John Wesley said: “Catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come for miles to watch you burn.”
If the church needs anything, it needs enthusiasm. Remember when people use to regularly knelt at the altar of the church? Such actions stir the soul to go forth with the message of Christ to the world. There are so many people in our world who are searching for something that gives them reason to soar. Mr. Wesley knew long ago that people are drawn to enthusiasm. Our challenge is to be enthusiastic people who just naturally lead people to want to know about the Christian journey.
Remember the words of the writer of Hebrews. “This Melchizedek was king of the city of Salem and also a priest of God Most High. When Abraham was returning home after winning a great battle against the kings, Melchizedek met him and blessed him.”
Enthusiasm is a state of mind that cannot be hidden. It defines who we are and how we act. It brings a smile to our face and kind words to our lips. Practice enthusiasm and it will be as infectious as the flu. We are followers of the “MOST HIGH GOD” – what could be more exciting?
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- Who was Melchizedek? (924jeremiah.wordpress.com)
A Pastor's Thoughts 
The Wesleys also knew the power of preaching: someone once said, “You can’t have fire in the pews if there’s ice in the pulpit!”
Love it!
“Catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come for miles to watch you burn.” – But that’s the thing, isn’t it? People come and watch those burn who are enthusiastic – until there’s little left of them. The enthusiastic people have their limits too, and it’s always these few enthusiasts who try to do everything and then run out of fuel. And into stress-related illnesses. If they don’t know the magic secret of “how to interest others in burning too”…I see this with a lot of people in ministry, and I wonder if there really is a way not to run into that issue. It’s a 24h role – any kind of boundaries to protect emotional, mental and physical health will be hard to draw. And eventually that touches on spiritual health too. Do you have advice from your own experience to prevent that from happening?
First I would dare to say that Mr. Wesley was simply pointing out the lack of passion that was rampant in the preachers of his day, and he knew the church could be renewed by “on fire’ preaching. For me, the key is simple, I maintain what I call my desert of soul. My desert is my time of renewal and cutting off from the pressures of ministries, and I trust God enough that He will protect me from my critics when I go into my desert. Some people may say that pastors should always be engaged, I beg to differ. Some of the best ministry I have ever done has been in my time of disengagement. Silence, solitude and Sabbath are the essential building blocks of a healthy”on fire ministry,” there are no short cuts or magic formulas.Always remember that part of those 24 hrs need to be for you and God ALONE! My words are not final, but they are the ones I offer.
Prayers and blessings, Irvin