Wordless Wednesday

Remodeling a House is a Lot Like Jesus

I just finished rehabbing a house. Some of you may ask, “What does that mean?” In a nutshell, it means making something old and dirty into something fresh and new. HGTV is a great channel to watch, but its made it hard for guys like me who specialize in remodeling. On HGTV, remodeling jobs take 30 minutes to an hour and there seems to be no real limit on the amount of money that can be spent.

In real life, it takes longer and it costs money and the homeowners typically don’t understand why the transformation doesn’t happen as fast as it does on TV. Here’s a shocker for you: life is not like TV. What takes 30 minutes on TV may take a day or two. Sometimes it looks like there just that one, hard working guy with the cool tools, but the reality, that one guy typically has a team of sub-contractors taking care of the electrical issue, the Sheetrock, the plumbing, the cabinets, etc. That one contractor gets all the accolades from the grateful homeowners, but don’t be fooled, a good contractor has his hand in everything that is going on at that job site.

I got to thinking about the total transformation of remodeling a house. It never gets old for me although I think I might be getting too old for it. I love to take something that looks terrible and ugly and dirty and water damaged and tired and insect infected and rotten on the outside because I can see the potential that is hiding under the baby blue toilet and polished brass lighting fixtures. The bad thing is that remodeling is messy. And it’s disruptive. And it’s time consuming. And it’s expensive. And sometimes the homeowner wants that total transformation, but doesn’t want to pay the price. For some people the cost is too much.

Jesus is into remodeling, He is the master remodeler, but He’s not remodeling houses. No matter the damage on our interior and exterior, Jesus see the potential in us. He knows what we could be if we would submit to the painful process of remodeling. That’s the problem though, isn’t it? Remodeling lives is time consuming. Sometimes Jesus sub-contracts His work too. Often Jesus uses pastors, friends, Bible study teachers, small group leaders, and parents to do various jobs in the major undertaking of remodeling a life. Those sub-contractors take the time to work in our lives through the loving hands of the General Contractor who oversees the overall job progress. It comes through encouragement, through teaching, through trials and suffering, through tenderness, through unconditional love, through time. We have to trust that Jesus really wants us to have that total transformation. We need to be willing to submit ourselves to His tools. Painful? Sometimes. Time-consuming? Yes. Worthwhile? Oh yea.

Follow the Leader

Listen to the podcast for this message here.

Last week Paul issued a pretty harsh command to stay away from unruly brothers. We were told to purposefully stay away from people that profess to be Christians that do not live their lives according to the traditions taught by Paul. These people were out of line, out of order with the local church membership. This morning we’re going to see that Paul just didn’t talk the talk, he walked the walk.

Take a look at 2 Thes. 3:7-8.

Paul starts out this verse with a phrase we use on a fairly frequent basis. “You know.” You know you’re supposed to be at work on time. You know you’re supposed to file your taxes by April 15^th. We tell it to our kids: You know better and we’re never satisfied when they tell us, “I didn’t know!” The Thessalonians had the knowledge., but what did they know? Paul told them, “You know how you ought to follow our example.” Ought means something you are compelled to do. It doesn’t matter if the compulsion is a result of a sense of duty or because of the cultural laws or customs. Paul’s command is in the present tense; they are to do it now. The Thessalonians observed first-hand how Paul and his associates acted so they ought to follow the example of Paul. They watched them, they sat with them; they ate with them; they worked with them. What they saw was what they got.

There was never a time where Paul acted one way when he was preaching and teaching and then acted another way on the job site. This is one of the biggest areas we fail at as Christians. You’ve heard about all the hypocrites in the church and I’m sorry to inform you that you’re one of them . . . and so am I. The truth is that Christians are people that are not perfect. All of us are on a journey to become Christ like. Use those opportunities when people point out all your faults to tell them about a walk with Christ. The Thessalonians ought to follow Paul’s example. Follow means behave in the same manner or imitate. Maybe I’m showing my age, but that’s okay. Remember the Public Service Announcement from the late 60s, or maybe it was the early 70s? Check out this video.

