SUNDAY SERVICE | FRESH FIRE | PASTOR TONY RAPU

Devotional

Day 1: The Need for a Clear Decision in Our Faith

The people on Mount Carmel were silent because they could not tell the difference between the true God and a false idol. This confusion led to a life of compromise, where worship was mixed with worldly practices. A life without a clear commitment to God lacks power, conviction, and a distinct voice. It results in a spiritual lukewarmness that is indistinguishable from the world around it. Making a definitive choice for God is the first step toward a life of fire. [01:34:08]

“How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people said nothing. (1 Kings 18:21, NIV)

Reflection: In what specific area of your life are you currently wavering between God’s way and the world’s way, and what would it look like to make a definitive choice for God in that area this week?

Day 2: The Baptism of the Holy Spirit and Fire

John the Baptist declared that the coming Messiah would do more than bring repentance; He would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. This fire is not a physical flame but a spiritual reality that brings zeal, illumination, and purification. It empowers believers to live a Spirit-led life, burning away sin and igniting a passion for God’s purposes. This is the genuine power that Christ promised to His followers. [01:39:37]

“I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Matthew 3:11, NIV)

Reflection: When you consider your current spiritual state, do you sense a need for more of the Holy Spirit’s fire for empowerment or purification? What is one practical step you can take to position yourself to receive this from Christ?

Day 3: Christ’s Mission to Ignite a Fire on Earth

Jesus Himself declared that His primary mission was to ignite a fire on the earth. He did not come merely to establish a comfortable religion or social club, but to set people ablaze with a passion for God. This divine fire consumes selfish ambition and pride, replacing it with a boldness to be a witness and to fill the earth with the knowledge of God. His desire is for a radical, fervent faith. [01:42:19]

“I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!” (Luke 12:49, NIV)

Reflection: What does the phrase “a comfortable Christianity” bring to mind in your own life, and where might God be inviting you to exchange that comfort for a more radical, fiery obedience to Him?

Day 4: The Word of God as a Fire in Our Bones

A genuine encounter with God through His Word should ignite our hearts, just as it did for the disciples on the road to Emmaus. When Scripture becomes merely an academic exercise, it loses its power to transform. But when the fire of God falls upon our study, the Bible becomes alive and exciting, burning within us like it did for the prophet Jeremiah, creating an uncontainable urge to proclaim its truth. [01:52:35]

They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32, NIV)

Reflection: When you last spent time reading the Bible, was it a routine duty or a burning encounter? What could you change in your approach to Scripture to create space for your heart to be set aflame by God’s Word?

Day 5: Building an Altar for the Fire to Fall

The fire of God requires an altar upon which a sacrifice is placed. This altar is not a physical structure but represents a dedicated place and time for communion with God. It is built through consistent prayer, studying Scripture, and surrendering our lives as a living sacrifice. This commitment costs us time, effort, and comfort, but it is the necessary condition for God’s consuming fire to fall and be sustained in our lives. [02:12:02]

“The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest is to add firewood and arrange the burnt offering on the fire.” (Leviticus 6:12, NIV)

Reflection: Examining your daily routine, where have you built a consistent “altar” for meeting with God, and what is one thing you could sacrifice—like time or comfort—this week to ensure that fire continues to burn?

Sermon Summary

A congregation gathers in urgent prayer, pleading for a fresh kindling of God's presence and for revival that mirrors the acts of old. Scripture centers on 1 Kings 18 and the Elijah narrative: a bold challenge to idolatry, a call to decide between gods, and an appeal to let fire reveal true worship. The account highlights a people divided between Baal and Yahweh, worshiping with no conviction, and contrasts their silence with the need for burning devotion. The role of John the Baptist and Jesus appears as fulfillment and intensification: water for repentance gives way to baptism by Spirit and fire that empowers, illuminates, and purifies. Fire becomes the central metaphor — a divine agent that tests authenticity, consumes compromise, and ignites zeal for witness.

The address traces biblical patterns: altars mark covenant encounter, sacrifices invite divine response, and persistent devotion keeps the flame alive. The early church’s spread receives explanation through this lens: tongues of fire accompanied power and utterance, producing life change and sacrificial generosity rather than mere spectacle. Contemporary Christianity receives a sharp critique for growing comfortable, tolerating moral compromise, and confusing orthodoxy with true devotion. The remedy proposed emphasizes decision, consecration, and practical disciplines: building personal altars of quiet communion, offering costly sacrifices of time and obedience, and maintaining the flame daily. Testimonies and invitations underscore that revival touches the whole life — marriages, families, addictions, and public witness — and that endurance through hardship often precedes breakthrough. The closing challenge urges concrete action: form altars, bring offerings of a surrendered life, tarry for Spirit power, and expect God to respond with consuming fire that both heals and commissions for bold witness.

