Sermon Tone Analysis

Intro

Last week we discussed Paul’s target for Christians that he preached the gospel: faithfulness.

Paul was not looking to add names to his roster to impress the convention, or get more baptism numbers so he did not feel like his ministry was dying.

He wasn’t trying to convince people to raise their hand or pray a prayer.

Paul was trying to produce faithfulness, that was his target.

Recall what Paul said in 1 Thess.

3:8 “For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord.”

Paul did not say, “if your church is growing,” or “if you’re getting more baptism,” or “if you’re meeting people’s needs,”

In way of introduction, I want to present to you something that I call dead evangelism.

There’s a few things about dead evangelism that you need to know.

The target for dead evangelism is getting people to make decisions.

Dead evangelism may present a faithful gospel, or it may repackage it to make it more palatable.

Either way, dead evangelism’s main target is getting people to make decisions.

It does not matter if the decisions are legitimate or not as long as more numbers get credited to the evangelist’s account.

The dead evangelist will confidently rely on gimmicks and emotional manipulation because the number one thing is someone to make a decision.

2. The result is not faithfulness.

Microwave evangelism gets several decisions.

After these people fall away, never come to church again, and a real evangelist comes along to talk to them, guess what happens?

They say, “yeah, I already made that decision, I was already baptized, I’m good to go.”

They base all their assurance on that one time they prayed a prayer or that one time they were baptized.

The Bible NEVER tells you to base your salvation on some initial decision.

Do you know where the Bible tells you to base your assurance?

Read 1 John.

Do you love God? Do you love fellow Christians?

Do you obey what God says?

Do you believe what God says?

The Bible does not demand perfection for these things, but calls us to examine our lifestyle.

Does the general style of our life reflect that we can affirm these questions?

That’s where the Bible bases our assurance in Christ.

3. The effect on the sheep is starvation

What about the believers who attend churches that regularly practice dead evangelism?

I know some churches that have Wednesday night as their “believer’s service.”

That is, they intend their Sunday morning worship for unbelievers.

Why?

Because if it’s more comfortable for unbelievers, you get more people in the door.

If you get more people in the door, you get more decisions.

But what about the sheep already in the doors of these services constantly getting milk?

They starve.

You can’t be a baby Christian forever.

You can’t live on Christian milk your whole life, one day we all have to grow up!

I want to suggest something radical to you, something that goes against our mainstream Christian culture.

Paul’s ministry goal from beginning to end was never getting people to make decisions, it was always to produce faithfulness.

From Paul’s initial conversations with people to the very end, Paul wanted people to be faithful to Jesus Christ.

Does this require people to make an initial decision to follow Jesus?

Yes, of course.

But, that initial decision was NEVER Paul’s target.

But somewhere along the line it has become our main target.

Get people in the door!

Make them feel comfortable!

Get them in the baptismal pool!

All the while our sheep are starving and suffering.

Woe to you, pastor!

You’ve got a girl in your church struggling with doubt.

You’ve got a man in your church suffering with a debilitating depression.

You’ve got a lady in your church hurting with loneliness feeling numb every time she enters the church’s doors.

And you’re going to focus all your efforts on getting people to make fake, manipulated decisions which they will never keep?

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep, not starve them to misery!

Listen to Paul’s words.

Hear his heart for his disciples:

1 Thess.

3:9-10 “For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith?”

This is a really long question, but you can feel what Paul felt toward these converts.

Notice the first and main part of the question: “For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you. .

.”

.

Thankfulness is an important quality.

Paul will soon tell us in this very letter 1 Thess.

5:18 “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Because was the opposite of gratitude?

Ungratefulness, which is marked by spitefulness, self-reliance, rudeness, and being unloving.

Leviticus 7 outlines laws for thanksgiving offerings.

We are supposed to be thankful in all circumstances; however, if the people were especially grateful to God for something they could offer and thanksgiving sacrifice.

They would give up something they rely upon just to show God their gratitude.

Psalm 50:22-23 ““Mark this, then, you who forget God, lest I tear you apart, and there be none to deliver!

The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!””

Paul asks, “What thanksgiving can we give back to God for you. .

.?” What Paul is saying is that he is so abundantly and overly thankful to God because the Thessalonians remained faithful, that he has no adequate way to show God gratitude.

Every way that Paul can think of to thank God falls short of the thankfulness he feels in his heart.

Paul further says, “for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God.”

Paul is not being disingenuous.

He’s not using flattery to manipulate them.

Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, is genuinely expressing how he and his compatriots feel toward the Thessalonians.

And why does Paul feel such gratitude and joy?

Because he hit the target he was aiming at: the Thessalonians are expressing faith and love and standing fast in the Lord Jesus.

What brings you more joy: When someone comes forward during the altar call then never shows up to church again; Or when a brother wades through the deep and numbingly cold waters of depression and comes out on the other side confessing, “the Lord Jesus was sovereign over my suffering;” Or when a sister loses her husband unexpectedly and confesses through her tears, “This is for God’s glory and I rest on his everlasting arms;” Or when a Christian youth endures ridicule at school for his faith and considers it gain for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Just like Paul,

We should rejoice in one another’s faithfulness to Jesus.

We shouldn’t just rejoice in our heart and keep it to ourselves, but like Paul we should communicate our gratitude.

Go up to someone in church, “I know you’re not feeling 100%, but it sure gives me joy that you are here in church to show faithfulness to Christ.”

Just this week one brother in our church was expressing some struggles he was feeling and another brother just stopped and prayed over him.

It was such a blessing to be a part of that.

I texted him and just told him I’m grateful for him.

So some practical things we can do in light of this text:

Look for people’s faithfulness

Be specific and express gratitude for that thankfulness

I mean goodness, do you know who does Sunday night church anymore?

Next to no one.

But here you all are looking, yearning to hear God’s word.

That’s faithfulness.

I’m grateful for all of you, casting scorn upon cultural trends and making time to be here.

Look at the next part of Paul’s question in 1 Thess 3:10 “as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith?”

Paul and his companion’s rejoicing takes place in God’s presence.