Don’t think your example doesn’t matter. Good or bad, people are watching you and will imitate you if they like you, respect you, or are under your authority. We need to walk the walk. Rom. 8:4 tells us to walk according to the Spirit. Gal. 5:16 says to, “Walk by the Spirit and you won’t carry out the desire of the flesh.” So Paul is an example that they ought to follow, and they had been following Paul. 1 Thes. 1:6, “You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit.” 1 Thes. 2:14, “For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea.” Notice in both verses, they became imitators. Paul was their example, and they were examples to others.

Knowledge is power, so why follow Paul and the others? Because they, “Did not act in an undisciplined manner.” Paul and his associates walked a proper walk. It doesn’t mean perfect, but they did not act undisciplined. Before you go making assumptions about what all this means, let’s take a look at some definitions. Act simply means your behavior. Undisciplined means uncontrolled in behavior and manner. When you take the two together, a whole new meaning presents itself and based on the context of this letter, Paul is talking about idleness. Remember that there were a group of people that thought the Lord had already come. In 2 Thes. 2:2 Paul told them not to, “be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed by either a spirit, or a message of a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of Lord has come.” This second letter to the Thessalonians was to clarify what was going to happen before the Lord returned. Some folks were content to laze around and mooch off of everybody else and not support themselves. Paul had something to say about that.

Just so no one got the wrong message, Paul expounds in v. 8. Paul was a hard worker. He did not have a sinecure job. What a great word. Sinecure means a job that has a salary, but little or no work or responsibility. Paul was an apostle, an evangelist, a missionary.  That was what he was appointed by God to do, but he supported himself by making tents when it was required. 2 Cor. 11:27, “I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.” He didn’t expect a free meal, when he ate, he paid for it. When he wasn’t teaching, Paul was working with his hands. Labor and hardship together means hard, physical labor; unusual exertion of energy and effort. Night and day Paul worked. It was common in those days for the church to support its teachers, but Paul was addressing the criticism from 1 Thes. 2:5 where some had accused him of preaching because of his greed.

If you have your Bible, read 1 Cor. 9:13-18. Paul and his associated were not freeloaders. Establishing a church is hard work.  Earning a living is hard work. They needed to work night and day. There was a lot to do and little time to do it. Studying, mentoring, training, discipling. They worked because they didn’t want to be a burden. This was a new church with new converts. The labor and hardships they endured was necessary for a time. BUT, there needs to come a time that all churches financially support their leaders. While Paul didn’t expect or require support from the Thessalonian church, he did receive support from other churches. They were models of hard-working men of God willing to work hard while teaching and training others in the work of the ministry.

Paul was an example to these believers and is an example to us. He was a hard worker and he demonstrated his willingness to do what it takes to live the life of an authentic Christian. We would be wise to follow his example.

Wordless Wednesday

Paul’s Warning

The accompanying podcast can be found here.

Last week we saw Paul’s confidence in the Lord concerning the Thessalonians. He knew the Lord would be the One to do the work in the hearts of these believers so they would keep on keeping on; that they would continue to keep the commandments of Paul. Paul moves from prayer to concern and he gives a seemingly harsh command.

2 Thes. 3:6 says, “Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us.”

Paul says something new here. After asking for prayer for his companions and himself that the Gospel would run swiftly, Paul introduces a new topic that will close out this letter. In v. 4, Paul expressed his confidence that the Thessalonians would do what he commanded and now he puts them to a test of obedience. Paul says, “Now we command you, brethren.” 25 times in his letters to the Thessalonians he used the word brethren and in each instance he is talking to the group. He’s talking to the church. We’re going to see why that’s important in a moment.

