Reigniting the Fire of Faith Within Us

Summary

In our journey of faith, it's crucial to keep the fire of our devotion to God burning brightly. Just as we expect our coffee to be hot, our faith should be fervent and alive. However, over time, the initial zeal we had when we first embraced the gospel can fade, leading to a lukewarm faith that Jesus warns against in Revelation 3. This series, "Warm," has been exploring the dangers of spiritual complacency and how to reignite our passion for God.

Today, we turn to 2 Timothy 1:3-7, where Paul encourages Timothy to fan into flame the gift of God within him. Paul reminds us to live in the present, not resting on the faith of our ancestors but actively pursuing our own relationship with God. Timothy's story is a testament to this, as he was nurtured by his grandmother and mother, yet he had to cultivate his own faith despite his father's lack of belief. This teaches us that regardless of our past or upbringing, God has a plan for us, and we must move forward in faith.

Paul also emphasizes the importance of not letting the fire of God go out. Just as a flame requires intentional action to keep burning, our spiritual gifts need to be developed and exercised. We are called to use the gifts God has given us to build His kingdom, ensuring that our faith remains vibrant and active.

Moreover, we must plug into the power of God, relying on the Holy Spirit to empower us. Paul reassures Timothy that he is not alone in his mission; the Spirit provides power, love, and self-discipline. This same power is available to us, enabling us to live out our faith boldly and effectively.

Finally, we are reminded that obedience is key to staying connected to God's power. Every act of obedience, whether it's forgiving others, serving, or giving thanks, stokes the fire within us, keeping our faith alive and impactful. In a world that seeks to extinguish our spiritual fervor, we must remain vigilant, continually fueling the fire of God within us.

Key Takeaways:

- Live in the Present: Our faith journey requires us to actively engage with God in the present, not relying solely on the spiritual heritage of our past. Like Timothy, we must cultivate our own relationship with God, moving forward in faith despite any familial or personal challenges. [05:39]

- Fan the Flame: Spiritual gifts and faith require intentional nurturing. Just as a flame needs tending, our faith must be actively developed and exercised to remain vibrant. This involves using our gifts for God's purposes and allowing them to grow and mature. [15:34]

- Plug into God's Power: The Holy Spirit empowers us to live out our faith with boldness and love. We are not called to rely on our own strength but to tap into the divine power that God provides, enabling us to fulfill His purposes. [21:35]

- Obedience Fuels the Fire: Every act of obedience to God strengthens our spiritual fervor. Whether it's forgiving others, serving, or giving thanks, these actions keep the fire of God burning brightly within us, allowing us to shine His light in the world. [24:16]

- It's Never Too Late: No matter our age or past experiences, it's never too late to choose obedience to the gospel. Like the pastor's mother, who chose to be baptized later in life, we can always make the decision to follow Christ wholeheartedly. [30:34]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [01:21] - The Lukewarm Danger
- [04:15] - Paul's Encouragement to Timothy
- [05:39] - Living in the Present
- [06:56] - Timothy's Spiritual Heritage
- [07:34] - Hope Beyond Our Past
- [08:52] - God's Plan for Us
- [13:02] - Faith and Sacrifice in Church History
- [14:23] - Remembering the Past, Shaping the Future
- [15:34] - Fanning the Flame
- [20:29] - The Eternal Flame
- [21:35] - Plugging into God's Power
- [23:29] - Walking by the Spirit
- [24:16] - Obedience and Spiritual Fire
- [26:43] - Invitation to Experience God's Power
- [30:34] - A Personal Testimony of Faith
- [31:47] - Closing Prayer

Study Guide

### Bible Study Discussion Guide

#### Bible Reading
- 2 Timothy 1:3-7
- Revelation 3:15-16
- Galatians 5:16

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#### Observation Questions
1. What does Paul remind Timothy to do with the gift of God in 2 Timothy 1:6? How does this relate to keeping one's faith vibrant? [04:15]
2. According to the sermon, what role did Timothy's family play in his spiritual upbringing, and what was notably absent? [06:56]
3. How does the sermon describe the natural tendency of faith over time, and what warning does Jesus give about this in Revelation 3? [01:21]
4. What does Paul say the Spirit gives us in 2 Timothy 1:7, and how is this significant for living out our faith? [21:35]

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#### Interpretation Questions
1. How does the sermon suggest we can "fan into flame" the gift of God within us, and why is this important for our spiritual growth? [15:34]
2. What does it mean to "live in the present" in the context of our faith, and how can past experiences both help and hinder this? [05:39]
3. How does the sermon explain the concept of "plugging into God's power," and what practical steps are suggested to achieve this? [23:29]
4. In what ways does the sermon illustrate the impact of obedience on our spiritual fervor, and why is this crucial for maintaining a vibrant faith? [24:16]

