2 Timothy 1 | Fan into Flame: Strengthening Your Faith in Hard Times

Who were Timothy's mother and grandmother?
How does Paul encourage Timothy in 2 Timothy 1?
What does it mean to "fan into flame" the gift of God?

In this episode of God's Plan, Your Part, the hosts explore 2 Timothy 1, where Paul writes to his mentee Timothy from prison. They discuss Paul's deep affection and the importance of spiritual relationships. Paul recalls Timothy’s heritage of faith from his grandmother and mother, highlighting the impact of a godly legacy and encouraging listeners to value spiritual connections in their own families.

The hosts discuss Paul’s instruction to "fan into flame" the gift of faith, emphasizing the need for active engagement in faith rather than passivity. They provide practical advice on nurturing one’s spiritual life through prayer, Scripture, and community, urging listeners to be intentional about their spiritual growth.

The episode also addresses Paul’s suffering and his call for Timothy to endure hardships for the gospel. The hosts explain that trials are part of the Christian journey and encourage believers to find strength through the Holy Spirit, using Paul’s example as a source of hope and encouragement for those facing challenges today.

Listeners are challenged to consider their response to suffering, focusing on the Holy Spirit’s power to provide strength, love, and self-control. The hosts emphasize living in faith rather than fear, motivating listeners to trust in God rather than giving in to doubt or anxiety.

The theme of mentorship is highlighted through Paul’s relationship with Timothy. The hosts discuss the importance of having godly mentors and being one for others, encouraging a culture of discipleship. They share personal stories to demonstrate how mentorship can strengthen faith and spiritual growth.

The episode concludes by highlighting the relevance of 2 Timothy 1 for modern believers. The hosts urge listeners to “fan into flame” their faith through prayer, Scripture, and Christian fellowship, encouraging them to actively pursue spiritual growth like Timothy, strengthened by the Holy Spirit.

#BibleStudy #FaithJourney #ChristianLife #EnduranceInChrist #SpiritualGrowth #2Timothy #DailyScriptureStudy #ChapterByChapter #PaulineLetters #BibleMentorship

Transcript

 2 Timothy 1

2 Timothy 1

[00:00:00] Hey everyone, welcome to God's Plan, your part, year two, where this year we're reading through and studying the entire New Testament one chapter at a time. Thanks again for joining us in discovering God's plan and your part in it. All right, everyone, we are back. It's been quite a bit. If you're used to listening to us, um, as our episodes come out, uh, it's probably been about, uh, Uh, probably the, the big picture thing here is that we have a baby now, actually we have five babies now, but we had one baby three weeks ago.

Um, I feel like we had been saying that we were expecting a baby to come at some point. And when that happened, we would either completely disappear or be in and out. And apparently we chose to completely disappear. Yeah, no, this is just coming out of a long away time. So we had our first, fifth baby, uh, little girl.

Um, we had kind of a wild experience. I don't know if you want to talk about that at all. It just was crazy. It's totally not what we were expecting. We were trying to go. [00:01:00] Very natural route and turned out I had to have an emergency C section. So it is what it is. And I don't like talking about it because it just makes me mad, but I'm just glad we're all here safe and recovering very well.

We've made a lot of adjustments in our family. And unfortunately for the last three weeks, one of those adjustments has been not doing the podcast. Um, but actually a testament to the podcast for ourselves. We started this podcast so that we would be disciplined in reading the word. And, uh, one of the things we have started to notice is that over the last three weeks, we have not really been reading the word and we can feel it.

And so we are going to strive to get back into podcasting and stay consistent. Um, please give us a little bit of grace. I'm not sure what life totally looks like for us yet. Um, but we're going to give it a, a good, honest shot. We'll probably, I would assume we'll. Miss a night here or there or something, but, uh, we're going to give our best effort at trying to stick with you.

And, uh, today we're starting out second Timothy. Is there anything you want to add to [00:02:00] that? I would just say, uh, really, it's a really crazy thing is that we, like you were saying, we definitely noticed a difference in ourselves. I don't know about the rest of you listening, but, um, if we don't take the time to actually read the Bible.

