Where There's Fire There's No Smoke

I'm not necessarily disagreeing with the old adage, "Where there's smoke there's fire." I'm saying there's a little more to it. If you look at the header image for this article, it seems inescapable that my title is true. Yet we've all at some point seen smoke rising in the distance and wondered what was on fire. Perhaps, we've even gone out of our way to see what the answer to that question was. There was smoke, so we expected to, and did, find a fire burning. The header picture and our experience with the adage seem to be at odds with each other.

My home is in the middle of a 3 acre woods, not the most impressive woods one will ever see, but trust me, there are a lot of trees and each one has a lot of leaves. So every fall and into the winter I have a steady job ridding my yard of the leaves that would bury it if left alone. Some friends tell me, "If you don't rake your leaves, you won't have to mow grass. Win. Win." But I like grass, so I rake for months. And the leaves that are raked need to be burned. (Yes, it's legal where I live.)

So, besides raking, I've spent hours tending to fires. In fact, that is where the header picture came from. Watching the fires I observed that smoke would rise from a section of leaves that were not burning. But when those leaves got hot enough to burn and the fire started strong, the smoke from that area vanished. As you can see in the image, where there's fire there's no smoke. (The adage and the title are reconciled in that the adage is true in the macro sense, and the title is true in the micro sense.) But what has this to do with a religious oriented blog?

I see in this situation a metaphor for the church. Fire is the church at work. Smoke is dissension and problems weakening the church. The work of my fire is to chemically destroy the leaves, so that the ash left behind is a mere fraction of the mass of the leaves. A hot burning fire does that with such great efficiency that there is almost zero smoke. Smoke is evidence that the fire is not getting its job done, or is doing it very inefficiently.

God's church has work to do. It is not just a social club of buddies who get together and visit at church dinners. From its very inception in Acts 2 it busied itself with the "work of the church." As soon as 3,000 souls were baptized into it (vs 41), the church was busy continuing steadfast in the apostles doctrine (vs 42). Continuing steadfast required then, as it does now, a serious effort to know what that doctrine is and to make an effort to practice it correctly. Acts 2 finishes by listing several other "church" activities to which the Jerusalem church dedicated its enegy and time.

Acts 3 and 4 tells about the evangelistic efforts led by Peter and John. Acts 5 shows how the early church carried out a benevolent operation, and how some were more hypocritical than dedicated. Mostly we see fire and no smoke. Then there is a glimpse of smoke in chapter 5 and some full on smoke in Acts 6. Some people became upset and began to complain because they thought their widows were being neglected. The apostles (church leadership) quickly "put out" the smoke and rekindled the fire by having the people choose some qualified individuals to handle the problem. They quickly put these people to work, and we don't read of any more smoke.

Acts 7 and 8 give us a return to evangelistic endeavors. First, in chapter 7, the focus is on Stephen (one of those chosen in chapter 6). Then in chapter 8 we are told how, being scattered abroad due to persecution, these early Christians went everywhere preaching the word. Later in the chapter the focus is on Philip (also one who was chosen in chapter 6) who preaches in Samaria and then teaches the Ethiopian treasurer.

Throughout the New Testament it is made clear that the church, as a body, and as individual members, has work to do and should be involved in doing it. "Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, inasmuch as you know that your work in the Lord is not in vain," 1 Cor. 15:58. If you count yourselves a follower of Christ, notice three things in this verse.

First is the word, "always." I do not believe this is an absolute "always." Paul is not saying that there cannot be a second that you are not engaged in benevolence or evangelistic work. Sometimes you have to brush your teeth, if you know what I mean.

He is saying you should always be ready, willing and able to spring into action when the necessity arises. He is saying that you should always be on the lookout for an opportunity to do the work of the Lord, to the extent that you make opportunities where they don't appear to be. If you think it means less, study the life of the apostle Paul who makes this statement. Are you living up to this admonition?

Next Paul says "give yourselves." I see Rom. 12:1, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service." When you give yourself as a sacrifice, you are wholly committed. Remember the pig from the 12/4/24 "Trying to Walk" article, "Covenant With the King"? Your wants and desires have become unimportant.

What is there we would not do for God if we would follow Romans 12:1? Speaking in 2 Cor. 8 of how the people of Macedonia had gone so far above and beyond what anyone would have expected someone in their situation (poverty) to do, Paul explains how they accomplished it. He says in verse 5, "they first gave themselves to the Lord."

The third item of note in 1 Cor. 15:58 is the use of the word, "fully." "Always give yourselves fully." I can't help but think of the church in Laodicea as used in the 11/8/24 article, "First Let Me Bury My Father." To paraphrase, Jesus says that He would prefer that we not even be involved with Him and His church at all, over our halfway involvement in which we don't want to "get our hands dirty." He says this halfway business disgusts Him to the point of making Him vomit such people out of His mouth. Hot is what He wants, but ice cold is better than lukewarm. That’s frightening considering that "ice cold" is basically rejection of the gospel.

Think about it. This is saying that if Noah hadn't been willing to work for almost 100 years to build an ark, Jesus wouldn't have accepted him. If Moses hadn't been willing to walk into Pharaoh's throne room and challenge him to his face, Jesus wouldn't have accepted him. If David hadn't been willing to answer a giant’s challenge, Jesus wouldn't have accepted him. In regard to us, Jesus gave Himself fully before He asked us to give ourselves fully. "Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord." This is fire.

Paul tells Timothy about how problems arise when people don't stay busy in 1Timothy 5. In this chapter his specific topic is widows and their care. But what he mentions is something that is true of human nature whether widow or not. In verse 12 it is clear that Paul is talking about people who are not involved in the work. Then in verse 13 he says, "they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house, and not only idle but also gossips and busybodies, saying things which they ought not." This is full fledged smoke.

Sadly, there are examples of churches with members that have torn the church apart. They have said things which they ought not. They are idle. There's another old adage, "Idle hands are the devil's workshop." Paul would agree.

Idle church members talking disparagingly about the church as a whole. or its members individually, are in serious danger for their souls. But they are also damaging the church that Jesus died for. Don't participate with them. Steer clear of them other than to warn them, with love in your heart, of their dire situation.

They are smoke. The best way, maybe the only way, to eliminate smoke from the church house is for the members to be on fire for the Lord. Where there’s fire there’s no smoke.