The Greek verb anazōpureō (G329) means to fan a fire back to full flame, to rekindle dying embers, or to stir up a gift that has grown dormant. It appears once in the New Testament in 2 Timothy 1:6, where Paul urges Timothy to "fan into flame the gift of God."
The word combines ana (again/up) + zōos (alive) + pyr (fire) — literally, to bring fire back to life.
Anazōpureō is one of the most vivid verbs in Paul's pastoral letters. Timothy apparently needed encouragement — his gift of ministry was not extinct, but it needed stoking. The metaphor of the fire suggests that spiritual gifts are not automatic or self-sustaining; they require deliberate, active cultivation.
This single word encapsulates a pastoral principle: genuine spiritual calling can grow cold, not through its removal, but through neglect, fear, or discouragement. The antidote is not a new gift but the deliberate rekindling of what God has already deposited. Paul's call to Timothy echoes across the centuries to every minister who has grown weary: the fire is still there — fan it.