Relaunch: Fire School Ministries
In the spring of 2007, while pastoring a Nazarene church in Obetz, Ohio, the weighty, manifest presence of God fell upon our church body in an extraordinary manner. I had the privilege of growing up in the church and experiencing many great revivals and camp meetings. Yet, I had never experienced anything like we did when the Spirit of God rested upon us. We saw multitudes come to faith and in addition, people were sanctified, healed, delivered, and many were called to ministry. People had encounters with God, they were transformed, and then they carried His presence into the community. Most importantly, this atmosphere of revival remained in our church from that time until we resigned in 2018.
The Fusion of Purity and Power
Observations from a Transformative Era
During those days, I observed something in our church that has become pivotal in my ministry. The Holy Spirit didn’t just purify people’s hearts and radically transform them, He empowered them to live profoundly different in extraordinary ways. God’s power manifested through our congregation with supernatural gifts and abilities. I’m not talking about ecstatic flesh produced behaviors, but genuine graces in people that made a transformational difference in communities around our church. For the first time I realized the sanctified life was to be the fusion of purity and power.
This is what characterized the Holiness movement over a hundred years ago: It was moving! People were spiritually alive and full of passion, fervor, and enthusiasm that didn’t wane amidst a compromising culture. The church prevailed because it lived in what early Nazarene leader R.T. Williams described as, “a continuous revival atmosphere.” Like many of you, I’ve researched our archives and discovered that our tribe, along with many others in the Holiness movement, functioned in purity and power; two ingredients that helped sustain a revival atmosphere.
Introducing Fire School Ministries
Educating for Sustained Revival
Within two years of the outpouring (2009), we began hosting Monday evening classes to equip believers to sustain a spirit of revival in their lives. We called these weekly courses, Fire School, stating it was a school where believers learn how to live in the continuous fervor (fire) of the Lord (see Romans 12:11). What we were experiencing was not mere emotionalism or hype. It was a genuine move of the Holy Spirit, and therefore, we believed it must become an ongoing lifestyle.
Every class included a time of being Scripture fed and Spirit led. All our lessons were rooted in the Word, but that truth was activated by the Spirit and demonstrated through our lives. The curriculum reflected experiences we had as a body of Christ ranging from experiencing sanctification (heart purity), prevailing over demonic strongholds, functioning in the supernatural, establishing houses of prayer, hearing the Holy Spirit, and living in the Spirit’s power. Over time, classes grew, and opportunities increased to teach the curriculum in other churches. Eventually, Fire School Ministries became an official organization.
Expanding Horizons
The Evolution of Fire School Ministries
Today, Fire School Ministries has expanded to include a wide range of published resources aimed at helping pastors and congregations steward revival atmospheres. The same commitment of blending the Word and the Spirit remains a hallmark of all that is written. Cindy and I have had the privilege to travel fulltime for Becoming Love Ministries Association (BLMA) for the last five years. It’s been an amazing journey with an anointed team, and I’m grateful for the invitation from Dan Bohi. It’s hard to put into words the many things we’ve witnessed God do across the nation. But we feel called back to Fire School Ministries, and so we will close our chapter on this incredible five-year experience with BLMA at the end of this calendar year and relaunch Fire School Ministries on January 1.
Looking Forward
Our Next Chapter with Fire School Ministries
Besides writing and publishing resources, I will be traveling this New Year for Fire School Ministries teaching, holding revivals and conferences, and equipping believers to live in the continuous fervor of the Lord. Simply put, my call is to re-dig the wells in the Holiness movement with the message of purity and power so that revival becomes a sustainable and transferable atmosphere. Cindy plans on joining me for a few events but will be concentrating her time for Fire School off the road writing, mentoring, and fulfilling some scheduled teaching assignments. We both believe some of the greatest moves of God are yet to unfold, even in the days we’re living. “Study the history of revival,” said a prominent revivalist, “God has always sent revival in the darkest of days.”
We appreciate your prayers and support. You can obtain resources, especially the new workbook, Transforming a City, in the Fire School Website’s Resource section.
