Fan into Flame

Fan into Flame
Words of Faith 6-29-2023
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2023
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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2 Timothy 1
[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.

Recalling the family of Timothy and the legacy of Christ in his home, Paul also reminded Timothy of the commitment he had made to the Lord and that he had been set apart by the laying on of hands.
Paul urged young Timothy to fan into flame or "keep at full flame" his God-given ability for ministry. Paul knew that God's gifts must be used if they are to reach and maintain their full potential. Paul wrote in his first letter that Timothy's gift for ministry had come through a prophetic message with the laying on of hands (1 Tim. 4:14).
The various gifts of God for ministry are precious and should not be neglected. These gifts are found listed in Paul's letters to the churches-- Romans 12:6-8, 1 Corinthians 12:8-10; 28-30, and Ephesians 4:11. The gifts include Administration, Knowledge, Apostleship, Leadership, Discernment, Mercy, Evangelism, Miracles, Exhortation, Pastor/Shepherd, Faith, Prophecy, Giving, Serving/Ministering, Healing, Teaching, Interpretation of Tongues, Tongues, and Wisdom. (If you are interested in tests that help discern your spiritual gifts, there are a number of web resources such as http://www.spiritualgiftstest.com/spiritual-gifts - http://www.gracepointdbq.org/spiritual-gift-assessment-and-list - http://mintools.com/gifts-list.htm ).
Paul wrote to the church at Rome that "God's gifts and His call are not revocable" (Romans 11:29). There is probably no one quite as miserable as one who has been called to a ministry and yet is not following that call or walking in that gifting.
The gifts of God are never to a person; rather, they are gifts IN a person FOR the community of believers. Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus where Timothy served as Pastor: "It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:11-13).
Timothy had the gift of shepherding the Body of Christ as a Pastor. He had other gifts, such as being a Teacher and Prophet that served the church in his office as Pastor. He may have had other spiritual gifts not mentioned here, such as Service, Discernment, Mercy, or Knowledge.
Paul's point was that Timothy should not let those gifts lie dormant. A spiritual gift should be fanned into full flame and exercised. Gifts should be affirmed by an overseer such as Paul or those who are elder in the church and faith. Of course, gifts should be exercised under the covering and authority given in a local church. But they should not be allowed to grow cold from neglect like an ember separated from a fire.
So what is the calling in your life? What gifts has God conveyed for the Body of Christ in you? Are you neglecting a gift that God has given to your church and intends to exercise through you? Is there a gift in you that needs to be nurtured, shaped, affirmed, or fanned into full flame?

Father God, show me the gifts that You have placed in me. Show me the way that You desire to use me in the Body of Christ. Breathe on me, Your Holy Spirit, that the flame of Your gifting in me might be full. In Jesus' Name and for His glory, Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2023
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2023 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.