Well, church, good morning. It is a privilege to get to be with you today as we continue our series in 2 Timothy. We're going to continue our series in second Timothy looking at verses chapter one, verses three to seven. And we're continuing, continuing this theme of passing the torch if you remember last week, that's really what this entire book is about, is this idea of passing the torch of ministry to next generations.
And so we'll read this together and then we'll get to talk about it as well. It says in starting in verse three, 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 might be filled with joy. I'm reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois, your mother Eunice, and now I am sure, dwells in you as well. For this reason, I remind you, 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.
Lord Jesus, would you empower us today by your spirit to step in into every ministry that you have called us to today in Jesus name. Amen. Amen.
So as I was preparing this week, I was talking with Pastor Ricky and he said, hey, a couple things I want you to do, you know. This is your passage, second Timothy, chapter 13 to 7. Preach it faithfully and somehow work in a Lord of the Rings reference. So I'm totally just kidding, but it fits. Yeah, I hear some good amens there. So, you know, one of my favorite characters from the Lord of the Rings is Aragorn. And early in the books or in the movies, if you've watched those, he is. He's Aragorn because he is the king of Gondor and of the free Peoples, but he is not known as Aragorn. Nobody knows at the beginning that he is the king. Instead, he is known as this interesting character, Strider. They meet him at a Prancing Pony tavern in. In Bree. And he begins as this ranger wandering in the wild. He has this great heritage, a kingly heritage, but he's haunted by doubt. He is unsure of himself as the rightful heir. And so he kind of stays in the shadows and weighed down perhaps by fear, he's afraid that he may fail. This is a little bit nerd zone, everybody. But he's afraid he might fail like his ancestor Isildur failed those who know the story. And so he kind of stays to the sidelines and throughout the story, you get to see him grow and become the person that he is supposed to be.
And I bring him up because I think this passage kind of in some ways brings up this tendency and maybe you have even struggled in some of these ways, maybe God has given you gifts, abilities, passion, ministry, leadership, influence with other people. But there's a tendency or a temptation that you have to shrink back, to be on the sidelines. Maybe fear or insecurity or doubt or uncertainty keeps you from fully stepping into what all that God has for you. Maybe you feel weighed down by something in the past. Could be a past hurt or a situation that has happened in your life and you don't step out into all that God has called you to do and to be.
You know, in Timothy, he's this young pastor in a church facing enormous challenges. There's false teachers and heresies being spread in his church. There's external pressure from Rome that even Paul himself is imprisoned by Rome, opposing the spread of Christianity. Throughout the book of second Timothy, we'll continue to see these continued calls to holiness and to godliness must be so, because perhaps people in his church then, just like we find often in the church today, struggle in areas of holiness and godliness in a world that is so, has such a tendency towards being lovers of themselves or lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. And so it's hard to read Timothy's mind in this moment, but there would be a temptation to perhaps shrink back, to not step into what God has called him to do, to perhaps not lead with all the confidence that he is, to lead with perhaps even a temptation to live like those around him, selfishly and lovers of himself rather than lover of God. In this passage and Paul's encouragement here today actually gets into this question, how does God equip ministers? How does God make ministers like Timothy? And what we find, and this is, if there's one idea today, it would be this, that ministers are made, shaped by family and empowered by the Spirit. Shaped by family, empowered by the Spirit. Again, Paul's writing to Timothy. Timothy is this young pastor. And maybe you're here today and you're thinking, well, Steve, this really isn't for me. I'm not a young pastor. I don't have a church that I'm leading. And so how God makes ministers really isn't for me. But I want to encourage you in this because Peter reminds us in First Peter that all Christians are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. We may not all be pastors in a church or ministers that are over huge ministries, but we all have a ministry that God has empowered us to be a part of and to step into. Maybe you've never thought of yourself as like a priest who has this call to serve the Lord and declare to the world the excellencies of our Lord. But that's what the Bible says. You are. You are a priest and you are a minister. And so how are ministers made? They're shaped by family and they are empowered by the Spirit.
