6 So you received the message with joy from the Holy

Theme: Lighting the Way – Paul’s First Letters “Surviving and Thriving amidst Criticism and Complaint”

Sermon preached by Jeff Huber on…

September 18-19, 2021

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-7

Weekly Memory Verse: 6 So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite

of the severe suffering it brought you. In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord. –1 Thessalonians 1:6

VIDEO Sermon Bumper

SLIDE “Surviving and Thriving amidst Criticism and Complaint”

Have you ever had to buy something and gone and checked reviews before you did? Have you ever thought about going to a new restaurant and looked at the reviews on yelp before you headed out? Here is what you will discover. There are no perfect items to buy and no perfect restaurants and no perfect churches according to the reviews. There is always someone ready and willing to complain about that item you have decided to buy or that restaurant you’ve decided to visit or that church you have decided to attend. My daughter has this habit of listening and watching reviews on the latest cell phones. I found myself listening to some of the reviews and then looking at them and I decided that if I was

Jeff Huber’s Sermon – September 18-19, 2021 Page 2

going to get a new phone, the only perfect one would be this one.

GRAPHIC Cups and wire phone

GRAPHIC Women on phone

GRAPHIC Men on phone

GRAPHIC Man and Woman on the phone

I love these images of the women and men on the phone. I especially like the clothes you must wear to get them to work properly. When I first was looking for this, I only got pictures of the women and I thought that was pretty sexist, so I went out of my way to find the picture of the men using the same antiquated device which no doubt was perfect when it was introduced in the last century. Just so our young people who don’t remember these phones are aware, men and women did speak together on the phone back in the old days. I found this picture just to confirm the data. What I can assure you is that no other phone will be as energy efficient or inexpensive as this one!

Just like there are no perfect cell phones or restaurants or churches, there are no perfect people. Did you know that? Are you aware that you are not perfect? Don’t look at the person next to you when I say that! This topic is very appropriate as we continue in a sermon series on some of the first documents in your New Testament, the letters of Paul we know as 1 and 2 Thessalonians. Most scholars believe that these are the earliest letters we have of Paul and that Paul’s letters are the first Christian documents in your Bible. 1 Thessalonians was written around 50 A.D., about 20 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus. Paul no doubt wrote letters before this, but no one saved them. This letter was the first that was kept and passed around between those early Christian communities. Mark’s gospel was probably written around 70 A.D., so 20 years later.


If you have a Bible handy, you may want to get it out because we are going to walk through the first two chapters of this first letter, and you may even want to take notes. I want to remind you that aside from Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and the book of Acts, everything else in the New Testament is a letter to a church or individual. Even the book of Revelation was a letter written to seven churches in what is modern day Turkey, what was then Asia Minor and where we find Galatia.

GRAPHIC P46

Paul wrote letters on papyrus, and I want you to see what they look like. This is a document from around the year 200 and as part of a larger document that contained a variety of text in the New Testament. It’s called P46 and this contains one page of Paul’s letter to the Philippians. This is what a letter would have looked like when it arrived one of those churches in the first century, although not as tattered. 1 Thessalonians was a short letter and would today fit on two 8.5 x 11 pieces of paper, about 12 font and single-spaced. It’s not very long and you can read it in about 15 or 20 minutes depending on how fast you read. We’re going to take the next few weeks with it and read some other texts which clearly were informed by this letter.

GRAPHIC Paul’s Second Missionary Journey

When you read a letter, it is helpful to know the context. That includes where it was written, who was the author, who were the recipients, and where were they located. This is a map of the Mediterranean and an area where I will be leading a group in about one year, October 2022. The Holy Land is on the right side of this map you can see the boot of Italy on the left, so Europe is over even father left, off the map. Paul begins his missionary journey in Antioch of Syria on the upper right of this map, arising therefrom Jerusalem. He journeys across Galatia, which is modern day Turkey, makes his way then across the Aegean Sea to


what is modern day Greece where he will go to Philippi and then to Thessaloniki, followed by Berea, Athens, and Corinth. He crosses the Aegean Sea one more time to Ephesus and then eventually makes his way back to Jerusalem by crossing the Mediterranean Sea. You can read about this journey in the book of Acts.

