POWER LOVE AND AN ORDERED MIND2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear (deilia - timidity), but the spirit of power and of love and of an ordered mind.That word deilia that means timidity occurs only once in the whole bible – it is not phobeo the word used for fear in very other Scripture in the New Testament.
Paul writes an emotional letter to his dear friend and ‘son in The Lord’ Timothy. He says to him ‘I remember you in my prayers night and day, greatly desirin...
POWER LOVE AND AN ORDERED MIND
2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear (deilia - timidity), but the spirit of power and of love and of an ordered mind.
That word deilia that means timidity occurs only once in the whole bible – it is not phobeo the word used for fear in very other Scripture in the New Testament.
Paul writes an emotional letter to his dear friend and ‘son in The Lord’ Timothy. He says to him ‘I remember you in my prayers night and day, greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears. Timothy had been going through quite a bit of suffering in the Church at Ephesus and was feeling rejected and intimidated and a little bullied perhaps because of the rejection of the Gospel message that he had embraced through Paul and delivered to the Ephesian church. Paul commiserates with him and tells him of his own suffering as he was suffering in jail for the same reason – the rejection of his message of the Gospel of grace.
So he encourages Timothy that they can share together in the experience of this kind of suffering. They can turn the threats and mistreatment from others into a triumph of God’s Spirit of power and love working within. He affirms Timothy that he has a disciplined and ordered mind and that he can lay hold of the faith of how God was working through him with His power and His love and with Timothy’s ordered mind to reorder the confusion and disorder that was going on about him. Timothy was burdened but he was not giving up. Just because people need encouragement from someone does not mean that they are failing. It can mean that they are being encouraged to continue despite the pressure – to dig deep and tap into that spirit of power and love, with an ordered mind.
What is that power? - It is the power of God’s perfect love that casts out all fear.
Ephesians 3:16 That he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all those who believe what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses (hyperbole) knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to that power at work within us.
Paul compares this power to a seed being rooted and grounded in love, so that roots go down deeply and the shoots spring up sturdily. Jesus compared his Kingdom to a tiny seed that grows into a large tree. (Matthew 13:3)
What was the heart of God in creating the universe and then creating humanity to live within it?
Was it the power of Love?
He certainly demonstrated his creative might and design and wisdom and knowledge and variety of life forms and colour and beauty. But he was not merely an engineering mathematical creative genius - what he most demonstrated was his overflowing love – It only came from one place – God – and he wanted to share that great thing with us…the highest form of energy in the universe to bring forth nations of people in his own image that he could share his love and his life with as a family and have them respond gladly to his love and to desire to share it with one another. So - God is love, but in Him are also hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3). He is also the sum of all truth and justice. These are all weighty messages that God wants to be proclaimed. There are many who give themselves to bringing messages of truth, and of justice and of knowledge and of wisdom and the world abounds with such messengers and this can be a great blessing for humanity. Life can function well with these messages and the wheels of life go round but it is only when they are grounded in God’s love that they can have the power to bring Kingdom transformation . An ordered mind puts these messages under the order of the message of God’s love. And whoever asks God to make them a messenger of his love will need more than just a message, or knowledge of the message, they must live the message, even in the midst of intimidation and injustice. Having a message of love is easier than being the message of love. I can give the message etc…That is why it is such a difficult message for man to believe in and respond to. It starts by asking God to convince you of his love for you despite the circumstances of your life. That becomes the reordering of your mind. We can say that we didn’t deserve the circumstances we’re in and think that God can’t love me otherwise he wouldn’t have let that happen. That is a disordered mind. The world and the people in it will not always give you what you deserve, but God will always give you his love which you can’t ever say you deserve because of an impressive performance. Having an ordered mind means to get in order of priority what it is that we are really seeking in life. To have the assurance that you are loved by God - no matter what - ranks the highest in value as far as having a life worth living for.
