En Fuego

“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” (2Tim 1:6).

There are times when an athlete is absolutely on fire. Stephen Curry can’t miss a shot. Everything Bryce Harper hits is a vicious line drive. Tom Brady’s right arm rips apart the defense. In the words of Dan Patrick’s famous catchphrase, they are en fuego. But when this happens, it isn’t luck. These are highly skilled athletes who have worked their tails off. They’ve practiced. They’ve prepared. They’ve put themselves into position to sizzle when the moment arises. 

In a letter to Timothy, the Apostle Paul tells the young pastor to do everything possible to get ready to ignite. His Grandma Lois and Mom Eunice had stacked the kindling in his life as a young man, hoping and praying for the day God would set him on fire (2Tim 1:5). At this critical time, Tim’s mentor knows it’s important to stoke the blaze. “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” (v6). Do what you can and prepare yourself for Jesus to make you en fuego.

Paul pleads with his protege because he knows his own fire will soon go out. He writes from behind bars of the notorious Mamertine Prison. The apostle is well aware he’s on Death Row (2Tim 4:6-7). As a dead man walking, he begs the young pastor to do everything possible to make it to Rome before it’s too late (2Tim 4:9, 21). He’s all alone except for his good friend Dr. Luke (2Tim 4:11). Paul writes the final letter of his life, encouraging Timothy to let God transform him into a human torch for His glory.

“For this reason I remind you” (v6). The apostle refreshes Tim’s memory about the purpose for what he’s about to say. This is the fourth time in just a few short sentences where Paul walks down memory lane. “As I remember you constantly in my prayers…As I remember your tears…I am reminded of your sincere faith…For this reason I remind you…” (2Tim 1:3, 4, 5, 6, emphasis added). He’s not getting all nostalgic and simply reflecting on the good times. Paul wants Tim to remember what God has done in his life so he’ll know without a doubt where he’s headed.

The man from Tarsus reminds Tim how his own memaw and mom stacked the kindling around him as he grew up in Lystra (2Tim 1:5). They prepped Tim for the day would God ignite the faith flame through Paul. Who did the Lord use to place flammable materials in my life and get me ready for the day He lit the match? Who am I splashing the gasoline of grace on? God is calling each of us to be an accessory to spiritual arson.

The apostle tells Tim that now’s the time for the young pastor “to fan into flame the gift of God which is in you” (v6). Is Timothy’s fire starting to fade? Possibly. When he received the last letter, Paul had left him in charge of getting the Ephesian church out of the ditch and back on the road to following Jesus (1Tim 1:3-11; 4:6-16). It’s a great reminder that we have seasons in our walk with Jesus. There are going to be times when we’re absolutely smoking for our Savior. And there are going to be days when we’re barely smoldering. Here at the end of his life, Paul is passing the torch of ministry to his spiritual son. He wants to make sure Tim’s burning white hot as he carries the Gospel to a lost and dying world. 

The phrase “fan into flame” is actually one word in the original Greek (Gr. anazopureo). It describes rekindling or stirring up a fire. This is the one and only time we see it in the entire Bible. Outside of Scripture, first century writers used it when talking about pumping air through a bellows to increase the heat of a live bed of coals. In other words, take something that’s already roasting and turning up the heat. Think blast furnace. Paul wants Tim to be en fuego.

We see that the original fire was NOT of human origin. It’s the “gift of God” (v6). We may be able to place spiritually flammable materials around someone, but it’s ultimately up to the Spirit of God to ignite the blaze. We don’t earn it. He gives to us what we could never do for ourselves as an act of overwhelming grace. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not our own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph 2:8-9). Billy Joel is right. We didn’t start the fire. It’s God’s gift to us. But according to Paul, we can raise the temp.

So what can I do to stoke the faith fire in my life? What can I do to put myself in position to fan the flames that He started? You probably already know what I’m going to say. It’s not brain science. Make sure you’re plugged into a great local church. And by “plugged in,” I mean serving, giving, and being part of a small group. This is a WHOLE lot more than showing up for a service a couple of times a month. You may have heard the story of how the Holy Spirit first fills believers at a small group meeting during Pentecost when tongues of fire flicker over every follower of Jesus in the room (Acts 2:3). Few things fan the flames better than being around others who are on fire.

We’ve all heard the other activities that act as accelerants. Make prayer a regular part of your day. Talk to God. Thank Him for all He’s done. Tell Him your hopes and hurts. Ask Him for help. For you. For your family. For your friends. For our world. Jesus’ kid brother James is famous for saying, “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (James 5:16). One of the most incredible examples of prayer and fire is when King Solomon asks God to show up in a big way at the brand new temple. The next thing you know, Yahweh unleashes His heavenly blowtorch incinerating the sacrifices and His glory fills the temple (2Chr 7:1). Prayer certainly stokes the fire.

God also loves to fan the flames of our faith through Scripture. So there’s every reason to include reading and studying His Word a habit. Remember, the Bible isn’t some dusty document filled with fables and myths. God personally inspired every single word as His way of revealing Himself to us (2Tim 3:16) in order to perform delicate spiritual surgery on each one of us (Heb 4:12). Luke tells the story of the time the resurrected Jesus traveled incognito with a couple of dudes headed back to Emmaus. In one of the greatest Bible studies the world has ever seen, our Savior walks through the Old Testament and told them how it all points to Christ (Lk 24:27). When He suddenly disappears and they realize just Who was talking to them, they said, “Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked to us on the road, while He opened the Scriptures?” (Lk 24:32). Maybe every Bible should come with a warning label: Caution! Contents Flammable!

