An Authentic Church

Introduction

Well, good morning!

Listen, it feels so great to be here…to worship…to dig into the Word…and I just wanna thank Wendy and the rest of the praise team…thank you for preparing our hearts this morning…Thank you for using your gifts week in and week out. And thank you so much for just giving us godly examples of what it looks like to be a part of the body and our job in building each other up.

Alright, before we continue through our sermon series this morning, let’s recite our mission verse together. Matthew chapter 28, verses 19 and 20. I’ll begin…you finish us up.

Matthew 28:19–20 (ESV)

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

[Prayer}

Alrighty…if you have your Bibles and I hope that you do, open ‘em up with me to 1 Thessalonians chapter 2…1 Thessalonians chapter 2. This is our third week in our new sermon series, looking at the letters that Paul wrote to the church of Thessalonica…and so far, what we’ve seen is exactly who these Thessalonians were. This had been a very different letter than anything else Paul wrote. In some of the other letters we’ve already studied, there was a gospel explanation…Paul explained what salvation was and what it meant…and there was always some kind of exhortation…he would address some kind of issue in the church. But with the Thessalonians, we don’t see that at all. He starts by showing the reader exactly who these Thessalonians were. They were “in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ.” They had been impacted by the gospel and they had been restored into a relationship with Christ, where they received grace and peace…and through that, everything about who they were changed…their direction, their motivation, their passions, their desires…everything about them…and they began to imitate Paul and his companions and they began to imitate Jesus until, they, themselves, became the example to others…and what happened was these Thessalonians began to really show the people around them what mattered most to them…which as we’ve been saying for a couple of weeks now, was Jesus’s glory…His kingdom…and His church. They devoted themselves to those things. And it was evidenced by how they communicated the gospel with their words and with their actions.

And listen, as we get into chapter two this morning, we get a more intimate look at how these Thessalonians shared the gospel with those they came in contact with. Paul, he’s gonna talk a lot about how he approached the gospel when he brought it to them in Thessalonica…but listen, the focus isn’t so much in what he did in bringing the gospel to them…its more about what he sees in them at the time he’s writing this letter…because as we discussed last week, they were imitators of him and of the Lord. Paul’s saying, “This is what I did…and now you’re doing the same things.”…And what we see here…it’s really a simple strategy in how we can share the gospel with those God calls us to…and listen, this strategy, there’s really nothing complicated about it…it’s just about being authentic with those God’s puts in front of you…which is the main idea of the message today…authentic Christians, they reflect a genuine love and genuine commitment to the people God calls them to. That’s all it takes to advance the gospel. That’s exactly what Paul did…and that’s exactly what these Thessalonians did.

And so listen, if you’re there with me this morning…let’s stand together as we read our text…starting in verse 1. It says this:

1 Thessalonians 2:1–12 (ESV)

For you yourselves know, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain. But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict. For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.

For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. For you know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

Thank you, you can be seated.

Listen, as we dig into this passage this morning, there’s three questions I want you to think about…number 1, are you bold for the gospel?…number 2, are you honest about the gospel?…and then finally, number 3, are you vulnerable because of the gospel?

Listen, as we answer these three questions together, its gonna show us how important it is to be authentic with one another… and how important it is to be authentic with those God places around us. And not only is it gonna show us how important it is to be authentic but also how that authenticity is what gives us the ability to really make the gospel visible and what allows people to buy into what it is we’re communicating to them.

And so, with that, let’s dive into the first question.

I. Are You Bold for the Gospel? (vv. 1-2)

Are you bold for the gospel?

Look at verses 1 and 2 with me again. Paul wrote, “For you yourselves know, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain. 2 But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict.”

Listen, these two verses, I think it shows more so than any other passage, Paul’s willingness to go the distance when it came to advancing the gospel. These verses, they really reveal more about Paul’s heart and more about his emotions than anything else he wrote. When he and his companions came to Thessalonica, they did so with authenticity. He was a man willing to go the distance for and with the people he served. There wasn’t a divide between what he thought about himself and what others thought about him. There wasn’t a divide between his words and his actions. He proclaimed the gospel and his love for Jesus…and his actions, they backed that up. And these Thessalonians, they knew that about Paul…they couldn’t deny it. And what Paul’s saying here…this is how you’ve imitated me…these are all the same things the Thessalonians were doing for others…and again, it’s evidence of their change…and its evidence of what they cared most about.

