Rom. 12:20, “Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head 21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”
TLB Prov. 25:21-22, “If your enemy is hungry, give him food! If he is thirsty, give him something to drink! This will make him feel ashamed of himself, and God will reward you”
In Luke Chapter 9 is an incident that’s worth looking at that portrays the spirit of the average today’s Christian, especially here in Africa. It is the spirit that is diametrically opposed to the spirit of the New Testament faith, if I may use that word. It is not Christ’s Spirit but a borrowed one from ancestral belief but tagged as Christianity.
Luke 9:51, “And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem,
52 And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him.
53 And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.
54 And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we COMMAND FIRE to come down from heaven, and COMSUME THEM, even as Elias did?
55 But he turned, and REBUKED THEM, and said, Ye know not WHAT MANNER OF SPIRIT YE ARE OF.
56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.”
This rejection by these Samaritans was seen as an insult and stirred up the anger of the two sons of thunder making them to suggest that the example of Elijah be followed (2Ki. 1:9-12). But Jesus was a Saviour and not a destroyer; He came to save and to give life.
What are the qualities that you find in these people’s spirit? It is of too much pride, cruelty, and revenge; so dangerous is a misguided zeal.
Can you see that this is the same spirit that we carry today? The spirits to call down fire to consume people who oppose us in our faith or who we perceive are hindrances to our work.
The other day I saw a Church banner for a program saying “Their Burial Must Hold.” Oh! what a world that we are living in.
These are nothing but Christian terrorists in the pulpit. Jesus’ word to them is that you don’t know the spirit you are made of.
So essentially most Christians don’t understand who they are, even in the faith. They have much zeal but no knowledge of the reality of their New Birth in Christ.
It is evidence from the above passage that we are not on course with the mind of Christ. Christ came to redeem and to save people no matter who you are and what you are doing to His course.
Tell me why wouldn’t Jesus kill Paul on the road to Damascus? What could have been more dangerous and damaging than Paul killing the followers of Jesus, but yet Jesus saved and commissioned him to carry the Gospel.
If Jesus had killed Paul, two thirds of the letters we read today, the Pauline epistles, wouldn’t have been there. Of a truth we have another spirit and not the Spirit of Christ when we pray the fire prayers.
Most challenging to me is the fact that if we think we can destroy enemies with our prayers, why haven’t we targeted the terrorists troubling our countries and killing Christians all over the place.
Why is our Holy Ghost Fire prayers selective such that the enemies you are good at destroying are either your relations or perceived ones you saw in your dreams? My friend use this your energy and go silence the terrorists around the country if you think you have “Holy Ghost Fire power.”
Again the Word says, Rom. 12:21, “Don’t let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good,” Msg.
Rom. 12:21, “Don’t let evil get the upper hand, but conquer evil by doing good,” TLB.
Heap coals of fire by doing good to your enemies.
To be continued…