Sermon: "Authentic People"

1st in the "Authentic People" series.
Delivered April 19, 2009 by Rev. John Schmidt.
Sermon Text: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

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Well, I really like that. I thought that was a good video. Some of the acting was a little wooden, but I guess... We're starting a new sermon series this week on Authentic People, just the opposite of our friends here. Even though the word is overused today, "authentic" tells us something important. Its basic definition means "to be genuine and trustworthy and not fake." It focuses our attention on a very deep need within our culture right now. We live in a culture, in a world, where everything is appearance.

Computer graphics have gotten to the point where we can't even tell what is real. We can't tell whether what we're seeing with our eyes actually happened. "Was that person really there? Did that accident really happen?" And this is becoming just part of our lives. Commercials lie to us routinely and hide important facts in order to sell products to us, and we know that. We accept that on a certain level, knowing that that is just kind of the world we live in.

Governments hide facts or put spin on those facts. Appearance over reality. We know that bankers believed lies and told lies. They appeared to be solid, but they took risks that hurt millions. Appearance wasn't fact. The 14-year-old girl in the MySpace area might turn out to be a 55-year-old predator. What you see is not what you get. And the church often hasn't been any better because we preach a gospel that talks about God's rule coming into history, through Jesus Christ being the resurrected King and through the power of his Holy Spirit working inside of us believers.

We preach a gospel that talks about the fact that God gives us power to live in radically new ways, loving ways. That Christian life is something more than just mere appearance. But for many people, their experience of Christians doesn't really reflect that kind of change. It doesn't seem that our lives are really that different than the problem-laden, lie-infected culture around us. Many Christians seem to be just going through the motions with their friends, staying inside the bubble where they're comfortable, not willing to be interrupted or challenged, just like our friends in the video.

People have the right to see a church that is really... that is authentically... different. Not the superficial kind of difference that shows up on our t-shirts or our bumper stickers. A deep change. A life change. Things that have to do with righteousness. Things that have to do with love and service. So we need to look at an authentic church and learn from that.

The believers in Thessalonica fit that. They were the real thing, and so I'd like us to go into the book of Thessalonians... 1 Thessalonians. We're going to be in this book for this whole series, and we're going to look at some of the things that made them authentic people. And today we're going to look at the impact of their authentic faith.

First Thessalonians, chapter 1, beginning at verse 1. Let's read:

"Paul, Silas, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you. We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ."

"For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit, and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. The Lord's message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia-your faith in God has become known everywhere."

"Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead - Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath."

Let's pray: God, as we look at your Word, open our eyes and our hearts, for we ask it in Jesus' name, Amen.

Paul preached in Thessalonica around A.D. 49. We find this jam-packed part of Paul's life described in the book of Acts, chapters 16 to 18. Paul first goes to the city of Philippi. And in this city, he preaches with good success. But his mission there ends in a riot, so Paul and his friends are beaten, they're imprisoned, and finally they're let out.

So after he leaves that town, he goes to Thessalonica, the largest and most important city in Macedonia. His stay in Thessalonica is only about a month or so. Again he has success. People believe his message, and again he has to leave town because of unrest. So from there, he moves on to Athens. In Athens, he has less success, and soon he leaves Athens as well and goes on to Corinth.

According to Paul's own letters, he was most likely worn out and discouraged at that point from all the hard work and all the controversy. There in Corinth, worn out, even fearful, he faithfully continues to preach Christ to more people. And it's while he is there, worn out and discouraged, that he gets word that the Thessalonians are doing well in their faith. And it's after hearing this incredible good news of their faithfulness to Christ that Paul writes this letter.

"We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers." Paul really knew these people, and he saw the deep changes that had happened in their lives. And this passage marks out some of the things that were really important to Paul. And I'm not going to go straight through the passage looking at it; I'm going to pull them out so that we can see them in a logical order.

The first thing that he notes... the thing that he notes... is that when the Word came to them, in verse 5, it came with deep conviction and the work of the Holy Spirit. They're deeply convinced. They're so confronted by the truth in Jesus that they alter their lives after experiencing Christ.

Now how do they alter their lives? How do they change? Verse 9 points to one of the most fundamental things that happens. It talks in verse 9 about the fact that they turn from idols to serve the living God. Their culture is full of idols. They turn from those idols... they turn from those values... and they embrace an entirely different worldview, one that is centered around the one true God. A radical change.

They start to live this out. Verse 6 talks about how they do that. In verse 6, it talks about the fact that "They became imitators of us and of the Lord." They became imitators of Paul and of Christ. They saw those examples of life. They took it seriously. They took seriously what they saw being lived out in front of them. And they started to change their own behavior and lifestyle to live more like their mentors, serving, sharing, even to the point of suffering just like Paul.

The start of this section, verse 3, points to the enduring pattern that Paul sees in their lives that brings him so much joy. And he actually begins with that, and then goes into detail later. But here are the things that are just true of their life together as a congregation, things that resonate in Paul's heart.

