The Model Church

Good morning, God, we are here for you.

And after joining in the angel's song and worshipping you, we now ask that you would speak through your word, from your heart straight into ours.

The first letter of Paul to the Thessalonians.

Paul, Silvanus and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Grace to you and peace.

We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers,

remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labour of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

For we know, brothers, loved by God, that he has chosen you,

because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.

You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.

And you became imitators of us and of the Lord.

For you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit,

so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.

For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia,

but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything.

For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you

and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God

and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead,

Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

This is the word of the Lord.

Please take a seat.

Now, Paul starts these letters, and just bear in mind, as I read that to you,

that probably would have been how it would be when you were sat in a church service back in those days,

and maybe in the town of Thessalonica.

There wouldn't necessarily be lots of preaching,

but there would be someone who would be reading out this letter from Paul.

Do you remember Paul?

Paul wrote us a letter.

Let's listen to what he has to say.

And so they would just read that letter out,

and it would be our job to kind of go,

Whoa.

Wow.

He's reminding me of this.

He's reminding me of that.

And so he writes this letter, and he always starts,

and I love how he always starts.

Of course, he introduces himself.

Hey, Paul here with Silvanus and Timothy,

and we're writing to you guys, grace, peace, to you, peace.

And then he always says this, we give thanks to God,

and I'm constantly remembering you in my prayers.

And we've been talking about prayer,

so we kind of know what he's trying to get at here.

Man, he's just always remembering these people,

remembering the people that he walked with.

And actually, this letter is one of the oldest epistles that we have,

but it's writing to one of the youngest churches that we have.

So Paul, you see in Acts 17, he starts this church in Thessalonica,

and you see in Acts 17, and they start it,

but then very shortly after, they have to go,

because they're getting in trouble.

They're getting in trouble, and they're starting to raid the church,

and the leader of the church that they left there, Jason,

he gets into a whole ton of trouble,

has to pay his way out of the church.

So at that point, actually, not out of the church, out of trouble.

And so then what happens is Paul actually has to leave.

So he starts his church, and then he has to run, zhao lou.

And then it's only two years later,

he's eager to find out how this church is doing.

And it's interesting, because our churches,

depending on when you start counting,

may be around the same kind of age.

So maybe around the same kind of young church,

and Paul's writing to them,

hey, I've been praying about you.

I remember you.

Don't forget that.

I may not be with you in person,

but I am always, always remembering you in my prayers.

And more importantly, remembering before our God and the Father,

your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope.

Before I get to that, just a little bit more context.

So this is a young church.

This is a two-year-old church that's going through a lot of trouble.

It started, can you imagine just joining a new club,

and suddenly you're getting raided by all the authorities,

and people are just constantly being chased down.

You have to pay your way out of things.

The moment people outside find out that you're associated with this church,

then you start losing business opportunities.

Then your friends stop inviting you to their parties.

Then all kinds of things start happening to you.

And so to hear your pastor go,

hey, I remember you.

I remember you.

And of course, Thessalonica was a significant city.

It was on the central trade route.

So it was a city that actually a lot of people came in.

It was a transient city.

So people were kind of going in and out constantly.

People would go there for travel.

They would go there for culture.

So it would be a very interesting kind of city,

maybe much like the city that we have here.

And so that's the kind of context that he's writing this in.

And then he says, I remember you.

And then he gives them the ultimate CV.

I love the CV.

The work of faith, the labor of love, and the steadfastness of hope.

Now, if you have grown up reading the Bible,

then maybe you'll probably just glean over those words super quickly

and just kind of, oh, yeah, I remember.

It's just kind of the Christianese jargon.

But man, a few weeks ago when I was reading this,

I was like, you know what?

I would love to be described and remembered like that.

That I have a work of faith.

Work of faith.

Before I continue, I want you to,

we're going to have a little bit of interaction.

Don't worry, introverts, not too much.

But what does that even mean?

Work of faith to you.

Just turn to the person next to you and go,

hey, I'm going to have a guest now with you.

What does work of faith mean to you?

Go.

Hey, that's all.

I promise you there won't be long things,

so you don't have to do too much small talk.

What is work of faith to you?

We've heard this before.

Z-Way started off great,

which is what happens after you have faith?

So the moment you believe something and you have faith,

something changes.

There is a work that happens.

And that's important.

Because what he's saying here is that,

hey, it's not good enough just to have faith.

You can't just say you believe in Jesus

and then you kind of go about your way

and continue to do the same thing.

That's not really faith.

When faith leads to action

is what the book of James talks about.

So it's saying, actually,

you're doing something with your faith.

Do you do something with your faith

or do you just simply just believe that there is a God?

So that's a different thing.

Kyle was saying, actually,

it's about everything that you do.

