Missing You

I Thessalonians 2:17-3:8

Next month when people are celebrating St Patrick’s Day with green beer and outlandish claims to be Irish try to keep in mind the story of the man the day recalls.  St Patrick’s Day celebrates the story of a man you yearned to see the Kingdom of God extended.  As a sixteen-year-old in a small British village, he had been kidnapped by Irish pirates.  He was sold as a slave to a wealthy land owner and given the task of caring for the man’s sheep.  For six years, he served his master and prayed for a way of escape.  Finally he escaped to Gaul—modern France—where he became a monk.  But he wasn’t content to remain in the safety of the continent;  he yearned to return to the Irish people with the gospel.  He had a compelling love for the people.

That kind of love can motivate people to sacrificial living.  It did that for Patrick and for Paul.

There’s no doubt Paul wrote with such feeling because he genuinely missed the opportunity to be with his Christian brothers and sisters in Thessalonica. 

--Paul treasured fellowship with other Christians, even though many of them were from groups he would have once avoided as one might avoid a mangy dog with its repellent sores.  In fact, he may have once referred to them as “Gentile dogs.”

--Fellowship with other Christians was mutually beneficial.  The churches gained from his being there and he gained from being with other Christians.

--Paul knew the world could be a dangerous place for a church.  While he would never have the church withdraw from the world, he knew the world could make a deep impact on the church.  Although by no means a pessimist, Paul dreaded the possibility that somehow his labor among the Thessalonians might prove to have been in vain.

Just what Paul may have meant isn't clear but he certainly pictures a situation in which the church had become ineffective.

Because he knew the trials they were facing, Paul was desperate to know how they were doing.  Therefore, he sent Timothy to find out.

Paul sent Timothy out despite the fact he would feel his absence deeply.  Nothing about being a Christian or doing Christian ministry carries a guarantee of happiness or that there would never be times of loneliness.  Living sacrificially implies sacrifice.  Sacrifice implies giving something of value.

Michael Jackels, bishop of the Wichita diocese, announced a loosening of the rules for Lent, so they wouldn’t impinge on anyone’s celebration of St. Patrick’s Day.  Bishop Jackels said his flock could enjoy corned beef on Friday, instead of avoiding meat as most Roman Catholics do on the Fridays of Lent.  Now, there’s nothing really wrong with that but it does remind us that many people feel sacrifice should be taken only so far.

Paul believed that suffering went along with being a Christian.  Still, even the best of us can forget. 

--Paul knew the young Christians might easily be shaken by the trials they were facing.  Thessalonica appears to have been a tough place and this a tough time to be a Christian.

--He reminded them that such troubles or afflictions were the "appointed lot" for Christians.  In this, he echoes what Peter would later write to another band of Christians enduring hardship:  "I beg you not to be unduly alarmed at the fiery ordeal you are passing through...as though this were some abnormal experience..."  (I Peter 4:12)

Thomas points out that the word translated as “tribulations” is thilipsesin and describes the “stiffest test of faith.”  Such things are to be expected by Christians.  Paul did not want them to be “unsettled,” a word which describes the condition of being shaken or disturbed.

No health and wealth gospel for Paul.  He was honest and forthright in his teaching and preaching to the Thessalonians.  From the beginning, he told them they were going to "pressed with difficulties." (Williams)  Subsequent events only proved the accuracy of his predictions.

There was nothing wrong with their faith;  they weren't suffering because of lack of faith;  these trials were tokens of their faithfulness.

His greatest fear was not that they were facing hard times but that the Tempter had succeeded in leading them to give up.  This would signal that Paul's hard work would have been in vain.

This concern raises interesting questions.  But whatever the final resolution about what Paul means, it's clear he believed a church which had caved into the cultural pressure, a church which had surrendered its distinctive role as God's people in the world, a church which had withdrawn into itself, with no intention of engaging the outsiders with the claims of Christ was a church which had ceased to be what it was born to be.

What puts a church in peril?

