Volume 6, Issue 1
Volume 6, Issue 1
Prologue
Praise the Lord, Messengers of Peace
Welcome to the first issue of our Ablaze series for The Messenger.
Fire has always been more than a symbol—it is a responsibility.
From the altar in Leviticus to the Upper Room in Acts, Scripture reminds us that while God ignites the flame, His people are entrusted with tending it. Fire can illuminate, refine, and spread—but it can also fade if left unattended. What begins as a spark must become a discipline. What is ignited in a moment must be sustained through devotion.
This issue of The Messenger carries a clear and urgent message: the fire must keep burning.
Within these articles, you will encounter voices from different walks of life, different stages of faith, and different callings—yet all testify to the same truth: the fire of revival is sustained, not stumbled upon. You will read about the fuel of consecration, the formation of Christ within us, the courage to ask “Why not me?”, the resilience required to stay lit through storms, and the quiet faithfulness of young leaders who chose to keep showing up when it would have been easier to quit.
But all of them point to the same altar.
This issue is not merely an encouragement—it is an invitation. An invitation to guard what God has entrusted to you. To keep the fire alive. To refuse spiritual complacency. To recognize that this generation has not been called to admire the flame, but to become it.
As you read, may the Spirit fan what God has already placed within you and lead you to grow deeper in your relationship with Him.
And may this not be another issue you finish—but a fire you choose to carry.
Joel Orellana
Editor-In-Chief,
The Messenger Magazine
Every four years, the world pauses to witness a moment unlike any other—the lighting of the Olympic Flame. But before the games begin, something extraordinary happens: A single spark is kindled in Olympia, Greece, and from that small flame, an entire global movement is ignited.
What most people don’t know is how fiercely that flame must fight to stay alive.
The question, “Why not me?” echoed in my heart as I read God’s Generals: The Revivalists by Roberts Liardon. This book recounts the lives of men and women who, fueled by an unquenchable passion for God, refused to settle for an ordinary existence. Their encounters with God set them ablaze, making Jesus their sole desire and compelling them to share His story, His death, burial, and resurrection with the world. What truly set them apart was their commitment to “go out and preach everywhere” (Mark 16:20).
Fire, in the Old and New Testament is not a new concept or phenomenon. God often uses fire as a symbol of His presence, refinement, judgement, sacrifice, guidance, and His Holy Spirit. In his final letter, Paul with urgency in his tone, reminds Timothy that the gift, not spiritual gifts but the Holy Spirit, which was given to him by God, should never be quenched but it must be a fire that must keep burning.
As a young person being a leader can be challenging at times.I was fifteen years old when my great-grandparents invited me to church. At that point in my life, I wasn’t truly interested in going. I was battling depression and felt lost, disconnected, and empty. Still, I didn’t want to disappoint them, so I agreed to go the following Sunday—not knowing that God had already prepared that very moment for my transformation.
The Messenger Team
Editor-in-Chief
Joel Orellana
North Central California District
Web Editor
Michael Cota
South Central District of California