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Twentieth Sunday After Pentecost
Light of Christ Anglican Church
The Rev. Michael Moffitt, October 2, 2016


Fan into Flame the Gift of God


Text: 2 Timothy 1:6–14

This week we will be focusing on our Epistle reading from 2 Timothy 1: 6–14. As I begin to think about the circumstances that Paul was in I wondered what he was thinking about as he prepared his second letter to Timothy, who was a spiritual son to him. Paul was writing from prison in Rome and he knew that he was about to be executed. This was most likely the last of Paul’s letters and probably dates between A.D. 64 and 68. This was around the time when the emperor Nero was brutally persecuting Christians in Rome and the church had scattered. Most of Paul’s friends had found it convenient to be elsewhere and Timothy was still in Ephesus where Paul had left him to deal with false teachers that were plaguing the church there. Ephesus was a very difficult parish for anyone much less for a young man like Timothy. It was the location of the great Temple of Artemus and the goddess Diana, pagan deities that were worshipped by most people there. It was also a place that Paul had labored for 3 years with great success but upon him leaving many false teachings had risen up.

As I pondered Paul’ emotional attachment to Timothy and the certainty that Paul knew Timothy was in great danger, I decided to call Ward LeHardy, a retired general in the U.S. Army and ask him what it was like for him to have his sons go into combat. Ward, himself a veteran of the Vietnam War knew the danger and peril that would confront his sons, so I asked him how he felt when they left. “I wasn’t worried about it at all. It was their job and I encouraged them to go and as the old saying goes, ‘head toward the sound of the guns’. All in our family are strong believers and I knew that God would protect them.” I hung up from talking to Ward, I thought that maybe Paul had a very similar attitude. He knew what Timothy had been called to do and that God was his equipper and that frankly he needed to intently go to where the gospel was most needed. This letter is a reminder that he would need to be faithful and lean into all that Paul had taught him and all that the Holy Spirit had revealed to him. Like Paul’ first letter to Timothy, the second reveals the absolute importance of maintaining sound doctrine and contains wonderful theological meditations on the grace of God, the faithfulness of Christ, the resurrection, and the nature and function of Scripture. Paul knew that Timothy would be all right as long as he remained faithful to what Paul had taught him, much like a soldier relying on his military training. This final letter from Paul to Timothy was meant to be an encouragement to Timothy to be bold and persevere in teaching sound doctrine. I am always moved by Paul’s exhortation to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:6–9:

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, 7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, 9 who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began.

The gift (charisma) that Paul is referring to had been given Timothy through the laying on of hands according to 1 Timothy 4:14 and this passage. The word gift (charisma) according to Strong’s Lexicon is said to reference “grace or gifts denoting extraordinary powers, distinguishing certain Christians and enabling them to serve the church of Christ, the reception of which is due to the power of divine grace operating on their souls by the Holy Spirit” In other words this gift came from God and was imparted by the Holy Spirit into Timothy. The laying on of hands by the elders was merely the means that God used. Even though Timothy was a young man, probably even younger than other elders in Ephesus, Paul had cautioned him in 1 Timothy 4:12, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” It was God who had chosen him for this task and he did not need the approval or affirmation of any man. This particular gift given to Timothy may have been that of a pastor or teacher and certainly that of an evangelist which Paul encourages him to fulfill in (4:5). Just like it is possible to quench the Spirit (1 Thesalonians 5:19) it is also possible to fan the Spirit’ gift into a flame. Paul is certain that there is an ember burning in the spirit of Timothy but he needs to get out the bellows and fan that ember into a roaring flame. The passages seem to indicate that Timothy was probably very shy and didn’t much care for confrontation. He was probably very pastoral and conciliatory and always wanted to make sure there was peace and unity. Going through 1 and 2 Timothy, you will find no less than 25 different places where Paul encourages Timothy to be bold, to not shy away from confrontation, to stand up where he needs to and be strong. In 1 Timothy 4:14 Paul exhorts Timothy to not neglect the gift of God given him but now he is telling him to stoke the fire and get it going again. To do what God was asking was going to require that Timothy be moving under the anointing power of the Holy Spirit and not his own strength. For us here this morning that should raise the question, “How do you fan into flame the gift of God if you have let it die down to an ember? Whenever you want to feed a fire you have to throw something on it that is flammable. If you throw water on a fire it will go out but if you throw gasoline on a fire (and you should never do that) there will be an explosion of flame. If you are trying to lose weight and burn off body fat you don’t stop eating but you change what it is that you are eating. You eat food that will provide energy and stoke the natural fat burning ability of the body’s metabolism. In the gospel story of Jesus being tempted by Satan in the desert after praying and fasting for 40 days, Matthew 4 records that he was very hungry, as you can imagine. Satan appears and his temptation of Jesus is based on the need that he has to eat something.

