FIRE IN THE WAX MUSUEM-
MERRY MONDAY — PARRIS BAILEY

“Who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.” Mal.3:2

Years ago, during the revival, we met a great guy who was an Episcopal priest who wrote a book bearing that title. His name was Father Bud and all I can say is that fire came into his wax museum (his church) and he was asked to leave.
Last week we had our summer saturation meetings. For eight days straight we had day and night meetings soaking in his presence. (The youth had extreme camp during the day) And like always when we have extended meetings, fire comes to our wax museums. Everything that man has built over the year gets a good dousing with fire from the Holy Ghost and what is left standing is Christ. As much as I hate the burnings it’s always good at the end. I had prayed last week for FIRE to come back into my life and my church. I am one of those ones that want the bandaid to come off faster rather than slower. Just let it rip Lord, bend me, change me, do what you want with me. It’s staying the same that is terrifying!
A.B.Simpson had a good take on the different types of Christians: “There are atmospheres in Christian life that greatly differ. Some of God’s children live in a cellar all their days, where the light is dim and the air damp; others live in shaded rooms and dim light, where the sun seldom shines; but others dwell in the very sunlight of God’s perfect love. The element of their being is not duty, conscience, doctrine, intellectual conviction or even Christian work, but divine love–the sweet, mellow, warm air of the Father’s house and the Father’s heart, the love of God poured out into the heart like the warm sunshine by the Holy Spirit abiding in the heart, and dwelling ever on God’s glorious gift and everlasting pledge of His perfect love.”
We need the fire of the Holy Ghost! Have you set up a wax museum? Have you been living in a dark rank moldy cellar in your walk? Well, you will know when the fires falls! All we need is to be delivered from self and sin, to see it, recognize it, call it by its right name, throw off the disguise of compromise and let God slay it!
Refiner’s fire and fuller’s soap stress both it’s thoroughness and it’s severity. The heat of the refiner’s fire was intense in order to separate the dross from the molten pure metal. Similarly, the fuller used strong lye soap on the cloth then he would beat it. You see the Holy Spirit performs a double work on us, soap for outward cleansing and the fire for inward transformation. Fire penetrates where water and soap cannot break through. Fire cleanses and changes everything it touches besides the gold and silver. The more you burn them, they only improve. Do not fear the fire. Only as we partake of the divine nature does the fire refine us. So Holy Spirit Come! For it is then “the King’s daughter” shall be “all glorious within, her clothing of wrought gold,” which no flame can deface or destroy. Amen