And I would say majority. if not 98 percent of my life was used to not reading the Bible every day. And when I finally got into it, it's just like, wow, what a healthy, spiritual, spiritual discipline to be in. And when we didn't do it, it was like, I don't know, it's obvious in our lives. Like you feel the tension of like, Oh man, I'm not committing that time to God right now.

I'm like, obviously we'd be praying and things like that. But I know for us, it makes a huge difference. And I'm super glad that we're like, Attempting at the moment, attempting, giving a good, solid, honest effort. Um, eventually we'll get some more stability, uh, in our family, I'm sure, but, uh, it's kind of touch and go at this point, but we [00:03:00] wanted to get back to talking to you guys and we wanted to get back to, uh, reading the word.

So today we are starting out second Timothy, uh, Um, if you, if you listen to this episode, um, far off into the future or something, this will be a little bit confusing to you, but we're starting out second Timothy chapter one. Um, so we give you a little bit of a life update. Now we get into the word. Um, second Timothy is a really important book.

It's very, uh, likely very possibly, uh, one of Paul's last letters, if not the last letter that we have from him. Um, some people actually place the date of this letter at AD 67, which is when we assume Paul was executed in Rome. So these are very much his closing thoughts, um, to Timothy. It's very well. Some of his.

Closing thoughts in general, and you'll see that he's feeling the fact that Paul himself is feeling the fact that he's been in prison for a long time. He's feeling that he's been abandoned in a lot of [00:04:00] ways, but he's also trying to be fiercely encouraging to Timothy, giving him some final pointers and asking him to persevere.

So I think this is a excellent, uh, letter to read. I think first and second Timothy are just an incredible. Um, window into Paul's personal life, into Timothy's personal life, into their own personal values. Uh, and I also think that this is like probably the. Two books on how important mentorship is in our lives.

Well, I also noticed, uh, in the beginning of our studying Bible for this chapter for this book, excuse me, talks a lot about enduring, um, and like having endurance in the faith. So I think that's kind of ironic as here we are trying to like endure our own. I think it's interesting that the beginning of this chapter is very much talking about, um, enduring like hard times [00:05:00] and, um, different things that you will come up against in the faith.

So I think it's, it's interesting in telling that that is a, A strong part of this first chapter. All right. So diving into this thing, um, one of the most interesting parts of this, it's a little bit of a view on Timothy. If you look at verse four, as I remember your tears, I long to see you that I may be filled with joy.

I'm reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice, and now I'm sure dwells in you as well. Obviously one of the glaring things that's missing is we're not talking about Timothy's dad at all, um, or any of his paternal, um, grandparents. And there, there is like a prevailing thought that Timothy's dad most likely was not a Christian at all.

We don't. Technically know that we do know that he probably had a Jewish mother and a Greek father and perhaps his mother obviously [00:06:00] here, um, Paul saying his mother had a pretty sincere faith, but he candidly does not address. Timothy's father at all, um, and his grandmother, right? And so it's, it's pretty cool that Paul's highlighting like the incredible faith of these older women in Timothy's life.

Um, but it's also worth noting that he doesn't highlight Timothy's father figures At all, um, which could be pretty telling about who Timothy is, and it could also be pretty telling about why Timothy like deeply appreciated Paul. It's very possible that Paul was helping to fill some of that father figure need in his life, and it's very possible that he was resonating with this mentorship relationship we had with Paul because of that gap in his life.

I mean, after that, um, I don't know if you want to, like, linger there anymore. Well, I mean, it, it rounds out, like, that thought rounds out with that fan into flame verse, which I love. I don't know if that's where you were headed, but I mean, [00:07:00] kind of. I think he's basically telling him to keep that going, like, don't let it stop with your, even with your grandparents or your mother, like, don't let it stop there.

Keep enduring. Keep moving on in the faith. And so that fanning into flame, definitely sheds light then onto what Paul's talking about later where he's essentially talking about how he is, um, he's going to be put to death soon. He's still in prison. He's still enduring. Like, if I'm still doing this, then you need to keep doing it too.

Um, so that That fan into flame. I don't know if you want to take that anywhere, but I just think, and I'll, I guess I'll circle back to this, but I think it's an incredible, your part for the day. We're, we're not totally done with this episode, but I think it's an incredible, your part for the day. Um, Timothy was being encouraged, like fan into flame, the, the faith that has been given to you, like figure out ways to cause it to grow.

