“…I now remind you to stir up that inner fire which God gave you” – Paul to Timothy (2 Tim 1:6) Because this past summer was so dry, I only made it to one campfire. We were visiting with Lori’s sister’s family at a cottage on Georgian Bay where there was a fire pit so we insisted that we roast some marshmallows and sing some songs. Campfires can be memory touchstones for many born in Canada. If your childhood was elsewhere, perhaps you remember cooking over an open fire with family members, talking as the smell of the food wafted throughout the family compound.
Lighting a fire and keeping it going is a basic daily task and a fundamental skill for most people in the world. One of my memories of living in Africa was having to re-learn how to use charcoal for our grill. After so long using propane with a lighter, fanning charcoal was a painstaking task. Sometimes it takes patience and perseverance to get that fire started.
The Apostle Paul was like a Firestarter. He traveled around the Mediterranean fanning the flames of the Holy Spirit and stirring up the fire of people who were encountering the message of Jesus. He made specific efforts to train new leaders and to nurture them toward becoming mature disciples of Jesus. He believed that what had been entrusted to him could be passed on to a future generation.
Starting this Fall we’ll be examining Paul’s relationship with Timothy in his second letter to that young pastor. What if our experience of Jesus and the wisdom God has granted us could be deposited in the next generation? How might that become a reality here at Kingsview? What if we could humbly and faithfully stir up the “inner fire” of devotion to our Saviour in God-honouring relationships? Pastor Darrin and I look forward to having you join us as we discover what God has to say to our church through the life of Paul and Timothy.