Bob Sorge. The Fire of God’s Love. Grandview MO: Oasis House, 1996. Print.

The Fire of God’s Love was sweet to read. I am inclined to read it again the same way I might ask for a second slice of pie even on Thanksgiving. It is too sweet to pass up.

The Fire of God’s Love is billed as a sequel to Sorge’s The Fire of Delayed Answers. Both books try to share God’s various ways of dealing with His people. Here, God’s ultimate purpose is for us to discover His love.

God’s greatest demonstration of His love, of course, is His coming to earth and suffering the torture of beating followed by crucifixion for us. That means, though, that our love for God may also be demonstrated by, as Jesus put it, taking up our own cross. (See Matthew 16:24)

Sorge says that often we try to get love from man and try to persuade God instead of getting love from God and trying to persuade man. If we understand God’s love, we will be energized.

The first part of The Fire of God’s Love is based on the letters to the Corinthians. Sorge points out that Corinth was a lot like modern North America. It prospered. It tolerated Christians. Sexual temptations and temptations for greed abounded. The church had great teaching and Holy Spirit power. However, its prosperity had produced factions—very similar to the North American church today.

Paul tells the believers in Corinth that he wants to know Christ and the fellowship of His suffering. Some of the other churches such as those in Thessalonica and Rome had suffered. Not that we deliberately court trouble, but suffering does have the ability to bring us closer to God and closer to separated brethren.

Then Sorge looks at the writings of John, both his gospel and his letters. He sees Christian growth as enumerated in I John 2:12-14: children, young men, and fathers. In the Gospel of John, Jesus distinguishes between servants and friends. (John 15:15) The story of Mary and Martha also illustrates this difference (see Luke 10:38-42). Martha was the servant; she worked hard for Jesus to please Him and make Him comfortable. She was like the vigorous young man in I John, a hardworking servant. Mary, though, was more like the father or friend. She just wanted to be close to Jesus and hear what He had to say. She showed wisdom. Martha may have rebuked her, but Mary “had the better part.”

Sorge ends with a teaching or meditation on the Song of Songs. It is not always easy for the lover in this book. At times she is beaten. Her own family is jealous of her. Ultimately, though, she is able to go to the high places, to go with the Shepherd King as He rules the nations. The last image we see is the lover coming out of the wilderness into the high places leaning on the King. (Song of Songs 8:5)

Events in Libya and through the Near East even just last few weeks remind us that the walk with the Lord Jesus may not be easy. We may have to demonstrate that we do not love our lives even to the point of death (see Revelation 12:11). So the Eternal God is the only one with everlasting arms to lean on, or to catch us.

 The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms…(Deuteronomy33:27 KJV).

The Holy Ghost will make you transparent
As you die to self a thousand thousand times—
Tongues of flame torching façade after façade,
Painfully, gladly, melting mask upon mask,
Heating your heart till there’s nothing to hide.
No door, no lattice, you are known, you are moving—
When the root is laid bare, then you are free.

The Holy Ghost will make you transparent,
Not invisible, you become all the more you;
Faith’s substantive shield defends you unseen.
Not out of Adam, but drawn from the Promise,
You shall stand on rough waters and not be a ghost.
Being transparent, you see only others,
And others, when looking, see only Christ.