1.  Unrelenting pressure from a hostile world.

The world is hostile to Christianity.  It doesn’t welcome its indictment of humanity’s sins and its call for repentance.   It chafes at the thought of bowing to a Heavenly King.  That hostility has taken a variety of forms and it varies in intensity, but it is always there.

The Thessalonian Christians seem to have known that constant pressure.  Paul may have worried about the effect it would have on them.

àThey might quit serving Christ completely.

àThey might compromise. 

àThey might become bitter and insular. 

We Western Christians don’t live with the dread of the midnight knock at the door and being dragged away by the police who will interrogate us and then forget us in their filthy jail.  We face other kinds of pressure.

Now, keep in mind there’s no way being snickered at because we avoid certain forms of entertainment compares with having our children ripped away from us so they might be reeducated, in the hope of ridding them of our superstitions.  Our Chinese brothers and sisters have faced that.

 And, keep in mind that we have to avoid the paranoia which sees disagreement by secular thinkers or even court rulings we don’t like as sure signs that padlocking churches is only days away.  We may have to recognize that passing out Bibles, as churches did when I was a youngster, might really be unconstitutional.  I’ve long believed that our schools’ hesitancy to promote Christianity over any other religion, might have the unexpected benefit of reminding Christians that it is the church’s task to spread the gospel and not that of any other institution. 

Still, we face pressure as Christians.   Most of the other sources of influence in our society—entertainment, media, academia—do not agree with our world-view.  This can mean we have to do our work in the face of

--Misrepresentation.

--Under-representation.

In the Old Testament, God sometimes told those he was calling to be his prophets that they would face hard times and that people wouldn’t listen to them.  Not once did he stop and say, “Come to think of it, why bother.”

2.  A sense of being isolated and abandoned.

It appears that someone in the Thessalonian community had begun to spread the rumor that Paul didn’t care what was happening to them.  Did they really believe what they were saying or did they simply wish to undermine Paul’s influence?  What matters is that some people believed them.

Try to put yourself in the place of those Christians.  Just after they came to believe, those who brought them the gospel had to flee.  Intellectually they may have understood why Paul and the others left, but their hearts may have betrayed them.

It’s tough to feel alone.

3.  Satanic conspiracy.

Don’t you hate it when someone makes a strange, intriguing statement and then doesn’t explain?

Paul does that here.  He says, “I tried again and again to come and see you but ‘Satan prevented us.’”  You want to say, “Whoa.  Just a minute.  What do you mean, ‘Satan prevented us?’” 

But he doesn’t explain and any amount of conjecture is just conjecture.

So, we’ll leave it at that with the observation that Paul believed in Satan.  For that matter, so did Jesus.  That may bother some people because it seems so medieval to believe in Satan.  But, if you believe in the existence of a benevolent Being who constantly seeks our good, there is no real reason to believe there cannot also exist a malevolent being who constantly seeks our harm.  Some of you may recall Verbal’s observation in The Usual Suspects.  He said, “The devil’s greatest trick was convincing the world he didn’t exist.”

While Paul speaks only of Satan’s keeping him from visiting Thessalonica, it’s clear that Satan’s activities were detrimental to the Thessalonians, as well.

Satan wanted to destroy the Thessalonian church or, at least, render it ineffective.  That goal could be accomplished by causing them to doubt God’s word or his goodness or by succeeding in tempting them to surrender to the pull of their culture.

Satan seems to be particularly active when a church is going though a tough time.  But remember:  The great danger of the satanic conspiracy is the fact that Satan pursues his agenda even when a church is experiencing peace and prosperity.

The Steadfast Church

Timothy’s report relieved Paul’s gravest worry;   from Timothy, Paul learned the Thessalonian fellowship was exhibiting signs of good health.

Timothy’s report relieved Paul’s concern for the Thessalonian church by pointing out that they had remained steadfast in maintaining the faith and demonstrating love.

They had remained steadfast.

--A steadfast church maintains a healthy faith.

They continued to trust what they had learned from those who taught them the gospel.  Holding on to the core of the Christian truth.

Reviewing the Apostles’ Creed helps us remember the foundation on which we stand, the root of our hope of salvation.

