Someone said that at the end of our lives, we will regret the things we didn’t do more than the things we did. But when that time comes I think we would like to sing the line of a famous song, “Regrets I’ve had a few. But, then again, too few to mention.”[1] One of my fears in life is that I would just remain a potential. That when I look back I would realize I failed to harness it. I always remind myself, “Don’t remain a potential. Be potent.” I believe we all want to reach our potential in life. We would like a few regret in life, if possible none at all.
We are about to finish a series on spiritual gifts. And we come to the point where we ask, “Now what?” What do we do now? Let us turn to what the Apostle Paul wrote to a gifted man who like you and me would like to realize his potential in life. 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 did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”[2]
Paul was in prison for his faith. He told Timothy, “everyone deserted me.”[3] Everyone… except Timothy. But perhaps at this time Timothy was feeling the heat, the persecution from outside and the pressures of ministry inside. He was young. He was just in his thirties. People questioned his abilities. He felt intimidated. He was sickly. But Paul knew his sincere faith. He was stressed out but still sincere, still willing to go on. That’s why Paul wrote to Timothy, “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God”.
Underline those words, “fan into flame”. In 1 Timothy 4:14 Paul commanded him, “Do not neglect your gift”. Instead of neglecting his gift, Timothy must fan it into flame. The Greek word for “fan into flame” is a rare word. In fact, this is the only time the New Testament used it. Thus it must be an important reminder. It does not mean that his passion is about to go out. That Timothy was about to quit. It does mean “keep the fire burning” or “stir it up into full blast”. In other words, Paul told Timothy, “Release the brake. Step on the gas. Floor the accelerator. Full speed ahead!” In the famous words of the Human Torch, one of the Fantastic Four, “Flame ON!”
Maybe we can identify with Timothy. Maybe you know you could do something. But you felt you are not ready. You feel you are not trained. So, when you see an opportunity to serve, when you are asked to do something, you refuse to take it on. I tell you, set your gift on fire. Fan it into flame. Flame on! Or, maybe you tried to serve but you got criticized. Maybe you made a mistake. You think you failed. You got discouraged. So, you decided to lie low. Now, you just stay low. I tell you, don’t allow the fire to die down. Fan it into flame. Flame on! Or, maybe you have been serving for a long time. But it’s getting stale. You are getting tired of what you are doing. You feel unappreciated. People only notice you when you make a blooper. Fan it into full flame! Flame on! If you are our first-time friend, you can only be ignited if you first receive our Lord Jesus as your Savior. Then with us you can flame on.
Now, how do we “flame on?”
First, do IT. Yes, in the famous line of the TV commercial, “Just do it!” As we got through the series on spiritual gifts, while you listened to the description of the gifts, in your heart you said, “I think that’s my gift!” Then, do it! That’s the only way to confirm whether you have the gift or not. A spiritual gift inventory test may help. But nothing beats hands on, when you roll up your sleeves and do something.
You realize, for example, that you have the gift of service. You tell yourself, “So, that’s why I love to have people come over my house for a visit.” Then, you can volunteer as a greeter and help make people feel at home here in our church. You can talk to Sister Jasmine and sign up as a greeter. You can serve at least once a month as a greeter. Or, you saw that you have the gift of evangelism. You say, “So, that’s why I love to talk to people about Jesus Christ.” You can volunteer as one of our people who welcome our guests in the visitors’ room to talk to them about our church and about our Lord. You just talk to Brother Ferdie. You just allocate one Sunday every month in your schedule to serve in the visitors’ room. We will not take much of your time but we assure you that it will mean much to you. Do it. Flame on!
Now, maybe you almost gave up. As I’ve said, you decided to lie low and now you stay low. You just attend the worship service. You come and go. But you know there’s more to the Christian life than just attendance. Maybe you have been burned. Maybe you got discouraged. Or, maybe you just got busy. Your schedule got crowded. But you know God was speaking to you during the series. The Lord is gently asking you, “Do it AGAIN.” Look at your planner. Cut down on the non-essentials, the time wasters. Make time again for your small group. Block off time again for the Tuesday prayer meeting. Do it again. Flame on!
