Keep the Fire Hot

Introduction

I was a youth pastor for 9 years before I came to Life Point, and one of the teenagers I put a lot of time into was Michael. He came with a lot of mess, but I counseled him through it, and God worked! By the time Michael graduated, he was mostly in good place and enrolled in a Christian college. I was hopeful that he would thrive and come back to our church ready to make a difference.
Instead, he came home eager to criticize our church’s faults, and he told me he was going elsewhere. I urged him to help us be better, but he was determined that the grass was greener somewhere else. It hurt. I felt terribly betrayed.
Thankfully, Michael’s story has a happy ending. He reached out a few years later to let me know he had to write a philosophy of youth ministry for a seminary class. He thanked me for providing a great model. Then last fall he reached out again to let me know that he and his wife were headed to France as missionaries. Praise God!
But if you aggressively pursue people for long, every story will not have a happy ending. People make foolish, sinful choices. And since you are the one pushing them, you get to be the dumping ground for all the proud, bitter cynicism in their hearts. It’s no fun. It’s easy to become pessimistic, apathetic, and dull.
Maybe the ministry has stung you, and you’re done. Maybe you’ve lost confidence that God could ever use someone as weak as you. Or maybe you simply feel exhausted, dull, and lazy for no specific reason. If everything is awesome, someday it won’t be. We all need Paul’s exhortation in today’s text (read).
Paul challenges Timothy to keep the fire hot. “Kindle afresh the gift of God” and “Join with me in suffering for the gospel.” The Spirit wants to rekindle your fire as well. To get us there, Paul gives three challenges. First…

I.  Stay sharp (v. 6).

The Gift: Timothy had several excuses to grow dull. His mentor was about to be martyred. And people like Phygellus and Hermogenes were a constant thorn in his side. They were recking people’s faith, but people kept listening. Timothy probably wondered, “Maybe I’m not cut out for this. Maybe someone else can do a better job.”
You know the feeling. The Lord loves to put you in ministry spots that seem too big for you to handle. You feel inadequate as a counselor, a teacher, a husband, a wife, or a parent. How can you get through it? You must remember all that God has done. Paul first reminds Timothy of his conversion. “For this reason,” ties v. 6 to v. 5. Paul says, “Remember your conversion. Timothy, God changed your life. Christ lives inside you.”
And God gifted you for ministry. Paul reminds Timothy of “the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.” What’s that? Paul is looking back on Timothy’s ordination (1 Tim 4:14).
Before Timothy’s ministry began, a group of pastors laid hands on him. They believed in Timothy and that God called him to be a pastor. Since it was the apostolic age, one of them even gave an prophesied about how God would use Timothy. Then through Paul’s hand, the Spirit infused Timothy with the gifting he needed to pastor well.
It was a monumental moment. But sometimes we forget monumental moments. 10 years into your marriage, you forget your wedding day, your sincere love, and the vows you made. You also forget pivotal, powerful moments in your Christian walk. So, Paul reminds Timothy, “God called you, and God gifted you to do exactly what you are doing at Ephesus.”
And Christian, God has gifted you for ministry. 1 Corinthians 12:7 says, “To each one (i.e., every believer) is given the manifestation of the Spirit (a spiritual gift) for the common good (edification of the church).”
Men, God has gifted you to lead your home well. Ladies, you can be the wife and mother your family needs. God didn’t accidentally drop that difficult mentoring relationship in your lap. He has prepared you to make a difference.
Remember your calling. I know you don’t feel adequate, but that’s perfect. “Consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong” (1 Cor 1:26–27). The Spirit gifts weak people to do great ministry.
The Maintenance: But merely having a gift is not enough. Paul challenges Timothy “to kindle afresh the gift of God.” Paul imagines a fire in an ancient stove. After people were done cooking, they didn’t extinguish the fire; they simply allowed the embers to smolder until the next time they cooked. So, when it was time to cook again, you had to first “kindle afresh” the fire. Give it some fresh fuel and a little oxygen. Fan the flame, so it will would reignite.
Aren’t you glad you can simply push a couple buttons, and your oven gets hot? But in the ancient world, a hot stove demanded maintenance. And Paul says your spiritual gifting also demands maintenance. You must keep it hot.
How’s your fire? Are you fanning the flame, keeping it white hot? Or has your flame become an ember? It can die fast. At one point, you were really engaged with people, praying for them, and speaking truth into their lives. But then you got hurt, or life got busy. You slipped into cruise control, and you haven’t pushed hard in a long time.
You may still be doing a lot. Timothy was still preaching every week, taking meetings, and managing business. But ministry demands spiritual power. The Greek word for gift is charisma, and the root is charis, or grace. So, grace is what makes ministry effective. So, be sure you are recharging your spiritual power.
Or maybe you’re not busy at all with ministry. You are busy and distracted with everything else. It’s been months since you had someone over, since you pressed into someone’s life, or since you poured out your soul in prayer for a friend. Your fire is on life support. Kindle the flame.
How do you do that? It starts with a vital walk with the Lord. Acts constantly emphasizes how the apostles were filled with the Spirit. The Spirit made them bold, wise, and fruitful. If your ministry has grown dull, I can about guarantee you are also not walking in the Spirit like you should. Sharpen your walk with Christ because grace and power come by the Spirit.
Then jump into ministry and use the gifts God has given. Not even the best athlete can roll off the couch after doing nothing for 6 months and be sharp. He must use his gift. The more he uses it, the sharper it becomes. He’s constantly fanning the flame, working to keep his talents white hot.
It doesn’t take any effort to grow lazy. It just happens. Maybe you’re dull spiritually, your conversations are shallow, and you’re not affecting anyone. Get off the couch and get after it! God gifted you to edify this church. He has work for you to do. It matters. We need you. Kindle the fire!
But maybe people have burned you, and you don’t want to be burned again. Maybe you’ve tried and tried, but nothing seems to happen. Maybe you are afraid of the pain, afraid of the shame, and afraid of failure. The Spirit knew you would feel that way, so v. 7 challenges you…