--A steadfast church demonstrates a healthy love.

They continued to be a community of love.  They showed love for each other and love for those outside the community.

They did not surrender to bitterness and anger due to their troubles.

Conclusion

Despite the challenges that come from being God’s people, a church can be healthy.

TRUSTWORTHY

1 Thessalonians 2:1-12

What Paul says in this passage hints there were problems back in Thessalonica.  It seems as if there were those trying to undermine Paul’s work there.  It’s not clear who they were; they might have been opponents from the local Jewish establishment, they might have been part of a legalistic Christian party that believed the open invitation to Gentiles was a mistake, they might have been pagans who resented the growth of what they considered to be a rival group.  Whether or not there were opponents, it’s clear Paul felt it was important to remind the Thessalonians of the character of his ministry among them.

Paul would not have been the only traveling teacher these people would have ever encountered.  Such peripatetic teachers were part of the Greek scene. 

--Some of these teachers were sincere.  They genuinely believed their teaching would enlighten and improve the lives of those who heard and heeded them.  Unfortunately, they often surveyed the human condition and came to the wrong conclusion about our greatest problem.  So, it follows, they would come to the wrong conclusion about its solution.

--Many were unscrupulous charlatans.  They were money-hungry tricksters who preyed on vulnerable, gullible women.  Some were known for seducing the women who were drawn to their teachings.  All were flatterers who would say whatever they needed to say to insinuate themselves into the confidences of their audiences.

What Paul says to the Thessalonians invites them to compare his ministry with what they knew of the typical traveling teacher.

He reminded them of the long-term result of his work.  His work was “not in vain.”  The traveling teachers might stir up emotions for a while but once they were gone, things would quickly go back to what they were before.  The gospel Paul preached offered a real solution for the real human problem.  Our problem is sin, the solution is the work of Christ.

At the same time, Paul made it clear his goal wasn’t personal comfort or security.  After all the trouble he and Silas had had in Philippi, which included a severe beating and being jailed, had they been pursuing comfort, they wouldn’t have gone on preaching the gospel in a hostile culture.

Their commitment was to bringing God’s message to the Thessalonians, not to their on comfort or security.

Paul brought that message as a message from God.  He might have presented a more palatable message, one that would have been popular and less challenging.  He didn’t.  He stood by the gospel. 

As I was studying this passage I heard a former Muslim, explain why so many Americans are turning to Islam.  He said it was because Islam is a human-centered religion.  Hope of salvation rests on human effort.  It appeals to our pride.  The gospel challenges our pride.

 At the same time, Paul opens the books, as it were, for all to review.  Without a hint of pride, he reminds the Thessalonians of the integrity that marked his ministry.

You can’t really read this passage without being reminded of the televangelist scandals of a few years ago.

--Sexual misconduct.

--Financial improprieties.

Paul came to the Thessalonica to feed the sheep, not to fleece them. 

When Paul says their behavior was not marked by “impurity,” he used a word that could refer to any kind of immoral behavior.  Some commentators resist any suggestion that Paul was defending himself from charges of sexual misconduct.  But some enemies of Christianity and Christian ministers won’t hesitate to make the most incredible charges and, sadly, some Christian leaders have failed in this area.

At the same time, Paul would later warn the Thessalonians against the sexual sin so prevalent in their culture.  Would he have been able to have done that with any credibility had he, himself, been guilty of such behavior?

But, even if Paul had not been guilty of sexual misconduct, he might have been guilty of greed.  Again, he could point to his behavior while among the Thessalonians. 

Paul’s work as a bi-vocational evangelist ought to encourage every present-day bi-vocational pastor/evangelist.  But we shouldn’t forget that Paul’s decision to work wasn’t based solely on financial need.  Of course, he might have been able to appeal to some of the “leading women” who had joined the church, but he chose not to. 

He chose to work because he wanted there to be no questions about his motives.  Even if his status as an apostle might have permitted him to demand certain treatment, he refused to exercise that right. 