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#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on your current spiritual state. Do you feel your faith is hot, lukewarm, or cold? What steps can you take this week to "fan into flame" your faith? [04:15]
2. Consider your spiritual heritage. How has your family or community influenced your faith journey, and how can you actively cultivate your own relationship with God? [06:56]
3. Identify a spiritual gift you believe God has given you. How can you intentionally develop and use this gift to serve others and build God's kingdom? [15:34]
4. Think about a recent situation where you felt timid or lacked confidence in your faith. How can you rely on the Holy Spirit's power, love, and self-discipline to overcome this? [21:35]
5. What is one area of your life where you can practice obedience to God this week? How might this act of obedience stoke the fire of your faith? [24:16]
6. Reflect on a past experience that has shaped your faith. How can you use this experience to move forward in your faith journey rather than dwelling on it? [08:52]
7. Is there a specific distraction or challenge in your life that is hindering your connection to God's power? What practical steps can you take to address this and stay plugged into the Holy Spirit? [23:29]

Devotional

Day 1: Cultivating a Present Faith
In our journey of faith, it is essential to actively engage with God in the present moment. This means not relying solely on the spiritual heritage of our past but cultivating our own relationship with God. Timothy's story serves as a powerful example of this principle. Despite being nurtured by his grandmother and mother, Timothy had to develop his own faith, independent of his father's lack of belief. This teaches us that regardless of our past or upbringing, God has a unique plan for each of us, and we must move forward in faith, embracing the present opportunities to grow closer to Him. [05:39]

2 Corinthians 6:2 (ESV): "For he says, 'In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.' Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation."

Reflection: What is one way you can actively engage with God today, rather than relying on past experiences or spiritual heritage?

Day 2: Nurturing the Flame of Faith
Our spiritual gifts and faith require intentional nurturing to remain vibrant and alive. Just as a flame needs tending, our faith must be actively developed and exercised. This involves using the gifts God has given us for His purposes and allowing them to grow and mature. By doing so, we ensure that our faith remains fervent and impactful, avoiding the dangers of spiritual complacency. We are called to fan into flame the gift of God within us, as Paul encouraged Timothy, and to be diligent in our pursuit of spiritual growth. [15:34]

1 Peter 4:10-11 (ESV): "As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ."

Reflection: What specific spiritual gift do you feel God has given you, and how can you intentionally nurture and use it to serve others this week?

Day 3: Tapping into Divine Power
The Holy Spirit empowers us to live out our faith with boldness and love. We are not called to rely on our own strength but to tap into the divine power that God provides. This power enables us to fulfill His purposes and live out our faith effectively. Paul reassures Timothy that he is not alone in his mission; the Spirit provides power, love, and self-discipline. This same power is available to us, allowing us to live boldly and confidently in our faith journey. [21:35]

Ephesians 3:16-17 (ESV): "That according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love."

Reflection: In what area of your life do you need to rely more on the Holy Spirit's power rather than your own strength? How can you begin to do that today?

Day 4: Obedience as a Catalyst for Spiritual Fire
Every act of obedience to God strengthens our spiritual fervor. Whether it's forgiving others, serving, or giving thanks, these actions keep the fire of God burning brightly within us. Obedience is key to staying connected to God's power and ensuring that our faith remains alive and impactful. In a world that seeks to extinguish our spiritual fervor, we must remain vigilant, continually fueling the fire of God within us through our obedience to His commands. [24:16]

James 1:22-25 (ESV): "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing."

Reflection: What is one specific act of obedience you can commit to today that will help keep your spiritual fire burning brightly?

Day 5: Embracing New Beginnings
No matter our age or past experiences, it's never too late to choose obedience to the gospel. We can always make the decision to follow Christ wholeheartedly, just as the pastor's mother chose to be baptized later in life. This reminds us that God's grace is available to us at any stage of life, and we can embrace new beginnings in our faith journey. It's never too late to reignite our passion for God and commit to living a life of obedience and devotion to Him. [30:34]

Isaiah 43:18-19 (ESV): "Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."

Reflection: Is there an area of your life where you feel it's too late to make a change? How can you invite God to do a new thing in that area today?

