Encouragement for the Discouraged

Introduction:

Do you ever get the blues? We’ve been talking about this a lot lately I feel, but I don’t think we can talk about it enough. We need to be encouragers and we need to be encouraged ourselves. That’s what I love about Paul and Timothy’s relationship with each other. They both helped each other.

I’m really growing tired of our cancel culture that we live in where we expect everybody else to be perfect, except for ourselves. We look for things to criticize each other over.

When it comes to church life, often we can hide this critical nature behind the guise of being a heresy hunter. We are the soldiers stationed on the wall to look out for any shred of heresy and destroy it!

Well, it’s a noble thing to keep your eye out for heresy and Paul tells us to do this. He says to test the spirits, because we know that some of them are demons and not from God. At the same time, we have to learn to love each other and gently correct our doctrine where needed, but at the same time we can’t not fellowship with every single person we disagree with.

Sure! On the major issues there are definitely grounds for us to dis-fellowship. Paul said what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever in Corinthians when he was talking about marriage. There are some major heresies that would cause someone not to be a Christian and these certainly should be called out and are enough to keep us from disfellowshipping with these people who continue to hold these teachings.

However there are some differences where we might disagree that would not be a major issue of the faith. These are often smaller points of debate and we need to have grace.

We also need to be careful not to try to find fault in each other all the time. We will recognize it when it comes if we pay attention, but we don’t need to try to search out the flaws in each other.

What we need to do is encourage each other in our walk with the Lord. We need it and others need it as well!

Now, a few weeks ago we looked at this passage from a bird’s eye view. Remember that Paul is writing probably his last words to Timothy before he dies and he wants to encourage Timothy.

Tonight, let’s look at the whole passage, but then we are going to zoom back into the last two verses.

2 Timothy 1:3–7 ESV

3 I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. 4 As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. 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, 7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

1. Fan into Flame Your Spiritual Gifts (v.6)

Discover your own spiritual gifts

Use a gifts inventory test if you like.

Probably better is to consider the things that you are good at. God has given you natural talent to use for His glory and kingdom.

But don’t stop there because God also gives us new abilities that we didn’t have before we got saved. These are spiritual gifts.

These are the gifts that Paul is encouraging Timothy to use. He’s telling him to not neglect them.

Don’t let them grow cold, like an ember that is off to the side by itself.

If you’ve done this, then get next to someone who is hot for the Lord. Let their hot flashes affect you so that you can reignite.

Get back into the Word and pray and ask God to use you and bless you. God will do this and you will start to see opportunities to use your gifts again.

Don’t be afraid to use them. Don’t feel like that if you use them then you will have to do everything around the church then.

Illustration:

There is a running joke among ministers that no one wants to ever get a CDL license and tell anyone about it. This is more applicable to those churches that have buses, but often when you let someone know that you have that license, you are now the “go to” person for trips to have to drive the church bus or van.

Application

A lot of times, I think people are like that with their spiritual gifts. They have gotten burned out or watched someone else get burned out that they don’t want to let anyone know that they can do anything.

Other times, we don’t want to give up the luxury of not having to be committed by taking on another role. If we agree to a role, we are responsible for fulfilling that role; therefore, we would rather not have to do this at all. Just let me sit at home and do nothing all day.

That’s not how life in the kingdom should be! We need to repent of a slothfulness that we’ve had and fan into flame our gifts!

2. Encourage Other People to Use Their Spiritual Gifts (v.6)

3.Don’t Be Afraid to Engage (v.7)