Just like great athletes who prepare themselves to catch fire in crunch time, we can stoke the flames of God’s gift in our lives. We can do that using three key flammable materials. Community. Prayer. Scripture. You’ve seen those boxes that read: “In Case of Fire, Break Glass!” Well, in case of NO fire or LOW fire, bust open these three combustable contents. Before you know it, you’ll be an example of spontaneous spiritual combustion. There’s really nothing like being en fuego for Jesus.

Fire and Rescue

“Save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh” (v23).

Firefighters routinely race into burning buildings to rescue people trapped inside. Many times, the victims are unconscious from the smoke. The firefighters will do whatever they can to get them to safety. How they got there doesn’t matter. And it doesn’t make any difference if the victim may not want to be saved. These highly trained first responders will drag them from danger, even if that means using significant force. That’s the picture Jude paints here in verse 23. Some people are in deadly situations. They’ve made decisions that put them in the middle of the fires of eternal judgment. God is calling us to put on our gear and head into the fire after them. And why shouldn’t we? Jesus did the same for us.

The author follows up on what he wrote in the previous verse. Earlier, he strongly encourages us to “have mercy on those who doubt” (Jude 22). Remember, a posse of false teachers are weaseling their way into local churches and spreading a destructive message that tears congregations apart from the inside out (Jude 4, 10-13). Their perverted gospel, which is no Gospel at all, goes off like a bomb among Jesus’ followers. Some are left in serious doubt. Those are the folks in verse 22. Here we see two more kinds of casualties. Those who are making the decision to walk away from Christ as well as others who reject Him altogether. This is the reason that so many of the letters in the New Testament deal directly with the issue of false teaching. It’s like a bomb that dismembers the Body of Christ.

Picture a building in the seconds after a bombing. Smoke. Debris. Fire. Confusion. Jesus’ kid brother sounds the bell in the firehouse and tells us to respond to the tragedy. Just like firefighters who rush into the blaze, God calls us to head into the fire on a spiritual search-and-rescue mission. “Save others by snatching them out of the fire” (v23). These are the flames of hell. The twisted teaching has so impacted some people that they are headed for Hades, unless somebody does something FAST! Well, Jude says that “somebody” is you and me. Let’s grab our gear and get going.

The author tells us that once we’re inside, we’re to do whatever we can to pull people to safety. Specifically, we should be “snatching them out of the fire.” This is the Greek verb harpazo. It doesn’t just mean to tap somebody on the shoulder and encourage them to head for the door. This word means to take by force, carry off, take away, drag away, pull out, or seize. John writes that just after Jesus fed 5,000 plus with a Happy Meal, the crowd was “about to take Him by force (Gr. harpazo) to make Him king” (Jn 6:15). When the riot broke out at the temple and threatened Paul’s life, the Roman ordered his troops “to go down and him from among them by force (Gr. harpazo) and bring him into the barracks” (Acts 23:10). These folks have fallen head over heels for the crud delivered by the false teachers. They are in imminent danger. They are serious need of a rescue. While most folks would run away, Jesus sends us in. He did the same for us.

Now we see a third group of casualties. These are people who completely reject Jesus and His Gospel. The false teachers’ mangled message has only confirmed what they already believed. They think they don’t need a Savior. They don’t believe they need a Hero. My natural inclination would be to turn my back on them and say, “Good riddance to bad rubbish.” Well, that’s NOT what God’s Word commands us to do. “To others show mercy with fear” (v23). Just because someone shoves away God’s amazing grace doesn’t mean drop them from our lives like a bad habit. Nope. Just the opposite. We’re to continue to show them compassion. That doesn’t just mean feeling sorry for them. What that looks like is very practical examples of kindness. Stay involved in their lives. You never know how Jesus will use you in the lives of those who don’t believe in Him. He may just surprise you.

As we fight the flames and work through the rubble of the explosion, we need to remember that this is an extremely dangerous situation. We must be careful when attempting these spiritual search-and-rescue missions. We need to be totally aware that the sin that took down others can easily snag us as well. Jude tells us to do this “with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh” (v23). One translation renders this “be careful that you aren’t contaminated by their sins” (v23 NLT). The Message goes so far as to say, “The sin itself stinks to high heaven” (v23 The Message). Peter had a VERY similar warning for those of us trying to save others. “Take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability” (2Pet 3:17). Rescue work is dangerous work. The same goes for those involved with spiritual rescue. Never forget that.

False teachers are still out there 2,000 years later. Their warped message is very much like a ticking time bomb that’s going to go off. When it does, let’s be ready to be spiritual first responders. Let’s head into the flames and rubble to save as many as possible. Show compassion to the doubters. Step into the fire to rescue those in imminent spiritual danger. Express practical kindness to those who reject Jesus. And always remember that this is very dangerous work in a very dangerous situation. It would be easy to run away. But let’s remember what Jesus did for us. He ran into the flames to save you and me.