The online Bible teaching
ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
A
daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and
exhortation.
Friday,
January
14,
2022
The Seamen's Bethel in New Bedford, MA provides spiritual services to fishermen.
"Spiritual
Fire Extinguisher"
Message summary: A spiritual fire extinguisher comes in pretty handy!
Listen
to this message on your audio player.
"'Is not my word like fire?' declares the LORD" (Jeremiah 23:29). "Do not quench the Spirit" (1 Thessalonians 5:19). "Take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one" (Ephesians 6:16).
The Seamen's
Bethel is in the seaport city of New Bedford,
Massachusetts across from the Whaling Museum. Since the
early 1800's this Christian chapel has been active for the
many fishermen and sailors who are based in New Bedford.
In fact this very chapel is mentioned in Herman Melville's
classic "Moby Dick" which was then referred to as the
"Whaleman's Chapel".
"In the same
New Bedford there stands a Whaleman's Chapel, and few
are the moody fishermen, shortly bound for the Indian
Ocean or Pacific, who fail to make a Sunday visit to the
spot."
We
visited inside the chapel and the most striking feature is
the huge pulpit, which is shaped like the bow of a ship.
When visiting historic churches I often stand behind the
pulpit to get a feel for what it would be like to preach
in that setting. So I stood behind the bow-shaped pulpit
and looked out over the benches, imagining what it would
be like to share God's Word with the whaling men one
hundred and fifty years ago. In the classic Moby Dick
movie there is a scene where a fire-and-brimstone sermon
is preached from this very same pulpit.
But I found something else most
interesting behind the pulpit, where only the preacher can
see it; a fire extinguisher! Now I'm quite sure it has a
very utilitarian purpose and when you think about it, it's
really a pretty good idea. If a fire should break out we'd
certainly expect the preacher to be alert and quickly
notice it. This may not always be the case with some in
the congregation (depending on how wide awake, or not,
they are!)I just hope
no one would ever use an extinguisher to extinguish the
genuine fire of God's Word. But do we? I'm afraid it
happens, though I certainly hope it wouldn't be the
preacher! Paul warned his readers "quench not the
Spirit" (1 Thessalonians 5:19). The word for
"quench" literally means "extinguish". The NIV translates
this verse, "Do not put out the Spirit's fire".
But actually
there just may be a good reason to keep a spiritual fire
extinguisher behind the pulpit and on us at all times. The
apostle Paul wrote in regard to the armor of God: "Take
up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish
all the flaming arrows of the evil one" (Ephesians
6:16). Indeed, a spiritual fire extinguisher comes in
pretty handy!
We may face some flaming arrows today but we are not powerless when we use the extinguisher that God has provided. Lift up the mighty shield of faith as a powerful defense against the attacks of the enemy from within and without! The shield of faith cannot be pierced by Satan's flaming arrows no matter the venom, speed, or frequency with which he discharges them. Let us be filled with the Spirit of God so that we extinguish the enemy's fire while setting ablaze the fire of God's Word.
We may face some flaming arrows today but we are not powerless when we use the extinguisher that God has provided. Lift up the mighty shield of faith as a powerful defense against the attacks of the enemy from within and without! The shield of faith cannot be pierced by Satan's flaming arrows no matter the venom, speed, or frequency with which he discharges them. Let us be filled with the Spirit of God so that we extinguish the enemy's fire while setting ablaze the fire of God's Word.
Be
encouraged today, (Hebrews 3:13)
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father, we are grateful for the fire
of Your Spirit that ignites us to be strong in our
faith, wise in our understanding, and obedient in
our service to You. May we be eager to listen to
Your Spirit and His promptings as we fulfill our
duties this day. When the flaming arrows come our
way may we ready to use the divinely appointed
extinguisher of the shield of faith. Amen.
Years ago we attended a community prayer service
with numerous congregations joining together. The
host pastor warmly welcomed everyone who was
visiting. He then gestured toward the various
pastors who were sitting together in the second
pew and said, "I would now like to introduce these
extinguished pastors." After hearing his own
misspoken words he quickly corrected himself and
then properly referred to them as "distinguished
pastors".
Follow-up
to yesterday's message on our kitten Gracie. She
seems to continue to recover well. A Maryland
reader wrote with an interesting observation about
the "theology" of cats and dogs:
- The theology of a dog: “My master feeds me … my master pets me … my master plays with me … my master must be god.”
- The theology of a cat: “My master feeds me … my master pets me … my master plays with me … I must be god.”
Today's
Suggested
Music and Supplemental Resources
"Yet
Not I But Through Christ In Me"
Video
CityAlight
Did
you know? Starbucks is named after the first
mate in Moby Dick
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