A Call to Action: Rekindling Spiritual Passion

second Timothy. So we'll be in 2 Timothy chapter 1. 2 Timothy chapter 1. Our text tonight is verses 6 to8. And our theme for this message is really about rekindling spiritual passion, rejecting fear and embracing boldness in ministry. Something that I can see in in Chris as well. Tonight we will turn to Paul's second letter to Timothy. A a deep personal and pastoral message from a seasoned apostle to his spiritual son. Paul writes from Rome, a Roman prison knowing that his time is short and he wants to to encourage Timothy to remain faithful, to remain bold and spiritually alive. He wants to in in essence pass the torch with urgency and love from him to Timothy.

In 2 Timothy chapter 2 verse two, the Bible says, "And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men who shall be able to teach others as also." See, Paul in this letter entrusts Timothy with the gospel and the responsibility to disciple others. And this is not a new thing passing the torch to another servant of God. We see that with Moses to Joshua. Moses nearing his death commissions Joshua to lead Israel into the promised land. And you can find more details on that in Deuteronomy. But in Deuteronomy 31:7, the Bible says, "And Moses called unto Joshua and said unto him in the sight of Israel, be strong and of good courage, for thou must go with people unto the land which the Lord hath sworn unto their fathers to give them, and thou shalt cause them to inherit it."

And then we have also Elijah to Elisha. Elijah's mantle symbolizes the prophetic passing of his office to Elijah. You find that in second Kings. And then we also have David to his son Solomon. David encourages Solomon to build the temple and lead Israel faithfully. In 1st Chronicles 28:20, the Bible says, "And David said to Solomon his son, be strong and of good courage, and do it. Fear not, nor be dismayed, for the Lord God, even my God, will be with thee. He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee until thou has finished all the work of the service of the house of the Lord." So it's not a new thing passing off the torch to a new servant.

And so tonight let let's read our passage together. If you are able, please stand out of respect of the word of God. 2 Timothy 1:es 6-8 the Bible says, "Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God had not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of the Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God. Let's pray. Father Lord, thank you so much again for your holy word. We thank you for your love of your people.

We praise you for what you are doing in this church, what you are doing in the lives of those that are here, including brother Chris. And Father, I pray now that you would grant me clarity. And I pray for open minds and open hearts as we examine this passage, not only to know these truths, but to really learn how to apply them in our own lives. Father, we love you. In Christ's name we pray. Amen. Please have a seat. Thank you for standing. Tonight, I'm going to share three main points. And I'm not sure if Oh, it is in here. I'm going to share three main points. uh with you and the first one and and I hope that the these points would help us not only to understand this passage but to really know how do we use these truths in our lives.

The first point is rekindling the fire. Rekindling the fire. And we find that in verse six of our passage. Wherefore I put thee in in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God which is in in thee by putting on of my hands. See, Paul begins with a reminder to his spiritual son Timothy, a call to action. And that, by the way, is the title of our message tonight, a call to action. And this is not just a call from Paul to Timothy, but this can certainly apply to you and I. Before I go any further, calling you to action, let me let me ask you this question because some I off you don't have to answer it, but if I would ask you, what are you doing in this church today?

Would you have an answer? Are you serving the Lord in any kind of ministry that this church has? Are you actively involved? If you can't answer that, perhaps you may consider what you're doing for the Lord because this is a call to action. See, Timothy had received a spiritual gift, maybe more than one, and it's probably likely more likely that is related to preaching and leadership. through the laying of Paul's hands when he got ordained, when he got saved. But Paul, if you read this letter, we can tell that Paul sensed that Timothy's fire was flickering. Perhaps from discouragement, fear or fatigue had dimmed Timothy's passion.

So he's writing this call to action to encourage him. Now let let me ask let me let me tell you this. Many of us I know have received spiritual gifts. When we got saved, the Holy Spirit gives us one or more spiritual gifts. We also have callings. We also have our natural gifts that the Lord gives us through creation. But all of these over time tend to grow cold. Tend to grow cold. Ministry can be really draining. Life can be distracting. And if we're not careful, the flame of our calling can fade away. In Romans 12:11, the Bible encourages spiritual fervor and uh diligence in service, not slothful in business, fervent in spirit, and serving the Lord.

Let me ask you again, what are you doing here? Are you serving the Lord in any capacity within this church? 1 Thessalonians 5:19 warns us not to suppress the work of the Holy Spirit. Quench not the spirit 1 Peter 4:10 reminds us about our our spiritual gifts and and how we should use it faithfully. As every man had received the gift, even so minister to the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. We are called to use our spiritual gift or gift faithfully. In Proverbs 26:20 that verse, this verse remind is is a reminder that fire needs fuel. Let me say again fire needs fuel just like our spiritual lives, our spiritual fire.

