Wide Angle Living

“Wide-Angle vs. Narrow Focus Living”
Message @ Jericho Ridge Community Church – Sunday, Nov 1, 2015
Text: I Thess. 3 // Series: The Shape of the Kingdom

Author and popular blogger Michael Hyatt tells a story “about a wise clerk who worked at a convenience store in a small town out west.

One day, a stranger walked in, picked up some bread and milk, and made his way to the cash register. “New to town?” the clerk asked. “Yep. Just moved here with my family,” the stranger replied. “Well, then let me be the first to welcome you,” the clerk offered, extending his hand. “Thanks,” the stranger said as he shook it. “Say, what are the people like in this town?” “Well … what were they like in the town you just left?” the clerk queried. “Oh, they were fantastic,” the stranger replied. “Friendly, upbeat, and generous. We hated to leave.” “I know what you mean,” the clerk nodded. “I think that’s pretty much what you’ll find here, too.”

A few days later, another stranger walked into the convenience store. Like the first, he picked up a few staples and headed to the cash register. The same clerk asked, “New to town?” “Yes,” the stranger mumbled. “Just arrived.” Following the same track, the clerk smiled and extended his hand. “Let me be the first to welcome you!” The stranger took his hand reluctantly, frowned, and quickly looked down. “So what are the people like in this town?” “Well … what were they like in the town you lived in last?” the clerk queried. “Not great,” he stammered. “They were cold, aloof, and selfish. We were glad to get out of there.” He looked up at the clerk. “I know what you mean,” the clerk affirmed. “I’m afraid that’s probably what you’ll find here, too.”

Hyatt concludes by saying this “If it’s true that we get what we expect, it’s worth noticing our expectations.” You get what you expect. With sincere apologies and nod to the Rolling Stones.

This fall, we’re in a teaching series in the book of I Thessalonians. We talked two weeks ago about the fact that Paul and Silas and Timothy had an incredibly short window of time with the Thessalonian believers to share and to shape their faith. 21 days Paul and hi team were in town and in that time, they launched this church and then they had to escape town at night due to the intensity of persecution. So when Paul writes back to them, it’s helpful for us to explore and examine his expectations. What does he expect to find when he comes to them again? The answer to that question will help us in our own lives understand what expectations you and I should possess when it comes to our own spiritual formation. Let’s look together at 1 Thessalonians 2:17 read to the end of Chpt 3.

[7 Scripture slides]

What does Paul expect to find in the lives of the believers in Thessalonica when he sends Timothy from Athens for a visit? What does he expect Timothy to report back to him? I think it’s very instructive for us that

• Paul expects to find them struggling

Timothy brings Paul a very realistic report. Look at 3:6 – it’s a good news report about their growth in faith and love. But it is also a report that shares some of the struggles they are facing. This isn’t shocking to Paul because never expects or communicates that life will be free from trouble or pain or struggle. We understand from reading other parts of Paul’s correspondence with them that some people in that community where saying “Paul doesn’t care about you – look! He isn’t coming back! You should give up on this whole Jesus thing and go back to the way you were living before.”  

In 2:17 Paul says “that’s not it at all. We were ripped away from you but our hearts continue to be with you in the midst of your struggle.” The primary image that Paul has of his relationship with them is one of parenting. Here the language is that of a child who is separated at birth or orphaned. And children who are orphaned face a unique set of challenges. My half-sister was given up by my mom for adoption at birth and that experience marked both of their lives and their hearts in a unique way. There are several families here at Jericho who have chosen to do the hard work of welcoming adopted children into their families. And I commend them for it because it’s not an easy road.    

In many ways, this is why Paul employs the language of parenthood to describe the relationship between those who lead in the faith community. That they care like a mother and they lead like a father. Those who are spiritual fathers and mothers in this community are here for you in that same way. I think about our elder like David, Tyler & Ralph – and putting forward Curtis and Ron as elders…. They have that same kind of heart: a heart of warmth and compassion. They sit in meetings and e-mails and wrestle with – “this family member is hurting: who is going to reach out to them?” I think about the staff team and how they pray for you and give advice and listening ears… Because they know that we all struggle. Everyone who is in leadership here has the heart of a loving parent for this community. This is Paul’s tone, his heart for his little flock in Thessalonica.  

But here’s the thing about parenting. As a dad, I don’t expect my kids to get stuff right all the time – I expect that they will struggle with some things. That some stuff will be harder than other stuff. And I long to see my kids grow not just to succeed at stuff. And some growth only happens through struggle and pain and tears. The frustrations with homework and relationship challenges and heartbreaks and really bad decisions… parenting of any kind is hard work!

But it’s harder work if you expect perfection from your kids or nothing but smooth sailing. That’s a problem because I will be profoundly disappointed and hurt when my kids don’t meet my expectations. Let me ask you think if you are a spiritual mentor to someone, what are you expectations? Are they realistic?