Like you don't fan a flame by accident. Um, you don't fan a flame unintentionally. You have to very much do it on purpose. [00:08:00] And I think it's an incredible, um, you know, like image, uh, to encourage us, like, what does it look like to fan into flame? The gift that God has given you individually. Don't think about, um, your, your spouse.

Don't think about your kids. Don't think about your pastor. Think about you specifically. What would it look like for you to fan into flame the faith that God has given you? And I think, um, one of the things Jenny and I noticed again, like having not done the podcast, like we need to regularly read God's word so that we are fanning into flame, um, what God has called us to do.

And I think there's much more than that. I think we kind of intentionally choose how we live our lives and, and the job choices that we make and things like that to, um, Intentionally build the kingdom. And I think for all of us, that probably looks different based on our unique gifts and talents and callings and stuff like that.

Um, but I, I would just encourage you to that. I mean, that's the line that stands out to me, like fan it into flame, be intentional about building this and strengthening this so that you're [00:09:00] always growing closer to Jesus and your walk is getting closer and more effective. Um, interesting thing, Paul talks a lot about like what Jesus has done.

Uh, Jesus came, he abolished death, that's in verse, uh, ten, but then he goes on, he goes on with that and basically says, um, that he is a, he was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher for that gospel for which he, is like not afraid to suffer for. Uh, but then what's even more interesting if you go down to the next verse is like part of 12.

Um, he said, I'm convinced that he is able speaking of Christ, um, to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me. Uh, so he's not ashamed of the gospel. He's basically saying like, This was entrusted to me. I'm going to continue to endure essentially to the end. Like I'm not going to like sell out.

I'm not going to be afraid of what has been entrusted to me. And then he passes that baton [00:10:00] on to Timothy, um, and kind of gives him this little bit of encouragement that like Christ did this. I'm not ashamed of it because Christ is in me. And then in verse 14 it even says, By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.

So it's like really cool to think about not only like Christ did this, I'm doing, like, I'm suffering through this because of what Christ has done. Now, you can certainly do the same thing, and you're not alone in it. Um, you're not alone because, like, it's, it's essentially been, like, like, I've done this, but also the Holy Spirit is working through us because we've been entrusted with this.

Um, With this like responsibility almost to the gospel. So I don't know, I think that's kind of cool. Like it's not just you, like the Holy Spirit is with you too. So I really, I don't know. We've heard this entrusted language a lot. And I think it's really cool that like, it's not just this burden that you carry, like the Holy Spirit is [00:11:00] working within you and helping you to grow and continue to.

to endure. So I like that language too. There's a little bit more context to the, the struggle that Paul sees at the end of the chapter, where he lists by name, uh, people that he feels have abandoned him and turned away from him. And so, you know, it's almost one thought when he talks about enduring he's. I think it's very present on his mind.

People that he knows have not endured and in fact have turned away. And I think it's another reason that he's encouraging Timothy to fan into flame, this gift of God, to not walk away from God. Um, because he knows these people that. have. We don't know a lot about these folks. Um, but the ones that are called out by name is what vigilance and her Modginez, whatever these names are.

Um, but apparently there are people who could have been allies to, um, Paul's teaching and Paul's ministry. Um, Uh, but chose to actually [00:12:00] be against him instead. And this could again, be like a, one, a reason that he's so interested in, in calling Timothy to persevere. Um, but two, a reason that he's so encouraged by Timothy's continued faithfulness, um, because at this point in Paul's life, it actually seems to be.

Rare to him that people chose to endure and chose to follow through on these Challenging circumstances, but I love that you're highlighting That we we don't do this alone. We do it with the power of the Holy Spirit So I think there's something else to that too Like if you think about your own life like when I think about my own situation the things that I've gone through there are many times I could have been like This isn't worth my time.

I'm giving up. God's not here. I don't believe him. This is all like a joke. It's fake It's not worth my time But then you think about like first of all the actual event of Christ's dying and all of those things like [00:13:00] historical evidence that leads up to all these things and Like how the Holy Spirit works within your life that is unexplainable And then also thinking about other people who have experienced the same things and have encouraged me You Throughout my Christian walk or throughout my, my like growing and maturing in my faith, even to this day, um, it's like, okay, wait a minute.