In Proverbs 26:20, as I said, where no wood is, there the fire goeth out. As we consider Paul's message, it's it's really clear. He says, "Don't let the fire die. Stir it up. Fan the flame. Reignite your passion for God's work. Don't wait until rich toes are come or don't wait until the next revival. Stir it up. I we recently had uh camping for the young ones all the way to families. But picture this. Think of a campfire. If you leave it unattended, it doesn't stay hot. You have to poke it. You have to feed it. You have to stir it. Likewise, our spiritual lives need tending. Not sure if I think all of you, most of you re realize it that that prayer, scripture, fellowship, and obedience to the Lord's commands are the fuels that are supposed to keep our fire burning.

How are you doing in that in those departments? Are you praying? Are you are you in scripture? Are you fellowshipping with your brothers and sisters in Christ? Are you in obedient? That's the first point. The second point is rejecting fear and embracing power. Rejecting fear and embracing power. And that's in verse seven. For God had not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Let me break it down for you. Paul now shifts from the call to stir up the gift to a powerful reminder of what God has not given us as well as what God has given us. You know, as I think about this whole passage and in the book of uh the letters from Paul to Timothy, Timothy, like many of us may have struggled with fear, perhaps fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of persecution.

But Paul is very clear in his message that fear is not from God. It's not part of the spiritual DNA, if you will, of a believer. That's very powerful. How many of you have fear? How many you have fear of speaking? I see some hands up there. kind of like okay but through the spirit of God he gives you that power instead he gives us God gives us three things in this verse power this is referred to as a divine strength the Holy Spirit power to do what God has called us to It's not human confidence or charisma. It's a supernatural enabler that the Holy Spirit gives us. And I'm just folks, I'm not talking just from words.

I've actually experienced this. And I think most of you, if not all, have experienced this. If you think back on all these things that you were able to accomplish, whether it be at your regular day job, in school, or wherever it is, if you think back sometimes me, how did I do that? Perhaps if you're a believer, you just witness the the power of the Holy Spirit. When we feel weak though, this is when the power of God is made perfect. In 2 Corinthians 12:9, "And he said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee, for any strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, I would rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

See, when we are weak, when we when we see the impossibility coming on, seek God's power. In first uh uh uh in Isaiah 41:10, the Bible says, "Fear not, for I am thee. Be not dismayed, for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee, ye, I will help thee, ye, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Folks, God is going to be with us. He will strengthen us. He will make us stand again if we fall. There is no reason to fear because fear is not of God. However, this power is of God. The second thing that God gives us is love. And I'm just talking about the emotional love, but I'm talking about the agape love, the sacrificial unconditional love that the Lord gives us.

Love for God, love for people, love for the lost. See, when we use the love that God gives us, he enables us to love others, especially to love the lost, the unlovable. And one of the things that I found interesting about God's love is that that love drives out fear. 1 John 4:13 the Bible uh 18 the Bible says there is no fear in love but perfect love casteth out fear. Did you hear that? Perfect love casteth out fear because fear faith torment hath torment. He that fearth is not made perfect in love. Get this. When we love deeply, then we start getting busy loving others that we the the awareness of self goes away.

We're not we're no longer fearful. So there there is something to learn about the love of God. The third thing that God gave us in this verse is a is a sound mind. A sound mind. This means self-discipline, clarity, and wisdom. A sound mind helps us to stay grounded in the truth, not tossed by emotions or our circumstances. It is the ability to think, make godly decisions, think clearly, make godly decisions, and stay focused on our mission. The thing about fear, you see, fear is a thief. It steals our joy, our calling, our confidence. When fear rises, we must remind oursself that is is it's not of God.

Let me give you a think of this. Imagine a soldier going into battle. A soldier going into battle. If he's overcome with fear, the soldier will freeze. But if he remembers his training, his armor, his his mission, he'll move forward with courage. See, as believers, we are spiritual soldiers. We are in God's army now. And we must reject fear and walk in the power, the love and the sound mind that God has given us. very simple formula, perhaps hard to understand and apply, but if you if you do if you do get this and you apply it, you'll be fine. The last point, and I'll try to speed it up because I think I'm running out of time here, is about boldness in witness and suffering.

The last point is about boldness and witness and suffering. And we we find that in verse eight of our passage. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of his prisoner, but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God. See, Mo uh Paul moves from encouragement to exhortation. At this point, he challenges Timothy not to be ashamed, neither of the gospel nor of Paul, who is a prisoner at that time. Paul was imprisoned for preaching the gospel of uh Christ. This is a very powerful moment when you read this verse because Paul is essentially saying to Timothy, don't shrink back.