Do it. Do it again. Then, do something NEW. You serve as a greeter. Whenever guests are introduced, you usher them to the visitors’ room. Or, as a greeter, you are familiar with the faces of the people. But weeks pass by and you don’t see them come back. You feel this longing to see them again here. You can sign up now as part of our care team with Sister Rebbie. You can now help us call them, text them, e-mail them, visit them and lend a listening ear to them.
Or, you have been participating in the Adult Sunday Bible study. You are enjoying the Precepts materials that Sister Helen is facilitating. You already finished one or two of those 40-minute study guides. You want people to enjoy what you are enjoying. The Lord may be asking you to gather a group of people and you facilitate them through the Precept material. Do it. Do it again. Do something new. Flame on!
You are enjoying your small group. You saw the impact it makes in the lives of others. You want others to enjoy it also. You are attending our Midweek service every Wednesday nights or the Adult Sunday Bible study that Brother Jun and I are leading or the Sunday school of Brother Jeff or my wife Sister Ellen or the Couples’ Saturday Fellowship with Brother Aldy and Sister. You know that we don’t just lecture. We break into groups after the short talk and discuss the topic. Now you lead as a facilitator in one of those breakout groups. You enjoy it immensely. You know, you don’t have to wait for Sunday or Wednesday or Saturday to come in order to experience it again. You do MORE OF THE SAME. Invite the group you are facilitating or gather a new group of friends and facilitate that small group. You don’t have to meet here in our building. You can meet outside. You can host it in your house or you can meet in Starbucks. You don’t need to know a lot to lead the group. It does not have to be in the evening. You can meet them over breakfast or lunch. You can take our Sunday messages and discuss how your group can apply it in your lives. Do more of the same. Flame on!
Look at Brother Jun. A few years ago he started teaching. In fact, Brother James invited him to become one of the trainers of the Christian Life and Witness Course for the Franklin Graham Festival. At first, he was wondering what he was doing there in the training with pastors. Then, the Festival assigned him to teach the course in a church. After he taught a session, someone from the church called the Festival office and asked that they replace Brother Jun. Now, he can teach. But at that time he felt so nervous that he ended up reading his notes to the audience. He almost got discouraged. But he pressed on. Every opportunity he gets to teach, he would take on the challenge. He would really make an effort not to look at his notes. He read books. He attended seminars. He nurtured our CYouth Gen Fellowship. And now he is taking it a step further. He wanted to do it BETTER. He wants to be equipped more for service. He is now enrolling in a correspondence course to earn his Master of Christian Leadership major in Youth Studies. Yes, do it better. Flame on!
Now, maybe you feel tired. You have volunteered not just in one or two but in many activities here in our church. When I say, “Flame on!” I am not saying that you burn yourselves out. I am not saying that you stress yourselves out. You can be consumed but not burned out. If you are like that, I ask you, “Do it SMART.” Don’t just work hard. Work smart. Take a long, hard look at your schedule. Evaluate your involvements here inside and outside the church. Assess your extra-curricular activities also. Then, prioritize. Eliminate and concentrate. It’s better to do a few things well than many things half-baked. Focus more on the area of your giftedness. Do it smart. Flame on!
So, do it. Do it again. Do something new. Do more of the same. Do it better. Do it smart. In short, flame on!
We may be feeling that there’s something missing in our lives. We see that our growth has been stunted or we are on a plateau. Maybe there’s a sin that is causing this emptiness. But there is also the possibility that we need to level up. We need to serve others with our spiritual gifts. We are meant by God not just to receive but to give of ourselves. We are not called to be served. We are called to serve. And when we do so, we will enjoy a fresh sense of fulfillment. Your life will never be the same again.
Brothers and sisters let us not neglect our spiritual gift. Fan it into flame. Flame on! Let us pray…
[1]“My Way,” the song written by Paul Anka and popularized by Frank Sinatra.
[2]All Bible verses are from The Holy Bible: New International Version, electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996, c1984), unless otherwise noted.
[3]2 Timothy 4:16b.
