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Chapter 3: What Is Fire?

The power of God hit me so strongly my entire body quivered. I couldn't control it. I didn't want to control it.

This was my first visit to Encounter Church in Raywood, Texas. I had watched Apostle Delmar lay hands on person after person. I had seen people transformed. I had witnessed something I'd spent my entire life convinced didn't exist: the raw, undeniable, supernatural power of God.

I got in line. Last.

When my turn came, Apostle laid hands on me, and for the first time in my life, I spoke in tongues. I felt the Holy Spirit move through me in a way that was beyond profound. It wasn't emotional manipulation or group psychology. This was a supernatural encounter with the living God.

But what struck me most wasn't just what happened to me. It was what I heard Apostle declare over person after person as he laid hands on them:

"FIRE!"

Not "blessings." Not "peace." Not even "healing."

Fire.

That word kept ringing in my spirit long after I left Raywood. Why fire? What does fire have to do with the Holy Spirit? What does fire have to do with miracles, with healing, with the dead being raised?

Everything.

—Gary Sheng

The first time the Holy Spirit was poured out on believers, Scripture records a very specific manifestation:

"And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." — Acts 2:1-4

Cloven tongues. Like fire. Sitting on each of them.

This wasn't metaphorical language. This was describing what actually happened. The Holy Spirit manifested as fire.

Isaiah's Encounter with Holy Fire​

Six hundred years before Pentecost, the prophet Isaiah had his own encounter with the fire of God:

"In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims... Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged." — Isaiah 6:1-7

The fire of God touched Isaiah's mouth and purged his sin. Only after being touched by fire could Isaiah respond to God's call: "Here am I; send me."

You cannot carry the fire of God if you've never been touched with the fire of God.

Too many people today are wanting revival. They're wanting to minister revival. But they've never been ministered to. They've never tasted of the fire of God.

So how can you minister the fire of God if you've never been impacted by fire?

What Fire Does: The Six Properties​

When the Holy Spirit manifests as fire in Acts 2, it reveals six essential properties that define how He works in our lives. We need to understand these properties to understand what we're actually pursuing when we seek the fire of God:

1. Fire Purges​

Fire purifies. You can take a block of gold, put it in fire, and it will come out worth more because the fire purges the dross. It removes impurities and refines to greater value.

The Holy Spirit's fire does the same in our lives. He burns away the darkness, the sin, the compromise, the lukewarmness. He exposes every hidden motive, every secret sin, every area where we've been playing games with God.

"For our God is a consuming fire." — Hebrews 12:29

This is why so many Christians avoid the Holy Spirit. They don't want to be purged. They don't want the fire to expose what they've been hiding. They want to keep their comfortable Christianity that doesn't demand complete surrender.

But here's the truth: without purging, there's no power.

2. Fire Illuminates Truth​

Fire provides light. You can turn off every light for miles, but one flame can be seen from great distances because fire illuminates the darkness.

The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Truth. When He fills you, He doesn't just make you feel good—He reveals truth. He exposes lies. He shows you things you didn't see before.

"But when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth." — John 16:13

The Holy Spirit takes the Word of God and illuminates it. Have you ever read a Scripture you've read a hundred times, and suddenly on the hundred-and-first time, you see something you never saw before? That's the Holy Spirit providing illumination.

3. Fire Provides Heat and Energy​

Fire provides warmth. Fire provides power. Fire provides the energy that moves things.

When the Holy Spirit fills you, you become passionate. You become a conduit of His glory. You become bold. You become someone who can't shut up about Jesus because the fire inside you demands expression.

"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me." — Acts 1:8

This isn't hype. This isn't manufactured enthusiasm. This is the supernatural energy of the Holy Spirit diffusing throughout your soul—your mind, your will, your emotions—and making you alive in a way you've never experienced.

4. Fire Releases Miracles (When It Comes UPON You)​

Here's a critical distinction most Christians miss: There's a difference between the Holy Spirit IN you and the Holy Spirit UPON you. When you're born again, the Spirit dwells IN you. But when the Holy Spirit comes UPON you with fire, that's when supernatural acts happen.

Look at the pattern throughout Scripture:

  • Samson had the Spirit, but when the lion roared against him, "the Spirit of the Lord came UPON him" and he tore the lion apart (Judges 14:6)
  • David was anointed, but the Spirit came UPON him for mighty acts (1 Samuel 16:13)
  • Jesus had the Spirit from birth, but at His baptism the Spirit descended and remained UPON Him for ministry (John 1:32-33)

The Spirit IN you is for your transformation. The Spirit UPON you is for supernatural demonstration.