And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.

Paul is reminding Timothy that God did not give us a Spirit of fear but of power, love and self-control. Timothy is being exhorted to feed on the word that God had spoken into his life and to fan the flame by continually and courageously proclaiming the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ and to courageously be prepared to suffer for it. When God imparts a gift of the Holy Spirit to a believer, and he always does equip each person with a gift to build up and serve the body of Christ, but then he also provides the Spirit’ power to use that gift to its full effect. It must not lie dormant. Timothy’ responsibility is to keep feeding the gift by boldly using it over and over again and feeding himself the word of God taught him. God had given him the power to not only proclaim the gospel but to see clearly the truth that what he was proclaiming was life giving and the only hope for salvation for all. This clarity would change his response to those who opposed the message of the gospel from intimidation to “not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering by the power of God.” It would not matter that Timothy was young or timid because he had been given a gift from the Holy Spirit that came with the power of God. You will notice in the Scriptures that when the Holy Spirit fills the believer one of the sure signs is boldness in praising God and testifying to his power and glory. Remember the disciples who had run away when Jesus was arrested and Peter who denied that he even knew Jesus suddenly became very bold in proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus Christ after being filled with the Spirit on the day of Pentecost. Another example is Acts 4:31, ”And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.”

John Piper in his book Desiring God points out

No one can even say, ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the power of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3) — let alone say it in a Coliseum, or in Afghanistan or the university classroom.

Paul continues to drive home the need for unashamed courage throughout this entire letter. He does so because this had to be a central theme for Timothy’ ministry and it must be central for every Christian who desires to be used of God to proclaim the truth of salvation in Christ alone. Satan continually seeks to discourage and cause fear in the face of adversity and the demanded compromise by a world addicted to the desires of the flesh and to be independent from the demands of a holy God.

Paul begins this letter with a greeting that is similar to all of his letters, “Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord and then in 2:1 he encourages Timothy to “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus”. It would be the grace of God in Christ that would empower Timothy and give him the courage to boldly speak the truth of God’s saving power. This grace was the spark that would be used to fan the flames of faith and courage. It always has been and always will be the sole source of our strength and power.

Humanly speaking Timothy had every reason to be timid and have fear because the task before him was daunting. He pastored in a city that was a major center of pagan worship and with that comes demonic activity all around. We have friends that are missionaries in Bali, Indonesia, which is primarily Hindu. One of their frequent prayer requests is for protection from the effects of demonic presences that seek to disrupt their work and affect their health. This is warfare and Timothy knew that but Paul is reminding him to fan into flame the gift of God within him that has the power to overwhelm the enemy and accomplish the ministry given him by God.

He also had to contend with all the false prophets and false teachers that had risen up within the Ephesian churches. Let me read you a quote from the Classics Library on Ephesus during the time of Paul.

At one time, and in one place, heathenism was connected with the most gross profligacy of morals, and with the deepest degradation and debasement of manners; at another, it was connected with the most subtle and profound philosophy, so that all the arguments in support of that philosophy had to be met and refuted before Christianity could secure assent to its distinctive doctrines. At one place, it was blended with all that was beautiful in architecture, in sculpture, in painting, in poetry; at another, with all that could make life gay or voluptuous; at another, with the severest forms of superstition; at another, with national pride; at another, with the callings which men pursued in life; at another, with the power of the state. All these, in their varied forms, were to be overcome, before Christianity could displace the false religions of the world, and secure its own ascendancy over the minds of men.

