Title: Fan into Flame

Take note of what it is that Paul is encouraging Timothy to "fan into flame." Paul is referring to the faith, which is "the gift of God."

Take note of the LWML Sunday theme: "People of God: In the Word." What is the best way to "fan into flame the gift of God," but for God’s people to be in God’s Word?

Take note that you became people of God, possessing the faith which needs fanning into flame, as God’s gift to you.

How do you treat a gift? How do you expect people to treat the gifts that you give them?

Remember, when you were a kid, and there was that one thing that you wanted for your birthday that, if you got that one thing, well, you felt that you would be the happiest kid in town? Let’s say it was a bicycle. It was a certain model, in a certain color, with certain features that would make it the perfect bike for you.

And, beyond your wildest dreams, when your birthday arrived, your parents shocked and surprised you by getting you exactly the bicycle of your desire. Of course, you thanked them up and down with words and hugs and kisses.

And, you rode that bike. And, you showed off that bike. And, you washed that bike. And, when you left it at school or downtown, you locked it up, safe and sound.

That was at first, when the bike was new. But, after the first year—after it didn’t shine as well as on your birthday, and your friends were no longer so impressed, and other things in life started to grab your attention—then, how did you treat the bike?

Imagine that, one day, when you got home, you left the bike out in the yard. You didn’t lock it up. Your dad took note. Then, another night. It rained that night. Your mom took note.

Now, don’t think about you; think about your parents. Your parents loved you enough to give you exactly what you wanted. At first, you were thankful. For awhile, you were appreciative. But, now, you didn’t seem to care, one way or another.

President Harrison’s first column reveals everything about what he finds important, and what kind of position he will take in leading our church body. He wrote about repentance.

Repentance is a Bible word which means "to turn one’s mind around." Repentance is what you do when you recognize that you have sinned—you turn from the thought, word, or deed, by which you have offended God’s Word, and you face your heavenly Father’s gracious face, through your faith in Jesus Christ—through His gift, that is, by the thing through which you are able to turn to His gracious face in Jesus Christ—and you remember, once more, that He always forgives you, for Christ’s sake.

Now, how are you caring for your faith? Are you fanning it into flame so that it is a robust faith? How’s the fire of your faith? Is it burning, brightly? Is it a faint flicker? Would a little rain upon your life douse it, or does it burn strong enough to withstand the rains of life?

President Harrison is concerned about the faith of the Christians in the LCMS. That’s why he’s calling us to repentance—to make full use of our faith; to be humble in realizing that our station as God’s children is completely by God’s grace, as His loving gift, providing exactly what we needed so that we will not be mastered by death, devil, or damnation, but remain the kings and queens of forgiveness, life, and salvation.

In his column, President Harrison quoted a fella that you’ve probably heard of. Back in this man’s day, too, this leader of the Lutherans was concerned about his people being people of God, in God’s Word, fanning into flame God’s gift.

Martin Luther wrote this to his fellow Germans. In the quote, I have changed one word to make it more obviously apply to you: "For you should not think that God’s word and grace is like a passing shower of rain which does not return where it has once been . . . when it’s gone it’s gone . . . And you [Americans] need not think that you will have it forever, for ingratitude and contempt will not make it stay. Therefore, seize it and hold it fast."

Ingratitude. Contempt. How would the parents feel, whose child has taken to leaving the once-beloved bike out in the rain, unlocked, prone to rust and thief? How does your heavenly Father feel, when you, His child, are busy fanning into flame a hundred other things in life that you love, but are not in His Word, fanning into flame the only thing that you need—the only thing that you will take from this life . . . if you take it from this life?

This doesn’t mean that you are obliged to have your Bible open, 24/7. I sure don’t. The next quote proves that I don’t. I love movies. I subscribe to Netflix. On Friday, I watched one of those movies, like the Superman movies, based on a super-hero.

The movie was Iron Man 2. I really enjoyed it. I would say that it’s one of those completely trivial movies, except for something that the bad guy said to the super-hero: "If you can make God bleed, people will cease to believe in Him."

How do people make your God bleed? Here are some examples. I’ve read books by so-called Christians, in which the truthfulness of the Bible has been sliced and diced. It’s pointed out how the four Gospels about Jesus—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—contradict each other, even in the greatest event of the history of the world, the resurrection of Jesus.

I recall a Bible class, back home, where a member had read a book on the resurrection, in which the author insisted that we will not be resurrected from the dead in actual, physical bodies, but they will be ghost-like spiritual bodies. My pastor gently, yet feverishly, argued with this man, a faithful member of the church, but could not convince him.

Many of the questions and comments that you folks have made to me have shown that you are often influenced by ideas that attack the truth of the Bible, while promoting the ideas of another religion or philosophy.

These are the things that make God bleed. And, as with a comic book super-hero, if God bleeds, He will cease to be the superior being that you previously knew Him to be. If a teaching from God’s Word, which you previously held sacred—like the truthfulness of the Bible, even when it seems like Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John might contradict each other—if one teaching now seems false, then every other teaching is up for grabs.

How badly can God bleed before you kill Him—before you kill your faith in Him, because He can no longer live up to being the super-hero of your faith?

These are the reasons for you to be fanning into flame the gift of God. There’s only one way to do it: by being in God’s Word, by remaining humble in repentance.

I’m confident that the writer of Iron Man 2 didn’t have in mind the angle on the idea of making God bleed, which I now present to you. You did make God bleed, and God was pleased to bleed in order to stop your bleeding.

God the Son, Jesus Christ, was pleased to bleed for you. And, in fact, many did not believe in Him, because God bled. Yet, by God’s gift of faith, this is not what causes your faith to cease, but is exactly where your faith is made strongest: at the cross of Jesus Christ and in His real, physical resurrection from the dead.

God gave you faith through the proclamation of Jesus Christ—that’s why you return to the Gospel, often, by your faithful worship and personal devotion, to fan into flame His gift.

God sealed your faith through the washing of Holy Baptism—that’s why you return to your Baptism into Christ, often, by recalling the many declarations that He has made to you regarding that Baptism—that He gave you His Holy Spirit, that He forgave your sins, that He clothed you with the white gown of righteousness as a member of His Bride the Church, that He gave you the new life which defeats death.

God feeds your faith through the meal of Holy Communion—that’s why you return to Christ’s Supper, often, by humbly kneeling at His altar, faithfully receiving His body and blood, which He gives in the bread and wine; and where He forgives your sins, which fans the flame of your faith, which moves you to fervent love for one another.

As people of God, you remain in His Word, fanning into flame His gift to you, which is the eternal life of Jesus Christ, your Savior. Amen.