6 · Backs up to verse 2 to establish Paul's familial language toward Timothy, demonstrating that Paul saw himself as Timothy's spiritual father, which grounds the theme of ministers being shaped by spiritual family
You know, I love. I want to start actually in verse two. I think it's so helpful to see some of Paul's language even in verse two. And so reading in two, he says to Timothy, my beloved child, grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father in Christ Jesus our Lord. Paul certainly considered himself part of the same family of Timothy. In fact, Paul refers to himself like a spiritual father, Timothy. And that's what we find is that ministers are shaped by family, specifically spiritual fathers and spiritual mothers.
7 · Establishes that Paul's familial language points toward spiritual mentorship as a biblical pattern, citing 1 Corinthians 11:1 to show that Christians are called to imitate mature believers who themselves imitate Christ
Now, perhaps this language of child, my child in the faith, you know, maybe that can be a little strange to say. I don't know how often you go around talking to other people in the church and you give a greeting and, my child, how are you? You know, sounds a little Star Wars y, my Padawan. Like, you know, it might be a little strange to refer to people that way. But don't miss what Paul's getting at here, which is this idea of spiritual mentorship that, you know, he writes in First Corinthians 11, verse 1, he says, Be imitators of me as I am of Christ. You know, how many here in the room today have room to grow, to become more like Christ? That ought to be all of us, right? We all have room to grow. And because we have room to grow to become more like Christ, that means each of us here have room for mentors to step into our lives, that we can imitate them as they imitate Christ.
8 · Addresses a common pastoral concern—uncertainty about what mentoring relationships actually involve in practice—preparing the congregation for the personal testimony that follows
Sometimes we hold back from seeking mentoring relationships because we're not sure what that relationship is going to look like or what we do in our meetings together.
9 · Shares a personal story of being mentored by Dr
I remember when I was in Bible college, a powerful spiritual mentor in my life. His name is Dr. Gary Friesen, and he actually is somebody who never married. And so instead, since he never married, he would actually use his home and make room for guys in Bible College to kind of get a room in his home. And he would mentor the people that were living in the house with him. We'd meet as a group for accountability and encouragement, and then we would have one on one kind of meetings as well. And I remember as a young man in college trying to navigate all of sort of the coming of age, you know, questions. And I had all these things. I was, oh man, I'm excited for this mentor to teach me how to do this or that and show me all these things. Sometimes when I would meet with him one on one, I'd be a little disappointed because we would spend most of our time reading the Bible and then praying together. Oftentimes we would even read the Bible and he wouldn't necessarily give all this commentary on everything. It meant he would just read it and I would read it and then we'd pray. And I remember being disappointed on a couple occasions. In that one time he invited me to his church. He, as he was an elder at his church and oversaw the prayer team. And I got to be a part of a prayer team meeting with him. And I remember him discussing Epaphras, who's found in Colossians chapter four. And he talked about the Bible, talks about how Epaphras labored in prayer. And he says, yeah, after about 10 or 15 minutes of prayer, it sure does feel like a labor sometimes. And then he went on to say, and this is why I often pray, lord, teach me how to pray. Friends, as I was thinking about this, just him and preparing for this this week, I was trying to remember one of the personal struggles I wish we had spent those one on one meetings discussing. And I couldn't remember them. But I can remember the legacy of prayer, the love for the word of God, just the role that he played in my life in that way.
10 · Asserts that spiritual formation happens more through modeling and shared practices (caught) than through formal instruction (taught), removing the barrier of needing expert mentoring skills
Have you ever heard that phrase, more as caught than taught? Sometimes we never step into mentoring relationships because we're like, well, I don't know what to say to them. I don't know what to share with them. I don't have necessarily all the best mentoring skills or ideas or what to do with them. And yet we can follow great examples like this and say, you know what, let's just open the word together. Let's just begin in prayer.
