From Spark to Flame

3 Things a Fire Needs

The 3 things a fire needs are heat, fuel and oxygen. These three elements work together to help a fire start and take over.

However, if any of the three elements are removed from a fire, then it will extinguish and no longer pose a threat.

As a Christ follower, it can be helpful to know about the 3 things a fire needs.

It will help you better understand what you need to do in order to maintain the fire burning and how to spread it.

That's why in this series, we will explain how heat, fuel and oxygen can both ignite and extinguish a fire.

1. Heat / Service / fellowship

Acts 2:42 (NIV)

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 NIV

11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

Hebrews 3:13 NIV

13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.

Ecclesiastes 4:9–12 NIV

9 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: 10 If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. 11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? 12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Proverbs 27:17 NIV

17 As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.

Heat is the first and most essential element that a fire needs. A fire can't even start or spread unless there's a significant amount of heat involved. That's why when a firefighter responds to a fire, they apply water or another cooling agent right away.

It's also why fire extinguishers are usually filled with a cooling agent.

This is what the enemy will do try to cool you down.

Pandemic did this to everyone - some people went and never come back.

Another way to remove heat from a fire is by scraping the embers away from the fire. You spread the cols

It's also important to put out the embers before they spread and create another fire.

friction can build up heat relationships

2. Fuel / SmallGroup /

Fuel is the second element found in the fire triangle. The fire will need a fuel source in order to continue to burn. The fuel can be anything that's flammable such as paper, wood, fabric, chemicals or combustible materials.

If you remove the fuel from the fire, then it will go out.

The discipline of fellowship begins with a willingness and openness to be vulnerable to others.

Each of us desires to be known and loved for who we are. In a world which praises our accomplishments and accolades (recognition of achievement), we long for places of authenticity.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV)

11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

If we are honest, we know we cannot keep up the charade (make believe) for long and deeply desire to connect with others who feel the same.

In fellowship, we commit to showing the good, the bad, and the ugly to those who are journeying alongside us.

In fellowship, we also work to meet with our community often.

Acts 2:46-47 is our model:

Acts 2:46–47 (NIV)

46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,

47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.

They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.

Every day! Can you imagine that?

In the busyness of life, where are we regularly seeking community in order to worship God and grow in our relationship with Him and as the Body of Christ?

We mustn’t feel guilty or embarrassed if we do not meet daily, but are seeking regular fellowship with other Christians in order to grow us and encourage us in our faith, and vice versa?

The Acts 2 passage does not end there. There’s a powerful conclusion in v. 47: “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

Fellowship leads to evangelism!

Their worship of God and edification in the faith resulted in hearts that overflowed the goodness of God onto all those they met! Peter and John boast of this in Acts 4:20: “As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard."

Acts 4:20 NIV

20 As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

The faith of others inspires us and moves us towards greater witness. And the double blessing of fellowship is that as we are moved to greater witness, we then have a community of people to rejoice with us in what God is doing in our witness!

True fellowship cries together and rejoices together.

Romans 12:15 NIV

15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.

It moves together in unity on a single purpose of making God known in all ways possible in and through us. When fire officials conduct a controlled burn in the woods or forest, they don't have to worry about extinguishing the fire.

They know once the fire consumes all of the fuel available, it will go out on its on.

3. Oxygen / Ministries / serve

Oxygen is the last element in the fire triangle. It's also one of the more important factors because oxygen is everywhere.

A fire needs oxygen in order to ignite and continue to burn.

Romans 12:11 (NIV)

11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.

just like oxygen is every where there is a need every where you look.

Above all of our talents, experiences, and expertise, here are the Biblical principles:

1.  Love for God

Mark 12:30 NIV

30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’

2. Love for people

Mark 12:31 NIV

31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

Love for God

The more I understand the love of God for me, the more I am able to love God.

It is like a cyclic response. Sometimes, it’s like giving a bucketful of love in exchange for an ocean of love from the Savior of my soul.

I can never outdo God.

He loved me when I was poor, wretched, and spiritually blind.

God loved me enough to send His only Son, Jesus, to take my place.

The more I think about it, the more I become overwhelmed, want to be near Him, and love Him.

From that love comes my desire to serve Him.

In this love, one's motives to serve God in any measure or form will be lasting, effective, and fruitful.

Dwelling on the love God has for mankind, and on each of us personally, helps us to keep our eyes fixed on Him without getting side tracked and disillusioned.

We are in the world doing our little bit for the Kingdom of God because we are “HIS” and we represent Him. He gets all the glory.  

We love, because He first loved us.

Love for people

At times, our hearts are cold and hard and there is no love even when we serve God.

We should try to be in a place, especially in our hearts, to be able to love people.

To look beyond them on the outside and see their broken and tired hearts that need Jesus.

To be able to look beyond even their actions or words that come from their struggles and frustrations.

When we are able to love people and see them the way God sees them, our motivation to serve Him is so much more authentic.

Again, we are able to fully give ourselves to the work of the Lord, expecting nothing in return.

His love through us gives us compassion for those around us.

So to put out a fire you can use dirt, sand or a non-flammable blanket to smother the fire.

And this is how the enemy will try to put that fire out he is going to put use agents each other ... Once you decrease the concentration of oxygen, you can interrupt the combustion process.

This is harder to do when there's a larger fire that happens in an extensive area. So if you plan to remove oxygen in order to put out the fire, then only do so if it's small enough to contain.