Back during the televangelist scandal, we learned that the son of one of the televangelists had been placed in charge of his father’s charitable ministry.  The son had used funds people sent to help the poor and hungry to furnish his office.  Among other thing, the evangelist’s son put an $11,000 desk in his office.  Now, I don’t believe a Christian ministry needs to furnish its offices with things found at thrift shops or at yard sales, but an $11,000 desk isn’t about efficiency; it’s about ego.

[This message was first prepared in 2006 so the reference to the televangelist scandals is even older now.  Sadly, along with new financial and sexual scandals, other scandals involving the church have come to light since then.  Today, I might even add a third category of behavior that brings the church into ill-repute.  That would be PSYCHOLOGICAL OR SPIRITUAL AUTHORITARIANISM.  Several weeks ago I read the confessions of staff members from a very large church in the American northwest.  The well-known pastor of this church had resigned in disgrace and several of the individuals who had worked under him were confessing their complicity in the situation at the church.  In short, they were guilty of intimidating and bullying people into compliance with the policies initiated by the pastor.  They admitted they had failed to protect people from his ego-maniacal abuse.  Their confessions, while appearing to be sincere, were too late to prevent the reputation of their church and, perhaps, other churches from being wounded by this climate of repression and intimidation.  In truth, I know such behavior and such attitudes are not limited to churches with thousands of members.  I have known members of small churches with fewer than 100 members who were victims of pastors who demanded absolute devotion and would tolerate no questioning of their authority.]

Paul never let his ego get in the way of his ministry.  There was no self-aggrandizement in what he did.  They could recall him heading off to work and know that he hadn’t come to “seek glory from people.”

Surveys of the unchurched have often shown they believe most churches are always asking for money.   Some of what the church does requires money.  Most reasonable persons understand that.  But it’s a shame some churches and some Christian leaders have made building wealth such a central part of their message that many of the unchurched believe we are guilty by association.

Not only did Paul talk about the conduct he avoided in Thessalonica, he reminded them of the conduct he displayed.  He does so with two beautiful pictures drawn from family life.

--He compared his behavior to that of a loving mother.

--He compared his behavior to that of a caring father.

Sometimes we picture effective evangelists as fire-breathers, warning hearers of God’s anger at sin.  That’s sometimes a legitimate theme but it’s not the central theme of the gospel.

D. L. Moody’s ministry changed after discovering the love of God and making it the heart of his preaching. 

Paul’s ministry demonstrated the love of God in his message, his ministry, and his outreach.

Paul nowhere suggests a mother can’t teach her children or a father can’t be loving or gentle.  What he is doing is reminding the Thessalonians of the balance in his ministry. 

Like a mother, he sought to protect and provide for those he considered his children.

Like a father, he sought to direct them toward a more enriching walk with Christ.

He did this by getting to know the people he hoped to reach. 

Airhart: 

The sight of the great apostle carefully seeking out the individual person provides an important insight into his ministry, and indeed an example for our own.  It is a practical commentary on Paul’s concern for individual worth in the sight of God, on persons as individual members of Christ’s body, and on the Holy Spirit’s individual ministry to each Christian man and woman.  The concept of the infinite value of every soul came supremely through the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The idea was revolutionary in most of Paul’s world but was never more relevant than in ours.  Within the Church there is no true evangelism or pastoral care which does not follow this example.

He may have offered this counsel or shared the gospel with an enquirer as he sat preparing materials for tent-making.   Day or night, whenever the opportunity arose, Paul shared the gospel with those willing to hear.

When things don’t turn out the way we plan, we may begin to look for someone to blame.  We may even begin to suspect others, even if they’ve worked alongside us for a long time.  I believe lack of trust can do powerful harm to any church.   Sometimes, as it seems to have happened in Thessalonica, malicious individuals, promoting their own agendas, spread that distrust.  Sometimes that distrust just emerges spontaneously after a crisis or a disappointment.  

No matter how it comes, distrust can spoil a fellowship—or family life, a business, anything that demands we be able to work together.

What happened to Paul at Thessalonica involved a unique set of circumstances.  Still, the dynamics of his response might help rebuild trust where it’s begun to erode. 

