2 Timothy 1:5-7

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.

SamsonI will be beginning a new series with the students tonight.  We have, for a little over a year, been contributing to our faith with an ongoing discussion of Love.  We have done a great deal of work to redefine the word Love from a simple statement of affection, to one of great sacrifice.  We have worked this whole time to act in a way that others might say of us, “They obviously follow Christ, because they love each other.”  And where I do not believe that there will ever be a day when that discussion becomes vain, I do sense a need to continue our discussion in another direction. 

I have noticed the spirit compel me to introduce another element of Paul’s greeting to Timothy.  He states that God gave us a spirit of Power and Love and Self-Control.  As I pray about this passage, I am directed to the term Power. 

What does it mean to have spiritual power?

What does it mean to be spiritually powerful?

Is everyone’s spiritual power the same?

A similarly relevant question for me at this juncture in our ministry is to ask, “In what area should each student place the weight of their spiritual power?”  Without a doubt, I have to conclude that the arena of work is the local church, and the surrounding people, but the trade or skill most effective for each student may differ.  The power that must reside within each student is delivered by the Holy Spirit through our fellowship with Him, but the focus of our service will differ from one giftedness to another. 

So, how will I be able to teach each student to use his or her gift, without running myself into my own grave?

The power of the Holy Spirit is our foundation.  The understanding of the gifts that are given to the saints are our tools.  Understanding of the tools are necessary to implement them in work.  Clearly defined need is necessary to ensure that our work will yield fruit. 

But the final element that will be necessary in showing our students how they have been equipped and empowered to be about the work of the Gospel is to put them to work in specific areas where they can either succeed or fail. 

Failure in the kingdom is to be fulfilled by our faith in Christ, and to allow Him to appear strong, and success in the kingdom is to champion the cause of Christ through the gifting that only He can deliver to those who follow Him. 

Pray for us as we begin.