Fan into Flame

The Confident Witness (11)

Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you… 2 Timothy 1.6

Room to grow
The apostle Paul was always trying to grow and improve in his walk with the Lord. He said that he “pressed on” in the Lord, “ran his race” and “fought the good fight” throughout the course of his life. He urged those who worked with him to keep on improving their skills, just as they’d seen him do (cf. Phil. 4.9; 2 Tim. 2.2). 

In our text, Paul exhorted Timothy to fire-up the gifts for ministry with which he had been endowed to an even brighter, warmer flame (the Greek word translated “stir up” is ἀναζωπυρέω, anazoporew—to rekindle a fire, that is, to reactivate or cause to become active again, or perhaps, to increase). This is what he expected of himself, and, we recall, Paul enjoined us to imitate him (1 Cor. 11.1). When we became believers, we received the Spirit and power to be witnesses for Jesus; and, albeit not visibly, that Spirit fell on us like a flame of fire as surely as it did the first believers.

In the life of faith there’s always room to grow. There are new things to learn, new fruit to bear, and new levels of development to bring to our skills and gifts. If we continue to increase in the Lord, we can expect that we will become more confident as His witnesses. Do you remember when you first began to believe in Jesus? That wonderful warming in your soul? The joy you tasted? Your readiness to tell others what God had done for you? 

Our tendency is to let that initial fire go to simmer, so that our zeal for the Gospel grows cold and we don’t gain the benefit God intends. We need to fire-up our love for Jesus and rekindle our resolve to be His witnesses, and we need to do this every day.

But what does this involve?

Personal growth
We can think of this two ways. First, we should all strive to grow spiritually, that is, to become more like Jesus Christ every day. Paul said the Christian life is a continuous struggle to lay aside our old ways of being in the world and to “put on” the Lord Jesus Christ, so that He increases in and through us (Eph. 4.17-24; 2 Cor. 3.12-18).

For example, we have the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2.16). We should be concerned to improve our ability to know what Jesus knows and to think like He thinks. We have the heart of God’s Spirit, renewing us from within (Ezek. 36.26, 27). He is able to do more in helping us love the Lord and our neighbors than we’ve ever dared to ask or think (Eph. 3.20); so here’s another area where we can grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord. God has renewed our consciences in Jesus Christ, so that by reflecting deeply on His Law, and all His Word, we might be ready to do every good work for which He has saved us (Rom. 2.14, 15; Heb. 9.14; Eph. 2.10; 2 Tim. 3.15-17). 

Second, as we grow into Christlikeness in our souls, we should expect to see more of the virtues of Christ coming to expression in our words and deeds (cf. Rom. 6; 1 Cor. 13). We’ll want to keep a close watch on our lives, so that we can identify areas where improvement is needed, and work to take the necessary steps to overcome any lingering presence of evil (Eph. 5.15-17; Rom. 12.21). Our goal should be that we become a living sacrifice to God, holy and acceptable to Him in all our ways, enflamed with love for Jesus and ready to spread the warmth of His love to others (Rom. 12.1, 2).

Many Christians are reluctant to bear witness to the Lord because they know their own lives don’t “measure up,” and they’re afraid of being called on the carpet for their hypocrisy. Well, if we’re growing consistently and improving in the character and virtues of our Lord Jesus Christ, we won’t have to worry about that, and we’ll have more confidence in bearing witness to the Lord.

Developing your gifts
In addition to paying attention to personal growth in the Lord, we’ll also want to stir up and fan into flame whatever gifts the Lord has given us. Every believer in Jesus Christ is indwelled by the Spirit, has access to the Word of God, and possesses spiritual gifts for serving others (1 Cor. 12.7-11). The Spirit is at work within us, making us willing and able to do what pleases God (Phil. 2.13), bringing forth fruit consistent with His holy character (Gal. 5.22, 23), and nurturing gifts to use in touching others with the grace and truth of the Lord (Rom. 12.3-8).

The writer of Hebrews tells us that we can expect to grow as we learn and put to use the gifts God has given us (Heb. 5.14). Here is a call for living intentionally. As we keep focused on our Personal Mission Fields, and the people to whom God has sent us, it will be clear what gifts we’ll need to fulfill our callings. For example, we’ll need the gift of giving—especially of our time and attention. Can we improve this by “practicing” self-denial and nurturing interest in others? We’ll need the gift of conversation, which includes listening well, asking good questions, responding with affirmation, and so forth. We can also learn more about this, and by practicing when we’re with our Christian friends, we’ll be better prepared for conversations with those who do not know the Lord.

And we’ll probably need to work at sharing the Gospel itself. Do we know the Gospel? Does sharing the Gospel come easily for us? Are we ready to answer the questions or respond to the objections people might pose? Here are additional areas of learning and growth where we can stir up the gifts God gives us to fulfill the calling He has appointed to us.

The Christian life is an adventure in continuous growth for every member of the Christian family, no matter how old or young, how inexperienced or mature. We should all be pressing on in Christ to grow in Him and in our callings as His ambassadors and witnesses. The more consistent we are in working to grow in the Lord, and the more we grow and learn, the more our love for the Lord and our neighbors will increase, and we will be more confident in living as His witnesses before the people in our Personal Mission Field.

For reflection
1.  As you think about your Personal Mission Field, what skills will you need to improve for working it more confidently and consistently?2.  Jesus and the apostles proclaimed the Gospel of the Kingdom. As you understand it, what is the Gospel of the Kingdom?

3.  Summarize your own experience of this Good News. That is, how has the Gospel affected your life? Why would it be important to be able to explain this to someone?

Next steps—Transformation: Where would you like to see more growth in the Lord? Talk with the Lord about this question. Listen in silence as He suggests specific ways to improve your walk with and work for Him.

T. M. Moore

Give thanks
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).

Knowing Jesus
Being confident witnesses begins in our relationship with Jesus, in knowing Him. Two books can help you grow in Jesus. To Know Him is a brief and lively exposition of Philippians 3.7-11 and explains what Paul means by this. You can order your copy by clicking here. Be Thou My Vision offers 28 daily meditations on Jesus, drawing on Scripture and writings from the period of the Celtic Revival. Order your copy by clicking here.

Thank you.
Many of you are faithful and generous in praying for and supporting Crosfigell and The Fellowship of Ailbe. Thank you. I encourage all our readers to seek the Lord about becoming a supporter of The Fellowship of Ailbe. It’s easy to give to The Fellowship of Ailbe, and all gifts are, of course, tax-deductible. You can click here to donate online through credit card or PayPal or Anedot, or send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.