith as a part of our Salvation experience.

“Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”—Mark 16:16 (NIV)

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is also received by faith, often with the laying on of the hands of others who have already received this baptism.

“When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.”—Acts 8:14-17 (NIV)

The first two baptisms are received by faith, but how do we receive the Baptism of Fire?

In the Old Testament, it is recorded that on at least two occasions God supernaturally sent fire into the Tabernacle of Moses and the Temple of Solomon. This fire was accompanied by a powerful appearance of the glory of God.

As New Testament believers, our bodies are now the temples of God (See 1 Corinthians 3:16 and 6:19). If we can discover what brought the fire of God into the Tabernacle of Moses and the Temple of Solomon, we may begin to understand what it will take to bring the Baptism of Fire into our temples (our bodies).

How the Fire Came to the Tabernacle

Leviticus 9:22-24 describes for us what happened when supernatural fire came out from God into the Tabernacle of Moses.

“Then Aaron lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them, and came down [from the altar] after offering the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offerings. Moses and Aaron went into the Tent of Meeting, and when they came out they blessed the people, and the glory of the Lord [the Shekinah cloud] appeared to all the people [as promised].”

“Then there came a fire out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar; and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.” (AMPC)

The fire came out from the God Who is a Consuming Fire to consume the burnt offering that had been laid down on the altar. That is an important key. The fire comes to consume the sacrifice that has been laid down on the altar.

Earlier in this chapter Moses had given this explanation to God’s people:

Moses said, “The Lord has ordered you to do this so that the Lord’s glorious presence will appear to you.”—Leviticus 9:6 (CEB)

Moses is saying here that in order for God’s glorious presence to come to them, there were certain things they must do first. What were those things?

When we look at the directions that Moses had been giving to God’s people immediately prior to this statement, we see that Moses had been describing God’s specific instructions for offerings that were to be laid on the altar before the Lord. Then, immediately afterwards, Aaron and his sons were consecrated to receive those offerings, and the offerings were made. The fire did not come until the sacrifices were laid down on the altar.

God had given His people a guarantee, a promise, that if they would follow His instructions for presenting offerings on the altar, that He would respond by sending His glorious presence to them. The glory of God would come in response to the offerings that were laid on the altar according to God’s instructions.

We see the same thing happen in Solomon’s Temple. What makes this even more significant for us is that it happened at the time of the Feast of Tabernacles!

How the Fire Came to the Temple

“Solomon finished all the work for the Lord’s temple… . All the Israelites came together to where the king was. It was at the time of the Feast of Booths. The feast was held in the seventh month.”—2 Chronicles 5:1-3 (NIRV)

“They sacrificed huge numbers of sheep and cattle. There were so many animals that they couldn’t be recorded. In fact, they couldn’t even be counted. The priests brought the ark of the Lord’s covenant to its place in the Most Holy Room of the temple. They put it under the wings of the cherubim.”—2 Chronicles 5:6-7 (NIRV)

“When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the [Shekinah] glory and brilliance of the Lord filled the house.”—2 Chronicles 7:1 (AMP)

“The priests could not enter the Temple of the Lord because the glorious presence of the Lord filled it. When all the people of Israel saw the fire coming down and the glorious presence of the Lord filling the Temple, they fell face down on the ground and worshiped and praised the Lord, saying, ‘He is good! His faithful love endures forever!’”—2 Chronicles 7:2-3 (NLT)

In this example, we see even more clearly that God sends the fire in response to the offerings that are laid on the altar.

The Baptism of Fire is available to each of us. Just as God promised His people in the Old Testament that He would send His glory in response to their sacrifices laid on the altar, God will do the same for us! The guarantee is still good! His promise is still in effect!

Each of us can experience our own Feast of Tabernacles, just as God’s people did in Solomon’s Temple, when God’s fire comes down, consumes our sacrifice, and His glory fills us just as it filled the Temple in Solomon’s time! Fire came from God and glory filled the Temple/tabernacle. The same is available to each of us.

“You yourselves are being built like living stones into a spiritual temple. You are being made into a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”—1 Peter 2:5 (CEB)

It’s no wonder that the Apostle Paul begged us so earnestly to present our bodies as living sacrifices to God, laying our lives down on the altar with no reservations. He knew of the glorious presence of God that could fill our beings if we would only obey this instruction with all of our hearts!

“I appeal to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship.”—Romans 12:1 (AMPC)