The command comes, “In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Now who in their right mind is going to argue with that? Well it happens all the time. People all over, including in the church, disregard the commands and principles of Scripture. When you become a brethren – a Christian – you are voluntarily aligning yourself with Christ. Remember Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15) Can you really be a Christ follower without following the commands of Scripture? James 1:22 says, “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.” I love that word delude. It means miscalculate or reason falsely. True disciples cannot be hearers only. James goes on in 3:13 and asks, “Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom.” If you want to call yourself a Christian then don’t be afraid to prove it. Paul speaks with the authority of Christ and expects prompt obedience.

Paul issues what seems like an extraordinarily harsh command. “Keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life.” Keep away comes from the word that means purposefully avoid contact with someone. It means to shun. Notice that Paul is specific when he says that. He doesn’t say keep away from those people who don’t look like you. He doesn’t say keep away from people who irritate you or hurt your feelings. He doesn’t say keep away from those people that go to different churches or have different beliefs than you. He says purposefully avoid those brothers that lead an unruly life. So you have to ask yourself, “Why does Paul say that?” What does lead and what does unruly mean?  Good questions. Lead comes from the word that means customary behavior. Unruly means idle or out of step – a military term referring to someone who is out of ranks. When you combine this, you get the idea that Paul is talking about someone who is out of synch or out of place with the local church membership.

Paul doesn’t issue some vague command, look at the specificity of avoidance. The unruly brothers we are to avoid are the ones that live, “not according to the tradition you received from us.” Paul is talking about professing Christians or else he wouldn’t be calling them brothers. He had already provided this instruction.  Notice, “received from us” is in the past tense. In 1 Thes. 5:14 Paul said, “We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” That instruction came just a few verses after 1 Thes. 4:11 where Paul said, “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you.” Apparently the behavior that was going on by these unruly was not corrected so Paul is more forceful with this command. It didn’t matter how these instructions were received, they were to follow them. 2 Thes. 2:15, “So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us.” Those brothers were still being unruly and the instruction as to what to do with them was clear – “Keep away.”

I don’t want you to get the wrong idea about what Paul is saying. There wasn’t rampant immorality in the church or a complete departure from sound doctrine, there was a group of people there who were out of line. It seems like there were some that lived a life of idleness; they were lazy. This wasn’t the case where someone took a “me” day, but this was a recurring theme. The driving factor from the context of these letters was that the Thessalonians had an inaccurate view of the Lord’s return. Remember they thought it was imminent. So a group of idle people were sitting around not working and that was contrary to what Paul has taught them while he was there and also in his first letter to them. It was the responsibility of the church to exercise discipline for these unruly brothers. If the church wasn’t unified in this action then the discipline would be ineffective. BUT: remember the goal of discipline is always for the unruly to repent and return to a Christ-like lifestyle and return to the fellowship of the church.

The instructions from Paul are abundantly clear, but they aren’t meant to be harsh or mean or unjust. Gal. 6:1 says, “Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.” There is a reason we are exercise discipline. It’s so that we will walk in a manner worthy of the calling of Jesus Christ.

Paul’s Confidence

You can listen to the accompanying podcast here.

Last week we saw Paul shift from talking about the persecution he would suffer to the persecution the Thessalonians would continue to endure. Even when we are faithless, the Lord is faithful. Paul encouraged the Thessalonians by telling them that the Lord would strengthen and protect them from the evil one. This morning we’re going to look at Paul’s confidence.

Let’s take a look at 2 Thes. 3:4-5.