Between Philippi and Thessaloniki was the main road called the Via Egnetia. Thessaloniki was on this main highway. Thessaloniki was one of the safest, large ports in the Roman world and where the church was located to which Paul wrote this letter. I will be taking a group to visit this location on our trip and when we are there, we will not see lots of Roman ruins in this area because the modern city was built on top of those ancient ruins. You will see some things like are captured in this video footage.

GRAPHIC Thessaloniki Via Egnetia Underground

GRAPHIC Thessaloniki Roman Forum

GRAPHIC Thessaloniki Agora

GRAPHIC Thessaloniki Roman Forum

You can see the ancient forum where you would find shops in the ancient world. There is a stadium where races would take place and large gatherings what happened in the city. In Acts 17 we read about this area. Listen to parts of verses 1-9.

BIBLE

1 Paul and Silas…

…came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As was Paul’s custom, he went to the synagogue service, and for three Sabbaths in a row he used the Scriptures to reason with the people. 3 He explained the prophecies and proved that the Messiah must suffer and rise from the dead. He said, “This Jesus I’m telling


you about is the Messiah.” 4 Some of the Jews who listened were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with many God-fearing Greek men and quite a few prominent women.

We learn that there were Greek and non-Jewish people who came to hear the message Paul was preaching. They were drawn to the God of the Hebrew Bible, and some were convinced that Jesus was the long-awaited Jewish Messiah, Jesus the Christ, the King that God had promised would come. Both men and women were drawn to the message of Jesus, his life, ministry, death, and resurrection. Paul is writing his letter to these people, and we learn how the church is formed, with some Jewish and non-Jewish believers. Luke, who wrote the book of Acts, does not tell us how long Paul stayed in Thessalonica. Most people read more about Paul’s journey in his letters and think he was there for three or four months.

BIBLE 5 But some of the Jews were jealous, so they gathered some troublemakers from the marketplace to form a mob and start a riot. They attacked the home of Jason, searching for Paul and Silas so they could drag them out to the crowd. 6 Not finding them there, they dragged out Jason and some of the other believers instead and took them before the city council. “Paul and Silas have caused trouble all over the world,” they shouted, “and now they are here disturbing our city, too. 7 And Jason has welcomed them into his home. They are all guilty of treason against Caesar, for they profess allegiance to another king, named Jesus.” 8 The people of the city, as well as the city council, were thrown into turmoil by these reports. 9 So the officials forced Jason and the other believers to post bond, and then they


released them.

10 That very night the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. When they arrived there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 11 And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth. 12 As a result, many Jews believed, as did many of the prominent Greek women and men.

13 But when some Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God in Berea, they went there and stirred up trouble. 14 The believers acted at once, sending Paul on to the coast, while Silas and Timothy remained behind.

Can I just say that this is not an isolated incident with the apostle Paul? This happens everywhere he goes! He creates problems because people are threatened or upset or disagree with him. Some believe he is teaching something false. Sometimes it’s the Gentiles were pagans and sometimes it’s the Jewish leadership, but either way Paul is often thrown in jail or beaten or left for dead. Almost wherever he goes, he finds this sort of welcome because people are so threatened by the message of Jesus Christ. A small group of people are always drawn to his words and come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah and Paul forms them into a little church before he heads off to the next town or village.

GRAPHIC Paul’s Second Missionary Journey CLOSE UP

Paul is going to make his way from Thessalonica to Berea and then over to Athens and finally Corinth which is where he will write this first letter to the people of Thessalonica. Paul sends his young protégé Timothy to go be with the Thessalonians after he leaves because his life is in danger if he returns to that community. Paul is worried about the people


in Thessalonica which is why he sends Timothy to help them maintain their faith and to encourage them. They were being harassed and criticized and Paul asked them to go back and help.

Timothy brings word back to Paul that the people in Thessalonica are amazing because they continue to hold onto their belief. They have courage and faith, and others are being drawn to this message of Jesus the Messiah and the hope that he offers. They are doing wonderful things by living out the gospel despite the criticism and complaining of community leaders around them. As a result of that report, Paul writes this short letter that we know of as 1 Thessalonians.

