A Disciple-Maker's Heart

1 Thessalonians 3 NASB95

Therefore when we could endure it no longer, we thought it best to be left behind at Athens alone, and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith, so that no one would be disturbed by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we have been destined for this. For indeed when we were with you, we kept telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction; and so it came to pass, as you know. For this reason, when I could endure it no longer, I also sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter might have tempted you, and our labor would be in vain. But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always think kindly of us, longing to see us just as we also long to see you, for this reason, brethren, in all our distress and affliction we were comforted about you through your faith; for now we really live, if you stand firm in the Lord. For what thanks can we render to God for you in return for all the joy with which we rejoice before our God on your account, as we night and day keep praying most earnestly that we may see your face, and may complete what is lacking in your faith? Now may our God and Father Himself and Jesus our Lord direct our way to you; and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you; so that He may establish your hearts without blame in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.

INTRO: I am going to go out on a limb this morning and assume that most of you have been to a doctor at some point in your life. Every time I go, my doctor insists on listening to my heart. I’m sure he’s listening for irregularities to see if there is any cause for concern. Our hearts are pretty important! Well, when Scripture talks about our heart, it’s often a metaphor for our deepest desires and motivations. We are called to love God with all our heart… and we are warned that our heart can be deceitful and wicked. This is not a medical evaluation… I’m pretty sure my heart does not tell my doctor lies when he listens in with the stethoscope…

Over the past couple weeks, we’ve looked at what it takes to be an effective disciple-maker and what a true disciple looks like. But today, we are going to go beyond strategy and growth points. Today, we look at the ongoing investment of the heart.

In Ch. 3, we see the Apostle Paul lay forth his heart for the Thessalonian church. Now, I am going to tell you that this passage truly ministered to me personally. I could just as aptly title this sermon “A Pastor’s Heart” because I found myself encouraged and challenged as I studied this text. And my prayer is that as you take up the personal responsibilities of being a disciple-maker, that God will speak to your heart and encourage you this morning.

Do you have a Disciple-Maker’s Heart? If you picked up a bulletin this morning, I want to encourage you to open it up to the sermon guide that we’ve provided for you and follow along as we learn the 3 characteristics of a Disciple-Maker’s Heart.

You Are Concerned for One’s Faith (1-5)

Paul was facing persecution in the weeks and months following his departure from Thessalonica. And, while this suffering was a challenge to Paul, he knew that is would be even more challenging for a new believer. The Thessalonians would certainly face this persecution, and Paul was concerned that they might give in or that they would falter.

This concern is what drove Paul to send Timothy to check in them (v. 5)

You know what? As your pastor, I too am concerned for your faith.

I see the temptations of this world. I face them too!! I see the obstacles and challenges that may draw you to backslide, fall into sin, disengage from the church, and waiver in your faith.

This is why I am constantly pushing you to get involved in a Life Group or another small group where you can develop genuine relationships. It’s why we have deacons who call you and check on you. Look- I care about your health. I care about your physical provisions. I care about your relationships. But I am most concerned about your faith.

Paul’s primary desire for the Thessalonians, as we saw last week, was that they would be living out their faith. This was not just a suggestion that he made to which he had no emotional or personal ties. No, friends we are not robots- if we are going to make disciples, it means that we are going to love them and desire God’s best for their lives.

This is my desire for you. I want you to be pure. I want you to be steadfast in your faith. When times are tough, I want you to persevere! - and listen, I know this year has been tough on many of you. And it’s going to get tougher- temptations will come and I know that it would be easy some days to pull back. It would be easy to “go with the flow” of this world.

Hey- you might be going through something right now that has caused you to put distance between yourself and others in the church. Maybe you feel like you can’t be vulnerable or maybe you have other temptations that are causing you to take up unhealthy habits. You might be watching from home today and have convinced yourself that you don’t need to be in-person with us even when all the COVID stuff clears. Friends, I am concerned for your faith and I want you to know that you are not alone!

Perhaps you are pouring your life into someone that is a newer believer. They need to know that you have a genuine interest in their faith. They need to hear you say that you care about their walk with Jesus. They need to know that they are not alone and that you are walking beside them.

What comes to your mind when you think of the faith of your neighbor? Family? Each other? You have the heart of a disciple-maker if you are concerned for one’s faith. The next clue that you have a Disciple-Maker’s heart is:

Discuss: How often do you consider the faith of another? Do you express interest in their personal holiness?

You Are Personally Invested in One’s Faith (6-9)

When Timothy brought the good news that the Thessalonian’s were living out their faith, Paul was elated. In fact, he stressed that their faith was comfort to him in the midst of the many afflictions he faced.

How could it be that someone else’s faithfulness would be a comfort to Paul while he was getting persecuted?

Well, it it because Paul’s purpose was greater that the affliction. He had a kingdom purpose of making disciples. His focus and priority in life was not his own comfort or success, but rather the fidelity of others in the Gospel faith.