Think of it this way: You can have a cup filled with water (Spirit IN you). But when you take that full cup and set it in a five-gallon bucket of water, now the water is both IN the cup and all around it (Spirit UPON you). That's when miracles happen.

Apostle Delmar has experienced this distinction personally. He's raised people from the dead—but only when the Spirit of God came UPON him with compassion and fire. He once saw a man dead on the roadside and wanted desperately to raise him, but without the Spirit coming UPON him, he knew he'd just look foolish. Another time, the Spirit came UPON him so strongly he followed an ambulance, walked into a house full of paramedics, and raised a man from the dead—because the fire was UPON him, not just in him.

5. Fire Gives Spiritual Authority​

Here's the fifth property that makes fire so essential for spiritual warfare: Fire gives you delegated authority over the powers of darkness.

"Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you." — Luke 10:19

When you're filled with fire, you don't just have power to heal—you have authority to cast out demons, break curses, shatter bondage, and set captives free.

Look again at Mark 16:17-18. Notice what comes first in that list: casting out devils. Not healing. Not tongues. The first sign that follows believers is authority over demons.

The fire of the Holy Spirit gives you this authority. Apostle Delmar regularly casts out spirits of homosexuality, spirits of depression, spirits of addiction, Legion-level demons—because the fire burning in him carries the authority of Jesus Christ.

He doesn't negotiate with demons. He doesn't have long conversations asking their names and where they came from. He commands them to leave in the name of Jesus, and they obey—because he walks in fire, and fire carries authority.

6. Fire Multiplies Through Spiritual Connection​

Here's the sixth property that makes fire spread like it's meant to: Fire transfers and multiplies through proper spiritual alignment and apostolic connection.

"And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions." — Joel 2:28

When you're connected to genuine apostolic authority that carries God's fire, that same anointing flows to you. This isn't about duplicating someone else's specific gifts—it's about receiving the same Holy Spirit fire through spiritual alignment.

Think about it: In Psalm 133, the precious ointment pours down from Aaron's head, down his beard, down to the skirts of his garments. The anointing flows from the head through the entire body. As the priest, so the people.

This is why finding the right spiritual family matters so desperately. You cannot become a carrier of fire while sitting under leadership that denies the fire exists. You cannot walk in supernatural power while connected to a powerless religious system.

The whole body burns with the same fire when properly connected to an anointed head.

This creates not just individual fire-carriers but a corporate move of God—a Nation of Fire where every member burns with holy fire, ready to restore Kingdom living to all people in all the world.

The Uncomfortable Truth Most Churches Won't Tell You​

Now we need to have an honest conversation that's going to make some people uncomfortable.

Most Christians today have no real relationship with the Holy Spirit.

We're not talking about acknowledging He exists. We're not talking about believing the Trinity doctrinally. We're talking about actual, daily, intimate relationship with the Third Person of the Trinity.

Most Christians treat the Holy Spirit like He's some vague force that occasionally shows up during worship services. They talk about Him like He's an "it" instead of a Person. They reference Him in prayers but never actually commune with Him.

Here's what's even more sobering: Most pastors don't have a relationship with the Holy Spirit either.

Look at the evidence:

Do you see miracles in your church? Not stories about miracles that happened somewhere else. Not testimonies from fifty years ago. Do you regularly witness supernatural healing, deliverance, and the power of God manifesting in your services?

Does your pastor operate in the gifts of the Holy Spirit? Words of knowledge? Prophecy? Healing? Or do they explain away these gifts as something that ended with the apostles?

Are people being delivered from demons? Jesus cast out demons. The apostles cast out demons. Apostle Delmar casts out demons regularly. Is your church casting out demons, or do they not even believe demons are active today?

If you answered "no" to these questions, we have difficult news: You're in a spiritually dead church that denies the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Demonic Doctrine of Cessationism​

Let's call this what it is: Cessationism is a doctrine straight from hell.

Cessationism is the belief that the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit—tongues, prophecy, healing, miracles, words of knowledge—ceased after the apostolic age. That God worked powerfully in the early church but doesn't work that way anymore.

This is one of the most destructive lies the enemy has planted in the church.