11 · Exposes three practical elements of Paul's mentoring relationship with Timothy drawn from verses 3-4: constant prayer, attentive care (remembering Timothy's tears), and intentional proximity (longing to see him)
And not that Paul is writing this passage as a guidebook on mentoring, but I can't help but notice, just as it's describing Paul with Timothy, some of the activities that Paul took part in with Timothy. Take a look at verse three. He says, I thank God whom I serve as my ancestors with a clear conscience. As I remember you, Timothy, constantly in my prayers, I'll tell you, if you're mentoring somebody and you're not sure what to do as you mentor somebody, pray for them day and night. He said he remembers him in his prayers. He goes on to say, just in this next section, verse four, as I remember your tears, I long to see you that I might be filled with joy. Now, we don't know exactly what might have been moving Timothy to tears. Perhaps it was his love for Paul and how Paul was imprisoned during that time. But what I think is remarkable is how Paul remembered Timothy's tears. And again, if you're not sure how to mentor somebody, you can pray for them, but you can also just care for them and consider the things that are happening in their lives. And finally, in verse four, he says, and I long to see you, that I might be filled with joy. Paul had a regular practice of mentoring Timothy through proximity by being with him and doing life with him. And even when he was in prison, he longed to have more meetings with him.
12 · Applies the exposition by distilling mentoring into three accessible actions anyone can take—pray, care, meet—removing the excuse of not having special skills or knowledge
And so again, if you're saying, well, Steve, how do I mentor? What does that look like in my life? Pray for them, care for them, and occasionally meet with them. It's a great practice in ministry, and this is a step that any of us can take. If you have the word of God, you can begin to participate in mentoring somebody else in areas of your life. I'm so thankful for people like Dr. Friesen who have even participated in mentoring me.
13 · Exposes the role of Lois and Eunice as spiritual mothers who passed faith down to Timothy, broadening the discussion from spiritual fathers to include spiritual mothers in the formation of ministers
And we're looking at spiritual fathers, but I love what Paul says next. In verse five, he says, I'm reminded of your sincere faith, Timothy, but look at this. A faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice. And now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. And I love that he highlights these precious women in the faith who are spirit, not only biological mother and grandmother, but like a spiritual parent to Timothy as well.
14 · Brief personal connection to the text, creating warmth and intimacy before launching into direct application to grandparents
And this is so special to me because my grandmother's name is Lois, and I love that.
15 · Directly addresses grandparents in the congregation, challenging cultural assumptions about grandparenting as mere spoiling and calling them to actively pass on a legacy of faith even when circumstances are difficult
So, grandparents, let me just encourage you for a moment. You know, I know in our culture it can be common that there's these sort of phrases. Well, parents raise the children and grandparents spoil them. You know, like, that's a pretty common thought in our culture. Sometimes parents can think, grandparents might think to themselves, well, I raised my kids, I did my time. Now I'm just having fun, you know, now I'm just gonna spoil these grandkids or whatever. And of course, we wanna love on our grandkids, but grandparents don't miss the role, the unique role that you have to pass on a legacy of faith to others. I loved hearing Pastor Chuck share about just the impact of Evelyn in our church, you know, and I maybe you're Here. And you are thinking to yourself, but, Steve, my kids, they live in a different part of. They don't live local anymore. Or maybe, man, I wish my children were teaching their children to follow the Lord more than they are. And I'm unsure how to best handle that.
16 · Shares a concrete example of how his parents overcame geographical distance to disciple their grandchildren through a creative Scripture memory project, making the abstract call to grandparents tangible and doable
And, you know, honestly, in terms of the proximity and living in a different location, that's the situation that my parents are in as grandparents. Their grandchildren, they have some grandchildren living in the other country of Germany. They live in Maine, like I said earlier. And then they have other grandchildren living in the country of Texas. So their grandkids are pretty far apart. And, you know, one thing that they did this last summer that I thought was so neat is they bought my daughters a couple coloring books. And it wasn't Marvel characters or Disney princesses. It was actually coloring books full of scriptures. And my dad made this deal with my daughters. He said, you know, for every coloring page, you color and memorize the scripture that is on that page. I'm gonna give you a quarter. And you might be thinking, man, only a quarter. Wow, there's like, 120 pages in each of these books. Okay, so they just made this deal, and my daughters have been enjoying going through that. And then they get to connect with their grandparents on this.
17 · Issues a direct, imperative charge to grandparents to use every available means of influence to point the next generation to Jesus, making the application both general (use influence) and specific (bring them to church)
But even if you don't have your kids, like, right with you or maybe they've grown up, use every ounce of influence you have to point people to Jesus. Use every bit of influence. And by the way, if your grandkids are with you and they're local and they're staying with you on a Saturday night and Sunday morning, bring them to Cross of Grace Church, okay? Use every ounce of influence that you have.
