What Being Real With Others Means
1 Thessalonians 2:1-2 says…
1 For you yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our visit with you was not without result. 2 On the contrary, after we had previously suffered and were treated outrageously in Philippi, as you know, we were emboldened by our God to speak the gospel of God to you in spite of great opposition.
Becoming real people means sharing the truth regardless of the consequences.
Paul, Silas, Timothy, and the Christians in Thessalonica were facing huge opposition. People hated them just for being Christians, and they were doing everything they could to stop the spread of Christianity. But that didn’t keep these guys from confidently and boldly sharing the truth with everyone they came in contact with.
And maybe for some of us, it can feel a little awkward to share our faith with other people. Maybe we’re afraid of how people will react to us. Maybe we don’t feel like we know enough about the Bible. Maybe we don’t know exactly what to say or how to say it. Maybe we don’t want to rock the boat. Maybe we’re afraid we might ruin a friendship. But when we dare to share the truth with others, it gives God an opportunity to show up and soften hardened hearts.
Even though sharing the truth can feel awkward or even painful at times, it’s so much better to share it than to withhold valuable information. It’s like going around all day not knowing you’ve got a piece of spinach stuck in your teeth. Wouldn’t you want someone to tell you? I would want to know the truth so I can take care of the problem.
Jesus said in John 8:32…
32 “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
So, sometimes, the most loving thing we can do is lay all the cards on the table and have that difficult spiritual conversation. Satan’s going to try to stop us. I can guarantee that. He’ll fill our heads with things like:
I don’t want to jeopardize my friendship by bringing Jesus into the mix.
God loves everyone, so, I’m sure he’ll let that guy into heaven.
I’ll just keep praying for her. I’ll just keep praying that God will open the door of opportunity, and that’s when I’ll share Jesus with her.
I think we have to ask ourselves: Are we okay with our friends going through life and having false hope; letting them continue to believe that everything is okay; that this life is all there is?
A few weeks ago, we witnessed a spiritual revival happen on the campus of Ohio State. It’s really inspiring to see star football players come out and profess their faith in Jesus Christ and give their personal testimonies, which led to around 60 students being immersed that night. Look at what some of these star football players said about their faith as they spoke the truth about Jesus to a crowd who needed to hear it:
Emeka Egbuka said, “The world didn’t give me this joy. The world can’t take it away. I had this new feeling in my heart that the Holy Spirit implanted into me, and so since then, it was really a radical change for me. I started walking more obediently with God. I started seeking Him day after day. He’s worked on me, and I’ve had this grace of people in my life to get to this point.”
TreVeyon Henderson said, “I’m only righteous because of what the Lord has done for me. And it wasn’t anything I did. It was Jesus. And He wants to do the same for you.”
Kamryn Babb said, “I’m here to tell you – for all of you that are here, whether you know Jesus or not – there’s more. There’s more for you. Don’t let this just be a night where you come hear some football players, and then you leave. Eternity is on the line.”
The only consequences these guys cared about that night were the eternal consequences of the people in the crowd accepting or rejecting Jesus Christ. We might not be star football players or have huge platforms to share our testimonies, but we have people all around us – friends and family – who need to hear about Jesus. Popular magician and proclaimed atheist, Penn Jillette even asked, “How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them about it?”
Paul says in Ephesians 4:15…
15 But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into him who is the head – Christ.
Who in your life needs to hear about Jesus? What’s keeping you from telling them? If we’re going to be real people for Jesus here at The Hill, we also need to be real people for Jesus out there.
1 Thessalonians 2:3-4 says…
3 For our exhortation didn’t come from error or impurity or an intent to deceive. 4 Instead, just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please people, but rather God, who examines our hearts.
Becoming real people means having pure intentions.
Paul’s saying, “My job isn’t to make everyone happy or to please people; my job is to share the truth.”
Before Paul became a Christian, do you know what he was doing? He was putting into prison as many Christians as he could find. He was trying to stop the Christian movement. Then God transformed his life, and he became zealous in spreading the good news of Jesus. He wouldn’t let anything or anyone stop him. In 2 Corinthians chapter 11, he talks about all the ways Satan tried to stop him from talking about Jesus.
He was given the “40 lashes minus 1” on 5 different occasions.
He was beaten with rods on 3 different occasions.
He was stoned once.
He was shipwrecked 3 times.
He was in danger from so many different angles – rivers, robbers, his own people, the Gentiles; he was in danger in the city, wilderness, and at sea; he went through sleepless nights, hunger, thirst, shivering cold, and even being naked.