Don't hide your faith. Don't distance yourself from the cost of the gospel. Be bold. As we break down this this verse eight, there's three things I just want to share with you real quickly. The temptation to be ashamed. See, in a hostile culture, it's so so very easy to stay silent. And I know some of you probably know what I'm talking about. If you work in an environment where there is no other Christians, you're the only one and all the cussing and all the other things that are going on that is ungodly and you're the minority is so tempting that we can stay silent. ee, Timothy may have faced ridicule from the church of Ephesus, opposition or even fear of association with the prisoner of uh prisoner Paul.

But Paul reminds him that the gospel is worth suffering for. We can see that Paul declares his boldness in in proclaiming the gospel in Romans 1:16. where he says, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is a power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth to the Jew first and also to the Greek." Paul understands the power of the gospel. He understand that he is not to be ashamed of because gospel is the source of salvation. If you believe in Christ, you become a a believer. You've got you're saved. Philippians 1:20, the Bible says, "According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but in but that with all boldness as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be life or by death."

We can do, we can exalt, glorify God in our living right now. And hopefully when we die, our testimony on how we live would glorify and exalt the Lord. There's also a call to share in suffering. In verse eight, be thou partakers of the afflictions See, this is not a passive acceptance. It's an active participation in the affliction of the gospel. Ministry is not always comfortable. Faithfulness often comes with hardship. But suffering for Christ, folks, let me tell you, suffering for Christ is not a sign of failure. It's a mark of devotion to our Lord and Savior. Then we also this from verse eight, the power to endure.

Paul doesn't leave Timothy with hopelessness, with the burden that he reminds, but he he reminds Paul the power of God. It is not our strength that that comes through uh suffering. is gods. The same power that raised Christ from the dead empowers us to stand firm in trials. Romans 8:18 encourages believers to reduce or to endure suffering with hope in the eternal life or eternal reward. When we suffer in in the cause of Christ, there is a eternal reward that comes. Matthew 5 verse 10 and 12, Jesus affirms us through these verses the blessings and reward of those who suffer for righteousness. So let me ask you this.

You can answer yourself. Are you bold in your witness or are you shrinking back whenever it's inconvenient? Are you willing to suffer for the gospel or do you seek comfort over calling? See, Paul's words challenge us to embrace the cost of disciplehip and encourage and with courage and conviction. Yeah. Oftenimes as I was studying this and you probably will too, think of the the old the the um the early church men and women who were persecuted, imprisoned, and even faced death, even died. They didn't run from their sufferings. They embraced it because they knew the gospel was worth it all. Today, we may not have these physical chains, but we certainly must still choose boldness over comfort.

I think sometimes we're all so into our comfort level that we give up being bold in in the witness or the testimony of the gospel of Christ. Paul's message to Timothy is a timeless peace. He says, "Stir up the gift. Don't let your calling grow cold. Reject fear. Walk in the power, the love, and the sound mind. Be bold. Embrace the gospel even when it cost you. Just a few verses, two verses that I'm going to close with. Hopefully, you'll be thinking about this. Turn to Hebrews chapter 10. In Hebrews chapter 10 23 and 24, the Bible says, "Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, for he is faithful that promised.

and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works. I want to focus a little bit on the last part of that verse. We I think we all understand that we are supposed to hold fast in our in our profession in our faith. But what does it mean uh to provoke love and good works? How how can we do that? Well, it could include things like speaking with encouraging words to one another. serve together. You know, you may be in a ministry in this church, but have you invited others to be part of your ministry, share testimonies with one another. I love the fact that we can at the end of normally these Sunday evening messages we have discussion time where we can come together.

That's another way of sharing your testimonies with one another to encourage one another and be present and available. Does pastor have to go and look around? Where's Peter? Where's I don't see Peter. Come on Peter. Be available. in in the latest conference. I really appreciated those guys who showed up downstairs. What can I do? That's always helpful. Be available. And then the last uh verse that I want to leave you with is in Galatians 6:9. In Galatians 6:9 it says, "And let us not be weary in welloing, for in due season we shall reap if we if we faint not." Now I want to tell you a story about the bamboo farmer.