Every piece of work that you do is filled with faith.

So that's a different angle,

which also is good there,

where actually when you go to work,

when you wake up in the morning

to go run your event and run your conference,

you're like, man, God is here.

And he wants me to do something in this.

As I start a new venture,

God is here and I'm going to step out in faith

because I believe in him.

So he says, guys, young church,

I remember you because you have a work in faith.

That means you believed

and then you put it out into action.

And the second is a labor of love.

This is easy,

so I won't get you to discuss this one.

This is, hey, you guys do things.

You guys labor and work.

And it is hard work.

But you do it out of love,

which is different to doing it out of duty,

doing it out of diligence,

doing it because you have to,

doing it because you feel

completely, completely guilty

if you don't do it.

And maybe just on this one,

I just want to ask, hey,

as we learn how to do life together,

yes, on a Sunday morning,

but also in the rest of our weeks,

but maybe let's just even talk

about the Sunday morning time

or maybe during the lunchtime.

What does a labor of love look like?

Labor of love looks like Trevor

helping with the rubbish at 1, 2 p.m.

when all the McDonald's

and all the maizins

and takeaways all stuffed in.

And you know, I've been there

and I know that you have too.

And I've seen some of you do it.

You look at the bin

that's filled in a nice pile

and you have faith

that you can squeeze your one in

into the corner.

And you leave just before it falls out.

Can we be a community

that actually goes,

okay, you know what?

This is part of where I call home

and the bin is pretty full.

Let me be the one that takes it out.

Why?

Because I want to love this community.

I might not feel like loving this community.

No one feels like doing the trash.

But in that moment,

I'm just going to do it

because actually out of my love for God,

out of my love for these people,

I'm going to go change the bin bag.

When I see someone stacking the chairs,

when I see Danny stacking the chairs

after the service,

you're like,

I want to help Danny.

I mean, I know he looks very strong

and that's probably why he's so strong

because he's doing all the chairs.

But maybe I should just help him.

Maybe I should,

Grace is like,

nah, hell nah.

Let Danny do it.

Can we be a group of people

that are out of love for God

and out of love for each other,

that the moments they're like,

come on.

We're like,

let's just tidy this place up together

because no one else is doing it.

But can we do it out of love?

Not out of duty.

Not because now Danny's right next to you

piling chairs

so you feel a little bit guilty

so you're like,

I guess I should help.

He's really struggling.

He never struggles,

but yeah.

But can we be that kind of community?

And then it says

the steadfastness of hope.

He says,

I remember you guys

because not only did you believe

and then it changed the way you live,

not only do you love people,

not just because of duty,

but you do it because of man.

The word love there is agape,

which means you love

even when they don't deserve it.

You take out the rubbish

even when the other people

don't deserve it.

You just watch someone

squeeze their McDonald's

into the bin.

And you're like,

but I will do it

because I love.

You do all these things

because you have a steadfastness of hope.

What is that?

That is,

the steadfastness of hope

is basically saying,

God,

I know Jesus is coming back.

It's not wishful thinking.

It's not,

I just remained hopeful.

It's not that.

But hope is something

that saves us

that we cannot see

but we know is going to happen.

And so we do it.

So he remembers them

in such a way

and I just love

that actually

that's the way it's described.

And then it says this,

and we find out

why they live with this,

the work of faith,

the labor of love

and the steadfastness of hope.

This is a good congregation.

This is a good young church.

Why do they do this?

And I think it's in verse four.

If you have a Bible,

I would love for you just to keep,

I'm just going to be going

through verse five first.

So if you are wondering,

when is this guy

going to stop talking?

You can actually see,

I'm just going to go

through the whole of chapter one

so you'll be able

to kind of track where I am.

And of course,

when I say Bible,

I mean this.

Who's got one of these?

Just,

can you be loud and proud of you?

Oh my goodness.

There's Juju,

JP,

Jocelyn,

guess good.

Judging the rest of you,

this is the Bible.

The other is the iPhone.

15.

And that doesn't count.

Or whatever

rubbish Android thing you have.

So,

the reason why this is

the living word of God

is because this

demands your attention

and demands your focus.

That little

piece of technology

that you have

is trying to grab

your attention

and distract you

in any and every way.

So,

actually,

sounds a little bit snobby,

but I don't read

my Bible.

I actually deleted

my Bible app

to stop me

from reading the Bible

on my phone

just because I'm like,

I'm not actually

reading it anyway

because I'm such a popular guy.

I have all these

WhatsApps that come in,

all these IG reels

that people tag me in

because I'm such a big deal.

So,

it's just,

every time I read the word,

I just have to,

have to go and check that

and do the double click.

And before I know it,

I've forgotten

where I was reading.

