August 2017
By Seth Halpern Editor As in past years, California summers inevitably include Fires, sometimes many fires, huge fires. This year is no different. After the extremely wet winter to moisten the ground from years of draught, I thought we might not see the amount of fire we have seen in our state this summer. I was wrong, very wrong. The Detwiler fire in Mariposa grows as I write these words. Already at nearly 70,000 acres with smoke flowing into Nevada, it is a mere 10% contained. Fires like this one displace entire towns and destroy many of those families’ homes. We pray for Mariposa. Yet, it is not exclusive to that small town. There are currently dozens of fires raging throughout the
James Gallagher Legislative Update
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state, stretching thin the resources and staff of our heroic firefighters. Closer to home, the Wall Fire in Butte County destroyed 41 homes in its path. Some friends from our local church were among the evacuees. Oroville, battered Oroville, first suffered from potential flood devastation, and now fire! Fire- It is destructive and it is dangerous. Firefighters are everyone’s heroes. They battle flames and smoke and sacrifice their very lives for others. I’m thankful for each of them. So, why do we suffer so much at the “hands” of fire? Perhaps a better question is why does God reference fire so much in His word? The word or principle of “Fire” occurs hundreds of times in the Bible and more than 70 times in the New Testament
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alone. Let’s look at a few ways it’s used in God’s Word. Many of us typically think of the fire of Hell. This is perhaps the most vivid of the “Fire” references. It is also the most troublesome and terrifying. It was not meant for people but for Satan and his demons. Unfortunately, those who follow them and not God will also find themselves there amidst “unquenchable fire” (Matt 9:43 ESV) The concept of Hell’s fire is enough to cause anyone to want to steer clear of fire in the Bible. However, while God uses fire in the judgement of the rebellious, he somehow chooses to use it positively in the lives of His people. He uses it as a “refiner’s fire” (Zech 13:9, 1 Pet 1:7, Is 48:10) to purify us from our sinful nature
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and choices and to test us in order to grow in faith and character. In this mode, it is still “destructive”. It is destructive to our flesh and our own will.. It is not to “judge” the believer but to destroy the sin in the life of His children. The Lord also used fire in the form of a pillar to guide His people during the days of Moses (Ex 13:21). In the New Testament, we read about the Holy Spirit. There are many attributes or descriptions of the Holy Spirit and His gifts. One of them is “fire”. In Acts, God sends the Holy Spirit with “tongues of fire” (Acts 2:3) and in other passages, we read of the Holy Spirit that envelopes the believers with power (I believe this power is
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