II.  Stay encouraged (v. 7).

I first want to emphasize that Paul is talking about a gift. People get caught up in whether spirit should be capitalized or not, but Paul’s main point is that the Holy Spirit changes and empowers his people. This verse is about the fruit he produces.
That’s important because you might read this verse and immediately look to yourself for more courage, power, love, and discipline, and you would miss the point. We’ll talk about your responsibility later, but you must see that God is the engine who changes you. The Spirit drives out cowardice and gives power, love, and discipline.
And that’s crucial to Paul’s broader argument. Ministry is hard. Sometimes we shrink away because we don’t think we can do it. But v. 7 says God will equip you to do whatever he has called you to do. He makes his point with a contrast. First…
God does not give cowardliness. The KJV says “fear,” but Paul doesn’t use the common term for fear, phobos; instead, he uses deilía, which describes a narrow type of fear. The NASB says timidity. Cowardly is another good translation. The point is that cowardliness never comes from God.
It’s so relevant because every minister is tempted with cowardliness. You notice a brother in sin, but rather than pursuing him; fear binds you. You fear what he will think, you fear the hard work, you fear failure, or you fear the pain. Cowardliness tempts you to shrink away instead of rising up. Cowardliness causes men to shrink away from leading their families and leading in the church. It stifles our gospel witness. It causes you to ignore a brother or sister’s sin. It keeps you from taking a risky step of faith. It kills spiritual power.
Repent. Then command your cowardice to leave because it is an intruder. It is not from God. For example, the next time an opportunity arises to stand for truth and the gospel, but excuses flood your mind, remember those excuses are not God speaking. Ignore them. When the Lord drops a ministry in your lap, but you say, “I don’t have peace,” that’s not the Spirit; you are simply excusing cowardice.
It grieves me how often Christians blame God for their foolish and sinful choices because they pick whatever feeling is most convenient and claim it’s God’s leading. It’s bogus, and there’s no biblical justification for it. When fear floods your soul, say, “No, I will not listen because this is not from God.” God’s Spirit never fosters ineffectiveness; instead…
God gives effective tools. First, the Spirit gives power, meaning spiritual strength and courage to do God’s will. You see that in v. 8. No one has peace about obeying that verse. But God gives power to be courageous.
God gives courage to stand for truth, make a hard decision, and confront error. He gives courage to face uncertainty and opposition. He enables you to do what is right even when it is costly. God gives his people the power they need to fulfill their ministry and everything else he has called them to do.
Yes, there is a time for rest. Every athletic trainer knows that. In particular, the only way you can draw fully on God’s power is to keep your spiritual battery charged. You must take time to maintain and grow your soul.
But I think most people worry way too much about their limitations and about burnout. We live afraid instead of believing that if God has called me to a task, he will give the power to fulfill it. Charge into battle and stop worrying about your safety. God will take care of you.
I was on a Twitter thread a few months ago, and one of the guys said, “The antidote to exhaustion is wholeheartedness.” You don’t kindle the fire by sitting on the sidelines. You kindle the fire by leaning in and drawing on God’s power.
Attack the Christian life. Parents, start leading your family. Start a conversation with the sister who is a mess. You may have no idea how you can do it but have faith that God will give power. Don’t be a coward. Be courageous through the power of God.
Second, the Spirit gives love. Remember that this verse is addressed to ministry leaders. And love is essential to Christian leadership. Power without love produces arrogant, selfish, and abusive leaders. Dictators like Hitler, Stalin, or Hussein had a lot of power but no love, and they ruined the people they were supposed to lead.
That’s why Paul’s only command to husbands in Ephesians 5 is to love your wives. Pastors must love the church and be ready to lay down their lives for her just as the Chief Shepherd did. And you must love everyone God has called you to serve.
We have all experienced power without compassion. Have you ever had someone confront you, and everything they said was true, but you didn’t listen because they said it an arrogant or nasty tone? But when you know someone cares and has your best interest at heart, you will listen intently even if it is difficult to hear. Love is a like a turbo on your ministry engine.
It is also essential for overcoming cowardliness. Have you ever known you should say something hard but kept your mouth shut because you didn’t want the drama? You must decide what is more important—your friend or your comfort. Love is essential to making the right decision.
Love is essential for impact, and praise God that he gives a spirit of love. Maybe your love has run dry. You’ve been hurt too many times, and it’s easier not to care. It’s easier to put up walls. That’s cowardice speaking, and it’s not from God. Run to Christ and let him renew your love. And when you feel that spark of compassion, know it is grace at work. Respond to it and foster it. God gives grace to love well and to minister well.
Third, God gives “discipline.” The idea is really that of keeping a clear head and making sound, biblically principled decisions, not emotional ones. Once again, this is crucial to spiritual leadership. A man who is impulsive or who can’t control his passions will be a poor leader of his home. A counselor who rides every emotional wave of those he counsels won’t lead them anywhere.
I’m sure some in the Ephesian church were hysterical about Paul’s coming execution. But Timothy couldn’t by hysterical; he had to keep a clear head anchored to truth and biblical conviction. Paul was a master of this. I’m often amazed and convicted when I read his epistles because he dealt with so much junk. But he always stayed above the false accusations, the bitter rivalries, and the betrays. Paul mastered his thoughts and his emotions.
By God’s grace you can do the same. You don’t have to be ruled by fear, anger, bitterness, or pain. You can calmly and rationally stand on the Word of God. You can see what is true and what is not. And you can be a convictional leader that others can follow with confidence.
Stay encouraged. Ministry and the entire Christian experience is hard. But grace is sufficient. God has given you the tools you need to do his will. Draw near to him and use them. Paul’s 3rd challenge is…