It is by experiencing the love of God that we can be empowered by that love. That power begins to radically change us first, and then the power of that love can radically change the world around us. This is where the Holy Spirit rushes in and fills our heart and empowers our faith. There must be a settled yes to God’s love for us so that we can love the humanity that he loved so much that he sent his Son Jesus to die for. Then the power is unstoppable. Paul accepted that message (2Corinthians 5:14 The love of God imprisons me (existemi) orders my life) and he pleaded with Timothy to stand with him as a fellow messenger of that message and to release the Kingdom power of it. He said to Timothy ‘But you, Timothy, certainly know what I teach, and how I live, and what my purpose in life is. You know my faith, my patience, my love, and my endurance…
What is the definition of power?
Power is the capacity to move something from a lower level of energy to a higher level of energy like moving a huge rock to get it rolling down a hill. In the very beginning the H.S moved upon the depths of darkness then that first creative Word of power, the Logos, who was with God and who was God changed darkness into light (the first material energy to exist) and created man from the dust of the earth and that power was the love of God. Our life working together with the life of Jesus within us changes the nature of our being. This is the faith that works through love. The faith that works through love causes things around us to move from a natural energy to a spiritual energy. fear becomes love - anxiety becomes peace, sickness becomes healing - sorrow becomes joy, tears turn to laughter.
This is the work of the KINGDOM and the power is unstoppable.
WHAT TO DO – HOW TO LOVE IN A WORLD THAT ISN’T FAIR.
Paul told Timothy not be intimidated and to call out the bullies. He did not say stop loving them. Would these people change? – not necessarily, but Timothy would change, and the power of the kingdom would be released, and order would come into the disorder, and truth would fasten itself into the hearts of those ready to listen and be transformed.
God does not want us to be intimidated – by anybody. So we have to call it out like Paul told Timothy to do because intimidation comes from a disordered mind and creates relational chaos. We ask God to give us the courage to do this, and we do it calmly and from an ordered mind. While God’s love still remains in the equation the power of the Kingdom of God is at work in anew orbit of faith activity for you. Paul told Timothy he would suffer and in his feeling of weakness the strength and power of God would uphold him and become his strength. The same goes for us. This is the power that brings justice and order in its time.
But Paul went to jail – That is a great example of productivity in trials (Ian Heard’s sermon). God tells Paul to write a letter to Timothy…
God’s love is more than just a warm fuzzy feeling, a sentimental journey. That sentiment abounds in the world and it is a real blessing but the power of the creative life changing love of the Kingdom of God has its roots in God’s desire to do the greatest good for the greatest number of people in the highest possible way. Jesus came to model this power of love in laying down his life for us.
You only know God’s Kingdom power when you are receiving God’s perfect love, being grounded in it and extending it out in goodwill to others.
I ask God continually to make his love real to me in my spirit. I assure myself of His Word that we just read concerning the length and breadth and depth and height of his love as being the truth of who he is and I seek to not waver in this. I ask him what it is that is blocking me from receiving that love. It is usually that I feel unworthy to receive it. It doesn’t have to be that I feel I have done wrong – it can be that I feel I have not done enough right. What this is doing is limiting the greatness of God’s love through a lack of faith and trust. It is a form of condemnation. The author of condemnation is the Accuser, which is translated as Satan in the Bible. John speaks to us about that kind of condemnation in 1John and says – If your heart condemns you God is greater than your heart. So we must not limit that greatness of God’s heart of love. An ordered mind is the result of seeing things as they really are in the Kingdom order of God.
So I’m talking about needing God’s love more than anything – but what about fearing God.
So we read earlier that Paul said that God has not given us the spirit of fear – but that word is not phobia fear fear – it is intimidation… Is there a fear that God does give us? Yes. Jeremiah 32. It is part of his new covenant… I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put my fear in their hearts, that they may not depart from me.
This is the most wonderful fear we can have in our lives…To not want to depart from him or ever be separated… Yes we need to have the genuine and honest sense of respect and awe for the greatness and wonder of God over our lives- but this fear of not departing from God is the desire to be always in loving relationship with him.
When something is rooted and grounded in the right soil it will break through concrete, even if it is just blades of grass. The Kingdom power in a seed of love searches downward for grounding and upward for light and finds it - and the life of that seed is finally put on display with the form and colour and strength that God has designed for us to have – in our lives. Be God’s messenger of love.
