Reflection  ·  October 25, 2026

Sunday Service  ·  10:00 AM

Citizens of HEAVEN · Living on Earth

“Listen, after the fire falls, keep the altar burning.”

Pastor Hector Boucet opened this Sunday’s message where Tuesday night’s ended. Tuesday, the church heard the question — what does this church need? — and the answer: fire. But Pastor Boucet would not let the church stop at the experience. Fire that falls and then goes out changes nothing. The question GOD is asking now is whether we will tend what HE has lit.

Point one on the screen said it plainly: before the fire falls, restore the altar. Pastor Boucet took the church to 1 Kings 18:30, where Elijah repaired the altar of the LORD that had been broken down — before he ever prayed for fire. Israel wanted to see GOD’S power, but the people had turned away from HIM. Elijah understood that something had to be restored first.

1 Kings 18:30 (KJV)

The altar, Pastor Boucet said, represents surrender, worship, sacrifice, and devotion to GOD. Perhaps your prayer life needs restoring. Perhaps your hunger for HIS WORD has weakened. We want revival — but are we willing to let GOD deal with our pride, our attitudes, our unforgiveness, our disobedience? Transformation is not a moment; it is day after day. True repentance is not “oops, I did it again” on repeat. True repentance means you do not want to do it again — and the HOLY SPIRIT, working with you, brings the progress: seven days a week becomes four, then two, then one day you stop and realize HE has changed you.

And stop pointing out there. It is easy to point at someone else and judge. Pastor Boucet’s charge was blunt: say “LORD, begin with me.” If you are not going to feed someone, do not poison them — if you are about to open your mouth to say something negative about a brother or sister, shut it. The enemy studies you, looking for the crack. Before he even opens his mouth, shut him up.

Point two: you cannot live on yesterday’s fire. Leviticus 6:12-13 tells us the fire on the altar was to remain burning and never go out, and the priests had the responsibility to maintain it daily. Your priest could not neglect the altar today simply because the fire had burned yesterday — and neither can we live forever on yesterday’s encounter with GOD. Thank HIM for the times HE has touched you, strengthened you, and answered your prayers. But yesterday’s encounter must not become today’s excuse for neglecting HIS presence.

Leviticus 6:12-13 (KJV)

That is why 2 Timothy 1:6 tells us to stir up the gift of GOD. Stir it up. Pray even when you do not feel like praying. Worship even when the circumstances are difficult. Remain faithful even when you do not feel an emotional breakthrough. This is not about manufacturing an experience or trying to force GOD to move. It is about remaining faithful to HIM — because HE is always faithful.

Point three: remove the ashes. Leviticus 6:10-11 describes how the priest removed the ashes from the altar. Maintaining the altar is more than adding wood — the ashes have to be removed. For years we accumulate things: offenses, attitudes, distractions, things we know are not from the LORD. Then we ask GOD for something new while refusing to deal with what has been accumulating in our hearts. There is no space for the new until you let go of the old — and the worst thing is to blame HIM for not pouring in while you are still holding the cup full.

HE brings things into the light so we can repent, receive HIS grace, and walk in freedom. And Hebrews 12:1 tells us to lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us. Removing the ashes does not mean pretending our pain never happened. It means refusing to let yesterday control today’s obedience. Write down what HE is speaking to you, put an asterisk next to it, and take action — otherwise Sunday after Sunday stays exactly the same.

— Pastor Hector Boucet

When the fire fell on Mount Carmel, 1 Kings 18:38-39 says the people fell on their faces and acknowledged that the LORD is GOD. The purpose was not merely an impressive display. GOD was turning people’s hearts back to HIMSELF. That is the difference between chasing a moment and seeing transformation. We do not seek HIS presence simply so our services become more exciting. We seek HIM because HE is worthy — and because we need HIS transforming work in our lives.

Acts 1:8 promises that the HOLY GHOST will empower HIS followers to be HIS witnesses — and the power is not just for what happens inside the building. It equips us to serve, love, forgive, stand for truth, and share the gospel. Do not wait for the November 8 beach service to do something different. Be intentional now: take the flyers, talk to the people the LORD puts in front of you, and let your home, your conversations, and the way you treat others show the difference. We are not saved by our good behavior; we are saved by GOD’S grace through faith in JESUS CHRIST. But that grace calls us into a transformed life — every single day.

Point five: prepare for what GOD wants to do. If we are asking GOD for a greater work, we must prepare our hearts to respond faithfully. If we want deeper prayer, we must make time to pray. If we want unity, we must pursue it. We cannot control GOD’S timing, but we can obey what HE has already revealed in HIS WORD. Galatians 6:9 encourages us not to grow weary in doing good, because we will reap in due season if we do not give up.

Galatians 6:9 (KJV)

The easiest thing you can do is give up. The enemy, being a liar, will tell you to throw in the towel. But when you throw the towel, it will hit you back — because GOD threw it back to you. HE is not telling you to give up; you are listening to the wrong voice. Return to the WORD. Return to prayer. Return to obedience. And before you open your mouth to say something negative, say these words first: “LORD, start the fire in me.” Transform your ways of thinking first, and your ways of talking will be totally different.

Pastor Boucet closed with three questions — the same three on the screen, which he asked the church to photograph and carry into the week: Is my altar restored? Am I making room for prayer, the WORD, worship, and surrender? What ashes must I remove? Is there an attitude, offense, or distraction GOD is asking me to surrender? And will I keep the fire burning? Will I continue seeking GOD when the service is over and nobody is watching? Nobody else is responsible for keeping your altar burning. It is only you.

After the Fire Falls: Keep the Altar Burning is not a message to admire and forget. It is a message to answer — with an empty paper handed to the LORD each morning, with ashes carried out, and with a fire tended daily until HE comes.

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