Quotes

1. "And yet at one time, every believer, every follower... Every follower of Jesus has had a fire in their hearts for following after God, a fire that burned hot inside of them. You think about the time, if you're a follower of Jesus, you think about the time when you first came to understand the gospel of jesus christ that time when you first accepted jesus christ as your lord and savior you were baptized into him and you were on fire you were excited for god you're like what can i do to serve god i want to know god more but as hot things naturally tend to do over time at some point that fire starts to go out at some point our faith can become lukewarm and not only does a lukewarm faith literally make jesus sick to his stomach it will also lead to eternal rejection and this is why jesus gave a very serious life and death warning about such danger in revelation chapter 3 we've been looking at the last couple of weeks we've been looking at the last couple of weeks we've been looking at the last couple of weeks. The last couple of weeks, we've been in this series, Warm, exploring the dangers of being lukewarm in our spiritual faith commitment, in our relationship with God. And last week, we discovered what the biblical profile of someone who is lukewarm looks like. If you missed either one of those messages, I'd encourage you to check them out on our website or on our YouTube channel, because there's something there for all of us, because the tendency to become lukewarm is a very real tendency for all of us." ([00:01:21] (110 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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2. "And now that we've explored what it looks like in our lives, what we need to do now is we need to turn our attention to how we can stay hot. We can avoid or overcome being lukewarm in our faith. So if you have your Bibles and you want to turn there or turn in your apps or simply follow along on the screen with me, we are in 2 Timothy chapter 1. 2 Timothy chapter 1, verses 3 through 7. And here the apostle Paul, an early follower of Jesus, a great missionary of the church, writes to this guy named Timothy. He says, I thank God whom I serve as my ancestors did with a clear conscience." ([00:03:21] (49 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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3. "You see, some of us, we didn't grow up with people and parents who spiritually poured into our lives. Some of us did. I know in this church, we have some people here that you've been in the church since you were probably a baby, a very little kid. And you don't know what life is like apart from the church. But there's some of us that when we came into the church, it was all new to us because we didn't have that foundation. And maybe you didn't have those people that were pouring into your lives spiritually. And yet, God still brings the right people into your life at the right times. Maybe even people in this church. So that you can be used by God for great things and in great ways." ([00:08:00] (54 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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4. "even some bad in his life that he cannot continue to live in the past or rest on the faith of his ancestors see the truth there is so powerful up powerful for us because sometimes as human beings we live our lives based upon something that that we've experienced in the past something that's happened to us in the past but no matter how bad your past might be no matter what you've had to experience it doesn't have to be the last word God can still redeem what happened and he can use you to minister to other people and to build his kingdom and like Paul does for us it can be good to remember the past not to dwell on the past because that can be harmful sometimes but it can be good to remember the past like where we came from and you know how far we've come and the people who helped to get us to where we are who have poured into our lives and that is not just true for us as individuals it's also true for a church you see it can be good to remember where we've come from it can be good to remember the faith and the sacrifices that have got us to where we are today that have brought us this far you see indeed and what I'm going to share right now is going to be new to some of you because some of you are new to the church and you don't know the history of Newton Christian Church but indeed we ought to give thanks for the smallness to this small group of people who saw that Newton needed a Bible believing" ([00:09:21] (122 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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5. "must constantly be failing forward we must fail forward in other words we're gonna fail we're gonna make mistakes but we have to learn from those things and keep moving forward rather than falling backwards because then we just get stuck in mediocrity and we get lukewarm and it's just not a good thing we must keep moving forward staying hot in our faith avoiding becoming lukewarm one of the keys is choosing to live in the present choosing to live in the present what what God is doing right now and what God wants to do in the future rather than dwelling on the past and how things used to be here's the second thing that the Apostle Paul teaches and that is that we must not let the fire of God go out don't let the fire of God go out second Timothy chapter 1 verse 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 fan into flame the gift of God you know the idea here is that we must not let the fire of God go out second Timothy chapter 1 verse 6 for this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God you know the idea here is that a flame will eventually naturally go out if there is not some intentional and deliberate action taken to keep the flame going and not only that but when God gives a gift seldom is that gift given in full bloom that that gift must have development a gift requires development that comes from you we have to use the gift in order to develop the gift so that it blooms it becomes all that it can be and all that God wants it to be and so Paul is saying to Timothy and he's saying by extension to us you've been given a gift you've been given the gift of God's grace you've been given the gift of of his forgiveness by way of the gift of the Holy Spirit you've been given another gift a spiritual gift that should be used for the purpose of your life and for the purpose of your life and for the building up of God's kingdom and so Paul is saying to Timothy he's saying to us do something with that gift he's saying fan fan it into flame keep the fire burning within you white hot" ([00:16:39] (159 