Quench :   Greek : sbennute    “suppress” (put down) / “extinguish” (put out)

 

Fervant:   Greek :  zeo  “to boil” “to seethe”

 

 

Suppressing the Spirit simply means hindering the Holy Spirit from moving in and among his people as He sees fit. It prevents spontaneous combustion of the Holy Spirit where miracles, signs and wonders live, where answered prayer is real and where God is speaking to His people’s hearts.

 

Let’s use a natural fire and the Combustion Triangle to show the spiritual truth about igniting and quenching the Holy Spirit’s fire.

 

 

 

 

 

In a Combustion triangle, you need the elements on all three sides to produce combustion. If you remove one or more of the three, combustion cannot take place.

 

 

How does a fire extinguisher operate?

 

a) Removes the source of heat (cooling)

b) Removes the supportive environment (here oxygen) that promotes combustion. (suffocation)

c) Remove the fuel source (starvation)

 

 

There is a similar “combustion triangle” with the Holy Spirit.  It is composed of the three sides of:

Faith, Word and Spirit.

 

 

 

Luke 24:46  He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."

 

 

Act 1:12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day's walk from the city. 13 When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14 They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

 

Act 2:1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

 

 

Things that are Igniters (combustibles)

 

a) Fervent worship (Supportive atmosphere)  vs. 14 

b) Faith that stretches (Heat)   vs. 13 (see Luke 24:49)

c) The Word of God being spoken and confessed (Fuel)

 

• Fervent worship (prayer and praise) – an atmosphere where we forget about our surroundings and invite in the Spirit’s presence
• Faith that stretches – Faith that believes for impossible situations and expects miracle answers
• The Word – Confessing the promises of God / Speaking scripture (what God has said) to a situation.

 

 

Things that are Quenchers:

 

a) Remove the source of heat (cooling) -- Theology

b) Remove the supportive environment that supports combustion. (suffocation) -- Legalism

c) Remove the fuel source (starvation) -- Flesh

 

• Theology – Studying the supernatural right out of the Word of God
• Legalism – Hindering the Spirit by focusing in on the letter of scripture & man inspired rules
• Flesh – Infusing our pride, temperament and showmanship into worship in a way that starves the Holy Spirit.