The letter starts with these words of encouragement and gratitude because the Thessalonians refused to give up in the face of criticism. This is the main message of chapters 1 and 2 in Thessalonians. These words are meant to encourage and affirm and praise and love and care for these early Christians because they didn’t give up on their faith in the face of opposition, criticism, harassment, or constant complaining. Here’s what we read to begin the letter, as Paul longs to lavish them with encouragement.

BIBLE (leave out at 11)

1 We are writing to the church in Thessalonica, to you who belong to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. May God give you grace and peace. 2 We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. 3 As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ.

GRAPHIC faithful = “trustworthy”

The word “faithful” appears seven times in this short letter and is


critical to understand because it means, “To be trustworthy.” It describes someone that you can count on and is full of faith. It describes someone who can be trusted despite adversity or difficulty and Paul will praise them for this in the words that follow.

BIBLE

4 We know, dear brothers and sisters, that God loves you and has chosen you to be his own people. 5 For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true. And you know of our concern for you from the way we lived when we were with you.

One of the things we are meant to here, even 2000 years later, is a call as followers of Jesus to be faithful because we find that faith brings power as the Holy Spirit brings us full assurance that God is with us. Notice that Paul talks about their witness in terms of the way they live and that is meant to connect with us today, challenging us to remember that as we seek to be the presence of Jesus Christ in the world, people are watching and wondering how we will react when the going gets tough. Paul calls them, and us, to perseverance in the face of criticism and even harassment, which is not easy and why we need the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul goes on with these powerful words that contain our Scripture memory verse for the week. Let’s say verse six together.

BIBLE 6 So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you. In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord.

BIBLE

7 As a result, you have become an example to all the believers in


Greece—throughout both Macedonia and Achaia.

Macedonia and Acadia basically are modern day Greece. Paul is letting the Thessalonians know that all the followers of Jesus in this region have heard of their faithfulness minutes of opposition and harassment. Paul lived and experienced this himself as he was beaten and abused and put in prison on several occasions. I love that Paul reminds them first and foremost in this text that they are loved by God. This is one of the common themes in the Scriptures and why I remind you as your pastor regularly that you were made by God to be loved by God.

Not only are they reminded that God loves them, but that God has chosen them. God called and they responded, and this is an invitation for us today because it tells us that God did not create us by accident. I often tell you that I preach my sermons to myself as much as I do to us as a congregation, and when we read Paul’s letters, we see a bit of that in them as well. Paul is giving these words of encouragement to them and I’m guessing it’s because he may have needed those words himself because of what we read next in chapter 2. We see Paul defending himself which gives us an idea of the criticism he was receiving. Listen and see if you can figure out what his critics were saying about him as those critics were convinced Paul was up to no good and they wanted to discredit him.

BIBLE 3 So you can see we were not preaching with any deceit or impure motives or trickery.

Paul had to write this in his letter, I think we can safely assume that he was being accused of being deceitful and he had bad intentions and motives. He was being accused of tricking people into believing something. We get a sense of other things of which he was accused in verse 5.

BIBLE


5 Never once did we try to win you with flattery, as you well know. And God is our witness that we were not pretending to be your friends just to get your money! 6 As for human praise, we have never sought it from you or anyone else.

BIBLE

9 Don’t you remember, dear brothers and sisters, how hard we worked among you? Night and day we toiled to earn a living so that we would not be a burden to any of you as we preached God’s Good News to you.

So, Paul is also being accused of flattery and doing so in attempt to be friends and get their money. To refute this, he reminds them that while he was among them, he worked for living. Paul learned as a young man not just to be a rabbi but to make tents and we often assume that Paul was a tent maker to support his missionary work, doing this in the marketplace in each town in which he shared the gospel. He is reminding them that he did all of this on his own and didn’t ask anyone money and is encouraging them not to forget this when they hear rumors about him. There is clearly criticism and slander being directed at Paul and the first two chapters of this letter are about the Thessalonian Christians remaining faithful in the heat of that climate. Here is a truth that I believe this text speaks to us today.

SLIDE We are all unfairly criticized at some point our lives.