18 · Asserts that spiritual mothers have a unique role in modeling the steadfast, unconditional love of Jesus through their consistent, behavior-independent love—illustrated through the preacher's wife Chelsea
And I love how. I love how he also talks not only about his grandmother Lois, but also his mother Eunice. I think it's special that he even mentions them by name and the faith they pass on to Timothy. You know, there's a special role, I think, that spiritual mothers have to teach us something about the steadfast, unconditional love of Jesus. You know, I see it in Chelsea, just daily acts of love for my daughters that isn't dependent on their behavior. That's what she does because she's their mother. She loves them.
19 · Broadens the application beyond biological parents to include anyone who can serve as a spiritual mother or father in the church family, removing the limitation of biological parenthood
Maybe you're here and you're thinking, well, Steve, I don't have children, or my kids are all grown up and they've moved away. They're off to college. But let me encourage you. Your ability to impact the next generation isn't reserved just to your biological family. You can Be spiritual mothers and spiritual fathers. This is why we call it a church family, that we get to serve in that way.
20 · Shares the story of Ms
I remember when I was five years old, I was in this small Bible Baptist church in Saco, Maine. And I remember being in Sunday school with my Sunday school teacher, Ms. Besso. I didn't know this till after Ms. Besso was actually legally blind. And that didn't stop her, by the way, from serving in the kids ministry and with me in Sunday school. And we didn't have, like, videos and all of the great equipment that I love that we have now. We were flannel graphs. Anyone remember the flannel graph? Telling stories, you know, But I can't. I remember Sunday school where she made it clear to me that every person has sinned. And as a young boy, I knew, yeah, I sinned. Yep, that was easy for me to know. But Jesus, in his love, died on the cross to pay for our sins, and we can have forgiveness in Jesus. And she invited us. Do you want to make that decision today? The Lord used Ms. Besso. She wasn't my biological mom, but she was like a spiritual mother to me who the Lord used to share the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ with me.
21 · Issues a direct call for listeners to evaluate whether they are leaning into spiritual family relationships as Timothy did, with specific questions prompting self-examination and concrete next steps, including joining community groups or seeking mentoring relationships
I'll tell you, do not miss the opportunity to be used by the Lord to mentor and to share what you have with somebody else as a spiritual parent. It's one of the greatest joys you can have. And this is. Paul is certain as he's carrying this theme of passing the torch. He's certain to tell Timothy, this is what shaped you. God has saved you. He's put a family around you for a reason. And I love how Paul brings that out in this passage. And so there's this question for you and for me today. Are we leaning into spiritual family the same way Timothy did? Do you have people in your life that you would call a spiritual mother or a spiritual father in the faith? Maybe there's somebody, a team that you serve with, a community group you're a part of, Perhaps somebody you know in the church that you can meet with and ask, hey, could you help me grow in my faith with how the Lord has taught you in your faith? If you're here, maybe you're here and you're thinking, man, Steve, I literally cannot think of one person further along in their faith than me. I am 100% sanctified, just like Jesus, you know? Of course not. No. If this is you, by the way, our elders would love to talk to you, rebuke you, you know, then we'll talk to your spouse and we'll figure out all the ways you need grow and we'll get some mentoring going.