Okay,

so this is the Bible

and I will keep saying that

until the day I die.

So,

verse four,

we find out why

they are like this.

And it says this,

for we know,

brothers,

loved by God

and that He has chosen you

because our gospel

came to you

not only in word

but also in power

and in the Holy Spirit

and with full conviction.

When was the last time

you listened to a sermon

and you felt

moved by the Holy Spirit

that it was filled with power

and that it was filled

with,

and you received it

with conviction

and you charged out of church

going,

man,

that is the word of God.

I've got to do something

about it.

Or did you listen

to a sermon

and it was

intellectually curious

that it was like,

oh,

that guy's pretty good.

That was an interesting point.

I didn't know that

about Thessalonica.

Oh,

that was a funny joke.

He seemed quite entertaining.

The only reason

that there is

life transformation

when we receive

the gospel

is if we receive it

with power

and conviction.

That's the only way

because if you're here

going,

hey,

come James,

just speak to me.

Just like a TED talk.

Just listen to me.

It's a kind of interesting topic.

Then your life's

not going to be transformed

and you're not going

to be remembered

in this way

because you're not

receiving it

with conviction.

You're just kind of like,

oh,

that was a funny joke.

Oh,

he's so funny.

Oh,

she was so interesting.

What a moving story.

And then you just leave.

And then you wonder

why your life

isn't really changing.

And you wonder

why you don't really

have a work of faith.

You don't really

labor in love.

And you don't have

that kind of steadfast,

unshaken hope

because you're not

receiving the word

with power

and with conviction,

of course,

with the Holy Spirit.

And that's why

when I read the Bible,

I'm like,

God,

this book sometimes

just feels boring to me,

but God,

just show me.

Show me there is power

in this book.

Holy Spirit,

can you shine a light

on the things

that you want me to hear

and understand today?

That's how we read the word.

So they received it

and more importantly,

they then lived it out.

One prayer

that I've always had

is that especially

for someone,

let's say,

those of us who are

in ministry

in different contexts,

when you give talks

and when you share

the gospel,

the prayer that I've

always had is,

may my preaching

never outrun my living.

May I never become

so good just holding

a microphone,

speaking,

that it actually

outruns my living.

And when you see me preach,

you think,

oh, that's pretty good.

But when you look

at my life,

you think,

oh, that's not

quite matching up.

Because what Paul says

is, hey,

you saw how we were

when we were with you.

You saw how much

power I had.

You saw how much

conviction I had.

You saw the Holy Spirit

working in me.

Now I want you

to have the same.

So here's the question

that I have for you.

Does your life

match up with

what you say you believe?

Does your life

match up with

what you say you believe?

Now what does

this look like?

This looks like

when something

goes wrong at work,

do you still have

that kind of faith?

Or does the moment

a colleague

say something bad

about you,

or a student

say something bad

about you,

or a patient

says something bad

about you,

or your boss

shows that they

don't like you,

you are just crushed.

And then you can't sleep.

When what you say

you believe is that,

man,

I am made for more

than just my job.

That life is more

than just what other

people say about me.

And it's quickly

exposed.

It is quickly

exposed whether

actually our lives

are contradicting

or complementing

to what we

actually believe.

What do you say

you believe?

And do you

actually believe it?

And do you

actually live it

out with conviction

and with power?

Because if you don't,

if it doesn't

quite match,

then maybe that's

where the problem

is.

And then he says

this, verse 5,

again,

they received all

of this with much

affliction.

They didn't need

to receive this.

You don't need

to be here.

They definitely

didn't need to be here.

And those people

who live in countries

that maybe have

a little bit more

pressure,

they know,

you know that

when you turn up

to a church service,

there is a gamble,

there is a risk

that you are taking.

But they are there

despite the affliction

because there is a joy.

Sadly,

we've been deprived

of that opportunity

to exercise that muscle

because we come

and it's all fun

and there's literally

no threat to us at all.

There's no affliction

coming up here

apart from maybe

the security guard

downstairs asking you

which floor you're going on.

And then you tell them

subsidize it out

and then it's okay.

Can you imagine

walking into a church

in a place where actually

I've got to

do a double take

before I go up this lift,

before I tell someone

what floor I'm going up on

just in case someone

from the marketplace

who recognizes me

sees me,

oh,

they go there.

Oh,

they're that kind of person.

We should retract

that invite.

We should stop this.

We should stop that.

And he says,

you saw us,

then you copied us

and now other people

are hearing about it.

And this really comes

to the heart

of really discipleship.

And that is,

and this is the main topic

of what I wanted

to ask you today

is this,

imitation.

Discipleship

is essentially imitation.

If you think about

the word disciple,

it means student,

it means learner,

it means follower,

it means actually

you're just simply

imitating that person.