Thus, because the Thessalonians were steadfast in their faith, Paul’s purpose was affirmed. His investment paid off!

ILL: There is something pretty special about knowing that the work you are doing is worthwhile; that what you put into something was worth it.

But look down at v. 8 (Read)

Because they were standing firm, Paul was affirmed and filled with joy!

And while this is true, the opposite must also be confirmed: If a disciple does not stand firm in the Lord, Paul infers that this is death.

Paul was invested in them so much that for them to fail was for Paul to fail.

Charles Spurgeon said it this way: “Never is the servant of God so full of delight as when he sees that the Holy Spirit is visiting his hearers, making them to know the Lord, and confirming them in that heavenly knowledge. On the other hand, if God does not bless the word of his servants it is like death to them.”

When a disciple stumbles- when a church member leaves or walks away from the faith; when a young man or woman from our youth group disengages from the church- it is a wound for those who have invested in them. Now, I am speaking from God’s Word but can attest to it’s truth personally.

And what we are talking about here is not simply the joy or pain that comes along with a disciple’s walk.

As a disciple-maker, we must understand the value of those we wish to build up in the faith. We must be so invested in them that we are cheering them on- rejoicing in their victories and weeping with them in their failures. We must be willing to get messy- to allow our hearts to be open to others so that they will see the love of Jesus. And yes, it might mean pain. In fact, I am convinced that a major reason for pastoral burnout is that each person that walks away is a great wound.

Jesus taught of this kind of attitude when he spoke of the shepherd who would leave the 99 to search out the one. (Matthew 18:12-14) It’s not that the shepherd never comes back, but rather that he is invested in each one- it’s not simply a numbers game, it’s about the heart.

Discuss: How invested are you personally in the life of another? How would their success or failings in the faith affect you?

Do you have the heart of a disciple-maker? One that is concerned about one’s faith and personally invested in their walk with Jesus? Paul gives one final measure of the heart in v. 10-13.

You Consistently Pray for One’s Faith (10-13)

Paul spoke about his constant prayers that they may go to the Thessalonians in order to continue to pour into them. He prayed that God would grant him more opportunities to invest in these as disciples.

And this is a good place to ask, Are you praying for opportunities to invest in others? Are you earnestly seeking to model Jesus and teach others His Word?

I heard Dewey and Kathy Aiken speaking about their time as missionaries with the Home Mission Board- we know is as NAMB. Anyway, they talked about their time in VT. Several people would come a plant churches, but often would rely on their energy or programs to build the church. These churches failed. It was only those who came in beforehand, and consistently prayed for God to open doors and hearts to the Gospel, whose churches are thriving. You see, we need God to act, to convict and to pierce the hearts of people.

Dewey calls this plowing that hard ground.

Our heart must be so that we aren’t just willing to invest our time and emotion, but that we would be humble enough and broken enough to know that we need the help of Almighty God in order to impact the world with His Good News.

These are not empty words. You see, Paul prayed that he would be one way of God answering the prayer he utters in v.11-13. Look around and ask God to use you to help build up one another.

Let’s look at that prayer. Paul prayed that the Thessalonians would grow in abounding love for one another just as deeply and sacrificially as Paul loved them.

In other words, Paul was praying that God would use his and his companions to influence and model love and faith even more.

I am reminded of the prayer that Jesus offered up in

John 17:25–26 NASB95

“O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

I wonder, if God answered right now the prayers you prayed this morning, would people’s lives be changed forever through the Gospel? Would more opportunities be available for you to model faith and love? What are you praying for?

I want to share one final thing as we close: Recently, God has convicted me to be more intentional about being around lost people and sharing Jesus. (It’s easy to get in a Christian bubble..especially with COVID) And so I’ve been praying and you know what? God has opened up opportunities. Just a couple Sundays ago, God allowed me the opportunity to change a flat tire and share Jesus with a lady. I believe that He will give you those opportunities too.

And each week, I pray for you. At times, I’ll walk through this sanctuary and pray for you by name and pray that God would build you up in your faith. And each Sunday morning before we come in here for worship, I pray for you. I pray for His Spirit to move freely through our worship time. I pray that God will change you to be more like Jesus.

So, my heart is on my sleeve this morning. I care for you, church. I want God’s best for you- for your steadfast faith and your obedience to God’s call in your life. I long for each of you to walk with Jesus… to love Him and live for Him. And let me just say, if you are here this morning, or watching online and you would like to know how you can have that kind of relationship with Jesus, I want to encourage you to come forwards as we sing or reach out during the week.

I believe that God is calling you to have a Disciple-Maker’s Heart as well. Do you?

Discuss: Who are you praying comes to faith in Jesus Christ? Name 5 lost people you are engaging. Name 2 church members who you are praying for their walk with Christ.

C. H. Spurgeon, “The Pastor’s Life Wrapped up with His People’s Steadfastness: A Pleading Reminder for the New Year,” in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 30 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1884), 7.