For some, it is because of our faith, but for many of us is for a variety of other reasons. For some, is about the way we have lived out our faith or stood up for something because of our values driven by faith. Regardless, all of us will have moments in life where we are harassed, teased, or picked on. People will impugn our character and attach motives to us that our not correct or fair. There will be social media posts taking shots at us, and while it may not happen often, it will happen sometimes. When it


happens, it is really discouraging.

Most of us don’t like to be criticized, so when it happens, we often find ourselves becoming silent. Knowing that is going to happen, how do we deal with criticism then? Let’s begin by recognizing this truth.

SLIDE Not all criticism is bad.

Some criticism is really good for us because it helps us get an accurate picture of what is going on around us when sometimes we can see things just from our perspective and get stuck. Unless we think were perfect. And I have bad news for you which I started out the sermon with, but I remind you again of this truth. No one is perfect. As a matter fact, let’s do a little therapy together and just say this out loud so we get it in the open and clear the air.

SLIDE I am not perfect.

Because of this, we need constructive and positive criticism to help us grow. We need to hear feedback, but the challenge is that when we do receive criticism our natural inclination is to have our defenses go up. Each of us needs to find a way to allow criticism in, without destroying us or tearing it down, so that we can grow and become better. I know that I want to grow and be a better pastor this year than I was last year. I want to be a better disciple and follower of Jesus each year. I want to be a better husband and a better father. The only way to growing get better, however, to get feedback that helps us see the growing edges in our lives. Instead of seeing criticism as a negative all the time, there are moments where we need to receive it as a gift.

This is true even when someone doesn’t know how to share that criticism well. Once again, let’s be honest about today’s world, and that many people do not know how to give constructive criticism. How is that for criticizing those who are criticizing?! Sometimes, people share criticism in ways that are awkward or uncomfortable or hurtful. I won’t say I’m


perfect at this, but part of what I try to do when I get emails or snail mail or criticism in some other way, is ask a question.

SLIDE “God, is there something I need to learn from this?”

I would love to tell you that I’m great at this, but it’s an area where I still need to grow, learning to pause and ask an important question even in the midst of whatever feelings are rising up inside of me because of the criticism. How can I grow from this? Help me to see what truth is in this criticism because if I could see it before I would be doing things this person is complaining about. Here is another part of this I have learned to ask myself and that we ask our leaders here to live into.

SLIDE Don’t assume ill intent.

When I get criticism, I try not to assume ill intent, or this person has it in for me, especially when it comes from family or friends. I know that when my wife or daughter criticize me, they love me, and I try to remember that even if the criticism doesn’t come in a helpful way! What I’ve learned is that if I am not receiving criticism, I am probably not growing. If I’m not willing to accept places where people are trying to add value or benefit my life by helping me see a blind spot, I am a fool. Proverbs 15 reminds us of this truth.

BIBLE

31 If you listen to constructive criticism, you will be at home among the wise. 32 If you reject discipline, you only harm yourself; but if you listen to correction, you grow in understanding. 33 Fear of the Lord teaches wisdom; humility precedes honor.

Humility is what allows us to receive constructive criticism and be able to apologize and ask for forgiveness when that is needed. We may


not even be able to see that we did anything wrong, or we may not believe that we did, but if we are not willing to listen, we will never know. Sometimes, there is nothing for which we need to apologize because you did exactly the right thing, and our only response is, “Thank you for helping me understand where you’re coming from and how this affected you.” Sometimes, people just need to be heard, and the beginning of this chapter of Proverbs 15 reminds us of this truth.

BIBLE

1 A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.

I have found that when I willing to listen and not get defensive, the anger of the other person does go away. I want to be clear that this is not easy, especially today’s world what we are quick to level harsh criticism, but it is what can help us move forward in ways where we can grow from things we need to hear. While it is easier to snap back or get angry, the more difficult path is the one we are called to as followers of Jesus. Jesus makes this clear in the sermon on the Mount in Matthew’s gospel, chapter 5, where uses prophetic hyperbole to make a point.

BIBLE 21 “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ 22 But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.

