Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,
2 To Timothy, my dear son:
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Encouragement to Be Faithful
3 I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. 4 Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. 5 I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. 6 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 did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
8 So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, 9 who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 11 And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. 12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.
13 What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. 14 Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.
My Understanding: Paul instructed Timothy to “fan into flame” the gift of God, which was in him through the laying on of hands, by Paul. The laying on of hands was practiced in the Bible in order to pray for someone, especially for divine healing, to confer a blessing, and/or in the commissioning or sending someone forth in ministry. Some church congregations still practice this today, while others do not. Yet, whether or not a person has human hands laid upon him in this fashion, to confer upon him some spiritual gift and/or service, we know that the one giving the gifts is the Holy Spirit, and he gives them to us as he determines, not as man determines. So, the focus here is not to be upon the human instrument God used in Timothy’s life, or in our lives, in order for him, or us, to receive this gift of God, rather the focus should be on the one who gave the gift, who is God, and it should be on obeying God in following him and in fulfilling whatever one’s calling of God is in his life.
Timothy was instructed to “fan into flame” (NIV) this gift of God. The NASB translates the text, “kindle afresh.” The Greek word appears to mean to “stir up” or to inflame one’s mind, strength and zeal (Strong’s Concordance). Literally speaking, when you fan a flame you cause air to blow toward the fire which then makes the fire increase in strength. The Holy Spirit is often referred to in scripture as a wind blowing and also as fire. As well, the “gift of God” is the gift of the Holy Spirit who then gives gifts to men and to women.
One meaning of the word “fire” is “energy, spirit, passion, enthusiasm or intensity of feeling” (Encarta). Yet, if the gift is of God, i.e. of the Holy Spirit of God, then no human passion or strength will give the power to the gift that will make the gift increase in spiritual strength. It takes the blowing of the wind of the Holy Spirit of God to empower us, not only in supplying the gifts to us, but in empowering us and strengthening us to use the gifts. So, the wind that we use to fan the flame is the Holy Spirit and the fire is the Holy Spirit, so this would mean that we give the Spirit of God the room and the power and the authority in our lives to move us to obedience and to increase the gifts within us in His strength. Yet, this also involves “stirring up” the Holy Spirit within us, which is a working of God’s Spirit.
I can guarantee that there are many times, tonight is one of them, when there is nothing within me, i.e. within my flesh, that I can inflame to use the gifts God has placed within me. I just want to go back to bed. All I can do is say, “Here I am, Lord, use me for your glory. I pray you put your words within me and I will write what you give me to say.” And, I think that is really how we “fan into flame” the gifts within us, by yielding to the control of the Holy Spirit within us in allowing him to do his work through us even, or in spite of, when our minds, bodies, etc. may not have the strength, willpower or energy to exercise the gifts. And it is, as well, the way in which we stir up the Holy Spirit within us, and that is through forsaking lives of sin and yielding in obedience to the control and power of the Spirit of God.
Then, Paul stated “For God did not give us…” The word “for” is used here to mean “because of, indicating a reason why something happens or is done” (Encarta). Paul used the word to explain the reason why Paul was reminding Timothy to fan into flame the gift within him, and that was because Paul remembered and was persuaded that Timothy had sincere faith in the Lord Jesus. Based upon that knowledge of Timothy’s sincere faith, Paul was encouraging and was urging Timothy to kindle afresh that gift within him. Then, Paul used the word again to describe the reason Timothy should fan into flame the gift of God within him, and that was because God did not give us a spirit of timidity (fear; cowardice; hesitancy and/or apprehension), but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. So, it appears here that fear is the opposite of faith and obedience, so in urging Timothy to fan into flame the gift of God within him, he was exhorting him to allow the Holy Spirit of God to have control in his life instead of allowing fear to rule what he did and said.
