“The Courage to Declare,” I Thessalonians 2:1-8
Introduction
A soldier in one of the regular batteries of the army of the Confederacy had displayed conspicuous bravery in a dozen engagements while serving with his gun as a cannoneer. At the battle of Chickamauga he was assigned the duty of a driver only, and instead of participating in the excitement of loading and firing, had nothing to do but sit quietly on his horse, and watch the havoc created around him by the enemy’s shot. He soon became seized with a terror which completely unmanned him, and after the battle, implored his commanding officer to send him back to his gun. His courage leaked away when he had nothing to do.
I am tremendously concerned that far too many Christians have become just the same way. There is a spiritual battle that is waging all around us and because we do not have a sense of what our war time assignment is, we lose heart and are filled with fear because we have become disengaged from the battle. Rather than finding the courage to declare Christ to the world around us, we find ourselves watching the battle rage; filling us with all sorts of fear, anxiety, and disillusionment at our own ability to wage war on the enemy of our souls; the devil.
Transition
I say often that it matters not whether you are 2 or 102, 5 or 55, God has a vision for us all to fulfill, at every stage in our lives, and in whatever circumstance we find ourselves in at a given stage of life. We have war time assignments in the spiritual battle that rages around us; God has called each of us to the spiritual trench where we stand in our families, friendships, and community.
“People grow old only by deserting their ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up interest wrinkles the soul. You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hope, as old as your despair. In the central place of every heart there is a recording chamber. So long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, and courage – so long are you young. When your heart is covered with the snows of pessimism and the ice of cynicism, then, and only then are you grown old.”
This morning we will discuss what it meant for the Apostle Paul and Silas to have the courage to declare Christ. Also, we will discuss what it means for us to have the courage to declare Christ in the here and now of our lives. Each one of us has been gifted uniquely to declare Christ in our corner of the Kingdom of God. Each of us has a mission field, whatever and wherever it may be.
Exposition
In today’s Scripture reading the Apostle Paul, writing to the church at Thessalonica, refers to he and his travel companion, Silas, having previously suffered and been insulted in the Philippi, on their way to Thessalonica. The Apostle Paul is referring to an event which is recorded in Acts 16:22-23:
“The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully.” (NIV)
This event occurred during Paul’s second missionary journey as he traveled through Philippi and then to Thessalonica, across the northern portion of the Mediterranean Sea, in Macedonia. This is the account familiar to many of us as the indecent of the conversion of the Philippian Jailor. After Paul and Silas were stripped naked in the public square, they were placed in prison. Later that evening, while they were singing hymns and praises to God an earthquake was sent by God which caused the doors of the prison to open and everyone’s chains were loosed. Paul and Silas had faithfully declared Christ and God was faithful to deliver them.
After leaving Philippi, Paul and Silas continued on to Thessalonica where they continued to declare Christ with boldness and great courage. They knew their mission and they knew their task but that was not the source of their boldness; I am convinced that their ultimate courage came in knowing that God was with them in their journey. They did not travel alone and neither do we. We are empowered by the same Holy Spirit which indwelt the Apostle Paul.
In Romans 8:14-16 Paul writes, “Because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” (NIV)
After Paul and Silas had traveled on to and ultimately through Thessalonica, Paul writes back to the Thessalonians Church, as we read earlier this morning. It is an interesting tone that Paul takes in the opening chapters of this letter.
Despite strong opposition in a previous missionary engagement in Philippi, and no doubt opposition in Thessalonica, Paul and Silas pressed on with courage, declaring the good news of Jesus Christ. I am compelled to believe that a natural consequence of having our hearts filled with the love of Christ is a desperate longing and willingness to share that love with others.
The style of presentation employed by Paul in this passage of Scripture is interesting. Writings from a century later from the philosopher Dio Chrysostom shed a great deal of light on the words of the Apostle Paul in this passage. You see, around the time of the writing of this passage by the Apostle Paul, traveling philosophers were not at all uncommon throughout the Mediterranean world.
The roads that the Romans had built to connect their empire had greatly increased the availability of trade in both commerce and ideas. God had set the stage for the spreading of the Gospel in a way that was not available at any previous time in history. Indeed, the precise timing of the presentation of the Gospel message is but one of many historical confirmations of its truth.
Many of these philosophers were not held in very high esteem. They were seen as traveling beggars who flattered entire masses of people with their smooth speech and then beguiled them out of great amounts of money. We still have many of those begging, flattering philosophers with us to this day, don’t we?
This is why the Apostle Paul points out that he did not come with vain speech or to trick people. He also further distinguishes himself from these charlatans by pointing out that he and Silas sought to please God and not men. The sign of a true Apostle then and a messenger from God now is whether their motives seem to be to please God by loving people rather than to please people by flattering people.
Paul was filled with the courage to declare Christ. Rather than following suit with the philosophers of his age, He stood firm for the truth of God and declared it boldly. We learn from the example of Paul that God is calling us to be filled with the courage to declare Christ, not in our own strength, but in His strength.
