Service for the Building Up of the Church
Message Six
The Basis of Service—the Fire from the Altar
Opening Word of the Prophesying Meeting
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
Then fire came forth from before Jehovah and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they gave a ringing shout and fell on their faces—Lev. 9:24
For which cause I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands—2 Tim. 1:6
Word of Appetizer
Why must every service to God be based on the fire from the altar of burnt offering?
The fire on the altar of burnt offering descended from God (9:24). The children of Israel could not begin their service to God until the fire descended. Although they had been delivered by God out of Egypt, had crossed the Red Sea, and had raised up the tabernacle at the foot of Mount Sinai, they could not serve God, because they did not have a basis for their service. It was not adequate to have the altar of burnt offering. The altar had to have the fire that descended from God.
Spiritual Burden
God is a consuming fire, those who have a desire to serve God must know that God is a consuming fire that burns and energizes. Every service to God must be based on the fire from the altar of burnt offering. We must not serve God with strange fire; we should not quench the Spirit but fan into flame the gift of God, which is in our spirit, and be burning in spirit.
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
God is a consuming fire, as the burning One, God is holy; holiness is His nature, and whatever does not correspond with His holy nature He, as the consuming fire, will consume.
Every service to God must be based on the fire from the altar of burnt offering; we must not serve God with strange fire but with the fire from the altar.
If we would serve God, we should not quench the Spirit but fan into flame the gift of God, which is in our spirit, and be burning in spirit.
The Experience of Life
The fire from the altar is the genuine motivating power of service; what God does concerning our service is to send His fire to burn within us; if we offer ourselves to God sincerely, fire will descend from heaven and burn us; this burning will become the energy that moves us, and the issue of this burning will be our service.
Practice and Application
If we would serve God, we should not quench the Spirit but fan into flame the gift of God, which is in our spirit, and be burning in spirit; if we want to fan our spirit into flame, we need to open our mouth, open our heart, and open our spirit and call on the name of the Lord.
Using Key Verses to Have a Bird’s-Eye View over the Whole Outline
Key Verses (1)
And the Angel of Jehovah appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a thornbush. And when he looked, there was the thornbush, burning with fire; but the thornbush was not consumed—Exo. 3:2
For our God is also a consuming fire—Heb. 12:29
I. God Is a Consuming Fire
• As the burning One, God is holy; holiness is His nature, and whatever does not correspond with His holy nature He, as the consuming fire, will consume.
• The fire burning out of the midst of the thornbush was the Triune God, the God of resurrection.
• The Lord’s throne was flames of fire, the fire here indicates that God is absolutely righteous and altogether holy.
• God is a consuming fire that burns and energizes; when God comes to the earth, fire comes to the earth and when God enters into man, fire enters into man and burns in him.
• The fire that burned on the altar of the burnt offering came down from the heavens.
Key Verses (2)
Then fire came forth from before Jehovah and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they gave a ringing shout and fell on their faces—Lev. 9:24
Fire shall be kept burning on the altar continually; it shall not go out—Lev. 6:13
The Basis of Service—the Fire from the Altar
II. Every service to God must be based on the fire from the altar of burnt offering:
• God wanted the service of the children of Israel to be based on this fire; the fire used for burning incense had to be taken from the altar.
• Our service must come out of the burning of God’s fire; in order for our service to be full of energy, our service must pass through the fire on the altar.
• The fire from the altar is the genuine motivating power of service; the fire on the altar produces a powerful service; the altar of burnt offering is the cross of the Lord Jesus, and the fire is the Spirit.
• Those who experience the fire from the altar build with gold, silver, and precious stones.
Key Verses (3)
And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron… presented strange fire before Jehovah, which He had not commanded them. And fire came out from before Jehovah and consumed them…—Lev. 10:1-2
… fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands—2 Tim. 1:6
Do not quench the Spirit—1 Thes. 5:19
Must Not Serve God with Strange Fire and Should Not Quench the Spirit
III. We must not serve God with strange fire but with the fire from the altar:
• According to typology, strange fire is any fire other than that which burns on the altar.
• The failure of Nadab and Abihu lay in their failure to use the fire from the altar.
• Strange fire is fire of the self, it is fire that issues from the soulish life, the fleshly life, and the natural life.
IV. If we would serve God, we should not quench the Spirit but fan into flame the gift of God, which is in our spirit, and be burning in spirit.
Prophesying Topics—Twelve Topics per Week
D1
T1 God is a consuming fire. (Heb. 12:29)
(Please explain that holiness is His nature, and whatever does not correspond with His holy nature He, as the consuming fire, will consume.)
T2 God is holy, holiness is His nature. (2 Peter1:4)
(Please explain what the significances of the fire are in the following verses: Dan. 7:9-10; Luke 12:49-50; Rev. 4:5; Exo. 3:2, 4, 6; Jer. 23:29) (Refer to Outline I. A-F)
D2
T1 The fire that burned on the altar of the burnt offering came down from the heavens (Lev. 9:24)
(Please explain that the service that we render to God must originate from the fire on the altar of burnt offering.)
T2 The basis of the service is the altar of burnt offering with fire burning upon it. (Lev. 9:24; 6:13)
(Please explain that it was not adequate to have the altar of burnt offering, the altar had to have the fire that descended from God.)
D3
T1 Genuine Christian is God moving through man. (Lev. 6:13)
(Please explain that in order for our service to have spiritual value, God must move through us and serve through us.)
T2 The fire of the Spirit descends only on the altar of burnt offering. (Acts 2:3)
(How can we experience the fire from heaven descending upon us?)
D4
T1 The fire on the altar produces a powerful service. (Lev. 9:24)
(Please explain that the altar of burnt offering is the cross of the Lord Jesus, and the fire is the Spirit.)
T2 The fire itself will prove each one’s work, of what sort it is. (1 Cor. 3:12-13)
(Please explain that only work that is produced through burning is of gold, silver, and precious stones.)
D5
T1 We must not serve God with strange fire. (Lev. 10:1-2) (Refer to Outline III. A-E)
(Please explain that Nadab and Abihu were judged because they acted according to the natural life.)
T2 God pays attention not only to whether or not there is fire but also to the source and nature of the fire. (Lev. 6:13)
(Please explain that we should be burning for the Lord and hot; however, our hotness should not be natural but spiritual.)
D6
T1 Instead of quenching the Spirit, we need to fan the flame that is within us. (1 Thes. 5:19; 2 Tim. 1:6)
(The Christian life is a life inspired and stirred up by the Spirit.)
T2 We need to fan our spirit into flame. (2 Tim. 1:6; Rom. 12:11)
(In order to fan our spirit into flame, what are the three layers of our being that we need to open up?)