Have you ever heard of the bamboo farmer? Anybody? Good. In rural Asia, there is a type of bamboo that teaches us a profound lesson about endurance. When a farmer plants a bamboo seed, he waters it. He tends to the soil. He protects it from the weeds, but nothing happens for weeks, months, and sometimes years. For the first four years, there's nothing visible in growth. It seems like the seed is dead, but the farmer keeps watering and keeps taking care of it, keeps believing that it it's going to grow. Then in normally in the fifth year, something extraordinary happens. The bamboo suddenly shoots up growing as much as 90 feet in just six weeks.

Perhaps you can be saying what was happening in the earlier years. Well, the work is being done underground. The bamboo was developing a strong root system to support the future growth. You know sometimes our prayers, service and sacrifice feel unseen and unrewarded but God is working beneath the surface. Pastor surface building our character, strengthening our faith, and preparing the harvest. See, Galatians 6:9 reminds us that in due season we shall reap if we faint not. Amen. Amen, pastor. So, keep watering. Keep believing because a breakthrough may be closer than you think. Joshua 1:9, have not I command thee?

I know I promised two, but I'm going to do three. Have not I command thee? commanded, bee, be strong, and not be of a good um and and of a good courage, and be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed, for the Lord thy God is with thee, whethersoever thou goest. See, God doesn't merely suggest courage. He commands it. Joshua was stepping into leadership after Moses, facing battles in unknown territories, and the weight of the responsibility is starting to set in. Yet God says, "Be strong and of a good courage." When God calls you to something, whether ministry, leadership, or personal growth, he also equips you with the strength to do it with courage as a choice that is rooted in what?

Trust. Trusting in God. Amazing. three verses and we get all this. That's the power of the word of God. I hope you find this useful. I know we're not going to have group discussions, but I think somewhere on the board you should have questions, three questions that I have put in there. I encourage you read those questions, think about it, ponder about it throughout the week. And how does it relate to you? What does it mean to stir up the gift of God in your own life? Can you identify a gift or calling that needs rekindling? I'll let you read the rest. Let's pray. Father Lord, thank you so much again for your holy word.

We thank you for the time that we can come together to to examine your truths. Father, I pray that you would be would be with us as we go through these doors to help us to ponder on this message and to think about this call to action and to help us to find our way to answer that call. We love you in Christ's name we pray. Amen. Appreciate that message. What a great challenge that was and to renew our passion. And I hope you'll really be challenged with that. I'd hope you'll consider these questions and and this week and meditate on it like we talked about this morning and and maybe go back and review through some of the things to remind you just to review that passion with the Lord.

As we dismiss the ushers will be by the two entrances way here and they've got the flyers for inviting to a Sunday. I hope everybody here will take a few and pass them out and just invite folks to come again. When you have a meal, you got a better chance to invite them even if you invite them before. So I hope you'll take opportunity. Now, we're going to have some food downstairs and celebrating Chris's life and the blessing he was. And thank again for your family bringing that for us tonight. And be sure to take time to greet them and and uh let them know what Chris meant to you. Also, we'd like to all of you to stick around, enjoy the food and fellowship together.

And so, let's go ahead and stand and we're going to have a uh ask the Lord's blessings on the food and the fellowship as we go down. I'm ask brother Grady to come and maybe just share a quick word about Chris for you as well. One of my favorite times with Chris, uh, he asked me to take him to see Wicked, uh, which was one of the musical. And I'm not a not a very big musical person. And so uh so I I took him and uh and it was after a long day and I fell asleep and Chris would wake me up laughing and and he and it was you know just so funny to see how much he enjoyed it and uh and so we were talking on the way back and and uh I was like Chris man was like uh how'd you like it and he was like oh it was so good.

It was really good. He was like how'd you like it? And I was like I said, "Well, not as much, but uh praise the Lord that I got a chance to go with you." So, uh I I do thank the Lord that we got the opportunity to know him and and spend some time with him and and uh thank you uh to his family that you're here this evening. Let us uh pray. Lord, we love you. You created us to live this life together, to love one another, to share in our joy, and to share in our times of weakness. And Father God, we thank you that we have you to turn to when we don't know where we can turn, when we're without help and without hope.

that we have a God that's all merciful, a God that's almighty, a God that is good and precious. And Father God, I pray that you would be with us this evening. I thank you for the message, the challenge to stir within us, the faith that you have given us, Lord, the gospel that we would not be ashamed, but that we would proclaim it to our community and to this lost and dying world. Father God, we pray that you would be with us as we go out this week. And uh give us boldness uh to proclaim and to to share and to invite. And Father, we'll give you the praise. We'll give you the honor. We'll give you the glory. We thank you for who you are. We thank you for what you've done for us already. Bless us now. We do pray. Bless the food that we're about to receive, the fellowship to the nourishment of our body. It's in the n mighty name of Jesus we pray. Amen.