Part of the other reason for struggle, however, is that there are not only positive spiritual parenting influences at work in our lives. Paul reminds us that part of our struggle can be because we face spiritual opposition. This is a pivotal concept for us to understand. Paul mentions it twice in this text. The notion that part of the reason that things are not always smooth sailing for you and I is that we are in a spiritual battle. In 2:18 Paul talks about Spiritual opposition (Satan prevented us from coming). And then in 3:5 he mentions the possibility that we can be tempted and become weak in our faith or walk away from it.

In other parts of the NT, we are reminded that we wrestle not against flesh and blood…. We are reminded that Satan roams about like a roaring lion seeking whom He may devour. We are to be vigilant and alert. We don’t need to be overly frightened of him and his demonic work but also need to be careful not to ignore him and attribute everything only to naturalistic causes or effects. Paul says explicitly “I tried to come to you but Satan prevented me”

Some of the reasons for struggles in your life, in the church, in your family may have spiritual roots or causes. Don’t give Satan too much credit but don’t give him too little credit either. This is perhaps one of the reasons that the church historically has positioned Nov 1 as All Saints Day to counter the emphasis of Oct 31.  

Paul expects that these struggle will expose some of the gaps in their faith.

Paul expected to see the Thessalonians standing firm (3:8) and their faith bearing fruit, but he also expected that they wouldn’t be perfect. Look at his language in 3:10… The reason we want to come to you is to fill in the gaps

• Struggles can expose some “gaps” in our faith

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina battered the city of New Orleans & the Louisiana coastline. You may recall seeing the images of the extensive flooding that occurred. Part of the reason the flooding was so terrible was that when the built the levees or dams around the city, “engineers misjudged the strength of the peat which was taken from the remains of the swamp on which some areas of New Orleans in the 20th century were built. The strength of this peat was found to be very low and it had a high water content. According to Robert Bea, a geotechnical engineer from the University of California, Berkeley, the weak soil made the floodwall very vulnerable to the stresses of a large flood. "

As Katrina's storm surge pummeled the canal, water pressure rose in the soil underneath the wall and in the peat layer. Water moved through the weak parts of the soil underneath the base of the wall. When the rising pressure and moving water overcame the soil's strength, it suddenly shifted, taking surrounding material – and the wall – with it."

There were gaps, weak areas. Numerous people had identified that over the years but no action had been taken. And so "aided by incomplete protection, lower than authorized structures, and levee sections with erodible materials.” Huricane Katrina simply pushed enough water against the weak areas of the dams that the levees broke because the gaps allowed stuff to seeps in.

Where are the weak areas in your life? Where is the enemy of your soul looking to find a gap? Greed or materialism. Perhaps its sexual sin. Anger. Bitterness. Lying or gluttony. Standing firm involves knowing where you are weak. And taking steps to buttress or build up those areas in the strength that God provides. Where is the enemy likely to attack you? Get help, healing and strength in those areas so that you can do everything you can to stand up against his attacks.  

So Paul’s first expectation is clear – he expects that both for the Thessalonians and for you and I, there will be struggles. BUT in the midst of these struggles, he expects not just that they will be bumbling along or being trampled down.

• Paul expects to find them standing firm

This to me is incredible! After 3 weeks, he doesn’t see them for approximately five years and yet he feels deeply convinced that they will be standing firm. How is that possible? Especially in the midst of persecution and trials!

What does it take to stand firm in your faith in the midst of trying times? Paul makes a few comments that I think help us understand what this might look like.

• Established in their faith (grounding)

The believers were eager to receive input into their lives to give them a foundation to stand on. Solid teaching. Bible input. This is one reason why we placed a focus on Scripture intake in 2015. Our project 345 Bookmarks for daily reading… Life journaling groups for you to engage with Scripture. If Sunday AM is the only spiritual input you or your kids get in your week, you are in big trouble when the storms of life come because your root system will not have the strength to stand. Sunday can’t bear the full weight of grounding you. Being established in your faith certainly includes gathering together with others for worship and celebration and teaching but it also mean you taking initiative to grow and to be grounded outside of the context on Sunday mornings. So let me ask you

• What spiritual practices do you have in place?

Maybe you listen to podcasts on your commute. Maybe as a new mom, you snatch a few moments with God during the morning nap. Making a commitment to developing depth will help you stand strong and firm in times of trouble.  

As our faith is strengthened, Paul reminds us in 3:3 that the goal is that we would be unmoved by affliction! This is an incredibly lofty goal. That hard experiences of life – like standing at the deathbed of a friend or walking through divorce or extended and painful illness or not getting into the college program that we wanted wandering through a spiritual wasteland where we feel that God is silent or waiting and longing for our prodigal child to come home – The goal is that things would not unsettle or shake or dissuade us. Because they don’t touch us to the core of our being we can stand firm. Peter Ash is going to hold up this perspective for us next weekend when he preaches through chapter 4.  