In John 7:37-38 Jesus says, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” (NIV) When our dry hearts have been quenched by the refreshing water of God’s grace in Christ, that water must spill over unto others, because it is too great a torrent for our feeble hearts to contain!
We are living in dry times when people’s hearts faint for lack of hope and yet here we sit with wells of God’s refreshing grace inside of us with no buckets with which the world may draw. The world questions; we have the answers. The world seeks for truth; we have God’s word. Each of us must engage in the battle that is raging all around us. Each of us must do our part as we have been uniquely gifted by God unto every good deed.
There are some who send and some who go, some who serve the food and others who prepare it, there are many ways we can proclaim Christ to this world. Each of us has a role to play in declaring Christ to this world; whatever that role may be. Declaring Christ is not a task reserved for the spiritual elite or a professional class of clergy and evangelist, it is not an optional part of the Christian faith; it is a natural extension of a heart which has received the superabundant grace of God.
This will look different for each of us as some proclaim in word and others behind the scene, making the work possible. What I am merely suggesting to you is this; just as Paul had the courage to declare, so too must we have that courage.
As believers, we have received a great inheritance and legacy. In Acts 17:11, Luke writes, “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” (NIV) The inheritance that we have as believers is like that of the Bereans; we are not only to receive the word of truth, but to handle it, examine it, and deal with it personally.
Not only have we received the treasure of God’s truth to enjoy and to possess, however, not only have we received the water of life which quenches our thirsty souls, we have received overflowing abundant life too great for our hearts to contain that we might pass it on as well. I have always been fascinated with the Olympics. As a young child I used to enjoy watching the track and field events.
I always liked to watch the relay races. I am fascinated by the incredible coordination it takes for the runners to pass the baton as they are still running. The runner who is nearing the finishing line of his run sees that the next runner has already started to run but the next runner only runs fast enough to be prepared for the sprint he is about to embark on. Just as the last runner is about to begin to slow down the next runner begins to sprint in what is a beautifully coordinated affair of running the race together. If one of the runners should go too fast or too slow then surely they would droop the baton and most likely lose the race.
The key to success is working together even as each runner does his part to win the race. If the Church in America is to continue to thrive, I am convinced that we must do a better job of running our race with intentionality. We must let our selves become so full of the love of Christ that we can not help but let out before our hearts explode with God’s grace. The Christian who is satisfied only to receive the grace of God and never share it will never know the full joy of the Christian life.
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” (I Corinthians 9:19-27 NIV)
Even as we run the race together, like a Gospel relay team, we will each have different roles and functions. Jesus said that we are members of one body. This message is for the global church in general, for us a local church, and for us as individuals. Not everyone has been called or equipped to be a missionary or a Pastor or a Bible Teacher, but I would suggest to you that that is not a valid reason to check on declaring Christ. You see, each of us has a specific call and role in the building of the Kingdom of God. We have all been called to declare Christ.
1. One of the best ways to share your faith is to demonstrate the very things you believe by staying positive and having a good attitude even in the middle of a crisis in your own life. Remember the story in the Bible about Peter walking out onto the water when Jesus called to him? He kept walking above the water as long as he stayed focused on Jesus. But once he focused on the storm, he sank.
When the people around you see the peace in your life, especially when it seems like you’re surrounded by storms, you can bet they’ll want to know how to get what you got! On the other hand, if all they see is the top of your head as you sink into the water, there’s not a whole lot to ask.
2. Treat people with respect and dignity, no matter the circumstances. Whenever you have the opportunity, show how you don’t change how you treat people, no matter what. Jesus treated people right, even when they mistreated Him. People around you will wonder how you’re able to show this kind of respect for others. You never know, they may even ask.
3. Find ways to be a blessing to others. This not only plants amazing seeds for a harvest in your own life, it shows others that you’re not a phony. It shows that you live what you believe. Saying you’re a Christian is one thing, but living it in tangible ways every day is something else. The Word says, "They’ll know them by their fruit."
4. Don’t compromise your beliefs. Situations happen every day where compromise is not only possible, but many times is expected. Show people that your Christianity means living a life of integrity. And oh yes, that means you tell the sales clerk when she undercharged you for that quart of milk!
5. The ability to forgive quickly is a very powerful way to show how Christianity really works. Become a model of forgiveness. Nothing creates division, hostility, and turmoil more than an unwillingness to forgive the people who hurt you. Of course, there will be times when you are absolutely right. But being right doesn’t give you a free pass to punish, humiliate, or embarrass someone else. And it most certainly doesn’t eliminate your responsibility to forgive. (Karen Wolff)
Conclusion
Dorothy Bernard, the American silent film actress, once said that “Courage is fear that has said its prayers.” Our courage is not dependant upon us, but God. The heart that knows the perfect love of Christ has little room left over in it for the fear of man, man’s opinions, or what people may do to you or think of you.
This morning, be encouraged to declare Christ in your life in practical ways, knowing always that the courage to do so comes from God alone. Let us stay engaged in the battle waging around us. Let us be filled with the courage to declare Christ. Amen.
