This sermon from Apostle Allison Smith Conliff celebrates Pentecost Sunday by emphasizing the transformative power of Holy Spirit fire. Apostle Allison teaches that Pentecost represents a life of total surrender and obedience to God, rather than just a routine religious habit. She describes the Holy Spirit as a necessary comforter and advocate who empowers believers to overcome spiritual darkness and trials. The message highlights the importance of church unity and sacrifice, drawing parallels between modern believers and the 120 disciples in the upper room. Ultimately, it encourages listeners to move beyond a lukewarm faith to experience a personal, supernatural connection with the triune God.

Key Points:

Holy fire acts as a profound cleansing agent that purifies believers by directly burning out sin and removing behaviors or influences that do not belong in a believer's life. The fire of God comes to purify, cleanse, and smite the enemy, ultimately changing the circumstances of the individual. While the Apostle notes that some people may avoid the "burn" of the fire because it targets their sinful nature, they emphasize that this holy fire is beneficial because it points the believer toward the way of holiness and truth.

The expression of Christ’s character is facilitated by the fire in several specific ways:

• Surrender and Obedience: The "Pentecostal life" associated with holy fire is one of complete surrender and obedience to God, which provides the "enablement" for the church to express the character of Jesus.
• Internal Sweetness: A believer on fire should reflect Christ's "sweetness" rather than bitterness; just as Jesus is "sweeter than the honey in the honeycomb," holy fire should prevent a believer from "cussing out" neighbors or producing "bitter water".
• Empowered Witnessing: Holy fire transforms believers into active witnesses of what the Lord has done. This empowerment allows them to speak with unknown tongues and function against the kingdom of darkness, mimicking Christ's own authority.
• Alignment with Truth: Because the fire is linked to the Spirit of truth, it points believers away from themselves and back to the way of the cross and the character of Jesus.
• Persistence and Victory: Drawing on Christ as the "best example" who cannot fail, holy fire empowers believers to arise above trials and tests and walk in supernatural victory.

If a believer is "born of fire," they must continue to "live in the fire" and "blaze the trail" to do what God has commanded, as our God is described as a consuming fire. This process is not intended to harm the believer but to conform and transform them into God's will.

Rec. Date: 19th May, 2024