But look at this passage…Paul was so willing to go the distance. In all the challenges that Paul faced in bringing the gospel to Thessalonica, he wanted these believers to know that his ministry wasn’t in vain…it wasn’t without result or empty…it wasn’t ineffective. That’s what that phrase means. On the contrary, the changed lives of the Thessalonians, it gave witness to the transforming power of the gospel. And Paul always believed in the power behind the gospel…which is why he brought it with so much courage, and tenacity…its what allowed him to go the distance…its what allowed him to be bold in the face of adversity.

Paul affirms that there’s nothing easy about sharing the gospel…he did it with suffering and by being treated shamefully…he faced great opposition…but despite that hostility, Paul and his companions, they were emboldened by God to share the message courageously. And that’s exactly what they did. And as the Thessalonians continue to imitate Paul, that’s how they’re making such a huge impact in all the places they’re in.

And so, where did Paul and where did these Thessalonians get this kind of boldness? He actually spells it out for us in verse 2: “we had boldness in our God.” It wasn’t boldness in himself. It was a rock-solid confidence that “God was so real, and so powerful, and so wise and so utterly committed to doing all for Paul’s good that he knew nothing could separate him from the love of God”

Listen, the boldness that Paul demonstrated…its what allowed these Thessalonians to see who he really was. Its what allowed them to see his authenticity…because one can’t simply suffer for someone they don’t know…one can’t simply be ridiculed and arrested and all these things Paul endured and somehow not be authentic. Authenticity is always attached to boldness…because boldness and courage, it displays our heart’s desire…what we really care about.

Again, these Thessalonians, they knew that Paul was authentic with them because of what he was willing to endure for them. And so, my first question for you this morning is…do the people around you know just how far you’re willing to go for them? And I don’t just mean to care for their physical needs. Do they know how far you’re willing to go to communicate the gospel to them? Now that doesn’t mean they accept it or turn to Jesus…but can they say just how bold you’ve been in communicating that message to them? Because again, boldness, it communicates authenticity. And authenticity communicates a genuine love and genuine commitment to those people. When you’re willing to be bold for those around you, it demonstrates to them that you care…and it makes them wanna listen to you.

Listen, let’s just be honest…the thing most missing from the lives of Christians today…its courage. We’re so afraid of personal hardships and broken relationships or what others might say or do…we’re afraid of losing status or whatever, right? And listen, because of that…there’s not many of us willing to go the distance…there’s not many of us willing to be bold or risky for the gospel…and then we sit back and we wonder why others aren’t listening to us or willing to have these gospel conversations…Guys, its because they don’t see authenticity…without authenticity, to them, we’re just hypocrites. Our words, they don’t match our actions. And we have to understand that as believers, as people who follow after Christ, our mission’s the same. We’re all called to advance the kingdom of God by sharing the gospel. And the only way we’re gonna do that is to start caring most about the people the gospel can impact…and allowing that motivation and not our fears to drive us.

The key to boldness is looking to God more than we look to our need for human approval or comfort. Ultimately, the best approval and comfort we can receive, it comes from God anyways.

If our lives aren’t going to be in vain, and if we’re going to be fruitful and effective like Paul and like these Thessalonians, we’re going to need a boldness in God.

Are you bold for the gospel? And does that boldness, does it demonstrate your authenticity?

That’s the first question.

II. Are You Honest About the Gospel? (vv. 3-6)

The second question…are you honest about the Gospel.

Look at verses 3 through 6 with me again. Paul says, “3 For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, 4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. 5 For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. 6 Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ.”

Listen, these verses…its all about motive. And what we see, its that motive, its a pretty big deal when it comes to authenticity.

