Reaching Others

Reaching Others Uncommon Sense: Week 3 Tuesday, October 23, 2018 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8 Over the past two weeks we’ve been learning about this amazing group of people—the church in Thessalonica. In the first message we learned that Paul was always thankful for them because he knew they were disciples of Jesus by their work of faith, their labor of love, and their hope in Jesus Christ. Last week we saw how the gospel had the power to change lives and we concentrated on the truth that the gospel still has power to change lives. This morning we will see that Paul and his team spent their lives reaching people, like those in Thessalonica, with the gospel. 1 Thessalonians 2:1–8 1 For you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain. 2 But even after we had suffered before and were spitefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we were bold in our God to speak to you the gospel of God in much conflict. 3 For our exhortation did not come from error or uncleanness, nor was it in deceit. 4 But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts. 5 For neither at any time did we use flattering words, as you know, nor a cloak for covetousness—God is witness. 6 Nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, when we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. 7 But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children. 8 So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us. Common sense in our culture today is life is all about bettering self. Our culture pushes things like improving the way you look, improving the way you feel, improving your financial position, improving your relationships or relationship status, improving your career path, and improving your lifestyle. The Uncommon Sense that we’re going to see in 1 Thessalonians today is that life is about reaching others. It’s a counter-intuitive truth, isn’t it? Think about it—how often do we tell our children that it doesn’t matter if they are successful by the world’s standards—the most important thing is that they spend their life living for Jesus and reaching others with the message of the gospel? How often do our conversations in this building on Sunday revolve around attempts we’ve made to reach others the week before? Here’s my point—if we are not careful, the mentality of the culture will begin to seep into our lives. When that happens, it doesn’t take long for the church to begin sounding and behaving like the culture—this means that we will begin to live for bettering self instead of living to reach others. So, if life is about reaching others, then we have to realize that… 1. Reaching others requires boldness that comes from trusting God. Have you ever known someone who seemed to have no fear when it comes to talking to people about Jesus? They are bold and courageous—it’s almost as if they never even consider any negative consequences that could result from having so many gospel conversations with so many different people. Have you ever envied those kinds of people? I think it’s pretty clear the apostle Paul was one of those kinds of people. He was clearly not ashamed of the gospel—the good news that God loves people so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to be born—to live a perfect life—to die in our place to pay the penalty for our sin—to rise from the dead, so all who trust in Jesus alone can be forgiven by God, restored to God, and live forever with God. Not only was he not ashamed of it, Paul shared the gospel with everyone from common people to government leaders to kings. Have you ever wondered where people who share the gospel boldly get their boldness from? I think the answer to that question can be found in verse two—“we were bold in our God” The phrase simply means that any boldness—any courage Paul displayed came from God. In other words, God was the source of their boldness. This means that Paul was not a naturally bold person when it came to the gospel—but he was emboldened by the Holy Spirit who lived within Him. I don’t know about you, but this is encouraging to me because I am not a naturally bold person in any sense. Believe it or not, I don’t like to be in front of people. If I had my way, I would be where the media team is right now. I don’t like to be noticed. When I am in social situations, I’m most comfortable in a corner observing people. I’m not the kind of person who enjoys walking up to people I don’t know and striking up a conversation with them—that is terrifying to me! Yet, life is not about me—it’s not about protecting myself or sheltering myself. Life if about reaching others and I’ve been tasked to tell others about salvation through faith in Jesus. See the disconnect? I think we often believe that only those really outgoing people are the ones who are responsible for reaching others with the gospel and those of us who are introverts get a pass. Not true! This is where this text is encouraging because the very same Holy Spirit that made Paul such a bold witness lives in me and, if you are a follower of Jesus, that Holy Spirit lives in you. This means that we have same source of boldness that Paul had. Practically, this means we have no excuse for not reaching others. Now, notice that this God-infused boldness enabled them to overcome opposition. Paul mentions that he and Silas had already suffered persecution in Philippi—the city where they were arrested, beaten, and thrown in jail for preaching the gospel. Yet, when God literally broke them out of prison, they did not pack it up and head home—feeling fortunate to escape that situation. No, instead they came to Thessalonica to reach the people in that city with the gospel. And they preached the gospel in Thessalonica even though their message brought an extraordinary amount of conflict. To put it simply, they continued to open their mouths to make the gospel known even though they suffered for their efforts. But why? What would motivate them to take such a risk to reach people they didn’t even know? Why would they put their lives on the line to reach others? The answer is simple, their boldness was born of a conviction that the gospel is the truth. You see, Paul believed the gospel. He believed that faith in Jesus Christ was the only hope for people who are far from God. Paul said they were encouraged to be bold (exhortation) because