Paul just finished talking about the Lord’s faithfulness and he continues the theme here. He says, “We have confidence in the Lord concerning you.” Paul’s confidence is not in the Thessalonians, it is in the Lord who is faithful. Confidence means that you can have faith in, or rely on someone, or something. Paul knew the faithfulness of God and he knew that God would be the One working in the lives of these believers. We often forget who God really is. Sometimes we pray with an almost hopeless attitude. It’s as if God hasn’t demonstrated His faithfulness over and over again. I think we do that because we tend to let our emotions control our thinking. Phil. 1:6 says, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” You have to get to a point in your walk with the Lord that you are going to trust Him. We find it so easy to trust people, yet we don’t trust the Lord. The Lord’s plans for you are always good.  Jer. 29:11 says, “For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.” Instead of asking why over and over again; stop and listen for an answer.  He may tell you, but you have to be satisfied knowing He cares for you. Trust Him, put your confidence in the One that has demonstrated His love and care for you. Paul knew the Lord would work in the lives of the Thessalonians. Phil. 2:13 says, “For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”

Paul has confidence in the Lord that the Thessalonians would keep on keeping on. Paul says he is confident that they are, “Doing and will continue to do what we command.” This wasn’t just idle encouragement from Paul. Remember that their faith was known far and wide at the time. They had, “Turned from idols to serve a living and true God.” (1 Thes. 1:9) They had demonstrated that they had listened and responded to what Paul had said and now Paul wants them to keep going. Think about your discouraging times. We can get discouraged over even the slightest situations. Someone didn’t like my idea. Someone hurt my feelings. Someone didn’t return my phone call. The Thessalonians were enduring severe persecution and that can discourage anyone, but Paul is telling them to keep on truckin’.

Discouragement is a fact of life. People are going to disappoint you. There are going to be trials. There’s going to be tough times. There’ll be times you’re going to want to give up and quit. Discouragement is not only a fact of life, but it’s also a state of mind. We wallow in self-pity. We have this idea that we deserve something – entitlement. We think that no one understands our situation, no one knows how we feel; no one knows what we’re going through. We only see the faults of others, never thinking how we might fall short of what God wants us to be, never thinking about how we might let someone else down. This attitude spills over to the church. The question you need to ask yourself is, “Am I going to let my discouragement derail what God has called me to do?” Are you going to look at how everyone else is failing or are you going to keep on keeping God’s commands? What happened to Eph. 4:2? “With all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love.” Gal. 5:14, “For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Paul knows exactly what’s going on in Thessalonica. He knows about the persecution and suffering and he encourages them by saying keep on keeping the things that he commands. It can be very discouraging to me when I talk to people that think they are really spiritual or really have this faith thing worked out yet don’t do the fundamental things of the faith. 1 Cor. 14:37 says, “If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord’s commandment.” In other words, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:16-17) Paul praised the Thessalonians because they were doing what he commanded them to do even though they were suffering because of it.

Paul finally says amen to all of it. Look at v. 5. Love and steadfastness are a fruit of the Spirit according to Gal. 5:22 and should be found growing in each of us. Paul knows that perseverance requires patience and longsuffering. Rom. 5:3 reminds us that, “. . . We also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance.” Patience and longsuffering come from different Greek words. Patience has to do with things and circumstances. Longsuffering is a quality of self-restraint, especially under trying circumstances. Possession of these two graces enables joy to continue in the heart, no matter what is faced or experienced. Col. 1:11 says, “Strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously.”

Paul’s confidence was in the Lord and that’s where our confidence needs to be. Sometimes it’s really easy to get frustrated with people. I need to remember that confidence placed in the Lord is never misplaced and I need to remember that it is the Lord and the Holy Spirit that works in people.

Wordless Wednesday

The Big Shift

You can listen to the podcast for this message here.

Last week we saw that there will be a continued resistance to the Gospel. We saw Paul’s reason for asking to be, “Rescued from perverse and evil men” was so that he could continue to preach the Gospel so it would spread as far as possible. Paul’s desire was godly and it applied to him and his companions, but this morning, we’re going to see a big shift in this letter.