I believe that we have the same situations as Timothy in our country right now. As a nation many if not most of our citizens celebrate that we have become a nation of diversity and everyone is encouraged to be open minded to all beliefs and practices. After all, every path leads to the benevolent god who just wants us to be happy, right? Truth is whatever you believe it to be and to claim that there is only one way to God is narrow minded, bigoted and many would contend is hate speech. We celebrate our individual freedoms which include killing the unborn child within the mother’s womb but we will fight to save a whale. We celebrate the right to choose our own gender identity regardless of the gender that we were born with. We are called brave and enlightened when we marry members of the same sex. Our country has become a laughingstock to the world because we have fallen so far from our former glory. Every day we read of brutal killings of such horror that we feel numb from realization of where we have fallen to. We are about to elect another president and no one can believe the choices that we are being asked to choose between. One of our candidates has said that on issues like pro-choice “religious beliefs opposing abortion have to be changed.” Many are making preparations for an apocalyptic world and are hoarding food, and everything they think they will need in the event of a world crisis that seems inevitable.

I am persuaded that we are now experiencing the effects of what happens when Christians do not fan into flame the gifts that God has given them. Many churches have effectively gone into hiding and struggle to just keep going within their own ranks, much less evangelize. They are afraid to speak out against the ungodliness and mindlessness of this current administration out of fear of losing what they have- especially the covenanted tax status. As you know I could go on and on but I think you get the point.

This was the culture of godlessness that Paul is encouraging Timothy to boldly and courageously minster to using the gifts that God had placed within him. It seemed impossible if seen through the lens of human weakness and timidity but Paul is calling his son to step out and watch God move in a way that only God could. How we must long for that courage in our own hearts. We must be bold to pray, “Lord, give us courage and boldness that we might see you move in power and glory in our midst and within our hearts!!!”

Paul continues in verses 9–11,

who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, 10 and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher.

Paul, who has now given everything for the sake of the proclamation of the gospel is passing the mantle to his protégé and he desires that he fully understand the full impact of what God in Christ has done for them and the honor of being set apart to this holy calling. The truly impossible had already been done through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Paul is reminding Timothy and all those who have come to faith in Jesus Christ that their calling is of first importance; it is holy and set apart from everything else. This salvation and calling has not been offered and given because of some special thing that we have done to earn it but is given in spite of our complete unworthiness. Timothy’s job was not to do the impossible but to proclaim that it had already been done by Jesus. Paul was proof that the power of the gospel could transform lives and entire cultures but it required those who willingly gave their lives to the proclamation of God’s living Word no matter the danger

which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me.13 Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you

Paul dearly loved and trusted Timothy whom he had invested many years in teaching and mentoring. Why would he recommend to someone that he loved so much to put their lives in grave danger when there was absolute guarantee of great suffering? As Paul is writing from prison in Rome facing his imminent execution, he is telling Timothy that whatever the price to be paid for serving faithfully, it is so worth it. He reminds Timothy that he is persuaded that everything that Jesus had promised him about eternity would come to pass. God in Christ had been totally faithful to Paul and Paul had now been faithful to the ministry given him but now it was time to pass on the mantle that he bore.

Remember the promise from Psalm 37:1-10 this morning,

3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.

4 Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.

6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.

This week this passage has burned in my heart. I believe that for us as a church we are being called to give all for the proclamation of the gospel, as is every body of believers. There are three questions for us to consider this morning:

  1. Who are we investing in and mentoring so that when the time comes we can pass off the mantle to someone who is now ready to step into their calling, fanning the flame of the gift that God has imparted into their lives? Do you ever think about that? One of our fervent prayers must be for God to bring people into our lives that we can invest in for eternity.
  2. What gift has God poured into you for the building up of the body of Christ and does it need to be stoked into a flame of fire?
  3. Are you feeding on the Word of God to fuel the fire within you? Are you worshipping God and praying for God to raise you up in courage and boldness?

I encourage each of us to invite God to challenge us with this word.

Let’s pray.

©2016 Rev. Mike Moffitt

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