Smith Wigglesworth
Smith Wigglesworth (1859-1947) was a British evangelist who became one of the most powerful healing ministers in church history. Known as the "Apostle of Faith," he stands as one of the most compelling historical exemplars of what Apostle Delmar calls the "Way of Fire"—a path defined by radical obedience, total surrender to God, and the supernatural manifestations that follow such a life.
The Foundation: Complete Obedience
The central principle animating Wigglesworth's entire spiritual framework mirrors what the Way of Fire demands: absolute obedience to God's call. Wigglesworth taught that there exist "two classes of brethren"—those who obey God when He first speaks, and those who do not. For him, this was not philosophical musing but the lived experience that transformed him from a plumber and failed preacher into one of history's most powerful faith-healers.1
Wigglesworth articulated the gateway to power through Paul's question in Acts 9:6: "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" He insisted that the moment of yieldedness—when a believer answers that question with complete surrender—is precisely "where God can meet his need; where God can display His power; where God can have the man."
This yieldedness was not a one-time event but a continuous posture. As Wigglesworth explained through the testimony of a Russian evangelist he encountered:
"I said to God at every call I would obey Him, and I yielded, and yielded, and yielded, until I realized that I was simply clothed with another power altogether, and I realized that God took me, tongue, thoughts and everything, and I was not myself but it was Christ working through me."1
This is the Way of Fire in its purest form—the complete evacuation of self, the utter emptying of personal will, until the individual becomes merely a vessel through which Christ operates.
The Experience of Liquid Fire
In 1927, standing in Angelus Temple, Wigglesworth made a remarkable declaration:
"I am like one this morning that is moving with a liquid, holy, indispensable, real fire in my bosom, and I know it is burning and the body is not consumed."1
This was not metaphorical language. The fire he referenced was an actual, visceral experience—divine power so tangible it burned within him. He compared this to the disciples on the road to Emmaus, whose hearts burned as Jesus walked with them.
This "consuming fire" (a phrase with deep Old Testament resonance—God Himself is a consuming fire) had become Wigglesworth's constant companion. The fire did not diminish or fade; it characterized his entire existence. He was, in his own words, a "living flame" for God. When revival fire spreads through a community, he taught, it moves from one ignited life to another—people around such a person "begin to taste it, too."2
Daily Spiritual Architecture
What distinguished Wigglesworth from merely charismatic speakers was the rigorous, non-negotiable spiritual discipline underlying his supernatural authority. The Way of Fire is not an ecstatic escape from daily responsibility; it demands the opposite—meticulous, relentless devotion to specific practices.
Wigglesworth's daily architecture was remarkably consistent:3
| Practice | Implementation |
|---|---|
| Early Rising | 4:00 AM wake-up for communion with God |
| Daily Communion | Bread and cup taken daily without exception |
| Scripture Feeding | Bible was his sole reading material—never newspapers or secular books |
| Verbal Word Intake | Scripture read aloud at every meal |
| Constant Prayer | Never went 30 minutes without praying |
| Spirit Prayer | Continually prayed in tongues throughout the day |
| Physical Testimony | Always carried Bible in pocket; considered himself undressed without it |
| Meditation | Word meditated upon in every spare moment |
This was not legalism but the practical outworking of a singular conviction: "All lack of faith is due to not feeding on God's Word." Wigglesworth understood that faith requires constant nourishment from Scripture. His practice of reading Scripture aloud derived from Romans 10:17—"faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God."4
The daily communion practice deserves special attention. Unlike many Protestants who treat communion as occasional ritual, Wigglesworth saw it as the daily seal of his covenant with God. Taking bread and cup each morning was his way of saying: "I renew my covenant today. I remember that Jesus gave His body for my authority, His blood for my cleansing." This daily practice transformed him from a struggling believer into one of the boldest men in Christian history.5
Purity as Prerequisite for Power
The Way of Fire demands not just activity but transformation of being. Wigglesworth taught that "a holy life was a prerequisite for Spirit-led ministry. Holiness, purity, and surrender were necessary" for the supernatural to flow.6
He insisted:
"As we think about what is pure, we become pure. As we think about what is holy, we become holy."
