Last week, we started this series on 1^st Thessalonians

-we’re looking at the Thessalonian church as an example of Real/Authentic Faith

-when Thessalonians heard Gospel, they believed and immediately lives began to change

-they gave up their idols (right away) and began trusting, serving God and…

-they became imitators of their mentors & of Christ (three things stood out about them)

-they began to do good works produced by faith

-their labour was prompted by unconditional love

-their endurance was inspired by hope

Today we’re looking at Thessalonians for an example of Authentic/Real Evangelism

-actually we’re looking at Paul/companions as examples of authentic evangelism

-but since the Thessalonians learned from & became imitators of them (done same thing)

-evangelism has become a scary word

-the moment I start talking about evangelism we all begin feeling a little guilty

-but whether you label it evangelism/witnessing/sharing the love of God

-Bible is clear that we are all called to love those around us as God draws them to himself

What kind of things stand in the way of us doing evangelism?

1. Fear (of what?) 2. Not convinced about eternal things

3. Don’t really believe God calls us all to evangelism

4. Bad examples (guy w/bullhorn)

5. Getting so caught up with a script we miss the people

Here’s problem…

-just because we’re afraid, just because we might have had some bad examples

-it doesn’t free us from the reality that as Christ-followers

-we’re called to share what X has done for us with others –central to faith

-the question is, can we do that in natural ways

read 1 Thessalonians 2:1-16

pray -

At end of passage Paul reminds Thessalonians of how they received God’s message

-"And we also thank God continually because, when you received the Word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the Word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe."

Is that what you want for your family and friends? (Problem, wanting it is not enough…)

-to see it happen, we have to know how to do our part & eventually do it

Our passage shows us 2 things Paul/companions did to share God’s good news w/people

-and really, this is all that you have to remember today

-1^st thing Paul & his companions did was whatever God asked them to do!

-2^nd thing Paul & his companions did was share their lives with people!

-that lead to them believing in Christ/following him/giving up their idols/growing in faith

Verses 1-4 shows us that Paul & his companions did whatever God asked them to do!

-In the last, almost five years, I’ve said this over and over and over

-God calls you to join him, he gives you the Holy Spirit (power) & resources you need

-to be able to do whatever he asks you and has prepared for you to do

This is an aside, especially for us at POG…

-at the end of day we need to respond in obedience & the question obedience asks is

-will you do “whatever it takes” to be obedient now? Not tomorrow/someday, but today

-quite a few people have told me, I know this isn’t right, I want to stop, and one day I will

-and we even use phrases like, in God’s time I will stop we’re way off

-Bible is clear, if we’re doing something contrary to God’s desire, time to stop is now

-for those of us who would genuinely say, Ed I struggle with this, want to stop, but can’t

-the question is, have you constantly done (constantly doing) whatever it takes to stop

-in terms of accountability / counseling / actual steps to stop

-if something has a hold of you and you haven’t been able to stop it for over a year

-then you have to get radically serious about getting it out of your life – asap

-what Jesus meant when he said – if your right hand causes you to sin – do what?

-saying that I will stop this/that thing someday is totally out of line with God’s word

-and as long as we stay in that place, we remain out of step with the Holy Spirit, w/God

Paul and his companions were successful in evangelism…

-because they did whatever God asked them to do (were faithful regardless of consequences)

-they did whatever it took, not just to deal w/sin in their life – but to be salt/light in world

-were faithful even though it got them whipped, tortured, stoned, put in stocks, and jail

-they understood their Christianity wasn’t just about them and their rel. with Jesus

-they understood they were saved so others could see God in them/find God through them

If your friends look at us and we’re no different than them

-we’re ruled by the same sins as them

-we’re conquered by the same addictions as them

-we’re driven by the same attitudes as them (I like/don’t like them so I’ll help/not help)

-as long as X isn’t really Lord of our lives others can’t see him in us/find him through us

-be careful of the danger of pointing fingers here – question = is Jesus Lord of my life?

Let me say this, when it comes to evangelism, I’m a chicken!