Pay attention to what Paul says in verse 3 alone. He says that the message he gave to ‘em, it was true, it didn’t spring up from error…and then he says that his motives, they were good. There wasn’t any impurity about ‘em…and then lastly he says that his methods, they were honest…there was no attempt to deceive them. He even emphasizes that again in verse 4 when he says, “We didn’t use words of flattery…we didn’t try and tickle your ears…we were just honest with you.”

And so, what’s this all mean for us? Well, first and foremost…are we honest about what the gospel says? Is there any error in what we’re communicating? Because if we’re gonna see lives changed…we have to communicate the right message. And the reality is, there’s a lot of false messages being passed around. Listen, it doesn’t take much to distort the gospel. If we miss any element, the gospel, it loses its power.

If we’re gonna be honest about the gospel, we have to communicate it fully. We have to share the bad parts about it…the parts that show that we’re sinners…and we have to share the even worst parts, that there’s nothing that we can do about it on our own…You can’t get to the good news of the gospel until you’ve demonstrated why someone needs the good news of the gospel. If someone doesn’t know what they’re being saved from, chances are, they’re not gonna respond to it in a desirable way. And so for that reason, we share the bad news about the gospel, and we share the worst news about the gospel…and then we share the good news about the gospel…that God gave His only Son to take our place…and then we share the even better news, the best news about the gospel, that its a free gift and that all we have to do is repent and believe in order to receive it. It’s a simple message but we have to be honest about that message.

And then secondly, our motives, they have to be pure. If we’re gonna see God use us and if we’re gonna see fruit in our lives, we have to be honest about our motives. Listen, people could’ve made any accusation they wanted about Paul…but guess what? It wouldn’t have mattered because Paul was always honest about his motives…and when he attached it to his boldness…its what validated his motives. He was willing to go the distance because ultimately Paul cared about people…Listen, so much so, that he was willing to even give up his own salvation if he could…and he was willing to give it to others. That’s what he means in Romans 9:3 when he says:

Romans 9:3 (ESV)

For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.

Listen, what Paul’s saying here is that he would trade in his own salvation and he would be cut off from Christ just so that other people could be connected to Jesus. I mean, I would say his heart, it was pretty aligned with Jesus’s, right? He cared about the broken…and he cared about the hopeless…he looked out and he saw this multitude of people and it broke his heart that so many of them were heading into an eternal damnation and they didn’t even know it. It’s just like when Jesus looked at the multitude and He wept. Paul’s motives were honest and pure…and whether the people he communicated the gospel to, whether they turned to Jesus or not, they couldn’t deny that Paul cared for them and that Paul loved them. It was clear. It was obvious!

And so, what’s your motives? If you’re truly motivated by the same heart as Paul and as Jesus…rejection, fear, persecution…none of that stuff matters because you just care about the people around you and you want them to know the truth about their eternity.

And then listen, the last thing…his methods…he didn’t do anything to deceive them. Again, he was honest with his methods. He didn’t need some kind of trick…he didn’t need to manipulate anyone…he just allowed the words of the gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit to do its thing through him.

Listen, we can learn a lot from Paul and a lot from these Thessalonians…When we’re real…and when our lives match the message we’re communicating…when we become authentic with people, we’ll be a lot more effective in our gospel witness to those in our community.

But pay attention to this last thing that Paul emphasizes in these verses…He says first that he’s been approved by God to share the gospel…its been entrusted to him…which by the way, those are huge words to say…and then secondly, he says that his goal, its not to please man…its to please God…which is why he was honest in his message and in his motives and in his methods…because ultimately…his goal, it was to please God. He didn’t care about the glory of man…and he didn’t care about receiving some kind of praise for himself. He cared about the glory of Christ…and he cared about honoring him in everything he did…and so, his words and his actions, they were honest about that.

And so, for us…do you understand that as a believer, God, He’s approved you…and He’s entrusted you with the gospel…do you understand that? Meaning, if you don’t share it or if you refuse to share it, the people around you, they might not hear it from someone else…because that responsibility, it was entrusted to you…but secondly…do you seek to please God and not man? Because again, if we’re honest and if we do some examining…I think we’ll find more of the latter…I think we’ll find that we care about our own glory and that we care about the praise we receive from other people and we care about what they think about us?

