Episode 497: 1 Timothy 4 Part 4 Stirring Up Spiritual Gifts

I was taught spiritual gifts could only be passed to others by the apostles and when the apostles died, so did the spiritual gifts. This is clearly false because Paul tells Timothy to use the spiritual gift that was given him when the elders at the church in Ephesus laid their hands on him! He will tell him again in his second letter to Timothy to fan into flames the spiritual gift given to him when Paul laid his hands on Timothy. This tells me Timothy was not using his spiritual gifts as he should. Why not? What was his problem? Fear...in particular, fear of man. Because Timothy was so young, the older believers, even false teachers, would intimidate him by perhaps challenging his teaching and he would clam up instead of being bold. It is not time to be timid, but bold for Jesus and the truth! God, stir the gifts within us so people will see you working in us!