The first thing it says, "Your work produced by faith." The word that is used there is the word that they would use then to mean good works... the works of righteousness. The works that you would expect to come out of the life of someone who has made a commitment to God and is living out in light of the righteousness of God's kingdom. It has to do with kindness. It has to do with generosity, meeting the needs of the people around them. "Your work produced by faith." So it means that their faith was not just an intellectual assent. "Yeah, that sounds right. I believe that." And just move on. It's not like that. It's commitment. Their faith resulted in a change in their lives... resulted in new ways of living in response to the needs around them.

He goes on to talk about "Your labor prompted by love." A strong term here. "Out of love," he is saying, "they labored to the point of weariness." That is what the words mean. Very strong word. They agonized over this... labored to the point of weariness for each other and for others outside of their community. They experienced God's agape love.

And the church used that word "agape" to talk about a specific kind of love that doesn't depend upon the worthiness of the one that we love. It doesn't look for anything else in return. It is sacrificial. It is giving. It is forgiving. It's compassionate. They experienced that kind of love. And then motivated by that same love growing up in their own hearts, they show that love to others, and they sacrifice and labor to the point of being worn out in their service.

The third phrase is "Endurance inspired by hope." They're willing to face hardship even if that hardship doesn't end quickly. And they're willing to do that because of their blazing expectation of what God will do. That's what hope means here. It's not the wish that something very unlikely will happen. That is not what hope means here. It's not hope like when I say, "I hope the Orioles win the pennant this year." Okay? That's very unlikely, but it's still a hope. That's not their kind of hope. It's solid expectation. It's an expectation of a future with God. It's an expectation that our labor will result in fruit that matters... matters to the world, matters to us, matters to God. These people experienced an authentic faith, the real thing.

So what would it mean for Central to be more like them? What are some of the things we have to address? Now I want to begin by saying that Central Presbyterian Church is the best church I've ever had the privilege of being part of. There are better churches out there, but I haven't been part of them. Maybe there's a connection. I wake up every morning being thankful to being called to work together with you. So this sermon could focus on all the wonderful things that are happening. And it's a long list. But that's not what I'm going to focus on. Because even in a good church, there are areas we really need to grow. And that's what I'm going to touch for a few minutes together.

Most churches in the United States have what they call the "80/20" rule. Eighty percent of the work is done by 20% of the people. Eighty percent of the budget is given by 20% of the people. Central is pretty much like all the rest of the churches in this. A small number of people support and labor to the point of weariness for the sake of everybody else and for the sake of our outreach.

Now that would be okay if the 20% were laboring here and the other 80% were giving to the needs in the community and were giving their time to reach the people around us. But you know, the research indicates... and our informal research inside of our church indicates... that pretty much the same people who sacrifice financially and their time within the life of this congregation are the same people who are sacrificing for the sake of the community around us and are giving there.

Sometimes churches have a hard time noticing and caring for their guests, the new folks around us. And you know, that's a problem here as well. It's so easy for us to come on Sunday and just reconnect with the same old friends each week. I'm going to ask you to just do a little survey in your own head. When is the last time you deliberately looked for people you hadn't met yet, to meet them, to talk to them, and if they're new, to assist them in the life of our congregation.

When's the last time you felt like, "Hey, maybe I'm the one who should do this?" Now, I don't know what holds other people up in other congregations for doing this, but I know what holds me up and what might hold you up here at Central for doing that, for reaching out like that. You might be afraid that you'll walk up to somebody and say, "Hi!" You know, "Are you new around here?" And it will turn out to be Dick Wallace, who is one of the elders in the congregation, and you'll feel humiliated.

I carry that fear every week. I see 750-800 faces, and I'm just, "Lord, please don't let me make total disaster out of this." Now because of that pressure, I've learned a few things to honestly deal with that, and I want to suggest to you one of my little ways of dealing with this problem. I walk up to people and say, "Hi, I don't think I've met you before." You see how that is, you know? I don't think I have. And that's the truth... I don't think I have, but maybe I have. Okay? So, "I don't think I've met you before."

And then a little while later you say, "How long have you been around Central?" They might say "40 years." And you say, "Oh, that's great. You're one of the old timers." Then again they might say, "Last week," which is what you're thinking in your head. There are ways we can honestly deal with that. Be vulnerable. Reach out to each other. But it's all of our responsibility, isn't it? Not just a few people that we tap and say, "Oh, you are greeters!"

Sometimes churches have a hard time getting people to volunteer to serve. Central is like that as well. Last week was Easter, a major time in the year, the most important Sunday in the year in terms of guests coming into the life of our church. And even on that Sunday, on that important day, we had a lot of empty spaces to fill in order to make the ministry of this church happen. Now I know it's an important Sunday for family too. But somewhere within the life of this congregation, God is calling... whether we're listening or not... some people to do good work, some people to labor in love, some people to endure some sacrifice for the sake of touching another life.

