Luke 11:14, 20; I Corinthians 12:12-14, 27

(All Scripture is from the New King James Version unless otherwise indicated)

It looks more like a magician’s trick than a natural occurrence. But a finger on fire is to be a regular happening among Christians! However, it isn’t for everyone, but just for those called to be a finger on fire! What do I mean? First let’s look at I Corinthians 12:12 through 14, and verse 27:

     For as the body is one and has many members, but all 
     the members of that one body, being many, are one body, 
     so also is Christ.  For by one Spirit we were all bap-
     tized into one body — whether Jews or Greeks, whether 
     slaves or free — and have all been made to drink into 
     one Spirit....Now you are the body of Christ, and mem-
     bers individually.

Every individual Christian (those who have opened their heart and life to Jesus Christ as Savior), is a member of the body of Christ! Another name for the body is the Church! ‘Church’ is capitalized here because we are talking about the universal Church – which is made up of every true child of God through faith in Jesus Christ!

Let’s focus in on some of the things that Jesus says concerning His followers:

• John 3:5, 7, 8 – “Jesus…said…‘You must be born again…[to] enter the kingdom of God….born of the Spirit.’ ” As Jesus said in verse 6, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” That’s why we are told in John 1:13 (Good News Bible), “They did not become God’s children by natural means, that is, by being born as the children of a human father; God Himself was their Father.”

• I Thessalonians 5:17 – “Pray without ceasing.” I think the meaning of this is modified in Philippians 4:6: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” Prayer should mark the life of a believer!

• Matthew 17:5 – On the Mount of Transfiguration, when Peter was foolishly speaking, this happened: “…behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!’ ” We need to listen to God as well as in all our prayers talking to Him!

• Mark 9:23 – Jesus said to the father of the demonic boy, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Belief not only is involved with the start of the Christian life (see John 3:16), it must pervade that life throughout!

• John 14:15 – “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” Or, as the Worldwide English (New Testament) translates it, “If you love Me, obey Me.” If Jesus is to be our Lord as well as our Savior, we must obey Him!

• Mark 12:29, 30 – Jesus said:

     The first of all the commandments is... “...you shall love 
     the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, 
     with all your mind, and with all your strength. And...You 
     shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  

And Paul wrote in Romans 13:10, “…love is the fulfilling of the law.”

• Matthew 28:19 – Jesus said, “Go…and make disciples of all the nations….” And in Acts 1:8, “…you shall be witnesses to me…to the end of the earth.” We are to “Go into all the world, and give the good news to everyone.” (Mark 16:15 – Bible in Basic English).

• Galatians 5:13 (International Standard Version) – “…through love make it your habit to serve one another.” Jesus set the example of serving when He washed His disciples feet (see John 13:1-12). And in Luke 22:26 (Contemporary English Version) He said, “The most important one of you should be like the least important, and your leader should be like a servant.”

• II Timothy 3:12 – If we are really serious about following our Lord, Paul warns us, “…all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persection.”

• Mark 8:34, 35 – Jesus challenges us:

     “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny 
     himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 
     For whoever desires to save his life will lose 
     it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and 
     the gospel's will save it.” The cross is an in-
     strument for death! We are called to die to our-
     selves so we can live for God! (see Romans 6:11; 
     Galatians 2:24).

If these nine characteristics mark a Christian’s life, that one is ‘on fire’ for the Lord!

Go back again to the beginning where we looked at the body of Christ. No one individual Christian is the complete body of Christ! We are each members individually! Together we form His body!

• One of us might be a toe, to help keep the body in balance!

• Another might be a listening ear!

• A preacher might be a tongue, or a mouth!

• A missionary couple might be the feet, as in Romans 10:15: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!”

• …and a finger might mean one who is used to point people to Jesus!

But no matter what member of Jesus’ body you are, be on fire for Him!

…even a finger on fire!