We can also stand firm because we do not stand alone. We may be individuals but we choose not to do life individually. If we want to stand firm, we do so

• Encouraging each other (exhorting)

This is the role of community plays in helping us to stand firm. Our relationship with God is not only a vertical one or merely a personal one. It involves other people. This is what Paul is driving at in places like 3:12 “may the Lord make your love for one another & for all people grow and overflow”. This is hard work but it is also the core of our calling. One commentator remarking on this says:

“The Christian community is the school in which we learn to love. Like great musicians who practice tedious drills for long hours, Christians practice their scale at home in order to sing in public. In the community love is commanded and modeled, and here is where it must be lived out and practiced. This does not mean that love is limited to the boundaries of the community. But if they community does not live by the model and teaching of its founder, Jesus, how can it expect others to do so or to hears its call to join with them?” -Thompson

• What relationships do you have in place?

Some of you might need to take steps to deepen or develop new relationships. This is hard work, but we want to be there to assist and support. That’s why we don things like life groups or Our Table, so you can begin to take steps to open your life up to others so that we can walk with each other and support each other.

Sometimes that support is simply showing up and being present. Yesterday, that support looked like Mike Price driving Wendy up to the hospital and sitting with her. Sometimes that support looks like meals you made delivered in times of need. Sometimes that support looks like getting down on the floor and playing with kids in K@TR. Sometimes that support looks like getting down on your knees and lifting a need that a brother or sister has up to the Lord in prayer.   Look at how often Paul mentions that he is praying for them…

Earnest in prayer for others (interceding)  

Paul says in 3:9-10 “night and day we pray earnestly for you.” With a focus on thanksgiving. You may say “I’m not really good at prayer” – join in some of the corporate prayer times. You don’t have to pray out loud – I love, for example, that Justin Vuong comes to pre gathering prayer most every week. He doesn’t often speak up but he is earnest in his prayer. I want to invite you to make prayer a priority. In this season, the elders are calling us to more hours of prayer than there are weeks in a month. We pray 30 minutes before each Sunday, we are hosting one 2 hour public prayer night per month.    

• Next prayer night: November 12 for HAK
• “It is out of the fertile ground of continual prayer that Thanksgiving originates”

At Thanksgiving we did bookmarks where we asked you to fill in one thing per day that you were thankful for. Shout out a few of those items: “What have you been thanking God for in this season?” (bookmarks)

Part of our ability to give thanks, even in the midst of challenging times is rooted in the perspective that Paul call both them and us to as he rounds out this text.

3) Paul expects Christians will live from a different perspective

And as I was thinking about perspective, my mind went to the world or photography. I have a camera that has automatic settings which I seldom turn off, but those of you who are photograph buffs know that the lens you choose changes things dramatically. I’m going to ask Darryl Bueckert to come up – you are going to get two things. First, a photography lesson. But also a lesson on how their perspective as a family has shifted and is shifting as a result of what they sense God calling them to in their work in Mazatlán, Mexico.

Darryl – Can you give us some examples of why the lens we choose matter?

Images 1 & 2 – Owl on stool, fuzzy and clear

Images 3 & 4 – Close up shot of owl on stool (fuzzy and clear)

Images 5&6 – Zoomed out a bit. Background fuzzy, background clear.

Images 7&8 – Zoomed our even more

Images 9&10 – Wide angle lens.

For you and your family, how does this fit into your journey? (“we’re still in the middle… we can see some context, some progress but not fully clear where we are heading and how we are getting there”].

This really is the definition of faith: the deep seated conviction that a wide angle view exists and is ultimately true, even though I may not be able to see it right now!

I think about this perspective with HAK who shared earlier today. The lens on their work is a wide-angle lens. It will take years to establish meaningful church multiplication movement amongst the people group they work in in Central Asia. If you get too up close to that, it gets discouraging. BUT when you step back and say “what is our ultimate purpose and our ultimate hope and joy when we stand before Jesus? It’s those in central Asia who will come to saving faith as a result of their work and your work with them in prayer.

How do we measure our lives and our expectations? Friend, we are called to live from a very different perspective.

• A deep love for others – even those who disagree with us or hurt us.
• A growing love for those who don’t know God – if you are here today, that describes you, say YES to Jesus. Won’t make all your troubles disappear but an eternal perspective on life that begins right now and goes on into eternity.
• An increasing commitment to holy living – standing firm involves knowing where you are weak. Expecting the enemy of your soul to exploit and attack and so taking necessary measures to strengthen and reinforce your life so that when trials come, you can say My strength is in Christ Alone

NT scholar G.K. Beale looking at these first 5 verses of chap 3 says

“The question is NOT whether or not we will face trials but whether or not we will be faithful in confronting trials.” (G. K. Beale 100). My prayer for myself and for you and for Jericho is that we would live with a perspective that takes eternity and not just our present circumstances into view. Let’s pray together as the team comes and leads us in two closing songs.