Some churches have a hard time sharing their faith. Central is like that too. We're like that as individuals. We're like that as a congregation. You know, sharing your faith takes a certain amount of courage. You know, there's a lot of legitimate fears. We don't want to be insensitive. We don't want to bulldoze over people. We don't want to give them trite answers. We don't want to assume they have an interest that they don't have.

So there are all these legitimate fears, but sometimes people invite us into their lives, and we still don't say the things we know to be true. We still don't point to the answer that has meant so much to us because of our fear. Are we going to let the fear control, or are we going to become available to God by facing that fear?

And congregations have that fear too because you know, if we are going to be sensitive to people who are not yet part of our community, it's going to change some things about our life... already has many times in the life of Central. When we started the epic service years back, when we started the contemporary service even years before that, it was a focus upon the needs of people who have not yet joined our fellowship.

So there is sometimes a fear in our unwillingness to be knocked out of our current routine that feels so good in order to be involved in something that is more focused on where God is calling us... looking outside our walls. Christians are good at pointing the finger at what's wrong with communities but often don't do a whole lot to help.

I hope we're at least better than average at this. But we still need to ask ourselves, "Am I personally one of the volunteers trying to make this city a better place for the homeless, to make our schools better, working for those in prison, or for those who are battered and hungry?" Are we one of those, or have we decided that that is really the work of somebody else. It might be, but how carefully have we sought God about that?

You know, I think we walk around life sometimes with a big "Do not disturb" sign over our lives. You know, "God, do not disturb. Don't bother me. I'm topped out, and I'm not changing anything I'm doing right now. It means too much to me to change anything in order to respond to a call from you. Do not disturb."

I've had my share of "Do not disturb" signs in my own life. About a month ago, I confronted one of them. For years, I have felt that God was calling me... since I was a pastor called to a ministry of shepherding... that I needed to be in the Word even more and praying even more. And so I had all kinds of compromises I set with God. You know, "I'll do a little bit here, God. How about an extra special day there?" But always coming to that sense that I was still holding God at arm's length.

A month ago at a prayer retreat, in a certain amount of fear, I agreed with God that every day I would spend two hours in the Word and prayer apart from what I do to do my sermon and stuff like that in order to fulfill the calling he's called me to. It scared me. "Where do I find that time? What's going to change in order to fulfill this calling?" When push comes to shove, part of that struggle is, is prayer more important or reruns of the Simpsons? We all face this call and this struggle.

Let's look at our private lives just for a minute. Are we genuinely different than the culture around us even there? Do we pray with our children? I'm not talking about the quick bedtime prayers but really pray about their needs, about their concerns, their problems, and the needs of their friends. Do we model for them a prayerful concern for our neighbors and community? Where are they going to learn to pray if it's not from us? Whose job do you think it is if you are not modeling this with integrity before your children?

Do we read and study the Bible? Does the total time we give to Bible reading in a week amount to even one episode of American Idol? Do we know our neighbors by name? Do we pray for them? Do we seek to serve them as God gives opportunity? And I'm not talking about inauthentic or forced ways. I'm talking about the natural opportunities that just come up in life. When someone is sick and they're in the hospital all the time, we give them food. We shovel the sidewalks for some because it's so difficult for them when it snows. We water the garden when they travel. We drive them to pick up their cars from the repair shop. We share what we know to be the truth when they invite us in, and we're having that heart-to-heart conversation. Are we available like that, or are we too busy to notice or care?

Just yesterday in the morning paper, there was an article about the sentence that has come into the life of these people in Rodgers Forge who neglected their 3-year-old and abused him his entire, short life. It's not our fault, but it grieves me that a family was in a crisis like that just blocks away from this church, and we didn't know it. And I wonder, "Did we let them down somehow?" Let me say that a different way, "How have we, Central Presbyterian Church, labored to the point of weariness in order to touch the lives of needy people like that?" Until we are, I don't think we're off the hook. Until we are living like that, I think there is still a call from God for us to step forward in obedience to him.

I don't want to be the kind of neighbor who is so busy, so caught up in myself, that I don't even notice that something this grave is happening in the life of people around me. I believe that God has something to offer people at times like that, but am I available for God to use to carry that service, that love, and that good news? Our neighbors who don't yet know Christ have the right to see if our faith makes any difference in us.

The Thessalonians were deeply changed. They looked different. They served each other in a way that other people noticed. They served their community in ways that mattered. They shared their faith even if it brought on suffering. Has the gospel made that kind of difference in our lives? That's the question.

In just a moment, we're going to sing together. And while we're singing, I'd like us to reflect on that question. And following that time, elder Dick Wallace will come back, and he'll lead us for a few moments in a time of corporate confession.

Let's pray: God, as we go into this time when we continue our worship, when we continue to seek your face, we pray that you will speak to us individually and corporately. For we ask it in Jesus' name, Amen.

© 2009, Rev. John Schmidt
Central Presbyterian Church, Baltimore, MD 21204 410/823-6145
www.centralpc.org