2 Thes. 3:3 says, “But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.”

V. 3 begins with that great word: “But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.” Paul had just asked the Thessalonians to pray that the Word of the Lord would spread rapidly and be glorified just as it had with them. Now his prayer shifts from the persecutions he is certain to face to the ongoing persecution of the Thessalonians. He’s concerned about the propagation of the Word as a result of his efforts, but he’s also concerned for this young Thessalonian church. He doesn’t want them to get discouraged. He doesn’t want them to quit. Paul encourages them in v. 3 and provides a contrast too. Remember the last half of v. 2:“Not all have faith, but the Lord is faithful.” These two statements may seem pretty obvious, but it’s the encouragement the church needs because of the persecution. Faithful means loyal, steadfast, and trustworthy. Nothing can cause the Lord to veer off course. His way is always pure and right and is best for us. This is something that could be forgotten in the midst of persecution and suffering. Even when you think the Lord has forgotten you – He is faithful. Even when you think you’re alone – the Lord is faithful. Even in all the persecution, all the troubles, sufferings, and trials – the Lord is faithful. You can see the importance of knowing the truth of God’s Word. The Lord is going to be faithful even when we are not. You can and should trust Him.

His faithfulness guarantees: That our suffering has meaning, that our persecutors will  get what’s coming to them, and the security of our future. Remember what Paul said at the beginning of this letter in 2 Thes. 1:5-10? Take the time to read it again. A firm conviction of the Lord’s faithfulness helps us persevere during persecution and helps us keep the faith.

Since the Lord is faithful, look at what He does for us. “He will strengthen.” His love and care for us is seen not only in His judgment of the faithless ones, but in His care for the church. That word strengthen doesn’t mean physical strength. It means to cause someone to become stronger in the sense of a more firm and unchanging attitude or belief; to strengthen, to make more firm. The strengthening comes from an outside source – it comes from the Lord Himself. Strengthen is in the future tense. It means when the faithless ones attack, the Lord will provide the resolve necessary to stand firm.

In the current issue of the Voice of the Martyr’s magazine, there is a story about Dr. Rebekka, a medical doctor in Islamic Indonesia. She was imprisoned for holding a neighborhood SS for children. After her release from prison she continued her ministry. Referring to the book of Acts she defined what normal Christianity looks like for many Indonesian Christians. Speaking to the director of the VOTM, she pointed at him and said, “You may look at us as abnormal.  No, we are normal.  It is you that is abnormal.”  Persecution is the norm for Christians. Don’t be concerned with what might happen, know that when you are attacked by faithless people, God will strengthen you.

Not only will the Lord strengthen, but “He will protect.” The word protect is used by Paul in other places referring to the guarding or keeping of God’s commandments. Here though the word means to keep safe from harm or injury. It means to hold someone in close contact. Think about the President’s protection detail, or witness protection, or protective custody and you begin to get the idea of how protective the Lord is. BUT. Being in the Lord’s protective custody doesn’t shield us from persecution or suffering; His protection sustains us through it. 1 Cor. 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”

No matter what is happening to us in this present world, we would be wise to remember who the real enemy is. It’s not the people that are attacking the Gospel, they’re just the instruments being used. Don’t be surprised when you are confronted with the reality that not everyone will agree with your faith. Some will say it is old fashioned. Not relevant. Not real. It’s because of the deception in this present world. Remember that the Lord is restraining the man of lawlessness according to 2 Thes. 2:7. V. 10 goes on to talk about the deception that is prevalent because of wickedness. The only way to combat the evil one is to stand firm on the truth of Scripture. Combat the lies with truth. The root cause of the persecution we endure is always the evil one, is always the devil; is always Satan.

Remember it is the Lord who is our protector. He will not let you go. He’ll strengthen and provide the protection you need when you need it.

Wordless Wednesday

The Continued Resistance

You can listen to the podcast for this message here.

Last week we looked at Paul’s viral message. The message of Christ’s  transforming power is supposed to run swiftly through our neighborhoods and communities with the goal of infecting everyone it touches. If we want to be authentic Christians, we must be engaged in this process.

