{"id":48576,"date":"2021-06-18T11:10:13","date_gmt":"2021-06-18T08:10:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/?p=48576"},"modified":"2025-05-31T17:47:30","modified_gmt":"2025-05-31T14:47:30","slug":"god-does-not-accept-strange-fire-be-careful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/2021\/06\/18\/god-does-not-accept-strange-fire-be-careful\/","title":{"rendered":"GOD DOES NOT ACCEPT STRANGE FIRE BE CAREFUL!"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I was a child, I attempted a dangerous experiment. I believed all a lightbulb needed was “electricity” any kind without understanding the voltage or proper setup. So, I plugged two bare wires directly into a power socket and touched them to a bulb, expecting it to light up. Instead, the bulb exploded. Thankfully, by God\u2019s mercy, the shards missed my eyes. That day, I learned that a lack of understanding can be dangerous even deadly.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The problem?<\/strong> I thought that the presence of electricity alone was enough. I completely ignored the process and design intended for safely using it. That mistake mirrors a common spiritual issue today: people try to worship God in ways He has not authorized.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The Danger of Unauthorized Worship<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In Leviticus 10:1\u20132 (ESV)<\/strong>, we see the tragic story of Aaron\u2019s sons:<\/p>\n

\u201cNow Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them. And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Their error? Offering \u201cunauthorized fire\u201d <\/strong>also called \u201cstrange fire\u201d<\/strong> in other translations. This was a fire not taken from the altar of burnt offering<\/strong>, where God Himself had ignited the flame (Leviticus 9:24), and which was to burn perpetually (Leviticus 6:12\u201313). God had given clear instructions<\/strong> that any fire used in the tabernacle must come from His altar<\/strong>, symbolizing worship that originates from divine instruction, not human innovation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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\u201cHoly Fire\u201d vs. \u201cStrange Fire\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The altar fire represented God\u2019s holiness<\/strong>, His wrath against sin, and His provision for atonement through sacrifice. That fire was not just symbolic; it was sacred<\/strong>. To use a different fire was to treat the holy as common something God repeatedly warns against:<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean.\u201d<\/em>
\nLeviticus 10:10 (NIV)<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In other words, Nadab and Abihu treated divine worship casually. They likely thought, \u201cFire is fire as long as it burns, it works.\u201d<\/em> But God doesn\u2019t accept just any offering. He requires obedience, reverence, and holiness.<\/p>\n

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New Covenant Worship: In Spirit and in Truth<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Jesus echoed this principle in John 4:23\u201324 (NIV)<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

\u201cYet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Worship under the New Covenant is not based on rituals alone, but it must still follow God\u2019s guidelines<\/strong>: it must be sincere (\u201cin spirit\u201d) and doctrinally correct (\u201cin truth\u201d). Offering worship with unrepentant hearts, false doctrine, or self-centered motives is equivalent to offering \u201cstrange fire.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Who May Offer Worship That Pleases God?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In Revelation 8:3\u20134 (NIV)<\/strong>, we read about incense being offered with the prayers of the saints<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

\u201cAnother angel\u2026 was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God\u2019s people\u2026 The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God\u2019s people, went up before God\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Only the prayers of the saints <\/strong>those who have been made holy through faith in Christ (1 Corinthians 1:2) are accepted on God’s altar. God does not<\/strong> receive worship from those who live in unrepentant sin.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe sacrifice of the wicked is detestable to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright pleases him.\u201d<\/em>
\nProverbs 15:8 (NIV)<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cIf I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.\u201d<\/em>
\nPsalm 66:18 (NIV)<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Beware of Lukewarm Christianity<\/strong><\/h3>\n

God abhors half-hearted commitment. In Revelation 3:15\u201316 (NIV)<\/strong>, Jesus speaks to the church in Laodicea:<\/p>\n

\u201cI know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm neither hot nor cold I am about to spit you out of my mouth.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Claiming to be a Christian while living in open sin (drunkenness, immorality, pride, rebellion, vanity, etc.) is not just hypocritical it is spiritually dangerous. Just like Nadab and Abihu, such people risk provoking God\u2019s holy anger.<\/p>\n

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True Worship Requires True Conversion<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If you have not been born again <\/strong>if your life hasn\u2019t changed, your desires haven\u2019t been transformed, and you\u2019re still walking in darkness then you haven\u2019t truly come to Christ. The first step toward acceptable worship is repentance<\/strong> and faith in Jesus Christ<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cTherefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!\u201d<\/em>
\n2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cRepent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out\u2026\u201d<\/em>
\nActs 3:19 (NIV)<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

After repentance comes baptism<\/strong>, as Jesus commanded in Mark 16:16<\/strong> and as practiced in Acts 2:38.<\/p>\n

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A Call to Examine Ourselves<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Before we offer anything to God whether it\u2019s a song, a prayer, an offering, or a ministry we must examine ourselves:<\/p>\n