There are many reasons we may respond in fear rather than in faith, yet they all have at their root, pretty much, focus on self or on man, rather than on God. We fear sharing the gospel oftentimes because we are trying to do it in our own strength and we think it needs to be perfect by human standards, so this goes back, again, to the way in which we fan into flame the gift of God within us and that is through allowing the Holy Spirit’s power (wind) to blow through us and to increase the power and strength of the fire (Holy Spirit) within us, and that comes through forsaking sin and saying “Yes” to God. Our job is merely to surrender and to yield to the working of the Holy Spirit of God within us to do his work in and through us for his purposes and for his glory, and then he is the one who gets the glory. Then, when we are yielded to the Holy Spirit, we are not timid and we don’t have to worry about what to say or how to say it because it will be God’s spirit speaking through us.
Then, Paul addressed another fear-based topic with Timothy, and that is of not being ashamed to testify about our Lord Jesus. The word “ashamed” carries with it quite a different connotation as the word “fear” or “timidity,” though they share similar characteristics. When we are ashamed of someone, we are embarrassed or uncomfortable concerning something to do with that person’s character or actions. Again, this has a focus built in self and man, because generally feelings of shame or embarrassment have to do with concern over what other people think about us or about someone with whom we have an association or relationship of some kind. So, if we are ashamed to share the gospel of Jesus Christ, it is not only that we are afraid of what people will think about us, but it says that there is something about the gospel message and/or about Jesus Christ that we don’t really believe, i.e. that we don’t like, and/or it says that we are more concerned about pleasing people than we are about pleasing and demonstrating our love to God.
Paul said he was not ashamed, because he knew the one in whom he believed, and he was convinced (persuaded) that God/Jesus was able to guard that faith that was entrusted to God against the Day of Judgment. So, what Paul is saying here is that, when we really and truly believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ (the full gospel) and in Jesus Christ, himself, and when we are in agreement with Jesus and with the gospel message and we understand the importance of the message and the need to get it out because people need to hear it so that they, too, can believe, and when we have an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ where we love him with our whole being and we believe in who He is, then we won’t be ashamed, because we are convinced that he is able to guard (protect) the faith that we have committed to him against the Day of Judgment, i.e. we are convinced, not only of our salvation, but of the need for all men and women to be saved against that Day.
Then, Paul encouraged Timothy to join with him in suffering for the sake of the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life. If the gift of God that Timothy was to fan into flame was not a spiritual gift and/or ministry, as many have supposed, but rather the gift is the gift of God’s grace in salvation as well as the gift of the Holy Spirit whom we receive within us when we place our faith and trust in our Lord Jesus, then Paul is saying that he should ignite his relationship with Jesus Christ, because when he does that through repentance and obedience, then he won’t be controlled by fear and he won’t be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, because he, too, will be convinced of whom he has believed and will also be persuaded that God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – is able to protect that faith in Christ Jesus against the Day of Judgment. And, he will live the holy life to which he has been called, because it will be the Spirit of God working in him and through him, and it won’t be because of anything done in the flesh of man.
Lastly, Paul instructed Timothy to guard (protect) what had been entrusted to him – to guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives within us. Not only does Jesus guard (protect) the faith that we have committed to him, but he asks us to guard the grace of God, i.e. our salvation, i.e. our relationship with Jesus Christ that has been entrusted to us, as well as the gospel message, but to do this with the help of the Holy Spirit. We protect that relationship through daily repentance of sin, through spending time with our Lord daily at his feet and in prayer, learning from him, and then in walking in obedience to whatever he teaches us. This is how we are able to live holy lives, yet, again, we cannot do this in our own strength and power, but only with the help of the Holy Spirit living and working within our hearts in transforming us and making us more like Jesus.
Much Too High A Price / Jesus Paid It All / Phil McHugh and Greg Nelson
You paid much too high a price for me, Your tears, Your blood, the pain –
To have my soul just stirred at times yet never truly changed.
You deserve a fiery love that won’t ignore your sacrifice
Because You paid much too high a price.
http://www.music-lyrics-gospel.com/gospel_music_lyrics/much_too_high_a_price_9499.asp
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