2 Thes. 3:2 says, “and that we will be rescued from perverse and evil men; for not all have faith,”

There is a reason for Paul’s final request. Paul prays that they, “Will be rescued.” Now here is a very interesting word. Rescued here means saved from severe and acute dangerous situations. Paul wasn’t looking at being called names; he wasn’t talking about losing friends or alienating family. Paul was talking about real, imminent danger from the religious crowd. Look at Acts 17:5-9. The mob was looking for Paul and his companions. When they couldn’t find them, the mob grabbed hold of Jason. Acts 21:27 says, “When the seven days were almost over, the Jews from Asia, upon seeing him in the temple, began to stir up all the crowd and laid hands on him.” Verse 30 goes on to tell us that Paul was dragged out of the temple. Look at one more passage in 2 Cor. 11:24-29. The dangers Paul faced because of his devotion to Christ and the Word of God were frequent, real, and life threatening. Paul wasn’t so much concerned for his personal safety – he wanted the Gospel to spread unhindered to the people that desperately needed to hear it. He wasn’t going to let a little thing like physical assault stand in his way of fulfilling the mission God had for him.

We should be no different than Paul. He had a calling of God on his life, and so do we. We were given the same mandate found in Matt. 28:19 to make disciples. Most of us are willing to share what it means to be a Christian if someone asks us, but are we willing to take the first step? Remember the emphasis on the Great Commission is to make disciples, not go. It is on teaching and following the commandments of Christ. Building relationships and making disciples is hard and time consuming. If that means we must be in danger, then so be it.

So Paul asks to be rescued, but rescued from what? He asks to be rescued from people. I think this is really ironic. Paul asks that the Thessalonians pray that they would be rescued, “From perverse and evil men.” Paul wants the Gospel to spread, but why not to the perverse and evil men? Can’t they be saved? Sure they can, but they haven’t. Perverse means showing a deliberate and obstinate desire to behave unacceptably. They are morally corrupt. Perverse and evil seem to be synonymous in this passage. Perversity is their goal.

So who are these men specifically? We can’t be exactly sure, but we do know that in the Acts account of the 2^nd missionary journey, there were Jews and Gentiles attacking Paul. One thing is for sure; these perverse and evil men were dead set against the spread of the Gospel and were willing to do whatever it took to stop it, even if it meant bringing harm to Paul and his companions. Did it deter Paul? Remember that he is writing this letter from Corinth because he was run out of Thessalonica. This persecution didn’t deter Paul, but sometimes it caused him to change his plans.

Remember when Paul left Thessalonica, he went to Berea where he preached and, “Many of them believed, along with a number of prominent Greek women and men.” (Acts 17:13) From Berea he went to Athens where he spoke at the Areopagus. Dionysius and Damaris are named among those that believed the Gospel message. Paul used every opportunity to speak the truth. We should be no different.

These men were perverse and evil, “For not all have faith.” Faith is the Greek word pistis that we talk about so much. It means complete trust or confidence and in this context, Paul is talking about saving faith. There is a direct connection between evil and faithlessness. The implication is that it is the faithless people that oppose the Gospel are evil people. It wasn’t just that these evil men happened upon Paul and his associates, the evil men pursued the righteous. They were evil not because they pursued Paul, but because they did not have faith. Paul and the others were righteous because they did have faith.

Faith can and must change a person. “Without faith, it is impossible to please God.” (Heb. 11:6) No matter how perverse and evil someone may be, salvation brings about the most miraculous transformation possible. 2 Cor. 5:17 says, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” The good news of the Gospel is that no one has to stay the way they are.

As long as people are in the world, there will be continued resistance to the Gospel. The Gospel is offensive to people because it reveals the truth of their hearts. It reveals the lack of hope someone has. The Gospel reveals the truth that you can’t do it on your own and you can’t make your own way. Don’t be surprised when lost people act like lost people. Without the influencing power of Christ, they can’t change.