22 · Exposes the phrase 'laying on of hands' in verse 6 as referring to Timothy's ordination to church office, connecting it to 1 Timothy 4 and the contemporary ordination of Alec and John at Cross of Grace Church
You know, it's interesting too. You know, what dynamic within mentoring relationships is gonna go better for you to go to somebody and say, come here my child. You know, I notice you're struggling a lot, you do not have your life together, and I will mentor you. Like, is that gonna go well or is it better when you're approaching somebody and saying, I'm struggling in an area, I need some advice. Would you help me? As the Lord has help, what's gonna go better? And so all of us can take a step of humility, recognize our spiritual need and notice people around you that the Lord has given grace in their lives. And maybe the Lord through them might help me and grow me as well. What would that look like to step into that in your life? It's one of the reasons, by the way, I love community groups. If you truly are here and you're saying, I don't know where I'm gonna get help in my faith or somebody to look up to and you're not part of a community group, that's gon easily the best next step. Don't miss the opportunity to really walk out what it means to be part of a church family. Okay, moving on. I love this encouragement Paul gives to Timothy. Next. He says in verse six, 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. Fan. And so he brings these different images in verse 6. It's like everything he said before was shaping you for what God's called you to. And now he's saying, fan into flame this gift of God that was given you through the laying on of my hands. And there's a lot of pictures in this one phrase. There's laying on of hands, there's this gift of God, there's fanning into flame. And so let's just look at these. The laying on of my hands. I think it really looks like it's picturing this office of ministry, leadership, eldership within the local church even. It's been such a joy for me to see how God has been working in Alec and John and the ordination process. And they've been having exams and writing papers and oral exams and studying and walking through each of these steps. And I love how the final step of becoming an elder at Cross of Grace is that our elders come and lay hands on these young men as they become elders in our church. And this is the step of becoming an elder in the church. You know, in 1 Timothy chapter 4, he writes this very similar. He says, don't neglect the gifts you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. And so there's this picture of Timothy in his local church ministry as an elder.
23 · Identifies the 'gift of God' in verse 6 as Timothy's specific calling to the pastor-teacher role, referencing Ephesians 4 to establish this as one of the church offices
But then there's this. He says, fan into flame the gift of God. And some people have wondered, is this like a spiritual gift that Timothy received? And as I was studying and kind of looking at that this week, I really think what's being pictured here is Timothy's pastoral teacher gift being used as an elder in the local church. And so, and you'll find Even in Ephesians 4, how the pastor teacher gift is even mentioned there as well.
24 · Exposes the metaphor of fanning a flame by drawing on the lived experience of maintaining a wood stove in Maine, establishing that fanning a fire is active, sweaty labor—not passive observation
And so that finally leads us to this idea of, so fan into flame this pastor teacher gift that you have as an elder in the local church. And so what does it mean to fan into? I mentioned earlier that I'm from Maine in the Northeast, and it's January right now, and so it's cold there, and it's a different kind of cold than you find in the El Paso cold. It's a wet cold, everybody. It's right on the coast. There's like nor'easter blizzards that come and the weight of the snow on the power lines. It's just a normal thing for power outages in this part of the country, especially this time of year. And so if you are in a home that's heated electrically, that can really be disastrous if you lose your power. So many homes in Maine are actually heated through wood stoves, kind of like 1800 style, you know, just wood stove. You gather the wood, throw it into the stove, and you're getting a fire going. And that might be the lifeline of, like, making it so your pipes don't burst, keeping your house warm. And then you use this bellow, this huge piece of equipment, to literally blow air onto that flame. Because one thing that every flame needs is oxygen. And you could try blowing on it yourself. But then when you take in that air, I don't know if you've ever done that, that can be a bad situation. And it's so interesting. When I'm sitting around a fire, I like to just look at it. It's mesmerizing, get some warmth. But when you're sitting there fanning that fire, it's work. It's work to get the wood, it's work to fan that fire. It's sweat, sweaty, it's hard work and it's not just watching it.
25 · Applies the wood stove metaphor to ministry, asserting that God calls believers not to passive admiration of ministry roles but to active, sweaty labor in developing the gifts He has given, prioritizing faithful effort over flashy results
And I was thinking about that as I was reading this this week and how Paul is writing fan into flame, this gift. It's like he's saying, don't just be mesmerized by the flashy parts of ministry. Don't just enjoy maybe a position that you have, but work to develop what God has put in you. Sweat at it. Give yourself to the daily faithfulness of it. I came across this phrase this week. I wish it was my own. It said, faithful fanning over flashy fire.
26 · Directly applies the 'faithful fanning' principle to diverse ministry contexts—parenting, work, church service—challenging listeners to actively develop their God-given callings rather than passively occupying roles
What would that look like in your life to say, lord, the ministry you called me to as a parent in my job, place in the church, whether it's serving as a greeter, as an usher with our kids, any sort of ministry leadership role, Lord, what would it look like for me to fan into flame? This ministry calling you've placed on my life. What would it look like to lean in on that?