Guys, are you honest about the gospel? Are you honest about what it says and about what you’ve been called to? Are you honest about where our praise and where our worship should be directed? Authenticity, being considered an authentic person…it all comes back to our integrity. Are you honest about the gospel?

That’s the second question.

III. Are You Vulnerable Because of the Gospel? (vv. 7-12)

And then the last question…are you vulnerable because of the gospel?

Look at the last several verses with me again. Paul says things like he was gentle to them…like a nursing mother taking care of her own children…he was affectionately desirous of them…he didn’t just come and share the gospel with them but he came and shared his life…he says these Thessalonians, they were dear to him. He was vulnerable with them…he even says, we worked physically, day and night, earning a living so that they wouldn’t be a burden to them…He knew they were a new church plant and he knew they couldn’t afford to care for his needs and so, he took care of them spiritually and himself physically.

He says they were witnesses to this…they saw how vulnerable Paul and his companions were with them. They were like a Father with his children, he says. They exhorted them and encouraged them to walk in a manner worthy of the gospel…reminding them that they’ve been called into God’s kingdom and His glory. Paul treated them like family…he loved them, he cared for them…he was vulnerable with them.

Last week, we talked about making the gospel visible to those around us, right? Well, that’s exactly what Paul’s doing here.

Listen, I’m glad that we’re finishing on this point this morning…because I think this is one area of our lives that every one of us can become more intentional in. It’s easy to tell you that you need to be bold for the gospel…and it’s easy to say you need to be honest about the gospel…those things are easy…they’re expected when we talk about things like sharing the gospel. I’m not teaching you anything new there. But if that’s where we left it, we’d be missing a key ingredient that’s absolutely necessary if we’re going to see real life change around us....and it’s found in these verses.........Guys, we’re not just called to share the gospel; we’re called to share ourselves. That means we’re called to share the good parts…the bad parts…the embarrassing parts. That’s how we grow together and that’s how we reach people…because vulnerability, it ultimately leads to trust and that’s where relationships truly thrive.

When we’re vulnerable about our failures…it shows people that we’re not perfect and that we need the same things we’re communicating to them…we get it! And when we’re vulnerable about the good things in our lives, it demonstrates the power of the gospel…and when we’re vulnerable about the embarrassing parts of our lives, it shows we’re human and we possess all the same emotions they do. Vulnerability, its just a pathway to authenticity. And a person can’t be authentic without also being vulnerable.

Guys, where the gospel flourishes, its where people share their own souls…its where people are encountering the truth of the gospel, where they’re wrestling with spiritual issues and coming to faith…all because people aren’t just sharing the gospel. They’re sharing their lives. They’re building trust which ultimately leads to relationships, which leads to gospel advancement.

A little over a year ago, I shared with you guys that I was struggling with depression. And listen, every single one of my mentors, they advised against me sharing that with you guys…they said it wouldn’t help you view me as a leader…that you’d struggle trusting me and following me…that you’d see me as weak. But listen, I disagree…me being vulnerable with you, it shows I understand some of the things you’re walking through…it shows I’m not perfect either. I get it…vulnerability its not a weakness…its a strength. I think it makes someone an even greater leader…if I can’t be real with you, my church family…the people God’s called me to, there’s no way I can lead you because our relationship would never be genuine or real or intimate…it would always remain surface level…and there would always be this gap between you and me.

And listen, that goes for my failures and my wins as well…it goes for opportunities that we can laugh at each other…like when I told you I pee’d on my wife, right? The more vulnerable we are with one another…and the more vulnerable we are with those around us, the more authentic we become and the wider that door opens to share the gospel. You understand?

Paul wasn’t one way to these Thessalonians and then someone completely different behind closed doors. He was authentic with them…he was real…and that’s who we need to be. What you see on Sunday mornings is the same me you get in my home. I’m just as open, I’m just as willing to share embarrassing stories…I’m just as open about who I am and what God’s doing to change me.

