STRANGE FIRE in THE HOUSE of THE LORD
 -by J. Lee Grady.
 
We need to be careful. Current fads involving angels, ecstatic 
worship and necromancy could push us off the edge of spiritual sanity.
 
No one fully understands what Nadab and Abihu did to prompt 
God to strike them dead in the sanctuary of Israel. The Bible says 
they loaded their firepans with incense, ignited the substance and 
“offered strange fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded 
them” (Lev. 10:1, NASB). As a result of their careless and 
irreverent behavior, fire came from God’s presence and consumed them.
 
Zap. In an instant they were ashes.
 
When Moses had to explain to Aaron what happened to the two 
men, he said: “It is what the Lord spoke, saying, ‘By those who 
come near to Me I will be treated as holy, and before all the people 
I will be honored’” (v. 3). Although we don’t know the details of what 
Nadab and his brother did with the holy incense, we know they 
were careless and irreverent about the things of God.
 
“We want the miracles of God, but we also want the fear and 
reverence of God. We cannot allow this strange fire to spread unchecked.” 
 
This ancient story has relevant application for us today. We don’t 
use incense or firepans in our worship, but we are expected to 
handle God’s Word with care and minister to His people in the fear 
of the Lord. In other words: No funny business allowed. We aren’t 
allowed to mix God’s Word with foreign concepts or mix our 
worship with pagan practices.
 
Yet as I minister in various churches around this country I am 
finding that strange fire is spreading in our midst-even in churches 
that call themselves “Spirit-filled.” Pastors and leaders need to be 
aware of these trends:
 
1. Deadly visitations. In some charismatic circles today, people 
are claiming to have spiritual experiences that involve 
communication with the dead. One Michigan pastor told me last 
week that some church leaders he knows promote this bizarre 
practice and base it on Jesus’ experience on the Mount of 
Transfiguration. The logic is that since Jesus talked to Moses and 
Elijah on the day He was glorified, this gives us permission to talk 
to dead Christians and our dead relatives.

 Although little is said about these experiences from the pulpit 
(since the average believer is not ready to handle this “new 
revelation”), people in some streams of the prophetic movement 
are claiming to have visitations from Aimee Semple McPherson, 
William Branham, John Wimber or various Bible characters. And 
we are expected to say, “Ooooooo, that’s so deep” - and then go 
looking for our own mystical, beyond-the-grave epiphany.
 
That is creepy. Communication with the dead was strictly 
forbidden in the Old Testament (see Deut. 18:11), and there is 
nothing in the New that indicates the rules were changed. Those 
who seek counsel from the dead - whether through mediums and 
séances or in “prophetic visions” - are taking a dangerous step 
toward demonization.
 
2. Ecstatic rapture. Not long after ecstasy became known as a 
recreational drug, someone in our movement got the bright idea to 
promote spiritual ecstasy as a form of legitimate worship. The 
concept evolved from “spiritual drunkenness” to the current fad in 
which people gather at church altars and pretend to shoot needles 
in their arms for a “spiritual high.” Some preachers today are 
encouraging people to “toke the Holy Ghost” - a reference to 
smoking marijuana.
 
I hate to be a party pooper, but the Bible warns us to “be of sound 
judgment and sober spirit” (1 Pet. 4:7). There is plenty of freedom 
and joy in the Holy Spirit; we don’t have to quench it by introducing 
people to pagan revelry. Christian worship is not about losing 
control. Those who worship Jesus do it “in spirit and in truth” (John 
4:24), and our love for God is not measured by how violently we 
shake or how many times we fall on the floor.
 
Recently I told a friend in Pennsylvania that when people get tired 
of this drug imagery it won’t be long before we see some 
Christians having sexual experiences at the altar. “It’s already 
happening,” my friend said. He described a recent “worship 
concert” in which one of the musicians simulated sex while 
stroking a microphone and whispering sensual phrases to Jesus. 
What is next - orgasmic worship? God help us.
 
3. Angels among us. Angels have always played a vital role in the 
life of the church. They are “ministering spirits” sent to protect, 
guide and strengthen believers (Heb. 1:14). But suddenly angels 
have become the rage in some segments of our movement. People 
are claiming to see them everywhere, and often the stories don’t 
line up with the Word of God.
 
During the Lakeland Revival last year in Florida, a man from 
Germany took the stage and claimed that an angel walked into a 
restaurant while he was eating a hamburger, took his intestines 
out and replaced them with a gold substance. Others have testified 
that angels took them to heaven and operated on them. And many 
are claiming that angels are dropping feathers, gold dust and 
precious gems on worshippers.
 
I know God can do anything. He can make an iron axe head float, 
hide a coin in a fish’s mouth and use a little boy’s lunch to feed a 
multitude. Those were genuine miracles that He can still do today. 
But we still have to use caution here. There are counterfeits. If we 
promote a false miracle or a false angel in the Lord’s house, we 
are participating in strange fire.
 
I know of a case where a man was caught planting fake jewels on 
the floor of a church. He told his friends he was “seeding the room” 
to lift the people’s faith. I know of others who have been caught 
putting gold glitter on themselves in a restroom and then running 
back in a church service, only to claim that God was blessing 
them with this special favor. Where is the fear of God when 
Christians would actually fabricate a miracle?
 
This is a time for all true believers with backbones to draw clear 
lines between what is godly worship and what is pagan practice. 
We want the miracles of God, but we also want the fear and 
reverence of God. We cannot allow this strange fire to spread 
unchecked.
 
~ J. Lee Grady is editor of Charisma magazine.
 
SOURCE: http://charismamag.com/index.php/newsletters/fire-in-my-bones/18454-
 strange-fire-in-the-house-of-the-lord