Another "question we didn't get to on Q&A day but are not dodging it":
I'm confused. As believers, why do we sing a song in church asking for the consuming fire of God to fall on us? Deut. 4:24, Heb. 10:27-31, 12:29. The Holy Spirit, who indwells all believers, is our power source to live the Christian life. What are we trying to get from our God by asking for His consuming fire to fall on us, when we have everything we need for life and Godliness in Christ?
Good question! This has nothing to do with asking God for the Holy Spirit. Nor is this referring to any strange Pentecostal phenomenon being requested of God by the worshiper.
When the Bible talks about God’s fire consuming, as these lyrics are about, it is speaking of God’s personally and visibly receiving and accepting worship – resulting in the joyful praise that erupts from the one offering the worship!
A couple examples:
Leviticus 9:22-24 – Aaron gave the offerings, and after he and Moses blessed the people, fire came out from before the Lord and consumed the offering (God responding to worship), and the people shouted and fell on their faces (worshiping).
Hebrews 12:29 says for our God is a consuming fire. Seems pretty judgmental-scary by itself, but look at the context, the previous verse (28): Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe... then verse 29... for our God is a consuming fire.
Same principle. Let us offer acceptable worship - let God accept it!
See also 2nd Chronicles 7:1, where you will find the exact same sequence of events – Solomon dedicated the temple, prayed, and God’s fire consumed the offering.
The lyric is just simply an expression to mean "receive our worship".
Our elders asked “big Harvest”, those who wrote the song, and here is what they replied:
hey Mark,
the line from ‘do what you want to' is taken from Lev 9-22-24. There are many references to an all consuming fire in scriptures which admittedly confuses the issue. This one in the song is the consuming fire that accepted the meat sacrifice as an offering to God. How amazing must that have been for those people to see God appear and consume their offering to God. So awesome in fact that they lifted up a cheer to God. That is what we’re calling on in the song - for the spirit, the all consuming fire to receive our offering - the sacrifice of praise - the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.
Blessings, andi
Pastor Jeff
-seriously, how awesome would that have been to see God's fire as a response to worship???