Reading what Paul has said about trust suggests some principles to guide us in determining whom we should trust.

1. Trust the Person Who’s Always Given Priority to What God Considers Important.

 Paul had come to advance God’s Kingdom.  He did not come to advance Paul’s Kingdom.

2. Trust the Person Who’s Always Demonstrated Integrity.

The Thessalonians could look back and remember had lived among them.  He was unafraid to say, “Remember back in the day….” He had conducted himself in a way that there was nothing he hoped the people had forgotten.

3.  Trust the Person Who’s Always Had a Clear Commitment to Others.

We don’t know all the ways this characteristic may have manifested itself in Paul’s work but it was clear the cared about the Thessalonians.  He didn’t remain aloof.  He showed them Christ’s love.

Conclusion:

Today, we seem to have other ways to evaluate a ministry.  We pay particular attention to numbers.  That person with the “big” church is the effective minister.  We can’t ignore that and should consider what we can learn from those who seem to have success in church-building.   We might want to examine how such pastors promote and publicize their churches, how they make sure worship services appeal to a variety of tastes, how the lighting is always just right.  But our check list had better include items about integrity, commitment, trustworthiness, and love.

Ringing It Out

I Thessalonians 1: 7-10

On December 30, 1940, hundreds of German planes attacked London with thousands of fire bombs and tons of explosives.  Their goal:  Destroy St. Paul’s Cathedral.  The Germans had hit the cathedral two months before but the damage left the building largely untouched.  Hitler believed the destruction of this symbol would break the British spirit.  Again, alhough many buildings around the cathedral burned, the cathedral stood.

St. Paul’s Cathedral is one of the world’s most famous churches. 

For a brief moment, two thousand years ago, the Thessalonian church was one of the best-known churches among early Christians.

Listen to what Paul writes.

...you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.

            Those who inspired by the example of Paul and the others became examples themselves.  Their lives and resilient joy inspired other Christians.

            Their faithfulness was such that they were models to other believing communities.

 [8] For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything.

            Like a bell ringing, the faith of the Thessalonian Christians rang out through the region and far beyond Thessalonica.  What became known was the quality of their faith, its content and its focus.

           

  [9] For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God…, 

            The reference is not to the hospitality with which Paul and company were received;   it concerns how the Thessalonian Christians embraced the gospel’s message.

            In a time and place where people welcomed almost any religion and treated almost all religions as equally valid, they took the tougher course and “turned from idols to the one true God.”

            Theirs was a deep transformation:  "...you broke with the worship of false gods when you were converted to God and became servants of the living and true God..." 

            We may not appreciate what was involved in these Thessalonians turning away from their gods.  For generations they had been taught that these gods represented the power behind all that happened in their lives for good or ill.  Appease them and, perhaps, the good would outweigh the bad; offend them and life would become—well—a Greek tragedy.

            At the same time, the Greeks tended to look upon those who made such conversions as having abandoned tradition and family values.  Taking that step sometimes led to criticism, ostracism, and persecution.  Even in the face of this they, experienced joy.

           

[10] and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

They not only turned away from a worldview which offered no solution for their deepest needs, they turned to new worldview.  Their trust was now in Christ. 

In him, they found a Savior who would deal with their sins, a Savior who had come from God.

As he did so often, in his preaching and in his letters, Paul affirms the Resurrection.  That victory assures the believer of Jesus' power to save sinners.  Jesus saves from the wrath which ought to be ours due to our sins and will save us from the wrath to come on the whole world.  The coming Judgment is part of the Christian Creed. 

The word translated "wrath" or judgment is "orge" and suggests punishment.  

The word translated as "wait" suggests waiting for one whose coming is expected.  In this case, it refers to Jesus’ Return.  While they were serving God, they were to wait patiently and confidently for his Christ’s return.  This was apparently a theme in Paul’s preaching when he came to Thessalonica but nothing suggests his emphasis was out of balance.

1.  Any church that opens itself to the gospel can become a powerful witness to that gospel.

What is important for such churches is not size or fame.  We might easily think that when our bookstores are filled with books by mega-church pastors and pastors from smaller churches flock to conferences promising to turn their churches into megachurches.

