2 Timothy 1:6
PROPOSITION: The gift of the Christian must be kindled afresh.
OBJECTIVE: To kindle afresh the gift.
The Great Apostle is writing another letter to one of his favorite students, Timothy. Timothy is the pastor of the Christian church in Ephasus. It is true that the directives of this letter most appropriately apply to the life of the pastor; but, it is equally true that the Christian – pastor or otherwise – must pay attention to these lessons.
So while in v 6 the Apostle reminds the Pastor “to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you,” it is safe to understand that this admonition is directed at you and me. We are to kindle afresh the gift of God in each one of us. And it this act of kindling afresh that we most commonly call revival.
There are a few prerequisites that must be in place before the Christian can kindle afresh that gift of God. First you must recognize that you have such a gift. For a believer to say something like “I have no gift of God” is in essence saying that God and the Word of God is untrue and cannot be depended upon. The Bible says that each believer is “given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (1 Cor 12:7). It is this gift that I refer to you when I say that the gift of the Christian must be kindled afresh and that the first thing the believer must do is recognize that he/she has such a gift.
Second, the believer must give of the self to the Word of God and to prayer. This is often given the gloss over with cursory reading of the Bible and a memorized verse called prayer. For children, that is a good start. For youth and adults, that is a pretty lame excuse for giving of the self to the Word of God and to prayer.
Third, the believer must associate with other Christians in joy and sorrow, watching for any and every situation to which the particular knowledge of the gift is appropriate and can be applied. That is to say that we are brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, and we should act that way. If one of us has a need, we all have a need – and if someone in the fellowship has the gift to provide for that need and, then they should be looking for the opportunity to apply that God given gift. It is wrong to have a gift of God and withhold that gift from another believer.
Steps four and five are very similar. Four is to study the needs of the other believers and five is to prepare the appropriate material for that need. The key words are study and prepare. I am a firm believer that ministry (service to others) does not happen by accident, but that the believer has properly studied and is prepared to be that instrument of God in a specific situation.
So to repeat just a bit, each of us have at least one gift of God. We are to kindle afresh that gift of God. The prerequisites are to recognize having such a gift. Give yourself to the Word of God and to prayer. Associate with other Christians in joy and sorrow. Study and be prepared.
As many of you know, I like to cook on my Weber Grill. A Weber Grill is for me the best instrument for cooking that was ever invented. I cook chicken, beef, pork, turkey and ham. I am going to cook a good piece of fish one of these days.
One of the reasons I like to cook on the Weber Grill is because of the charcoal. I pile those coals in a pyramid, add just a taste of lighter, apply a fire-stick, and wait about 10 minutes until those Kingsford coals are white hot.
I have a 7 pound roast defrosting as we speak. Unlike cooking steaks or chops, the roast will take longer time on the grill. I have learned that about every 30 to 40 minutes, I must to stir up the coals or they will grow cool, they will not maintain the temperature needed to cook the meat. If I don’t stir the coals, eventually the fire will go out and I will have half-cooked dinner.
In our home in Kansas, we had a fireplace. Linda can tell you horror stories of me making sure the fire remained blazing hot. I nearly melted the glue from the wallpaper across the room. Just about the time the flames would go down, I would get the stoker, jab here and there – sometimes a log would roll out onto the floor! – and get that fire really going. Everyone who has ever worked with a fireplace or a campfire knows that somewhere along the line, that fire has to be stirred up.
Actually, that fire is kindled afresh; if it isn’t, the fire will go out.
And so it is with the gift that God has given you. You must kindle afresh that gift to make sure it doesn’t go out. And I am here to tell you that one of the first coals in the fire to grow cool is your Christian witness. For some reason, that saving event in the life of the believer gets set aside, ignored. It becomes stale, cool, a faded memory, and ultimately a novelty.
Of all your gifts, the first was your gift of grace from God. Do you remember with a hot fire that time you realized your salvation? If not, you need to kindle afresh your fire for salvation. How can you convince someone of need to be saved if you are not excited about your being saved? You cannot!
The gift of the Christian must be kindled afresh, and this is called revival.
Loyalty and devotion are at the very heart of the Christians faith. And this loyalty and devotion must be constantly kindled afresh to keep the fire hot, the flames high, the coals glowing.
It is so easy to say the words that “I am going to be loyal to the gift that God has given me,” and then not pay too much attention to it. I spent several years in supervisory positions, not paying a lot of attention to my gift of preaching and teaching. I must tell you, my gift grew dull. I forgot how to study. I forgot how to prepare. I praise God for the people at the First BC in Abilene Kansas who helped me kindle afresh that fire. And I praise God for the people at CRBC who hold me to the task to weekly kindle afresh that fire.
And I say to you right now, you have a gift of God. The Bible tells you that you have a gift. I have been directed by God to deliver to you a very personal message. Your challenge is to kindle afresh that gift. Stir it up. Shake it up. Make it glow! Challenge yourself to use that gift as God directs. If you say my gift does not need to be kindled, you are in grave danger of forgetting completely that gift, and the fire will go out. Won’t the devil be happy!
Several months ago, Chaplain Jeff Houston brought to this fellowship a message from God. He told this congregation that there was at least one, perhaps several individuals similar to the apostle Peter who needed to take the word of God to the Cornelius’ of the world. I kindle afresh that fire this morning and ask you before God, are you doing what God wants you to do with the gift you have been given, or surrounded with excuses, are you letting the fire grow cool?
Paul reminded Timothy to “kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you.” I bring this same message from the Word of God to you this morning, kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you, and do it right now.
General Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army once sent a message to those under him. He wrote, “the tendency of the fire is to go out; watch the fire on the alter of your heart.” The Apostle Paul wrote to the pastor Timothy, “I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you.”
I say to you, you have a gift. You must give yourself to the Word of God and to prayer in loyalty and devotion. You must associate with other Christians in joy and sorrow, being ready to participate with that gift. You must study and prepare.
You are called this morning to kindle afresh that gift of God which is in you – this is called revival.
Of course if you are not saved, this message is poppy-cock to you. Realize your sin; confess your sin; accept forgiveness of your sin; repent to a life in Jesus Christ.
To the believer, kindle afresh your gift. And do it now!
I invite you to be a part of the fellowship of CRBC as we kindle afresh our collective gifts, for the glory of God.
