Catch Fire?
- Gary Fritsch
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
I love to build a good campfire. I use a 'box fire' method which creates an outside square structure with stacked logs and then fills the middle with tinder (usually paper) and sticks and kindling. You must be enthralled by now. My point is that when I first light the fire, the logs will not burn. In fact, if I don't have enough tinder and sticks and kindling, they will never light. This is very much like sharing the light of Christ with others.
Ten years ago, I had just left a 25-year corporate career to do full time ministry (in a job that I did not yet have or even know about). I was as on-fire as I had ever been about anything in my life. In my corporate job it was all about the numbers, hit your targets, meet your goals, exceed the numerical expectations - which I nearly always did. So a few months later when God arranged for me to start a full-time job in my home parish doing something that I had no background or schooling in, I leaned on what I did know - meeting a number. I immediately set about getting a large crowd in for an event -and it worked! I thought. It turns out that all of the people who came to the event did not leave as complete devoted disciples of Jesus. Imagine that.
The reality is that when we offer a life in Christ to others, some will take it, some will not. According to Jesus, that's just fine - for the moment. Over the intervening years in ministry, I have come to examine more closely the method that Jesus employs to bring people closer to Him. He certainly does gather numbers. He preaches to massive crowds. Some follow Him in order to be fed (Jesus actually calls this out), some follow Him for miracles (I don't have that issue) and some draw closer. Jesus also deeply pours into twelve men. He spends extra time with them, explains to them what He is doing and why, and so those twelve follow Him even when others turn away. Fire can be seen as a source of warmth and danger. People will react accordingly.
And then Jesus pulls three men very close to Him. Peter, James and John form an inner circle with whom Jesus has some very particular and powerful experiences. They are the tinder, the Apostles are the sticks, the greater group of disciples (72) are the kindling and from that they begin to set the world on fire.
What this means for evangelization is that as we share the Good News of what God is doing in our lives, some people will be attracted and some won't. So what?! We draw closer to those who attracted to this message and deepen our relationship with them. But we have to resist the temptation to just stay there. It's nice in our little Christian circles. We have to keep setting the fire, offering the fire to others. If we have a few close friends who will do this with us, then we will have enough kindling in order to really catch fire. Are you ready?