Flame ON!!

Metaphorically speaking, there are three kinds of flames in this world…one is a spark, another is the flame that is kept burning by some type of super heated fuel, and the third is a flame which creates embers that smolder for a long time. Each has a purpose and to me each can show a different spiritual state.

The first, the spark, it the kind that jolts you into action. Saturday, I felt one of those flames. I was unplugging my computer when all of a sudden, I felt a shock so strong that I jumped about ten feet! It hurt too. I’m not gonna lie, it scared me (and my roommates, since I screamed bloody murder. Lol. No need to fear though, I am fine). I have realized that that is what those types of flames are supposed to do, they immediately jump start you into action. When we feel those sparks in our lives, it forces action in us. We no longer want a stagnant life, we have had a “shock” of some type and we want to change something. Often times, our first encounters with Christ are like that, especially for people who have never heard of Him. They experience this incredible moment in life and they want everything to drastically change right now when they become a Christian and that is fantastic! However, the problem with the spark is that as quickly as it comes, it leaves, both the literal and the spiritual spark. It is easy to allow lives to only be changed for a moment by the spark. Just like today, after the jolt of electricity, I checked to make sure I was okay and then continued on with my day as usual. Nothing had truly changed.

The second is a flame that is kept alive by some sort of super heated fuel, such as a gas, aerosol, etc. These flames burn quickly and brightly. They are incredibly hot. When I think of these flames, I think of blow torches and the like. I also think of a story I’m sure many of you know from the book of Daniel that included a fiery furnace so hot that when the guards ordered to throw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into the flame went up to it—they burned to death! In this case, the Lord saved His servants, but they were willing to do die if that was what was needed because bowing before an idol was not right.  The thing about these flames is that they are great fire starters. They will ignite the fire and will even burn for a short time. However, like the spark, the flames are short-lived. See these flames have nothing to live on. They quickly burn off the fuel they have been given and need more, so unless they are fed a fuel with more substance they will die out. A relationship with Christ can be like this as well. While the spark is the initial change, the flame is growing desire to become more like Christ and to know Him. At first, it can seem easy, but like any relationship, it takes work and can be anything but. However, Christ will always be worth it.

The final type of flame is a flame that seems to burn eternally. It may start quickly or slowly, but it finds a source of fuel that allows it to create embers that will smolder and keep the fire going. It will inhale all the oxygen in the area. It is the type of fire that burns buildings, makes-up bonfires, and makes excellent mountain pies. ;-) This flame has heat and power. This flame is all-consuming. This is the kind of flame that even has strong effects on those around it, because it gives of large amounts of smoke. You can tell that this flame is there and see the lasting effects of what it has done after it is gone. You can smell this fire; it will permeate clothing and wood. You can even see the scorch marks; nothing will look the same when this fire is done. Anything that it touches will be forever altered: land, building, or person. This type of fire is the most contagious of all flames, because it is the strongest of all. This is the type of flame that we should be spiritually. We should ignite those around us by being a smoldering fire ourselves. Only by keeping our relationship with Christ growing daily can we become contagious Christians.

Outside my window is a large factory. Since we arrived here, my teammates and I have been hearing about a large flame that burns from the factory. Previous ESI teachers and those from Ostrava have many different nicknames for it even. For example, the eternal flame the Olympic torch, and a few others. We even saw pictures of it on facebook and such. However, in the first few weeks, we did not once see this flame. When we asked about it, we were told that if this flame no longer burns, it will mean bad things for Ostrava. (While they meant economically, I think that there can be a much deeper meaning to this statement). For months now, I have been living in the Czech Republic and this flame has been dormant, until this week. On Tuesday morning, I awoke looked out my window. There, coming out of one of the smoke stacks was one of the biggest fires I have ever seen! It burned for about five minutes, giving off lots of smoke and pollution into the air and then stopped entirely. Now many times a day, the flame goes off and each time I am amazed. I watch in wonder as this 30-some foot flame burns brightly in the sky in the middle of the city. And I can’t help but do two things, one turn into Johnny Storm and yell “Flame on!” And two, compare this flame to spiritual status of this beautiful country that I have moved to. The Czech Republic has an incredibly rich spiritual history in which they even have the first Protestant movement that came over a hundred years before Martin Luther’s. Their flame of spirituality in Christ burned bright and strong, but they stopped cultivating it. They came to a time period where Christ was no longer needed; and like the flame outside my window, they stopped burning at all. They became dormant. Sparks might have been lit, but they were few and didn’t seem to last. But now, just like the “Olympic flame” that I look at everyday, some of the people of the Czech Republic have been lit with a fuel that is highly flammable and they are contagious. But unless, they are held up in prayer and their flame is fed by a fuel that will last, the fire will not grow.

The Czech Republic and Ostrava in particular has an incredible group of Christian leaders that are rising up, but they need your prayers and mine. They are flames that are starting to burn brightly. Remember though, being a Christian in this nation varies vastly from being a Christian in the US. They face many different challenges and those trials are not easy. I ask that each time you see a flame over the next few weeks, as I am sure many of you will be lighting candles during the holiday season, you would think of it as a symbol of the triumph of God’s victories here in the Czech Republic and pray for the things that He has yet to do through His people here.

“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.” ~Hebrews 12:28-29


Check out this video I made of the flame from my flat window...me talking about the flame. :-)