-in my own strength I’d mess up every time / wouldn’t be faithful every time

-so, when I go golfing with my buddies/work at someone’s house/just talk to a neighbour

-I pray simple prayer–God help me to not miss the open doors/give me strength/boldness

-now there’s nothing special about the prayer itself, I don’t feel special power

-point is asking God for his strength & trusting him to lead & obeying when he does

-if I worked at a regular job, Iike most of us here, I would pray prayer like that every day

In vs. 4,5&6 Paul shares their motives in sharing the gospel

-it wasn’t about their own gain, not trying to trick people/ it was only about pleasing God

-sometimes we get messed up because we struggle w/pleasing ourselves & pleasing God

-we want to serve God but I’d really like this and that thing and God seems to get in way

-many of those things aren’t bad things, but anything, in God’s place is an idol

-we must fight our desires and our wants sometimes so that God remains central

-our desires /wants / feelings will lie to us – they’ll tell us that what we need…

-are the things that in the end will put distance and a wedge between us God/family

-just like you have to fight for a good marriage – you have to fight for a good rel. w/God

-and as you do, you realize that a good relationship there centers everything else in life

In verses 7&8, we see the other thing Paul/companions did to reach people…

-they loved people enough to share their lives with them.

Vs. 7&8 say "... instead we were like young children among you, just as a nursing mother cares for her children, so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well."

In our day we have to remember that in sharing Christ…

-the time will come where we have to speak/share about the hope we have in Christ

-I’m not talking about just inviting someone to church so I can talk about Jesus to them

-you’re the best person to share Jesus with your friends, better than I could ever be

-why it’s so important that your life line up with Jesus’

But Paul’s example, shows us sharing God’s love so much more than just what we say!

-Paul says, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel, but our lives as well

-witnessing was about living among the people, sharing their lives with them, meant…

-working with them, laughing w/them, crying with them, eating with them... loving them.

Don’t miss this, Paul refers to that time being like “a nursing mother caring for her children”

-encouraging, supporting, hoping, extolling them to lead lives worthy of the gospel.

-Paul/companions spoke to people about God & they were visual aids of that life

-and as a result more and more people came to follow Christ

Paul and his companions did evangelism the way you and I are called to do it

-they talked it and they lived it

-and they did it in context of relationships (why we do Pizza Night /work for a stranger)

-why I’m constantly challenging you into relationships here and out there

-because they couldn’t succeed at evangelism/and we can’t either without relationship

-and that’s what evangelism is all about – being known so we can make God known

This is why it’s so critical that we grow up and not remain as spiritual babies forever!

-our friends desperately need to see what God is capable of doing / wants to do in them

-through the difference and changes he makes in our life

But there’s another danger, the other danger is those of us, who grew up in Church

-who gave up this and that thing and learned and matured in knowledge

-but for all our growth, we didn’t learn to share our lives with others

-maybe we didn’t realize that God actually desired that of us

-but that’s what the Bible means when it says we’re to be salt & light in the world

-what all of us have to remember is that we weren’t saved just to be saved or just for us

-we were saved to be a blessing to those around us – in a way, we were saved for others

-if you were saved God wants to use you, your everyday life to show himself to others

In the case of non Christians present – skip if not the case

If you’re not a Christian here this morning and you’re still wondering about Jesus

-ask someone you see really walking with Jesus

-“What difference is it making for you having God a part of your life?”

-“What difference does Jesus make in the day to day?”

Here’s the question we’re left with as individuals and as a congregation…Do we care?

-do we care enough to live out Christianity for the people God’s surrounded us with?

-for some of us – do we care enough to finally do whatever it takes to deal w/stuff now

-for others – do we care enough to help those who are weaker become stronger

-for all of us – do we care enough to be salt and light to this & our communities?

I know we’re afraid, but that’s a trusting God issue

-you will never conquer your fear until you take a step of action in faith

-don’t worry about the words, God will give you the words when you need them

I want to take just a moment to think really practically about this call,

-I want you to think of a name

-if you’re not a follower of Christ – I want you to think of someone you’re going to ask

-if you’re a follower of Chirst – pray and ask God for opportunity to reach out to this week

How can you reach out?

-what are some ideas you could come up with to begin a relationship

-or invest in your relationships

-smile, say hi, ask them how they’re doing (wait for an answer) – introduce yourself

-if you have a neighbour you never met yet, go and ask them for something (egg/sugar)

-do something for them, mow their lawn if they could use the help

-are you into gardening – get an extra flat of flowers, hand them to your neighbours

-have a bbq (invite everyone and have them contribute don’t make it complicated)

-invite a co-worker out to lunch & get to know them (ask God for open doors)

-it doesn’t have to be complicated / it doesn’t have to be hard (too hard=too scary=won’t do it)

Paul shared the gospel by preaching it & by loving people as he lived amongst them

-the result was a bunch of people who began following Jesus

-last week we read that those people became imitators of Paul & Christ

-that means they would have loved people and shared their lives/gospel with them

-the question God asks of us is will we do the same?

Let's pray