There's something more there. Like all of these other people coming over, like it's not just me by myself and I could just throw it all away right now. But like, I don't know. There's so many evidences of like how the Lord is working that my endurance in this situation and my faith and my trust in God, it has to endure because like, there's just so much evidence of, of Christ at work in my life.

Like, no, I need, I think that's encouragement to all of us to like, there are so many moments where you can just like throw in the towel and be like, no, I'm done with this. Like God allowed this stuff to happen. No way. Like I'm not a part of it. Right. Um, but there's just, I think he's, I think Paul's trying to [00:14:00] point that out.

Like. Lean on the people around you and lean on the Holy Spirit and trust of, like, trust what Christ has done for you when he came to this earth, gave his life for you. Um, so I just think there's so many things that he's just saying, like, if this feels weak, then lean on this. If this feels weak, then lean on this.

It's like. I'm doing it. You can do it. So I don't know. I think that's just encouraging for me today too. All right. So the, the, the, there's two, your parts, two parts. Uh, the first one is figure out what it looks like for you to fan into flame. The, the gift of faith that God has given to you. Like, what does that look like?

Does it, is it. You know, do you need to wake up a little bit earlier in the morning and read the Bible while you drink your coffee or just sit in silence and solitude while you sit out on the porch and listen to the birds? Or, um, you know, do you need to get more engaged in investing in other people? Do you need to get more engaged in representing Christ?

Well, [00:15:00] at your job, I don't know what that looks like. To you, uh, but I think a, a really valuable question for you today is like, what, what are those things and how can I do more of them? And then second, like, what does it look like to be encouraged by the fact that we don't walk through faith alone? We are empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Yes. This is a difficult thing to do. I think sometimes that is underrepresented. Um, but, but. Representing Christ well is not going to be always easy and always simple and always wonderful. Um, but when the, the difficult times come and when the challenges arise, and sometimes those challenges kind of slap you out of nowhere, um, you don't need to experience them on your own or by yourself.

God is with you. And so we should rely on his strength and his power to persevere. And if you feel like you don't have anybody out there, like at all, like we are definitely a reach out, um, a person or resource resource to reach out to [00:16:00] as well. So don't hesitate to, uh, email us, God's plan, your part at gmail.

com. There's also a link in our description where you can just text us directly. Uh, we'd love to hear from you. And, uh, we are. I think quite happy to be back. Actually, uh, this is a part of our lives. It was kind of missing, but obviously we need to invest in our growing family. So you can continue to pray for us.

We are getting sleep, which is amazing. Uh, baby girl has been sleeping through the night, which is crazy. Yeah, yeah, I know. We're afraid we're gonna like mess it up, but, uh, we'll be back again tomorrow, most likely. Just hold that loosely. Um, we'll see you then for second Timothy two. See ya. Hey guys, if you enjoyed the episode today and are enjoying God's plan your part, we would love it if you could help us in two ways.

First, if you would give us a rating and review for our podcast, we would really appreciate that. And second, tell your friends, tell all your people that you rub shoulders with every day, uh, to listen to the podcast and [00:17:00] also give us ratings and reviews as well. That being said, here is the reading for today.

Second Timothy chapter one. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God, according to the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus. To Timothy, my beloved child, grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 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, as I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy.

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. 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. For God gave us a spirit not of fear, but of power and love and self control.

Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony about our [00:18:00] Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works, but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

For which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me. Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you. You are aware that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phagelius and Hermogenes. But may the Lord grant mercy to the [00:19:00] household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains.

But when he arrived in Rome he searched for me earnestly and found me. May the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day. And you well know all the service he rendered at Ephesus. Thank you so much for listening to today's episode of God's Plan, Your Part. Don't forget you can find us on just about every social media platform and YouTube.

Let us know what you thought of today's episode, and if you have any questions, go ahead and post them there. You can also reach out to us directly at GodsPlanYourPart at gmail. com. As always. If you don't have a Bible, or if you'd like to use the one that we use, uh, reach out to us via email and we'll be happy to send one to you.

Thanks again for listening. We'll see you again [00:20:00] tomorrow.