Guys, I think this is the most challenging thing about what we see here. It’s easy to go and hand out literature or hand someone a book about the gospel. It’s easy to hang up a sign or share some kind of Facebook post about the gospel. And listen, all those things are good…but they’re not the same as sharing ourselves with people. That’s the key in everything we see here in this passage. If all you do is share information and move on, then you’ve not truly shared the gospel…because the gospel’s so much more than that…it’s like being a nursing mother…its working day and night for someone…its like a father with his kids. I mean think about that for a second…it’s more than just information. It’s about sharing your own life with others…those here in this church first and foremost…and then sharing it with those God places around you.

I know for myself, when I think about those that have impacted my life the most, I think of people who gave me much more than just a message. I think about people who gave me their whole lives. I think about people like my grandmother and Daniel Wood…I think about Johnny Bridges, people who cared for me, and encouraged me, and built into me. These people they weren’t afraid to share the gospel, but they also weren’t afraid to share themselves. And I bet it’s the same for you. Where the gospel flourishes, its where people share their own souls.

And so, are you vulnerable because of the gospel? Because that’s what the gospel does it our lives…it makes us vulnerable because we know that’s how gospel advancement happens.

Closing

Listen, as we close this morning…I wanna ask you just one question…as a believer here…are the people around you, are they getting the real you? Or, is it like the Wizard of Oz…and all they see is someone behind the curtain pulling all the levers and pushing all the right buttons, realizing there’s no real reality to who you say you are? If the curtain were pulled back…and if you were left exposed…would it reveal a different you?

Listen, how you answer that question…it determines how people view your authenticity.

The whole reason Paul said all these things about himself, it was because this is exactly who the Thessalonian church had become. They had become bold for the gospel…and they were honest about the gospel…and because of the change in their own lives, they had become vulnerable with the people around them. And for those reasons, people viewed them as an authentic church…a church that ultimately was advancing the kingdom of God.

And so, as you bow your heads and close your eyes…I want you to think about that question…are you authentic to the people in this church and to the people in your lives.

Listen, Wendy’s gonna play for the next several minutes and I all I want you to do…if you’re a believer here this morning…is evaluate yourself using that question…Am I Authentic? I want you to ask God that question…and if He convicts you…then respond, repent, turn…ask Him to help you reorient your life and prioritize what matters…which is again Jesus’s glory…His kingdom…and His church.

And so, you take this time to do that?

But if you’re here this morning and you don’t know Jesus as your Lord and Savior…then I want you to listen to me for just a moment. For some of you…you’re here but you’ve not been regenerated…you’ve not been changed by the power of the gospel…so you don’t understand some of things I’m talking about here…or you don’t agree with some of the things I’m talking about. Guys, I don’t know your situation…but I do know that God’s a gracious God…and that His grace is so much greater than anything you might’ve done or anything you might be walking through.

Every one of us…we’re all sinful…we all fall short of God’s glory and goodness…and that’s not God’s fault…He created us in the beginning to be good and perfect. It was our choice to fall…and that fall, it separated us from God. And in that separation, we experience death because that’s the punishment of our sin. But listen, in God’s great love for us…He gave us His Son, Jesus…and His Son, He came, He lived a live just like us…except holy and righteous, one without sin…all so that He could go to the cross…a cross met for you and me…and He took our place…He died in our place…and with His death, He took on our punishment. The very God that created us…became the very One to die for us. And the Bible says, He rose again…showing us that He had conquered life and death…and that everything He taught, it was true. Jesus was God…and Jesus paved the way to our restoration…and the most beautiful thing about that message, it’s that He gives us that as a free gift. We don’t have to do anything to receive salvation…except repent and believe…and He’ll do the rest. He’ll take up residence in you…and He’ll begin to change you.

And so listen, I challenge you to take the next several minutes to respond to that message. Repent and believe…place your trust and your faith in Jesus and let Him change you this morning. And you can do that right where you’re at…you can talk to me, I’ll be down front…but whatever you do, don’t leave today separated from Christ.

And so, whoever you are this morning…whatever you’re struggling with or whatever the Spirit’s placing on your heart…take the next several minutes and just respond and we’ll close in just a moment.

[Prayer]