they proclaimed the truth. Their message was not errant—they were not delusional, their motives were not impure, and they did not deceive anyone about anything. They had the boldness to proclaim the message because they believed the message was the truth. This is another source of encouragement to me because not only do we have the same Holy Spirit in us who makes us bold, but we also have the same message! The gospel we speak is the same gospel Paul spoke. Here is the question—do we believe it the same way Paul believed it? You see, Paul’s belief in the truth of the gospel pushed him to share the message no matter the cost. Can we say the same thing? Doesn’t it make sense that if we believe the gospel we will share the gospel? If we believe that people around us are at risk of missing the grace and mercy of God and facing the judgment of God—doesn’t that move us to do what we can to reach them, no matter the cost? Paul’s boldness came because he knew the truth and spoke the truth because he had been entrusted with the truth. In verse four, Paul pointed to his calling—not as an apostle, but as a believer. Once again, we can see that we have something in common with Paul. We’ve seen that we share the same Spirit and we have the same message, but here we learn that we’ve received the same commission—to speak the gospel. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you have been entrusted with the gospel. That life-giving, life-changing message has been put into you and placed into your care, not for safe keeping, but to spread the news—to speak it to those who desperately need to hear it. Jesus’ last words on earth were a command to all His followers to be witnesses of him—to spread the message of salvation through him, to everyone, everywhere. Paul put it this way… 2 Corinthians 5:15, 20-21 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. As followers of Jesus, staying silent is not an option. I’m so thankful for the fact that so many people at CrossPointe have had so many gospel conversations this year! The people of this church should always be telling others about who Jesus is, what Jesus has done, and how to have a relationship with God through faith in His Son! If we believe we have been entrusted with a life-altering message to share, I believe God will give us the boldness to share it. So, if we are going to reach people it will require a boldness that comes from God and… 2. Reaching others requires selflessness to live for God. Look at what Paul wrote—they spoke the gospel, but they did not give the message to please men. The reality is, the gospel message isn’t pleasing to most people who don’t believe it. Think about it, who wants to hear that they are sinful, separated from their Creator, and destined to be judged, found guilty, and to suffer for their rebellion forever? That message is not what the world would call a great conversation starter! You won’t find it or anything like it in “How to Win Friends and Influence People”. However, Paul knew he was not called to be liked by people, but to reach people with the truth that would set them free. Paul’s mission was not like the mission of the false teachers who would visit cities like Thessalonica. Those circuit-preachers would enter a town and flatter the people with insincere words. Their goal was financial gain and glory. Paul came with an unpopular message—he told them unflattering things—things they didn’t want to hear but needed to hear. Paul didn’t come to get anything from them, but to give them the one thing they needed above anything else. Paul didn’t come to get glory, but to give glory to God through preaching Jesus Christ. Paul didn’t demand anything of them, even though he had the authority to do so. Paul was not in it for his sake, but for their sake. This is the struggle for us—we want to be liked. We need to be valued and affirmed. We desire to be loved and wanted. And this is exactly why we need to die to self because the message the world needs to hear will not endear us to them. Selflessness is not only required to give the message—selflessness is required to be gentle in giving the message. This is where so many people go wrong in trying to reach people—instead of being gentle, showing compassion, kindness, concern and care, they try to ram the gospel down someone’s throat and then move on to the next victim. That is not how Paul described their ministry in Thessalonica. They were gentle—like a nursing mother cares for her own children. Edward Welch wrote: “Our goal is to love people more than need them. We are overflowing pitchers, not leaky cups.” So, this leads us to a question—what moves a person to be so concerned about reaching others that they will live boldly and selflessly? Verse 8 – They had a strong desire—a deep and compelling affection for them… To impart the gospel—so they could hear and believe the gospel. To impart themselves—did not hold anything back from them. They were very dear—think of a mother’s love for her child Love inspires boldness! You will stand in front of someone you love. You will stand up for someone you love. John 15:13 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. Applications: The effort you make to reach others is never in vain (v. 1) Sometimes we FEEL that our efforts are empty and pointless—but God’s Word always does what it was given to do. Isaiah 55:11 11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. Have confidence, you are tasked with planting and watering, but God gives the increase. Keep doing what God has called you to do, regardless of the results. God alone knows your heart and motives (v.4, 5) “You’re so self-righteous!” Ever heard those words when you’ve shared the gospel? How about, “who are you to judge?” People will always assign motives to you—but know that God alone knows your heart and why you do what you do. Take comfort in that fact and don’t be discouraged or silenced. We must always have an “others” focus. The word “you” is used throughout this text showing us that reaching others was Paul’s desire and focus. Other’s needs to be our focus also! It has been rightly said that if the church is about pleasing me, then the church will never reach others. Life is about reaching others—so let’s pray for boldness and selflessness to follow the example of Paul and let’s be used of God to change our city for Jesus Christ.