The following is from a sermon I preached in 2009 on 2 Tim 1:3-11:
How do I stoke the fires of other believers?
1. Prayer - It's been said time and time again, prayer is essential to Spiritual growth.
Oswald Chambers once wrote - "When a person is born from above, the life of the Son of God is born in him, and he can either starve that life or nourish it. Prayer is the way to nourish one's life with God. "
In our text, Paul demonstrates two different ways, how he used prayer to build up Timothy.
2 Tim. 1:3 - "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."
- Paul took it upon himself to intercede in prayer on behalf of Timothy. To pray for God's protection, God's guidance, God's blessing for Timothy, and he didn't do it casually, but with passion
- If you're like me sometimes its easier to say this then to carry it out. We know we ought to pray lots. We know we ought to pray for other believers, but in the distractions of our day and world we sometimes fail to pray with the passion and fervor that we should. Sometimes its easier to tell someone we'll be praying for them, then to spend the time with them, showing we care. I know at Bibleschool sometimes, the phrase, "I'll pray for you" seemed to be a courtesy greeting at times; said in passing.
- However, Paul demonstrates how the prayer alone for others becomes real and effective; through direct prayer
2 Tim. 1:6 "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."
- Paul not only prayed for Timothy in his quiet times with the Lord, but had prayed for Timothy directly; in audible voice, with physical contact. I know throughout my life there has been people praying for me, and I will never fully understand the impact of those prayers this side of eternity. However, some of the prayers that I have come to understand the impact of are those which someone came up to me and prayed for me.
- my uncle is someone I highly respect and look up to. Several times he has taken me aside and prayed for me. One such prayer was shortly after I had given my life to God. He put his arm around me and prayed, "God use Adam to be a leader..." A prayer that has greatly impacted my life.
James 5:16 - "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."
If we break down this verse, the thing that sticks out to me is the picture of these people coming together, be open with one another, and praying for one another. And this is seen as powerful and effective. Continue to spend time praying for everyone in your alone times with God, but boldly bless someone by directly praying with and for them; doing so will flame the fire of their heart.
The second way to stoke the fires of other believers is:
to testify what God has done in their life
It is essential for faith to look back from time to time. The Bible is full of reminders that were left to look back upon. Throughout the Old Testament, there were altars built in all kinds of places as reminders of what God had done in that particular place; such as Jacob building an altar after seeing the stairway to heaven, in that same spot the temple would sit later on. The Passover and other feasts celebrated as reminders of marvelous things God had done in the past. Today we celebrate holidays such as Christmas and Easter that celebrate the 1st coming of Christ. We celebrate communion to remind us of His 2nd coming.
- in our text Paul takes the time to remind Timothy of specific things God had done for him. In 2 Tim. 1:5, Paul reminds Timothy of the spiritual legacy he continues which was lived in his grandmother Lois, his mother Eunice, and now carried out in his life. Paul also reminds Timothy of this special event in verse 6 where he was prayed over and something special happened. Most scholars believe that this event was a type of ordination where Timothy was set aside for ministry and not only prayed for by Paul, but other elders as well. There was much more to be thankful for in Timothy's past and I'm sure Paul often reminded him of the good things God had done in his life. It eventually carried over into Timothy's life where he was reminding others of God's goodness as well.
1 Cor. 4:17 - "For this reason I am sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church."
- When we look back at the road of our spiritual journey, we too, should be encouraged.
F.E. Marsh wrote that when we look back there common elements believers should see:
i) The deliverances the Lord has brought; ii) The way He has led; iii) The blessings He has bestowed; iv) The victories He has won; v) The encouragements He has given
- the result of looking back upon such things is encouragement, renewed strength, and stronger faith. Paul often in his letters to the different churches would be quick to remind the people of God's faithfulness and what He had done for them.
The third way to stoke the fires of other believers is to:
Quietly, demonstrate God's effectiveness in your own life
Timothy, as a protégé to Paul, had undoubtedly seen Paul at his best, and had a fine example to follow in his own ministry and spiritual life. And Paul at the time of this letter was setting his greatest example to Timothy. Many believe that 2 Timothy is the last letter Paul wrote, from jail, before he was executed. Yet, Paul still carried the same conviction and confidence as he had before.
vs. 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.”
Paul was not only inspiring Timothy by his example, but he left instruction for Timothy and us that can teach us how to inspire by example
vs. 7 - “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.”
Those 3 things are what each of us as believers should quiet demonstrate to each other to inspire each other and encourage us to grow: power to over-come evil and this world; over-abundant love for the love that flows from God, and self-discipline to live the life God has called us to.
- in my life one who quietly demonstrated and a great impact was Ken Leonard, the former director of TTBC. Ken never was much for words, but his life motivated myself and a lot of the staff he lead. His life demonstrated the power of God’s provision. He constantly demonstrated love for the staff and campers. His discipline for prayer and reading God’s word was unmatched. If he had a busy day, he would get up even earlier to have his quiet time, sometimes as early as 4am. Even today when I don’t feel like loving as I should, or serving the way I should; God will remind me of his example to spur me on. We can have great impact on other believers without saying a word, and it is through quietly demonstrating God at work in our own lives.
The fourth way to stoke the fires of other believers is:
lead and partner with them in ministry
Paul had in his life, an overwhelming calling to share the gospel with the Gentile world. He could have easily taken this upon himself, felt he alone was called to. But instead he partnered with others and invested in them as well; he brought along Silas, Barnabas, John Mark, Timothy, as well as other he encountered along the way.
2 Tim1:8 he tells Timothy - "Please join with me in suffering for the gospel.." This is what God desires for ministry, not to go at it alone, but to partner with other believers and spur each other on. There are many along my journey who has gently brought me along and allowed me to share in ministry that God has entrusted to them.