This is not positive thinking but a biblical principle—the mind shapes the spirit, and the spirit shapes destiny. Wigglesworth's absolute refusal to read newspapers (declaring "I don't need to read bad news. I already have the good news") represented a strategic pruning of his thought-life to maintain the purity necessary for heavenly hearing.78
The fire of God cannot dwell in an impure vessel. Wigglesworth understood that every compromise with "lukewarm religion"—institutional Christianity that has lost its supernatural edge—was a step away from the consuming fire.
The Authority of Discernment and Deliverance
One distinctive mark of Wigglesworth's ministry was his gift of discerning spirits. Where others saw sickness, he saw demons. Where others prayed for symptom relief, he cast out the spirits causing the affliction. This is the difference between religious prayer and apostolic authority.
According to his great-granddaughter, when Wigglesworth would punch or kick people during healing prayer, he "operated in the discerning of spirits, very strongly." He could actually perceive the demonic entities behind the sickness and would strike at them, not the person. This required a level of sensitivity to the spirit realm that only comes from unbroken communion with the Holy Spirit.9
This aggressive approach to deliverance flowed from Wigglesworth's understanding that Satan should never be treated with gentleness. The Kingdom of God was advancing, and demons fleeing before the authority of Christ's name was the expected norm, not the exception.
The Paradox: Power Through Emptiness
Here lies the central paradox of the Way of Fire that Wigglesworth embodied: supreme power flows through total powerlessness. He famously said:
"I am not moved by what I see or hear. I am moved by what I believe."10
This was not ignorance of facts but a deliberate choice to orient his entire being toward God's Word rather than circumstances. This encapsulates the truth vs facts principle—prioritizing God's Word over symptoms.
When prayer was needed, Wigglesworth did not beseech God timidly. He spoke with authority—not commanding God, but commanding demons, commanding disease, commanding death itself to release its grip. He understood that Jesus had already won the victory; he was simply enforcing what had already been accomplished at Calvary.
The secret place—his early morning communion, his constant prayer, his meditative feeding on Scripture—was where he received his orders from heaven. Then, with complete confidence in those orders, he moved in the marketplace with apostolic authority.11
Documented Results
The Way of Fire is not measured by eloquence or theological sophistication but by results. Wigglesworth's ministry produced:
- At least 14 documented cases of people raised from the dead12
- Countless healings of the terminally ill
- Legion-level demonic deliverances
- Creative miracles (a field completely cleansed of blight becoming the farmer's best crop ever)13
The healing of a woman with tuberculosis illustrates his method. When doctors had given up, when family members were preparing for death, Wigglesworth would clear the room (removing the atmosphere of doubt that chokes faith), keep only believers present, and then—often with a simple prayer spoken with absolute authority—the person would be healed.14
Why Wigglesworth Matters Today
The Preface references Wigglesworth alongside John G. Lake, Kathryn Kuhlman, and William Seymour as examples of saints who "walked with holy fire":
"These holy saints of modern times walked with holy fire. They were set ablaze. They couldn't imagine living life except for Christ. They couldn't imagine not being consumed with gratitude to Father God."
Wigglesworth's particular contribution was to demonstrate that such authority was available not to an elite class of super-Christians but to anyone willing to pay the price: complete obedience, radical purity, and daily disciplines that keep the fire burning.
He was, by human standards, unpromising raw material—a working-class plumber with speech impediments and minimal formal education. Yet when he said "yes" to God's call and began the relentless pursuit of His presence through Scripture, communion, and prayer, he became "one of the boldest men of God in history."315
The conclusion is inescapable: the limiting factor is not ability or talent or education. It is willingness—willingness to surrender everything, to be consumed by holy fire, to refuse the comfortable mediocrity of institutional Christianity.
This is precisely what the Way of Fire demands, and what Smith Wigglesworth's life demonstrates remains absolutely possible:
"The age of miracles hasn't passed. It continues through those brave enough to pay the price for apostolic authority."
Related
- John G. Lake
- Kathryn Kuhlman
- William Seymour
- Kenneth Hagin
- The Way of Fire
- The Fire
- Miracles
- Obedience