ALREADY EQUIPPED

2 Tim 1v6: 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.

1 Peter 4v10 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

Eph 4v8: This is why it says: "When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people."

If we belong to the body of Christ, Jesus has already gifted us with what He wants us to use for His Kingdom. The scriptures above show us that this is the case. So all that is needed is for us to fan into flame that gift or gifts. It is a sad fact that all of us have experienced times where we have put down those gifts, for whatever reason, and become unfruitful, either in the main of our lives, or in at least some area of our lives. Life hits hard and we either lose our focus, lose our interest in the Kingdom, or suffer in whatever way and start to live selfishly or lives that become characterised more by the flesh than by the Spirit. We make excuses and explain away even the very notion that God has given us these gifts for His Kingdom, and that the body of Christ needs those very things, that they are in fact 'necessary', like His Word says they are. In these times, not only do the people of God suffer because of our failure, but the work of God also suffers in a sense, lacking in the very area where God designed to sow and reap through us, through what He has gave us, and so also the glory of God is not seen in the way it should be, neither is glory to God given in the way it could have been. we also miss out, losing the chance to see God move, to see lives touched and changed for God, and to see His Kingdom advance. We also lose the chance to continue to store up for ourselves treasures in heaven, and in one sense we alienate ourselves from the Lord, and knowing Him and His ways as we should. But this doesn't need to be the case.

Far from wanting to condemn us, the Lord is wanting to encourage us and excite us towards His work. For this very reason, the Apostle Paul once wrote, 'But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.' (Phil 3v13). The Lord wants us to forget yesterday, to forget whatever was won or lost, or whatever was or wasn't done in the past, and to press on toward the goal! Yesterday is covered by the blood of Jesus, and only His grace remains, and tomorrow new mercies and grace is stored up for His people! The power of God is with us all in order to accomplish what the Lord has set before us and laid upon our hearts, and He is calling us today to realise what that is, to hold it fast, and to carry out His will with boldness and with rejoicing. We should not be discouraged in any way. If we are God's people, He is already at work inside of us to will and to do for His good pleasure. The scripture says that He beforehand destined us to live where we live and predestined us for the works that are before us, so all that is left is to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus has taken hold of us! Each day is an opportunity, and although we will always fall short of the glory of God while in this body, His grace is sufficient for us! For His strength is made perfect in our weakness! 

Tomorrow we will go forth in both the power of the Spirit and the weakness of our body, and God will work true to His own holiness and power (He cannot forsake Himself the Bible says), and inspite of our sinfulness and weakness (when we are faithless, He is faithful the Bible says). Our insufficiency will never mean that God will not accomplish what He intends, for He knew beforehand our weakness, and chose such a setting for the greatness of His power. Today He has gifted us, and it is likely that if we have spent any time in the body of Christ and any time following Jesus, we will know exactly in what way we are called to support the body of Christ, reach the world for Jesus and to show the truth, love and grace that is in Christ. To shut ourselves away from our gifting is cowardly, selfish and fleshly and any wisdom that justifies such a thing is worldly and its fruit is the evidence of its worthlessness, vanity and evil. But if we have Christ, none of us will want such a thing while we have the Spirit's will actively at work within us. This calling we have is such a high calling, despite whatever appearances it may have while in this body, and the glory of it is seen in the fruit it produces. 

We must fan into flame the gift of the Spirit and we must encourage each in this way. If we are so involved in the world that we do not have time for such a focus, then we are too involved in the world! If our love is not with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, our love is misplaced; and the heart of it is somewhere where it should not be. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word; if we don't believe the gifts should have prominence, we do not know the Word of God, neither do we understand its intent. As the disciples walked, talked and watched Jesus, they began to do what He did, and so will we, if we are doing the same thing. Jesus said that His Father had been working up until the very day He said those words, and then He said, 'and I too, am working' (John 5v17). The Father is always working, and so should we be! His word is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, but we must combine faith with works to see the work that He has in mind and that He is desiring to accomplish through us. 

God is wanting us to fan into flame the gift of the Holy Spirit, for His ministers are supposed to be 'a fan of flame'. The flame of the Spirit has alighted on the people of God; it is over each one of us. The impartation of the same Spirit has been given to each one; so there are no excuses! The same gifts the disciples at one time didn't move in (pre-cross), the Apostles did move in, because of the cross and the outpouring of the Spirit; and that same day of grace has been given to us! There is no measure of the Spirit, only the measure of faith that we choose to operate in. Jesus watched His Father and did whatever His Father did (John 5v19). So will we watch our Lord and do what He did? Christians have made ministry and service complex when it should be simple; walk out what Jesus did, for Jesus said that we would do the works that He did:
John 14v12: 'Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.' And so will we walk as Jesus walked and do what He did, and so will we walk as the Apostles walk and do what they did, simply believing Jesus' words simply, and being bold enough to believe the Words of God, as those words that are living, active and true. Let us fan into flame the gift of God, and do what we are all called to do.