Monday June 10, 2013

Read 1 Thessalonians 2:1-2.

So you’ve come to the decision in life to get fitter. You’ve decided, after much to-ing and fro-ing, to join a gym. You’ve decided to visit four local gyms, all around the same cost and to choose the best one. The first gym you visit seems to be in a state of disrepair. The machines squeak and grind. The members seem half hearted in their training. Even worse, the instructors all seem to have an ‘I don’t really care about you’ attitude. As you speak to them, it appears that they aren’t interested in you as a person. Keeping you fit and strong doesn’t seem to be at the top of their priority list. Would you even consider joining this particular gym? Of course you wouldn’t!

 

When it comes to the gospel message, we need to realise that the way the message is presented and the way the messenger lives are very important even though they’re not as important as the message itself. Put yourself in the shoes of a non-believer and you’ll see what I mean. A friend half heartedly asks you to church. Rather than being excited and passionate, he is somewhat apathetic and makes excuses for you not to come. He says something like, ‘I know you really don’t want to come along and you’re probably busy anyway, but our church is having a lunch and even though it’ll be pretty average food, would you come along?’ Let’s pretend that you did accept the invitation, which I highly doubt. You go along to the church and the building is messy and the food is poorly handled and people are rude to you. Some even ignore you completely! Let me ask you this. Would you want to worship this particular god that is being presented to you?

 

Contrast this with what you see in Paul and his team. Paul is bruised and scarred from the lashings he received in Philippi. The wounds are still raw. He’s tired from the sleepless nights in prison. As he comes to Thessalonica he endures much powerful opposition. Certain other religious men constantly hound him and try to stop him preaching. The local Jews try to run him out of town. But despite all of this, he tells you the gospel passionately, with tears in his eyes, with pleading and with begging.

 

Paul’s gospel and Paul’s God were worth fighting for. What the non believing world finds truly amazing and unbelievable is that some Christians have a God and a gospel not worth fighting for. Christian apathy has made more atheists than any other single cause!

 

Do you have a gospel worth fighting for? Is your God worth fighting for? Do you so love the Gospel and the God who gives it to you that you would endure hardship and opposition to share it with another? Would you suffer mistreatment, false arrest, a whipping and strong opposition for the Gospel that has been entrusted to you? If you can answer ‘Yes’ to these questions, the world will see a Gospel worth accepting and a God worth following.

 

Prayer:

Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.

 

Adoration:

 

Confession:

 

Thanks:

 

Supplication:

V If you celebrated the Lord’s Supper in church yesterday pray that this celebration will continue to motivate you, to push you and to cause you to be focused on Christ and His death/resurrection on your behalf. Pray that everyone in your congregation would be the  same this week.

V Pray that you and you and your congregation would grow in passion and commitment to the Gospel and the God who gives you that gospel. Pray that this passion and vitality would cause many to go out on mission, even in their own neighbourhoods and that it would lead many to faith in Christ.

 

Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. What image of the Gospel are you presenting to non believers?

2. What factors stop you from getting excited about the Gospel?

3. What things about the Gospel excite you and make you want to speak it out to everyone?