Key Takeaways

1. Decide whom to serve today Making a clear, decisive choice cuts through spiritual double-mindedness. Choosing God requires disentangling worship from cultural convenience and confronting private idols that masquerade as harmless loyalties. That decision reorients daily priorities and awakens urgency in prayer, worship, and obedience. [90:13]
2. Build an altar; offer true sacrifice An altar stands for intentional, costly communion — not a ritual prop but a disciplined space of surrender. True sacrifice demands time, humility, and actions that carry real cost; without it, prayers lack the locus where divine fire falls. Regularly returning to that altar keeps the flame alive and refines motive and conduct. [132:31]
3. Fire purifies, empowers, illuminates The fire of God does three deep works: it burns impurity, empowers witness, and brings fresh insight into Scripture and mission. This fire reshapes character and clarifies vocation, producing zeal that cannot be faked by programs or entertainment. Expect inward purification to precede outward boldness. [99:05]
4. Tarry for power; act boldly Waiting in prayer invites Spirit-endowment that issues in courageous proclamation and service. Tarrying is not passive delay but active preparation for influence and obedience that reach beyond comfort zones. Power must be sought and then stewarded toward tangible witness in the world. [104:09]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[68:34] - Opening Prayer for Revival
[81:11] - Presenting Needs Before God
[89:27] - Reading: 1 Kings 18 — Fresh Fire
[91:24] - Elijah’s Challenge to Baal’s Prophets
[99:05] - John: Baptism with Spirit and Fire
[102:19] - Jesus Came to Ignite the Fire
[106:01] - The Word Burns Like Fire
[132:31] - No Altar, No Sacrifice, No Fire
[134:43] - How to Build an Altar
[139:59] - Invitation: Seek Fresh Fire
[146:53] - Closing: Sustaining the Altar

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
1 Kings 18:21 (ESV)
And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word.

Observation questions

In 1 Kings 18:21, what specific challenge did Elijah present to the people, and how did they respond?
According to the passage, what does Elijah say will reveal the true God and the true worshippers? [01:33:17]
What two things did John the Baptist say Jesus would baptize believers with, and how did he contrast his own baptism with Jesus’? [01:39:05]
What imagery does Jesus use in Luke 12:49 to describe the purpose of His coming to earth? [01:42:19]

Interpretation questions

Why do you think the people in 1 Kings 18:21 answered Elijah “not a word,” and what does their silence reveal about their spiritual condition?
Elijah says the true God will be revealed by fire. What might “fire” represent in a spiritual sense, both in Elijah’s time and today? [01:40:10]
John the Baptist says Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. What is the relationship between these two baptisms, and how do they work together in a believer’s life? [01:39:37]
Jesus says in Luke 12:49, “I came to cast fire on the earth.” What kind of “fire” do you think He was referring to, and how does it differ from common expectations of the Messiah’s mission?

Application questions

Elijah confronted the people’s divided loyalty by saying, “If the Lord is God, follow him.” [01:30:13] Are there areas in your life where you are “limping between two opinions”—trying to serve God while holding onto something or someone else? What would it look like to make a decisive choice today?
The sermon emphasized that without an altar, there is no sacrifice, and without sacrifice, there is no fire. [02:12:31] What does your personal “altar”—your consistent, intentional time with God—look like right now? Is it built, broken, or non-existent?
Fire purifies, empowers, and illuminates. [01:40:45] Which of these works of the Spirit do you feel you need most right now: purification from sin, power for witness, or illumination from God’s Word? What step can you take this week to welcome that work?
Tarrying for power is not passive waiting but active preparation. [01:44:09] How can you create space in your daily routine to “tarry” in God’s presence, and what would you be willing to sacrifice—time, comfort, convenience—to see the fire of God fall in your life?
The early church spread because they had fire—passion, zeal, and boldness. [01:44:50] When was the last time you spoke to someone about Jesus, and what would it take for you to regain that kind of spiritual energy and conviction?
It was said that “convenience Christianity” doesn’t exist. [02:13:23] What has your faith cost you recently? Are you offering God sacrifices that cost you nothing, or are you willing to pay the price for a faith that burns with authenticity?
Jeremiah said God’s word was like a fire in his bones that he could not hold in. [01:53:44] Do you ever feel that urgency about God’s Word or His mission? If not, what might be quenching that fire in you?

Sermon Clips

21s

#IgniteTheFire

“Yes. It says, I have come to ignite the fire. That's what Jesus said. On the earth. Oh, look at the urgency in his voice. How I wish. How I wish. I look around and all I see is lukewarmness. How I wish you were already kindled on the earth. I came to ignite a fire.”

22s

#ConsumingFire

“I came to consume whatever is stopping you from following God. I came to consume your selfish ambition, your pride. I came that you might fill the whole earth with the knowledge of God as the waters cover the sea. And my fire is to give you boldness so you can be a witness for me.”

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