Does Jesus literally mean we are going to go to hell if we get angry? No, but he’s reminding us of how dangerous it is to let our anger get the best of us and how much destruction of cause. If we’re willing to listen and ask clarifying questions rather than jumping to anger, it can change


the whole course of a relationship. Are we willing to do the hard work to improve as a parent, spouse, friend, boss, neighbor, coworker, and follower of Jesus?

While that is an important learning for us, being able to hear constructive criticism, this is not what Paul is talking about in Thessalonians. These were people who were harassing the followers of Jesus because of jealousy or because they see something in themselves, they don’t like but they projected onto someone else. When our ego is battered, we can easily go after others and criticize them to feel better about ourselves. We are most angry are criticism when we feel hurt or have been attacked. Sometimes, people come after us when they are angry at someone else because we are a convenient target. Sometimes, people feel they have no control, and they take it out on us because they can see us, and we just happen to be in the way. Sometimes, people have deeply felt convictions which are challenged, and they get angry as those who represent those challenges. There are multiple reasons why people will be critical but let me ask you question.

SLIDE Have you ever felt like quitting because of criticism?

Have you ever felt like throwing in the towel? If so, you are not alone, and it happens to most of us. This past 18 months 95% of people said they felt like quitting their jobs at some point. I thought that was a misprint when I first read it but did some more research and found that many felt this way. Pastors across the theological spectrum, from conservative to centrist to progressive, felt like finding a new profession in the midst of trying to navigate this new reality in the pandemic. Half the people want to be back in worship and half the people don’t. Of the half that wanted to be back in worship, half of those said they would only come back if we were all wearing masks. The other half said that they would only come back if we were NOT wearing masks.


There was polarization and politics so no matter what was said felt like a reference to something else. Our opinions became so strong we had a hard time listening to anyone who expressed anything different from our own. We didn’t want to be around people who were different from ourselves, and we got angry very easily. People would write or say critical things on Facebook or Instagram or other social media platforms. We also had issues of racism and pain and brokenness in our nation as we dealt with tension boiling over. People from different political perspectives saw things in different ways. We found ourselves hurting as a nation and I can tell you for a fact that we pastors struggled with what to say and how to say it.

It doesn’t seem to matter what you say are how you say it in moments like a pandemic, so it’s easy to get silent and not have to deal with criticism. As I have talked to colleagues in both this community and others, I have heard stories of pastors being called names and congregation members writing letters saying they’re leaving or withholding giving if things don’t change the way they think it should be. As I have met with leaders in our community and public service, they have experienced the same kind of angst which leads to criticism that oftentimes is deeply personal. We can even find ourselves paralyzed and stuck.

There is this idea attributed to Aristotle, but it was actually written by the 19th century philosopher Elbert Hubbard.

SLIDE “Criticism is something you can avoid easily—by saying nothing, by doing nothing, and being nothing.” –Elbert Hubbard

That’s not a way to live but it sometimes is what happens to us because we don’t want anyone saying anything that will hurt our feelings. Can you imagine if Paul had given up when he was criticized? If he had


decided after being slandered and criticized and harassed and beaten up that he was going to throw in the towel, that would’ve been the end of the Christian faith. Thankfully, Paul had a different attitude and recognize that when we do the right thing we sometimes to deal with tough stuff.

Every great leader I have ever read about or heard speak has talked about how difficult life has been at times because of criticism. It’s just part of the deal. I find it fascinating that there have been multiple polls done asking Americans who the best president of the state has ever been and there are two that are always at the top. Who are they? We all would give the same answer in George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Third on the list is Franklin Delano Roosevelt, or FDR. To this day, people are divided about whether they like FDR or not, but the other two are universally seen as the greatest presidents.

It’s interesting because there was an article which ran last year titled, “Everyone loved George Washington Until He Became President.” People who would work hard to help them become president and wanted him to have that role, end up despising him at the end of his presidency. This is the person we have rated as the top president that we ever had in our history. Thomas Paine, who was a critic of many politicians during that time, wrote this about Washington.

The world will be puzzled to decide whether you were an apostate or an imposter, whether you have abandoned good principles, or whether you ever had any at all.

