Fan Into Flame and Don't Flee in Fear
2 Timothy 1:6-7
2 Timothy 1:6-7
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, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
2 Timothy, as you hopefully now know by the title of our series and introductory devotional, is a letter written from seasoned servant of Christ Paul to struggling son in Christ Timothy; a letter that contains an exhortation to endure in suffering for the sake of the gospel. Up to this point, we have yet to begin the “exhortational” part of this letter. However, before we begin (which we will today!), it's important for us to clarify what exactly the word “exhort” means, given how much we’ll be using the word. Using Professor Oxford’s definition, to exhort means to “strongly encourage or urge someone to do something.” In addition, to exhort someone means to implore, beseech, passionately plead, and ardently advocate for someone to do something. Throwing some Biblical motives in the mix, it means to lovingly and boldly, kindly and yet firmly, graciously and yet truthfully call someone to live according to a higher standard or to adopt a more obedient lifestyle. It is, to go full circle, to strongly encourage or urge someone to do something. And in 2 Timothy, Paul is strongly encouraging, urging, imploring, beseeching, and passionately pleading for Timothy to endure in suffering for the sake of the gospel. And he begins this impassioned plea in verse 6.
Our verses for today (1:6-7) say, “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, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” Notice how Paul, through the words “for this reason” highlights how he makes his exhortation to Timothy on the basis of his prior “written embrace and encouragement” of Timothy. Paul's picture of exhortation to Timothy is placed on the backdrop of the great joy he derives from being around Timothy, and is given only after the clear re-assertion and re-affirmation of Timothy’s sincerity of faith and devotion.
Paul then exhorts Timothy to “fan into flame the gift of God, which [Paul clarifies], is in you through the laying on of my hands.” What exactly does Paul mean in this practical call to action? Two word studies and their implications can give helpful insight to us. Firstly, the phrase “fan into flame” is translated from the Greek word, anazōpyreō, which means to kindle, or to kindle afresh. Secondly, the word gift, in this passage, is translated from the Greek word charisma, which simply means gift, and is an extension of the word charis, which means grace. The implications of these words studies? Simply put: Timothy has a gift, divinely bestowed upon him by the Spirit of God, that he is called to cultivate and grow. Not only Timothy however. These verses have significant implications and application for all of us as well because of this simple reality: God’s grace given to us in salvation is inseparable from the gifting given to us through the Spirit of God. Or to put it another way, if you are a recipient of God’s saving grace, you are a recipient of the Holy Spirit’s gifting, gifting that you are called to cultivate and grow. We know this because the Bible teaches us that when we are saved, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 1:13-14, Romans 8:9-11). And then in addition, the Bible teaches that if the Holy Spirit lives inside of us, He has given us all divinely empowered gifts and abilities. (1 Corinthians 12:7, 1 Peter 4:10). In fact, in 1 Peter 4:10, Peter uses the same word (charisma, which means gift) Paul uses here in 2 Timothy. He says, “As each has received a gift [charisma], use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace [charis].” Do you see the striking resemblance to our text in 2 Timothy? In both passages, we see that we, as children of God, are being called to cultivate, work on, steward, and fan into flame the gift that God has given us. In both passages we are reminded that if we are in Christ we have been given Spirit-empowered gifts– gifts that are to be stewarded and used well.
“If you are a recipient of God’s saving grace, you are a recipient of the Holy Spirit’s gifting, gifting that you are called to cultivate and grow.”
Verse 7 then says, “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control”. This passage also is filled with original textual significance. Firstly, notice that Paul says, “for God gave (past tense) us a spirit.” (emphasis added). That word gave, (Gk didōmi, means to give or grant), used in the past tense, indicates to us that God has already given us the Spirit of God, if we have indeed been saved by Him. However, the verse goes on to say that the spirit (Gk pneuma) that God has given us is not one characterized by fear. “The word that Paul uses for fear, (Gk deila), in extra biblical Greek literature refers to someone who flees from the battle.” In other words, Paul is telling Timothy that as a child of God who is indwelled with the Holy Spirit, he is not meant to be someone who cowardly flees in fear. Not only that, but a spirit of fear is not what Timothy, or we, have been given. The spirit that God has given us is not one of fear, worry, anxiety, and timidity, but one of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. (Gal 5:23). These fruits of the Spirit, not the weeds of fear, are to be what identify the children of God. To paraphrase the words of one commentator, “Instead of a spirit of cowardly fear, we as recipients of the Spirit of God have been given power, to be effective in God’s service; love, to have the attitude toward God and others; and self-control, to focus and apply every part of our lives according to God’s will.” As Christians, we have been given the Spirit of God. Which means that we don’t flee in fear, but instead fan into flame our Spirit-given gifts with faith in the Giver of our gifts.
“The fruits of the Spirit, not the weeds of fear, are to be what identify the children of God. To paraphrase the words one commentator, ‘Instead of a spirit of cowardly fear, we as recipients of the Spirit of God have been given power, to be effective in God’s service; love, to have the attitude toward God and others; and self-control, to focus and apply every part of our lives according to God’s will.’”
So the question being posed to us today by God through His Word is, in what ways are we being called to not flee in fear? In what ways is God calling us to use the gifts we have been given for His glory? I don’t think it is an interpretative stretch to say that oftentimes a fear of failure in cultivating our gifts can lead us to skip the scene of “fanning them into flame” entirely. Oftentimes, instead of dependently seeking to grow in our various areas of gifting, the prospect of potential and possible failure causes us to entirely quit the battle and flee in fear. This, however, is why we are being exhorted, and strongly encouraged and urged to do otherwise. God has given us gifts that are to be used and cultivated for the greater good of the people of God.
Do we also realize that when we don’t use or cultivae our gifts we hurt those around us as well? When we don’t serve through using the gifts we have been given, the collective body of Christ suffers in addition to ourselves. Dear Christian, realize that the body of Christ needs your potentially unidentified, or unused, or uncultivated gift of serving, teaching, leading, exhorting, contributing, or whatever individual or combination of spiritual gifts you have been given. The ultimate point is that God has given us all gifts, and has called us to steward and fan them into flame for the glory of His name and the good of His people.
So today, let us pray that God will embolden and empower us to dependently and trustingly fan our gifts into flame. Let us pray that God will help us to be a people filled with the Spirit of God, a people marked by power, love, and self-control. To quote the verse mentioned earlier, 1 Peter 4:10-11 says, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength God supplies— in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” Truly, truly, may we all steward our gifts wisely, and serve with our gifts sacrificially. And through it all may God continue to be glorified and magnified in our lives. Amen!