But he would not be stopped from sharing the good news about Jesus. Yet, we’re worried about people responding negatively to us just by mentioning Jesus’ name.
Well, Paul goes on to say in verses 5-7…
5 For we never used flattering speech, as you know, or had greedy motives – God is our witness – 6 and we didn’t seek glory from people, either from you or from others. 7 Although we could have been a burden as Christ’s apostles…
Paul’s intentions were pure. He simply wanted to share Jesus and glorify God. Maybe you can identify with Paul. You volunteer. You help out. You serve behind the scenes without being noticed. You carve out time from your schedule to serve. You use vacation time. For what? Why do you do that? You have pure intentions to make a difference in God’s Kingdom.
Verses 7-8…
7 …instead we were gentle among you, as a nurse nurtures her own children. 8 We cared so much for you that we were pleased to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us.
Becoming real people for Jesus means taking a genuine interest in others.
Paul, Silas, and Timothy cared so much for the church that these guys poured into the church their very own lives. Could that be said of us? Are we pouring our lives into others with so much passion, care, and concern that it draws them closer to Jesus? There are different ways we can do this.
We can show our love to new people in the church as well as to the ones who’ve been here forever.
We can show our love to the people in our community no matter who they are, what walk of life they come from, or what their social status is.
We can show our love to the overlooked, the outcast, the broken.
Look at how Paul describes their genuine interest in the church in verses 9-12…
9 For you remember our labor and hardship, brothers and sisters. Working night and day so that we would not burden any of you, we preached God’s gospel to you. 10 You are witnesses, and so is God, of how devoutly, righteously, and blamelessly we conducted ourselves with you believers. 11 As you know, like a father with his own children, 12 we encouraged, comforted, and implored each one of you to walk worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.
Not only were they like nursing mothers caring for their children, but they were like fathers encouraging, comforting, and urging Christians to live lives worthy of God. We’re called the family of God.
Paul says in 1 Timothy 5:1-2…
1 Don’t rebuke an older man, but exhort him as a father, younger men as brothers, 2 older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters with all purity.
This is how the church can be – a loving and compassionate people caring for one another just like a healthy family does. But when the worship service is something on our checklist to get done rather than something we get to do, then we might miss opportunities to share Jesus’ love with people right here beside us. When we rush out after church, we might miss the very people right under our noses who need to experience God’s love. We might miss the opportunity to pour our lives into other people.
I know we’re busy, and we’ve got things to do. But what if we slowed down just a little bit and paid attention to the people around us? What if we slowed down just long enough to pray with someone, to encourage someone, to take a genuine interest in someone?
Jesus said in John 13:35…
35 “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Proverbs 3:27 says…
27 When it is in your power, don’t withhold good from the one to whom it belongs.
I wonder how many opportunities we miss throughout the course of our day when God wants us to take a genuine interest in someone. How many situations does God put us in where he’s just waiting for us to act? And it could be the simplest acts.
When you’re at a restaurant, do you treat the servers like they’re your servants, or do you take an interest in them in some way? I sometimes ask my servers how I could pray for them because, you know, we’re going to pray for our meal before we eat it – might as well throw our servers in there as well.
At home, could you genuinely care about your neighbors and maybe help them out when they need it?
At work, do you just do your job and go on about your day, or do people know that if they’ve got a need they can come to you for prayer or help?
When you’re on social media, do you see it as a way to keep up with the latest gossip and play comparison games, or could you see it as a way to look for opportunities to actually help someone?
When you see someone new at church (at least they look new to you) maybe you could ask, “How long have you been coming here?”
Someone in your life today, tomorrow, or this week might need an expression of love from you. God puts that person in your path for a reason. Will you do something to show that you care?
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Sources:
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
Jesse T. Jackson, “Worship, Salvations, and Baptisms! Ohio State Football Players Host Faith Event on Campus,” Church Leaders, August 27, 2024, accessed September 17, 2024, https://churchleaders.com/news/492721-worship-salvations-and-baptisms-ohio-state-football-players-host-faith-event-on-campus.html/2 (Jackson 2024) (Jackson 2024)
Cecilia Buchanon, “Ohio State Football Players Lead the Way in Campus Revival,” Christ News Today, accessed September 17, 2024, https://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/christnewstoday/2024/09/ohio-state-football-players-lead-the-way-in-campus-revival.html
Penn Jillette, “A Gift of a Bible,” beinzee, 2010, Youtube video, 5:11. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6md638smQd8