That was one person’s analysis and criticism of the man we consider one of our greatest presidents. Abraham Lincoln was hated by the South and by the Democrats. He was hated by many of the Republicans in his own party and ultimately, he was assassinated. I love that Lincoln took criticism with a sense of humor and humility. He was debating Stephen Douglas, who at one point called him, “two-faced.” Lincoln’s response was


beautiful when he said:

GRAPHIC “If I were two faced, would I be wearing this one?”

Lincoln acknowledged to his critics in this line of humor that he could be wrong, and if so, history would judge him that way. But he was trying to do right as best as he could in that moment, which is what many of us in leadership have been trying to do the past 18 months. I know as your lead pastor I do my best to look at the Scriptures and connect them with what is happening in our world and pray and research, but I could be wrong on any number of things. I’m not God and I’m not perfect and I don’t have it all figured out. I do my best and I remind every group that joins the church and everyone in worship on a regular basis that I want you to bring your brain and not check it at the door. I tell every one of our students who leave for college or work that if you end up in a group where they won’t let you ask questions, leave in a hurry!

It’s okay to disagree, that we don’t have to hurt each other when we do. I find the words of 1 Peter 3 powerful to remember.

BIBLE 8 Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. 9 Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing. 10 For the Scriptures say,

“If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies. 11 Turn away from evil and do good.


Search for peace, and work to maintain it.

This is a basic way we are invited to be the presence of Jesus Christ in the world by loving each other as brothers and sisters, being tenderhearted, having a sense of humility, and not retaliating with insults but paying back with a blessing. Getting nasty with others as a response typically doesn’t work and a continual cascade of insults leads to everyone being harmed. I love this reminder from both Peter and the Hebrew Bible that our lips can cause great damage. When we respond with kindness to unkindness, it is as the apostle Paul says like, “heaping hot coals upon their head.”

I think about every leading figure in Scripture were criticized by people at some point in their journey. Every one of them felt harassed and criticized, like Moses who lead the children of Israel out of slavery in Egypt and then must listen to them complain in the wilderness for 40 years because they don’t like the food. They would rather be slaves again then deal with food and Moses asks God to kill him now because he is tired of their complaining and whining. Elijah was doing what God asked and then the King and the Queen wanted to kill him. He flees into the wilderness by himself and, like Moses, prays for God to take his life because he is tired of dealing with threats and harassment. Jesus experienced criticism the point of death, and he even asked for that cup to be taken from him.

It is terrible to be criticized by family or friends or work or strangers, but it is part of life. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, had rocks thrown at him along with rotten tomatoes and spoiled eggs. One time while he was preaching, people came up behind him and dumped and entire sack of manure on his head. After preaching one morning and before he was to preach in the evening, Wesley was taking a nap, and someone lit the house on fire where he was sleeping so they would have to listen to his preaching that night. Almost every major paper in England lampooned him on the front page and he was not allowed to preach in


any of the Anglican churches even though he was an Anglican priest. But he didn’t quit, and he kept going.

Leaders in their own churches were critical of Mother Teresa and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Billy Graham, the saints of evangelical Protestantism had loads of critics who thought he had lost his mind when he was willing to work with Catholics or he would integrate his Crusades so black-and-white’s could worship together. The matter where we go, we will find people being criticized because that is human nature. If that’s true of all of the saints in the Bible and the leading figures in Christendom, it’s going to be true of each of us as well. People will be critical of us at times and the only question is, “What will we do about it?”

Do we give up and fold? Do we grow and ask God if there is something valuable we must learn about ourselves in that criticism? The message from Paul to those early followers of Jesus, and to us today, is not to give up. When Paul writes the people of Thessalonica to praise them, it is not about anything remarkable they did as a church, but that they had refused to give up in the face of opposition. I remind you of what Jesus said in the sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5.

BIBLE

11 “God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. 12 Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.

What I found in my 30+ years of ministry is that it doesn’t really matter how many positive letters or emails I get, my mind has this terrible tendency to focus on the ones which are negative. Mostly, I get very positive affirmations, but I must be honest and say that I will miss a million things when it’s time for me to retire in 10 years or so, but there is one


thing I will not miss. You want to guess? One of the main things I won’t miss when I get to retire is the criticism the people who leave the church for some reason and send you a nasty, anonymous note. I will must miss that at all!

