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Holy Trinity Anglican Orthodox Church
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Stir Up Your Gift |
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2
Timothy 1:6 Twenty-second
Sunday after Trinity November 8, 2009 This
verse is often misunderstood and misused.
This is done primarily by those of the charismatic/pentecostal
persuasion who believe that the gift Timothy received through the laying
on of Paul's hands was the gift of tongues through the "baptism of
the Holy Spirit." They
picture Timothy speaking in tongues, joined by others in the congregation
until the entire congregation is speaking in tongues and doing other
things associated with that brand of theology and worship.
Actually Paul refers to the pastoral gifts Timothy was given by God
in his ordination to the ministry of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
As in every other occupation, certain skills are required to
effectively do the work of a minister.
But skills are not enough; the minister must be gifted in certain
abilities, which come only as the gifts of the Holy Spirit to equip the
man of God to lead the Church. Timothy
knelt before Paul and the assembled presbytery to be ordained the
ministry. The ordination included Paul placing his hands on Timothy's
head and praying for him, and setting him apart for the ministry.
Timothy didn't speak in tongues.
He was simply equipped by the Spirit to minister. Paul's
admonition to Timothy is to stir up his gift.
He is telling Timothy he can't coast.
He is telling Timothy to be proactive about using and developing
his pastoral abilities. He's
telling Timothy to be diligent about using his gift, and all his skills
and talents in the service of God and His Church. It
is easy to see how this applies to clergy.
But since we don't have any clergy, other than myself, here today,
I want to say that it applies equally well to all members of Christ's
Church. The application is as
follows. First, all
Christians have been given gifts of/from the Spirit.
These gifts are not for personal edification.
They are certainly not for self glorification.
They are for the building up of the Church in love.
The Church, of course, is the Universal Church, but our connection
to the Universal Church is primarily found in our participation in the
local congregation. So,
according to the Bible, each one of us has been given gifts by the Spirit
of God, Spiritual gifts, to be used to build up the local congregation of
Christ in Christian love, faith, and service. So
the application to every person in the Church is, stir up the gift of God
that is in you. Be diligent
to use it to build up your congregation.
Now, your gift need not be something spectacular.
In fact, it rarely will be. It
will more likely be a quiet, unobtrusive kind of thing.
It could be as simple as praying for the church.
It could be washing dishes after the Bible study, or bringing food
for the meals. Just your
attendance is a wonderful gift of encouragement to me. Second,
you must be diligent about your gift.
And, I think we can extend this to every area of Christian
discipleship. Like Timothy,
we must stir up our gifts. We
must apply ourselves to being Christians.
Again I call you attention to this idea, which is repeated so often
in the Bible, that you and I must be active and busy about following
Christ. When
I read this verse I don't see someone gently stirring something in the
kitchen. I see someone
tilting the mixing bowl and giving that batter "what for." I see someone doing what cooks call "beating" the
batter. I see a restaurant sized blender on high speed.
I see the machine shaking the paint in the hardware store.
I see a centrifuge. Perhaps
a better image is that of a fire in the hearth. Picture a houses heated with wood; maybe a modern day house
with an airtight wood stove, maybe an old-time castle, maybe a cozy
mountain cabin. As the fire
burns, ash and coals block air from getting to the logs, and the fire
burns lower and cooler. If
nothing is done, the flame will die.
Someone has to use the poker, shake the logs around, get the cold
charcoal off the logs and open the way for oxygen to reach the unburned
wood. This is called,
"stirring the fire" and it is exactly what Paul is talking about
in this passage. Shake
yourself up. Rise up and serve God with fresh vigour and love.
Stir up the gift that is in you. Amen.
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