27 · Shares a personal story from Bible college illustrating the preacher's own practice of aggressive learning and question-asking in his theological training, modeling the 'fanning into flame' principle through relentless curiosity and effort
I remember when I was in Bible college, I was taking a preaching class. It was one of my first ones. And I was on the edge of my seat. I would love to hear the principles. And then I was the kid in the front row raising my hand with lots of questions. And I would want to know, how do these principles apply to the most obscure passages of scripture? Like, I'm like, okay, apply this to the laws in Leviticus. How does that work? And I just remember one day after class, a friend came to me and he said, steve, you gotta stop asking so many questions. We're not gonna do the material. Cause you keep asking these questions. And I said to him, I said, I'm gonna keep asking questions. I wanna learn all I can. I wanna. This is. I'm trying to make the most of this opportunity church with the ministry.
28 · Issues a direct imperative to make the most of ministry opportunities by learning aggressively, refusing to let ignorance or inexperience become an excuse for inaction, and actively developing one's gifts in whatever ministry context God has given
God has called you to make the most of the opportunity. Learn all that you can. Use your gifts to serve the Lord to the best of your ability. Don't miss out on a single. Don't let somebody come to you. Oh, well, you don't know this or that about how to do it. Okay, I guess I won't do it then. No. Fan into flame, that gift of God that came on you through the laying on of hands, whether you're called to teach, preach, parent minister in the workplace, greet at our front door, serve with the kids ministry, lead a community group, lean in, ask questions, fan into flame. That gift.
29 · Acknowledges the fear and overwhelm that often accompanies stepping into new ministry, validating the listener's hesitation before addressing it with theological truth in the next unit
Maybe you're here and the idea of stepping into ministry, leading in some way, maybe even stepping into a ministry you haven't stepped in before, but you just kind of feel like the Lord is calling you to it. Maybe the idea of doing that feels overwhelming to you. Just the responsibility of ministering with the Lord using you just. Man, I don't know, Steve. That's a big thing.
30 · Shares the story of adopting his daughters in Hungary and the overwhelming weight of responsibility he felt for their spiritual care, illustrating that the feeling of inadequacy in ministry is common even in deeply significant callings
I remember when Chelsea and I, we had the. We have the privilege of getting. We got to adopt our daughters from the nation of Hungary. And I remember it was in some ways anti climactic when it, when it happened because, you know, most times when you're in adoption, there's kind of almost like a ceremony and you sign these things. A judge is there and you're a family now. And it's like this big moment. Lots of hugs for us. It was kind of during COVID that we were in the adoption process and we didn't even realize that we were signing things that made it final. We were just meeting with this person who didn't speak English, we didn't speak Hungarian that well. And we left. And then Chelsea asked the person who was translating for us was that it did that meeting, that meeting was the. We signed it and now we're a family. Yeah, that's right. You're a family now. Oh, okay. So we're just outside of this office building. We're like, I guess we should take a picture, you know, sort of thing. And so that's what we did. And that's just how that worked out. And. But I just remember during that season just being. It just hitting me in maybe a deeper way than it ever had before that as a father, now the Lord is going to. I'm responsible for the spiritual care of these girls. And I thought, man, that's a big responsibility. It's overwhelming. Having anything to do with some other person's soul is overwhelming.
31 · Establishes that feelings of inadequacy in ministry are addressed by the Holy Spirit, who provides power, love, and self-control—not by the believer's own strength, strategy, or ability
And maybe you're here today and you think, man, Steve, that's one of the reasons I haven't stepped into ministry before is because I feel so inadequate or, I don't know, it's just so overwhelming to me. And perhaps this is why Paul writes to Timothy. He says God didn't give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and self control. Friends, don't think for one second the ministry God has called you to is your ministry. It's the Holy Spirit working through you. It's always been that way. And that's what he's calling you to. He's not calling for you to have the best ideas, the best strategy, and to be the best ministry leader. He's calling for you to be the one who leans on the power of the Holy Spirit for power, for love and for self control. And so if you're here and you're like, man, I haven't been confident in ministry. Trust the Holy Spirit to fill you with confidence. Or if you're here and you think, man, I want to be in ministry, but I just have a hard time enjoying people. Ask the Lord to give you love for those around you. Maybe you're here and you're like, oh, man, I don't know if I have the best decisions to make or if I'm walking just the right way. Ask the Lord for that self control, to live the life he's called you to live and to make decisions in a controlled manner. Ask the Lord for this. I remember when I was taking the oath of office, becoming an army chaplain, and again, just was feeling the weight of that responsibility and Chelsea was there. It is kind of a humorous thing. I just was like, oh, my word, I don't know. I feel like I'm going to be too inadequate as a chaplain. I don't know if I can do this. And I've got my hand raised repeating after my commanding officer, and literally my knees are shaking. And sometimes you're like, well, maybe nobody notices, but I had a buddy in the meeting and he's laughing at me during the ceremony and I'm like, okay, everybody notices. And I remember just in that moment, just feeling the responsibility, the weight of ministry. And I was talking to a friend about it a couple nights later, just, man, I'm really bummed. That was such a rough way to start. I said, I just feel inadequate in so many ways. And he said, stephen, don't ever call inadequate what the Lord makes adequate for ministry. Church, don't ever call inadequate what the Lord makes adequate for ministry. Don't ever think of yourself that way. When the Lord has called you to something, he saved you, he shaped you in family, and he equips you with his spirit. Don't ever call inadequate what the Lord makes adequate for ministry.