But I also will not give up because it. I will try and learn and discern how I can be better, but I won’t throw in the towel because of criticism, or I risk following the cries of the disgruntled and not the call of God. When we throw in the towel, we miss out on life and the critics win. Your make a difference in the world for Jesus Christ, there will be critics and complaints and we can even be happy about it for great is the reward in heaven, which some days we hope comes sooner than later!

SLIDE Don’t Give Up!

I think this is the word from this first part of the letter to the Thessalonians, that we don’t give up. We all mess up and there are no perfect people. I need that constructive criticism keep growing, and I’m not going to give up in the face of criticism. I want to keep going and I hope you will do the same. I must admit that I don’t get that much criticism compared to some other professions and leaders in our community, and at the age of 57 it doesn’t bother me as much as it used to, but I do a better job of learning from it now. When I was 27, it was very hard, and I was impatient, and I have had to go back and apologize to people from that time in my life for losing my cool!

The last thing I remind you of is that we also have some confessing to do because sometimes those people out there being critical are us. We can be those critics who get negative and do so in an unconstructive manner. This is an invitation for us to be honest about when we have been critical of other people when I should not have. When am I not showed grace? When have I gotten mad at others because there was something inside of myself, I didn’t like? When have I spoken up like I know all the


answers, but I really don’t have any of the answers? Whenever I shared my opinion when I really didn’t need to and would’ve been wiser to keep it to myself? When did I treat others in a way that I don’t want to be treated?

The truth is that we have all done this at times in our lives. It’s why Jesus said these words at the end of the sermon on the Mount in Matt. 7.

BIBLE

1 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. 2 For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. 3 “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own?

We are reminded to be very careful and show a lot of grace because we need grace, all of us. As we close, I remind you of a speech from Theodore Roosevelt that’s become popular lately as part of it is the title for a New York times best seller by Brené Brown. On April 23, 1910, Roosevelt was speaking in Paris and was no longer President of the United States when he said these words about the person in the arena, which is become one of the most quoted speeches of all time.

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so


that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

SLIDE Don’t Give Up!

These are the words I hope we remember from this first part of the letter to the Thessalonians. Don’t give up. How we face the eventual criticisms of life becomes a mark of what it means to follow Jesus. It is part of what it means to follow Jesus for us today, just as it was for the Thessalonians 2000 years ago. Everyone is criticized. There are no perfect phones. There are no perfect spouses, parents, children, boss, coworkers, employees, neighbors, or Christians. We all fall short, and we all are human so don’t give up. Don’t give up. Don’t give up. Let’s pray.

SLIDE Prayer

God, we give thanks that you made us to love us. We thank you for your mercy and grace when we fail, which we will do over and over again. Each of us have failed in many ways because we are human, yet we keep getting back up. Raise us up when we feel we can’t make it on our own. Use those places that we have fallen to perfect us and make us into the people you want us to be.

Lord, you know there are people listening to this message right now that feel like giving up: giving up on their marriage, giving up as parents, giving up as children, giving up on a job, giving up on the ways they serve, giving up on life. You know what it’s like for us to be criticized because when you were here in person, you experience it firsthand. Renew our strength. Help us to keep our eyes on you and not be afraid to speak up and speak out, even when we know it will lead to criticism. Help us to listen and only criticize when it can be constructive and lead to growth. Help us to be those in the arena. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen


September 18-19 Order

1. Ely Welcomes people and says, “We all hear complaints and criticism at times in our lives. How do not only survive, but thrive in those environments? We’re going to learn from the Apostle Paul and Jesus today as they dealt with these same human struggles.”

2. One Song, followed by prayer 3. Welcome and invite people to wave and be seated. 4. Announcements by Jeff (Check News Section on Website)

• Parent’s Night Out

• Men’s Retreat

• Financial Peace 5. Invite congregation to prepare their hearts for the message. 6. Video bumper plays. 7. Sermon 8. Prayer after sermon 9. 2 Songs of Worship 10. Prayer and Lord’s Prayer 11. Offering SLIDE and Focus 12. Meditation Moments reminder by Jeff 13. Care Ministers (If any are present) 14. Closing Prayer

Documents

6 So you received the message with joy from the Holy