Profane Fire

“Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them. So fire went out from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. Then Moses said to Aaron, ‘This is what the Lord spoke, saying: “By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; and before all the people I must be glori­fied.”’” Lev. 10:1-3.

Profane fire is dangerous because it is uncontrollable, and when fire gets out of control, it causes disaster and ruin. A fireplace, on the other hand, will produce warmth, blessing and fellowship. It is just the same with the tongue. James 3:6. It is a fire. And when it is in contact with the kingdom of heaven and the laws that are at work there for edification, it is a tremendous blessing. We are called to speak in demonstra­tion of the Spirit and power. Then God’s Spirit bears witness to our words; He gives His testimony of purity and freedom from sin. We have also had many examples throughout his­tory of people who have been filled with the fire that comes from below and who, through their fiery messages, have sought their own and thereby deceived souls. People like that have wreaked havoc and destruction on many lands and people.

Profane fire can come into a church through people who are seeking their own and who want something for them­selves. They take upon themselves tasks that are much too great for them, things that are beyond their anointed area. Maybe they speak against outward things and want to correct things which only fathers in Christ have grace to deal with. Their human strength often becomes very apparent, and it is not at all edifying to listen to them. Even if a person has the Word of wisdom and knowledge and can speak with enthusi­asm and zeal about the mysteries of Christ, nevertheless, if he does not have love, he is nothing. He has not understood to practice the things he speaks about so fervently. Such a per­son is a false prophet, even if what he says is true and right. He eagerly draws people to himself instead of to Christ, who is the Head. This has been a source of much unrest in many churches.

The Lord reveals His holiness in those who draw near to Him. Unless the motive in your ministry is to reveal the holi­ness of the Lord, you will go astray and will lead others astray. Your own ego is the driving force. Unfortunately, we have several examples of this. “I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us. Therefore, if I come, I will call to mind his deeds which he does, prating against us with malicious words. And not content with that, he himself does not receive the brethren, and forbids those who wish to, putting them out of the church.” 3 John 9-10.

Diotrephes drew the sheep to himself. He didn’t want to have anything to do with John and the other brothers. He hin­dered those who did want to have fellowship with them; he even put them out of the church. Anyone who wants to be something special is seeking his own and he uses his gifts to dominate other people and get power over them. People like this can easily grasp the doctrine intellectually, yet they re­main strong in themselves. To bow to their strength and sub­mit to them is weakness. We should stand firm and give them brotherhood so that their strength can be bowed and become a blessing. If people like this were to gain power, they could destroy the church. They draw to themselves and do not seek the things of Christ. That is why it is important to take action and confront such offscouring right from the beginning. “I assume that if a lot of those things are going to grow up and cause damage, they should be cut off—and that at an early stage,” writes Johan O. Smith.

A person can think that he sees things clearly, but if he is seeking his own, he will more than likely deal with things in such a way that the shepherd of the church is weakened. Quite possibly the shepherd also sees the situation clearly, but perhaps he is working more quietly so that those who are weak can be strengthened and what is lame can be healed. We will come into conflict with the laws that function in the body of Christ if we are not very cautious in situations like this. Why not supply what is lacking rather than begin to work in opposition to others? We can learn something from the story of Absalom and David.

“After this it happened that Absalom provided himself with chariots and horses, and fifty men to run before him. Now Absalom would rise early and stand beside the way to the gate. So it was, whenever anyone who had a lawsuit came to the king for a decision, that Absalom would call to him and say, ‘What city are you from?’ And he would say, ‘Your ser­vant is from such and such a tribe of Israel.’ Then Absalom would say to him, ‘Look, your case is good and right; but there is no deputy of the king to hear you.’ Moreover Absalom would say, ‘Oh, that I were made judge in the land, and every­one who has any suit or cause would come to me; then I would give him justice.’ And so it was, whenever anyone came near him to bow down to him, that he would put out his hand and take him and kiss him. In this manner Absalom acted toward all Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.” 2 Sam. 15:1-6.

Those who serve like this oppose the living God and His will because of their lust for honor and their lust to exalt themselves. They are ravenous wolves. The very nature of a wolf is to steal and to tear apart—they have nothing to give. The wolf needs a sheepskin to get power in the church of Christ, and then he can cause damage. “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.” Matt. 7:15. God’s true prophets work to find the best pastures for their sheep, and they keep an eye on these false prophets so they never gain power. A true prophet is a sacrifice and he has surrendered his entire life to the will of God. He does not seek his own; he cleanses himself from all selfishness. It is not surprising that God will take care of him for time and eternity!