Stoke the Fire

At one point or another, everyone needs encouragement. The reason for the encouragement varies. It could be weariness or trials or fear. In Timothy’s case, it probably included an element of fear. Timothy appeared to have suffered from a slight timidity, making him prone to shrink back from his leadership role. While he possessed a sincere faith, Paul had to encourage him to stoke the fire of the gift he received so that he could serve in power, love, and self-control. Let’s look at Paul’s encouragement to Timothy to “fan into flame the gift of God” with these notes from the Life Application Bible Commentary.

Timothy’s Gift

“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.”

1 Timothy 1:6

The reason was the fact that Timothy possessed sincere faith (1:5), a precious treasure in a church leader. In telling Timothy to fan into flame the gift of God, Paul was encouraging him to persevere. At the time of his ordination, Timothy had received a special gift of the Spirit to enable him to serve the church: “Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you through prophecy with the laying on of hands by the council of elders” (1 Timothy 4:14). This gift was most likely the gift of ministry, the special grace from God to do Christian service. Verse 7 supports that concept. The phrase the laying on of my hands most likely means that Timothy’s spiritual gift had been given to him, along with a prophecy, when Paul and the elders laid their hands on him and set him apart for ministry.

Bold Proclamation

Rather than asking Timothy to restart a cold fire, Paul was encouraging him to fan a young fire to keep it at full flame. Timothy did not need new revelations or new gifts; he needed only to “fan” the gift of leadership he already had received, as well as to have courage and self-discipline for holding on to the truth in the days to come (see 1:13–14).

“Fan into flame” does not suggest that Timothy had fallen away from the faith; instead, Paul was encouraging Timothy to continue to step out boldly in faith and proclaim the gospel. In 1 Timothy 4:12 and 1 Corinthians 16:10–11, Paul indicates that he was concerned for Timothy, who was younger and much less forceful and bold than Paul. Paul did not want the false teachers to get an upper hand. Timothy needed to take charge. When Timothy used his gift, the Holy Spirit would go with him and give him power. God never gives us a task to do without empowering us to carry it out.

Fan into Flame

The challenge to “fan into flame” (anazopurein) helps us understand how spiritual gifts work. Spiritual gifts are neither “gas jets” that can be turned on or off at our whim, nor “neatly packaged spiritual powers” with clear boundaries and qualities that the user fully understands. A “gift” requiring “fanning” implies that an ability for ministry may be neglected or ill-used. We cannot be sure if Paul thought Timothy had allowed his gift to die down to embers or whether he was encouraging the young pastor to keep stoking the fire to avoid having it burn low. In either case, the illustration shows that we must cooperate with God’s work in our lives. We are not simply possessed by God’s Spirit; we are indwelt. As Christians, we must actively host God’s presence in us.

Paul taught that the Spirit’s presence provides believers with gifts for ministry (see Romans 12:3–8; 1 Corinthians 12–14; Ephesians 4:7–13). Some of the gifts seem very specific (i.e., “tongues,” “prophecy,” “healing”), but the attention must always focus on the Spirit’s work through those gifted rather than the gifts they have. Our focus ought to be on contributing to others rather than on identifying our gift.

Lessons from the Campfire

A fire that has died down will not respond well to an armload of large logs dumped upon it. Without flames, the logs will actually stifle the remaining embers. Small, dried twigs and extra air will have to be used to “fan the flames” back to life. Then the fire will be able to handle larger wood. A time of spiritual dryness shouldn’t be treated by taking on a monumental spiritual challenge of “large logs.” Instead, seek sources for spiritual rekindling:

• Visit a motivating friend or mentor to keep you fresh and excited.
• Look for seminars or conferences that will energize your ministry.
• Rethink your involvement in evangelism.
• New, excited believers can greatly enthuse your ministry.
• Feed daily from God’s Word, complementing long-range study projects.
• Get outside in God’s creation for a few hours to recharge your spiritual life.

Encouragement for Life in the Life Application Bible Commentary

The Life Application Bible Commentary includes in-depth explanation, background, and application for every verse in the text. It is one of the only commentaries to offer sermon and lesson application alongside stirring commentary so it’s well-suited for preaching, teaching, and devotional reading. Pick up your copy of this one-of-a-kind resource today!