The real key to being an effective witness—whether a church or an invidual—is being open to the transforming power of the gospel. 

That begins with confidence in that gospel.  We have to resist the temptation to believe the gospel is no longer important or relevant.

No church can afford to ignore the changes in its culture.  Yet, no church can hope to be effective if it believes nothing is more important than being modern.  Someone has said there’s more hope for a church that is contented to be grounded in the first century than there is for the church that is fifteen minutes behind the times and desperately trying to catch up.

2.  Any church that would be a powerful witness to the gospel must remain faithful to the content of that gospel.

The Gospel includes affirmations regarding God, human sin, and salvation.  It speaks of Jesus, his death, his resurrection, and his return.

Every one of these elements is challenged today—or threatened by neglect.

The notion of there being one true God who deserves our worship and that religions that do not worship this God are misled, is largely rejected today.  Yet, only by rejecting a fundamental principle of logic can we argue that all religions worship the same God.

The Thessalonian Christians yearned for Christ’s return;  it was at the forefront of their thinking.  Most early Christians held that hope in their hearts, some apparently believed that return would happen during their lifetime.  There’s no surprise that it became a part of their proclamation of the gospel.  That’s not so true today.

I don’t know that I can say the Return of Christ is at the forefront of my thinking.  There are times when I find myself thinking about it, especially this time of year.  Winter sometimes gets me to wishing for that eternal spring.  More often, I think: “If the Lord should come, I won’t have to do my taxes.”  

Because Paul will treat this doctrine at length later in the letter, I want to suggest reasons we might neglect the doctrine.  

We know those who’ve become obsessive.  It’s all they talk about and read about.  . 

We know those who’ve hurt the cause of Christ by marking his return on their calendars and then publicizing it.

The remedy is balance.  When the message of the church is biblically balanced, it speaks to our greatest needs by dealing with our concerns about the past, the present, and the future.

3.  Any church that remains faithful to the gospel will see Christians encouraged and lives changed.

The Thessalonian church was facing difficult times with faithfulness and joy.  Other bands of believers seeing this would have been encouraged as they faced difficult times.

That church which remains faithful to the gospel has the message which will change lives.  We need this in our world as surely as those in the first century needed it because many we know are ensnared by idols.  John Stott says,

“… the more sophisticated idols (that is, God substitutes) of modern secular cities are equally powerful.  Some people are eaten up with a selfish ambition for money, power or fame.  Others are obsessed with their work, or with sport or television, or are infatuated with a person, or addicted to food, alcohol, hard drugs or sex.  Both immorality and greed are later pronounced by Paul to be forms of idolatry, because they demand an allegiance which is due to God alone.  So every idolater is a prisoner, held in humiliating bondage.

   “Then, through the gospel and the grace of God, in many cases suddenly and completely, the prisoner turns to God from the idols (whether superstitious or sophisticated) which have so fare controlled his or her life.  The experts call it a ‘power encounter,’ for it is a personal encounter with Jesus Christ in which the spell of the idol is broken and the superior power of the living and true God is demonstrated.  People are amazed and filled with awe, and they spread the good news.”

That’s what being faithful to the gospel can do.

4.  Any church that encourages other Christians and changes lives will have an influence beyond its narrow boundaries.

Conclusion

I’m glad St. Paul’s Cathedral survived the vicious attacks;  it’s a beautiful church with a rich history.  London’s other famous church, Westminster Abbey is also beautiful.  Pat and I have seen both.  They’re impressive.

Almost in the shadow of Westminster Abbey is another church, far less famous, Westminster Chapel.  The architecture isn’t as grand.  There are no royal weddings in this church.  No kings and other famous Britons are buried there.  Westminster Chapel is one of the best-known churches in English Evangelicalism.  For years, it has preached the gospel and continues to preach the gospel.  It’s a church that has changed lives.

There’s nothing wrong with being a church known for its architecture or its rich history.  But it’s especially wonderful to be a church known for seeing lives changed.