Think about what this doctrine actually says:

  • God loved the early church more than He loves you
  • The promises Jesus made only applied to people living 2,000 years ago
  • The same Holy Spirit who raised Christ from the dead is somehow limited today
  • The supernatural is no longer available to believers

The Scripture demolishes this lie:

"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever." — Hebrews 13:8

"For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." — Acts 2:39

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father." — John 14:12

On a Southwest Airlines flight, a man wanted to sit next to Apostle Delmar because he heard him talking about Jesus in the terminal. They started discussing faith and seemed to agree on many things. But when Apostle asked about miracles, the man said they died out when the apostles did.

Apostle responded: "What makes you think they are all dead?"

Then he told the man: "If you ever get a bad report from the doctors, like cancer, don't go to your church—you're going to die. Come to Encounter Church. We will pray for you and our God will heal you. Yes, you'll receive a miracle at my church. All the apostles are not dead."

What Fire Actually Is​

So what is fire?

Fire is the manifest presence of the Holy Spirit working through yielded vessels.

Apostle Delmar has walked in it for 42 years. Gary has witnessed it transform everything he thought he knew about Christianity.

Fire is what happens when God's Spirit fills a human being who has surrendered completely to His will.

Fire is the supernatural power that heals cancer, raises the dead, casts out demons, and transforms lives.

Fire is what distinguishes powerless religion from the Christianity Jesus demonstrated and commanded us to walk in.

The fire of God will:

  • Bring healing in your marriage
  • Bring healing in your physical body
  • Break addictions in your life
  • Launch you into worldwide ministry that shapes nations
  • Cause you to want to lay down your life and live wildly, passionately for Jesus Christ

You need a touch of the fire.

When Apostle Delmar lays hands on people and cries "FIRE!", he's not being dramatic. He's releasing the same power that fell on the day of Pentecost. He's imparting what he carries—the burning, purging, illuminating, energizing presence of the Holy Spirit.

And here's what you need to understand: God doesn't only want a few people like Apostle Delmar to carry His fire.

The same Holy Spirit who anoints him is available to you. Now, listen carefully: God may not have given you the specific gifting to perform miracles. That's not everyone's calling. God wrote every day of your life before you were born, and He designed specific gifts and callings for you that may look different from Apostle Delmar's.

Not everyone will operate in the same miraculous gifts. The Scripture is clear that the Spirit distributes gifts "severally as he will" (1 Corinthians 12:11). Some are given gifts of healing, some prophecy, some teaching, some administration and service, some miracles.

But here's what God does want for every single believer: to burn on fire for Him.

The same fire that burns in Apostle Delmar can burn in you—not necessarily manifesting in the exact same gifts, but manifesting in the supernatural power appropriate to your calling. The same Holy Spirit. The same purging. The same illumination. The same holy energy and passion.

Your fire might look like supernatural wisdom in the marketplace. Or boldness to witness that leads souls to Christ. Or discernment that protects your family. Or intercession that shifts atmospheres. Or teaching that transforms minds.

The point isn't to duplicate someone else's anointing. The point is to discover yours.

The Invitation to Fire​

So here's the question: Do you want the fire?

The actual, tangible, transforming fire of the Holy Spirit.

Are you willing to let Him purge you? To let His fire burn away everything that's not of Him?

Are you willing to let Him illuminate the dark places in your life that you've been hiding?

Are you willing to let Him energize you with supernatural passion for God's kingdom?

Are you willing to pursue Him until you're baptized in fire the same way the 120 were on the day of Pentecost?

This is not optional for Christians who want to walk in power.

Jesus said, "Tarry in Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high." The disciples didn't leave the upper room until the fire fell.

The Promise​

Here's what God promises to those who seek Him:

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you... If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" — Luke 11:9-13

Your Heavenly Father wants to give you the Holy Spirit. He's not withholding. He's not making it complicated. He's waiting for you to ask.

And when you ask—when you truly seek Him with your whole heart—the fire will come.

The same fire that fell on the day of Pentecost.

The same fire that touched Isaiah's lips.

The same fire that burns in Apostle Delmar.

The same fire that's about to set your life ablaze.

In the next chapters, we're going to show you exactly how to walk in this fire daily. How to maintain it. How to let it transform every area of your life. How to become the kind of vessel God can use to turn the world upside down.

But first, you had to understand what fire actually is.

It's the manifest presence of the Holy Spirit.

We can tell you with absolute certainty: The Holy Spirit has been waiting for you to stop settling for powerless religion and start pursuing the relationship that changes everything.

Welcome Him in.