Things Grow In The Dark

Introduction

Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. Bat show at dusk. Going out to eat! 1,200 mosquitoes per hour - 6 - 8,000 per night! Each bat!

You might think that there is not life in caves other than the bats that sleep their during the daylight hours. Troglobites. Spiders, crickets, mites, and scorpions are just a few of them. They learn to adapt, moving by the sense of smell or feeling around.

In spite of the utter darkness and the shortage of food, they still learn to thrive in the darkness.

Paul was ministering in a dark world. Everywhere he went, he faced adversity and suffering because of his faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God. Yet, the church grew. It learned that it could overcome the darkness of the world by the light of Jesus.

We see our world today and we can still see darkness. There is suffering and hardship. There is a need for light. The Light.

John 1:4–5 ESV

In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

The Gospel overcomes darkness.

Being a church for the community means that we can take the light out and we will see the Gospel of Jesus Christ overcome the fear, the brokenness, the hurt, the emptiness.

God, in His providence, places His children, the church, to bring people into the light!

Our scars empower us.

v. 2

Their treatment in Philippi following giving freedom to a young girl from a demon. Arrested, stripped naked, publicly beaten, placed in stocks. Coming to Thessalonica, still healing from this harsh treatment, you’d say it is okay for them to just sit aside and heal. But, their scars emboldened them. Their scars helped them to relate to those who were hurting.

The hardships that you have endured, your suffering and your grief, can be used by God to help those who are going through a similar circumstance. Not only can you relate to them better, but

Your survival gives hope to others.

Especially as we bring it back to Jesus.

Our purity confirms us.

v. 3

This past week, the R&B artist, R. Kelly was found guilty of some horrible things. If it weren’t for his one time celebrity status, it probably wouldn’t even make the headlines. This type of horrific action has lost some of its shock value because of its frequency.

The church is not exempt from this. Also this week our own SBC had more meetings to discuss how to address issues of abuse in the church. These stories cause us to lose credibility. On a smaller scale, just the idea of a pastor for profit causes people to turn away from Jesus.

Paul had to address these same questions - but he was able to lay out his defense.

Our purity protects our proclamation.

Live a life pleasing to God and it will draw others to Jesus.

Our love awakens us.

v. 8

Notice that this affection served as the motivation to share the Gospel with them. And he describes it in a couple of ways. “Like a nursing mother” in v. 7. This picture of concern and compassion. Then balanced with v. 11 “like a father.” Exhort, encourage, and charge you. This parental love provides a complete picture of Paul’s love for the lost in Thessalonica. He loved them like family! People he barely knew! Yet, he saw these people without Jesus like his own children!

How we view those outside the church? Often we hold them at arm’s length. Yet, there is power in acceptance.

Rosaria Butterfield has shared in her testimony what a train wreck her life was. She was a tenured professor at Syracuse University when she began a project researching the effect of religion on men. Through this process, she was befriended by a pastor in her town. This man and his wife began inviting Rosaria and her partner over for dinner. He made them part of their family and loved them as though she was his own daughter. Through that relationship, her heart towards Jesus was softened and she became a Christian, radically leaving everything behind. Now she serves in a variety of ways and supports her husband, Kent, who is a pastor! She credits that man and his wife’s love and acceptance of her as pivotal in God saving her.

Build a bridge of relationship strong enough to bear the weight of truth we have to give.

Build a bridge of works of love.

Our enemy hates us.

v. 16

Vv. 13-16 tell of all the barriers they are having to overcome, all those that want to stand in the way of the Gospel spreading (v. 16). All these are the schemes of the satan.

His plan for us is to be inactive in sharing our faith with others. He does this through a multitude of ways, but if he can get us to stop loving the lost, he accomplishes his goal!

For some, this is accomplished by seeing the lost as the enemy. For others it works to make them think in categories of “us” and “them.” For others, as we talked last week that the opposite of love isn’t hate but ambivalence. And Satan wants you to be ambivalent towards others.

We overcome the enemy by actively loving others.

And we will talk about how to do that...

Amy Cordova.