32 · Calls the congregation to shift from self-dependent ministry (rooted in personal strength, performance, and emotional states) to Spirit-dependent ministry (rooted in God's work through them), framing this shift as a series of four concrete movements from one posture to another
So today, church, let's move from a ministry that's dependent on our own strength, striving to make things happen, trying our best with our ideas. And let's move instead to a ministry dependent on the spirit of God for him to be the one that moves hearts and brings people into a relationship with himself. Let's move from a ministry where we feel burdened by others decisions, whether they trust the Lord or they don't trust the Lord, and move into a ministry full of peace, trusting that that is The Lord's work to do in another's heart. And it's our work simply just to share the good news. Let's move from a ministry rooted in our performance and how well we do things to a ministry that rests in the perfect performance of Christ and everything that he has done for us. And let's step away from a ministry that depends on how we feel, whether we're too tired or full of energy, and instead move into a ministry that isn't dependent on how tired we are, but more trusting the Lord to give us strength for every day that he's called us to do what we're called to do. Amen.
33 · Signals a return to the opening Aragorn illustration to bring closure to the sermon's argument, preparing for the final application based on the literary parallel
Church I love how Strider's story ends up in Lord of the Rings.
34 · Completes the Aragorn illustration by describing how he finally embraced his calling despite fear and doubt, modeling the sermon's call to step into God-given ministry with humble dependence rather than shrinking back
You know, if you've read the books or seen the movies, that third film is called the Return of the King. And it really is the story of how Strider embraces who he is called to be. Aragorn, son of Arathorn, King of Gondor. Tolkien even has this phrase, the crownless again shall be made king. And it really was a step of selflessness, because it wasn't like an easy step to step into this role where all of a sudden there's a target on his back. You know, he steps into this role in a selfless way, and he takes up this role and says, okay, I may have my doubts, but I'm going to do the best I can to serve as a king in this way and church.
35 · Issues the final call to action: step into whatever ministry God is calling you to—whether parenting, mentoring, community groups, or church service—trusting that God has shaped you through family and empowered you through the Spirit
Maybe you're here today and you're saying, I feel like the Lord is calling me into this. Whether it's to spiritually lead as a parent, maybe it's to step into mentoring relationships or to join a community group where before you felt nervous about doing that. Maybe it's to serve in a ministry here at the church with our kids or as an usher or on our worship team. And you've just. In the past. Maybe I'm too busy or I felt nervous about it and the Lord is inviting you today. Nah. Step into everything the Lord has called you to. He shaped you for it through family. And he's also empowered you by his spirit.
36 · Closes the sermon with prayer, asking God to enable the congregation to step into their callings with bold humility—confident not in themselves but in the Holy Spirit's power, love, and self-control
Let's pray, Lord Jesus, that is our heart today, to step into what you've called us to, Lord, with boldness, not from ourselves. Oh, man. I know how good I am. And what? No, Lord, let us boldly step into it with a humble dependence on you, Holy Spirit, leaning on you for power, for self control, and for love. Lord, would you work through your people in a powerful way. Let us not leave today the same but filled with your spirit afresh In Jesus name, Amen.