Burning Man

“ I’ve come to start a fire on this earth – how I wish it were blazing right now. I’ve come to change everything, turn everything rightside up – how I long for it to be finished.” Luke 12: 49-50 The Message Bible

Tonight was a fun night at school, at least in second year class. We had worship and some other stuff, but the focus was on the last hour when each one of us had to impart something to the rest of the class. We were supposed to bring a prophetic symbol of what we had to impart. It was a fun time. The impartations were great. We had every thing from peace to a “kick in the rear” to get us motivated. It was interesting that no two impartations were the same. It shows the diversity of gifting and anointing a class of 32 can have.

I brought 35 of those propane lighters as my prophetic symbol. Because my gifting and impartation was the passion to keep burning even when you are alone. I have been a “burning man” since at least 1987, maybe even a couple of years earlier. Of course I have been a Christian for a lot longer. But you can be a Christian all your life and never burn with passion to see the Kingdom of God brought to earth. No, I started burning when I first started learning that there was more to the Kingdom than church. It was then, under the teaching of John Wimber and the Vineyard that I first started burning to see the Kingdom of God released with healing and the prophetic and other signs and wonders. Back then it was “Doin’ the Stuff”; you know, the stuff Jesus did. That was a radical new concept to this Baptist/Methodist boy. That you could actually do what was done in the bible. You didn’t just have to read about it.

Then the Toronto Renewal took that burning to a whole new level. There was no turning back for me, and I have never looked back. I remember the prophetic word I got at a renewal meeting in Atlanta in 1994 from Ron Allen, and Vineyard overseer. He told me “fan the flame; fan the flame of revival” . He said that 2 Timothy 1:7 was my life’s verse and that I would be fanning the flames for the rest of my life. He was right. Then in mid 95 we were having another big renewal meeting with Jim Goll and I was holding my pastor, Tony, up and all of a sudden Jim pointed at me and started yelling that flaming arrows were going into my heart. He then started calling me “Flaming associate, flaming associate”. After He was through he asked Tony if I was his associate pastor. Tony said no and Jim laughed and said; “He is now”. I was ordained about three months later.

So I have a history with the fire of revival. I have carried it with me everywhere I have been for many, many years; sometimes carrying it alone. If you are going to carry revival, you have to learn to burn. It’s good to start fires and burn with others, but you also have to know how to burn alone. It takes a passion for what you know is true. Whether you see it or not. I have burned alone. You have to be a burning man, or woman. You have to be the one that keeps it going when every one else wants to quit. You have to fight disappointment, frustration and fatigue. But with the passion and learning how to fan the flame within you, you can burn.

So tonight, as I roared over the class I released that impartation. We already had 32 fire starters. Now we have 32 burning men and women who can go anywhere through out the world and bring revival. They can carry it alone if necessary, but I don’t believe it will be necessary. You see there are already many fires burning, and everywhere you go, the ground is dry and ready to burst into flames. The harvest is ready to be brought in. It’s a great time to burn, you can start fires easily wherever you go and pretty soon you will be joined with others. Jesus said He wished the world were ablaze. It’s about to happen, can’t you feel it. What a great time to be alive!