St. Patrick: A Man On Fire

Scripture

2For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. 3I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. 4And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. 5I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God. 

1 Corinthians 2:2-4

Observation

Paul was feeling very inadequate to be the one to bring the message of Jesus to the Gentiles. He would have been much better suited to reach the Jews thanks to his education, pedigree and personal knowledge of Jewish culture. Yet, Jesus will often call us to a place and a people that require full reliance and surrender to His Spirit so that only God gets the glory. Paul’s missionary journeys helped spread the gospel throughout much of the ancient world. Over the course of his ministry, the Apostle Paul traveled more than 10,000 miles and planted at least 14 churches.  Paul’s missions played a crucial role in the formation and development of the early Christian church. Many of the communities he encountered on these missionary journeys were the same ones he wrote letters to that comprise the majority of The New Testament. The Fire of The Holy Spirit in Paul is still spreading to this day in the hearts and minds of those who follow Jesus wherever He calls them to go!

Application

Terry Pratchett once wrote, “Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.”  This is what our God does. It’s truly amazing to see the impact one person on fire with the power of The Holy Spirit can make on entire region. Take the story of St. Patrick as an example. His story, like the Apostle Paul’s, reads like a Hollywood movie. Bill Devaux chronicles: “Patrick was not Irish, but born English in the 5th century into a well-to-do family that had ties with the Roman government. His father was a deacon in the church, and he grew up with a nominal faith. But tragedy struck him in his teen years when he was kidnapped by slave traders and taken to Celtic Ireland as a slave. At that time Ireland was considered to be the end of the world. Here under harsh and perilous conditions, he spent his days and nights outdoors as a shepherd. But here his heart also awoke to God, and he began to pray fervently. In this place of desolation, he felt an extraordinary consolation, that he was a beloved son of the Father through Christ.” Through some miraculous events Patrick was able to escape his captors and make it back to his family in England. Much like the Macedonian call Paul received Patrick heard the voices of the Irish calling him to come back and tell them about Jesus. He became a Bishop and returned to the land of his slavery. Against all odds and logic, the Gospel began to spread as St. Patrick began to plant churches. “He faced dangers from slave traders, hostility from Druidic leaders, and even betrayal by church leaders. Remember at that time, Ireland was outside the edge of civilization. Tribes warred with each other, there were no roads or infrastructure, and animistic idolatry prevailed… Over the years, thousands became followers of Christ, including some of the Druidic kings.” The most unlikely man to bring revival to the island of Ireland was the man who said no to comfort and “YES” to the call of Christ.

Prayer

Lord, I can see the signs of revival all around me. Holy Spirit I invite You to fill me with Your fire and passion for those who don’t know You here in North County. Jesus, forgive me for letting my sense of inadequacy limit what You want to do through me. If You can use a Jew to reach Gentiles and a man from England to reach Ireland You can use me to reach a people who seem entirely too busy to give You the time of day here in California. I love what You are stirring in the hearts of our men at TFH and I pray this fire will spread through their families, work places and cities!