III.  Stay aggressive (v. 8).

The Temptation: Considering what Nero was doing to the church and what was coming for Paul, you can understand why Timothy may not be excited about Paul’s challenge.
I’m sure you’ve felt the same tug. Have you ever watched a friend boldly preach the gospel, and tension grows thick? You think, “Good for him. I’ll let him handle it.” Maybe you are at a family birthday party, and an Uncle Fred is lovingly but firmly standing for biblical sexuality. Cousin Sue is ballistic. You decide to cheer from the corner.
The Call: God says, “Do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord” (specifically regarding the gospel). The gospel is offensive. It always has been, and it always will be. People don’t like to hear they are sinners or that they can’t contribute anything to their salvation. They don’t like to be told that Christ is the only Savior. They really don’t like to hear that Jesus is Lord and demands complete submission to his will.
Obviously, we care about results. We want to be persuasive, and we don’t want to create needless offense. But if you stand on God’s Word, some will think you are arrogant, judgmental, and nosy. They will think you are fool for believing the Bible is true.
Do not be ashamed. The Bible is true, people are going to hell, and Jesus is the only way. So, Paul urges you, “Join with me in suffering for the gospel.” Don’t be a coward. Rekindle your gift. Then tell the lost that Jesus saves. Do so with power (courage), love for their souls, and a disciplined clear focus on truth.” God will save some. But others will mock, they will despise you, and they will forsake you. But don’t stop. Be a fool for Jesus.
Apple Valley doesn’t need us to be another church filled with nice people who blend in and tell them how awesome they are. It needs us to be a light in the darkness, pointing them to salvation in Christ. Stand for Christ this week with power, love, and a sound mind.
The Strength: And know that God will give you strength. Today’s passage is terrifying. Ministry is wonderfully rewarding, but exhausting and hard. So, Paul ends by saying we don’t suffer on our own. We endure suffering “according to the power of God.” God will sustain you as you stay close to Jesus. Stay sharp. Stay encouraged. Stay aggressive.

Conclusion

I’ve talked a lot today about gospel ministry because that’s why God has left every Christian on earth. Our mission matters more than politics, your 401-K, and drama at work, and it is worth suffering to the point of death because it is the difference between heaven and hell.
So, do you know that Christ has saved you from eternal hell? Do you know with absolute certainty that you are going to heaven because your sins are covered by the blood of Jesus? If not, please seek us out after the service and let us share with you who Jesus is, why he died on the cross, what his resurrection means for you, and how you can be saved. We want you to leave secure in Jesus. Give us that opportunity.