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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6. "Ecclesiastes chapter 3 verse 11 Solomon once said this he said he God has also set eternity in the human heart well what's that mean well it means that we were made for something more than just this life more than just this temporal natural life and that when we live with eternity on our minds there will be a fire that is burning within us that's why the apostle Paul wrote to the Philippian Christians in chapter 2 verse 12 saying therefore my dear friends as you have always obeyed not only in my presence but now much more in my absence continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling continue to work out your salvation in other words he's saying it's good to have faith. It's good to have faith in God. It's good to believe in God, but we have to do something with that faith. We have to exercise that gift. We have to do something with it. We need to practice our faith." ([00:20:59] (70 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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7. "must constantly be failing forward we must fail forward in other words we're gonna fail we're gonna make mistakes but we have to learn from those things and keep moving forward rather than falling backwards because then we just get stuck in mediocrity and we get lukewarm and it's just not a good thing we must keep moving forward staying hot in our faith avoiding becoming lukewarm one of the keys is choosing to live in the present choosing to live in the present what what God is doing right now and what God wants to do in the future rather than dwelling on the past and how things used to be here's the second thing that the Apostle Paul teaches and that is that we must not let the fire of God go out don't let the fire of God go out second Timothy chapter 1 verse 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 fan into flame the gift of God you know the idea here is that we must not let the fire of God go out second Timothy chapter 1 verse 6 for this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God you know the idea here is that a flame will eventually naturally go out if there is not some intentional and deliberate action taken to keep the flame going and not only that but when God gives a gift seldom is that gift given in full bloom that that gift must have development a gift requires development that comes from you we have to use the gift in order to develop the gift so that it blooms it becomes all that it can be and all that God wants it to be and so Paul is saying to Timothy and he's saying by extension to us you've been given a gift you've been given the gift of God's grace you've been given the gift of of his forgiveness by way of the gift of the Holy Spirit you've been given another gift a spiritual gift that should be used for the purpose of your life and for the purpose of your life and for the building up of God's kingdom and so Paul is saying to Timothy he's saying to us do something with that gift he's saying fan fan it into flame keep the fire burning within you white hot" ([00:16:39] (159 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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8. "And every time you choose to forgive someone instead of hold on to a grudge, and allow bitterness to take root, you are allowing the fire of God to burn in you a little brighter and a little hotter. And every time you choose to give thanks rather than to hold on to a spirit of entitlement, you're allowing the fire of God to burn a little brighter and a little hotter inside of you. And every time you come to church, you gather together with God's people, and you come together with a heart of worship rather than a heart of critique or criticism. You're allowing the fire. You're allowing the fire of God inside of you to burn a little brighter and a little bit hotter." ([00:25:32] (40 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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9. "every time you show up to to teach kids and in children's church you're allowing that fire to be stoked every time you work in the nursery you prepare coffee or prepare communion or mow the grass greet someone that's visiting with us every time you're serving in one of the many ways that we can serve around this place and in our community you're stoking the fire of god inside of you so that we can avoid becoming lukewarm and the fire gets a little hotter and a little brighter and as that happens we are shining the light of jesus all the more throughout all the places where we go in other words we plug into the power of god and we stay hot in our faith the more we put our faith into practice the more we become what james describes in the new testament doers of the word see it's not enough just to hear the word we're called to be doers of the word the reality is is that we live in a world that wants to to snuff out our fire we live in a world that is always trying to extinguish the fire of god within us and it's a tactic that comes straight from the devil because satan knows that a lukewarm believer is no threat to his kingdom of darkness but jesus knows that being lukewarm greatly diminishes our effectiveness and what we are able to accomplish for his kingdom our team's going to come to lead us in a moment we have a song of worship now and as they come i want you to know that if you're here today and and you've yet to experience the power of god maybe you wonder what what this fire of god is all about maybe you've never experienced his power maybe you've never experienced his forgiveness that comes through christ and the sacrifice of jesus upon an old rugged cross maybe you have never received the holy spirit that lives inside of us as believers to help us keep the fire alive if that's you today i want you to know" ([00:26:43] (160 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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10. "love to talk to you about that. If you've got questions, if you'd like to have a conversation, if you're ready to make a decision, please let me know. Come talk to me today. I'd love to talk to you. If you just don't have time to do that right now or you need to think about it or whatever, use your connection card. There's one on the backs of the seats in front of you or as a tear -off in your bulletin. You can just fill that out and let me know that you might have some questions or decision to make." ([00:29:22] (27 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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Chatbot

Transcript

What was the most surprising thing in this sermon?

Were there any personal stories shared?