I was visiting some missionaries in a very difficult access country and was deeply impressed by their commitment both to God and to the people of the nation they served. I felt actually as if I were standing on holy ground, in the presence of missionaries of the quality of William Carey and Hudson Taylor, or of Gladys Aylward. The missionary wives and children were as equally committed as the husbands. I nicknamed them, “The Community of the Holy Fire,” because they are actually living and ministering in the fire of the Holy Spirit.

I believe that all Christians belong to the “Community of the Holy Fire.” This is a good way to understand the Church. The fire is the fire of God’s love. God is love; therefore His fire is the fire of love. Sometimes He sends His fire to purify us, at other times to empower us. Above all, He sends the fire of His Spirit to burn away the walls that separate us, and unites us in His love.