I was sharing in a dinner

on Friday night

that actually Joe and I,

we imitated our parents,

imitated our dad

without even really knowing.

We grow up in these settings

where we'd organize sports

and we'd have young adults

come over to our house

when we were just little kids,

not really being aware

or recognizing

that actually he was discipling.

And then suddenly,

fast forward many few years,

we're doing the same thing.

And you realize

that age old statement

that that discipleship,

discipling

is often caught,

not taught.

You can't teach someone,

hey,

this is how you disciple.

No,

you say,

hey,

this is how I do it.

And actually,

you just let that go.

Watch what I do.

It is not do as I say.

It is watch what I do

and then do as I do.

The question is,

who do you imitate?

Who have you imitated?

In fact,

culture is one of imitation.

Culture is one of imitation.

And actually,

those of us who move

to a big city,

one that is a bit

of a cultural melting pot

like Hong Kong,

like Thessalonica,

it is all about copying.

Think about fashion trends.

How do fashion trends

even happen?

It's because you look

at someone

and you think,

that looks cool.

I'm going to imitate that

and I'm going to buy it.

Think about how you

subconsciously imitate people.

We were at a dinner

the other night

and I had a chat

with Ellen

and my dear childhood friend,

Ken,

is here.

Ken and Jess,

they've just moved

their family to Hong Kong

from England

and I was asking,

hey,

does my accent sound

just like Ken's?

And Ellen was like,

no,

yours is kind of like,

and Ken actually said,

yours is compromised now.

Oh,

that was a dagger.

Because when you come

into a place,

you inadvertently

start changing,

subconsciously start changing.

In my defense

of all the Australians

and Americans

that I have to hang out with,

they just don't understand

real English

so I've had to kind of

just bend

to get to the point

where they truly understand.

And it's only afterwards

when I speak to Ken

and I'm like,

man,

how far have I fallen?

How far have I fallen

from the glory

of Great Britain?

So I seek to make amends

and I seek to kind of

go return

back to the former glory.

And of course,

we grew up in an era

where,

and I know Ken,

well,

Ken's known me for so long,

I had a lot of hair

when I first met Ken.

A lot of that.

And we grew up

in the late 1900s.

1900s.

So the late 1900s

were...

Grace has just...

Grace,

you're from the same decade.

Well,

Grace and Ken

and those of us

will remember

that in the late 1900s

there was this

boy band

called the Backstreet Boys.

Where did that come from?

Where was that?

Nick Carter.

Is it Nick Carter?

Yeah,

it's Nick Carter.

And those curtains.

Like,

I tried the curtain thing.

Ken tried the curtain thing.

We all tried

the curtain thing.

Culture

demands

that you try

the curtain thing.

Culture imitates.

You hadn't met him then,

yeah.

But you imitate.

We imitate.

The question that we have

is actually

who are we

imitating?

Just evaluate

your life right now.

If I ask you

in the most respectful,

polite,

loving way,

what is your life?

You would probably

be able to tell me

a collection of influences

that you've been imitating

to get to where

you're at now.

Good ones.

really good ones.

Really holy ones.

And then really bad ones.

Right?

The question is

who are you imitating?

This young church

in Thessalonica

were imitating

Paul and Timothy,

those who started

the church.

And you see,

once they imitated,

then

the word started

to spread.

It started to spread.

Now other people

were hearing

about this church

and they were like,

this church

is fire.

This church

is filled with

the people there

are just,

and that's what

Paul is saying.

Hey,

I started this thing

two years ago,

but now I'm starting

to hear about you guys

and it's cool

and it's good

because you have

a work of faith,

you have a labor of love

and you have a steadfastness

of hope.

People are hearing

about you.

Here's something else

that I find

actually for us

as a church

is actually

if we're doing

what God

is asking us to do,

if we're trying

to imitate him,

then naturally

people will start

hearing about it.

But we only want

people to hear

about this

for the right reasons.

Wouldn't it be

incredible

if you wanted

to find out

about the church

in Thessalonica,

you look at this church

and you're like,

this was a good church.

I would like to go

to this church.

What time is their service

and which MTR stop is it?

I would love to go

and visit this church.

Wouldn't it be great

that if you wanted

to get a taste

of the church

of Thessalonica,

you just have to come

to the gathering?

Wouldn't that be fun?

Wouldn't it be nice

for people to hear

about this church

going,

these guys,

these guys are built

different.

They love different.

See,

this interesting thing

about maybe

contemporary church culture,

one that we're

very much part of,

is that churches

have started

just basically

self-promoting.

We have an Instagram

account,

we have a Facebook

account,

and say,

hey,

look what we did here.

Worship night,

selfie,

hashtag fire,

all these things,

and it's just branding

and it's trying

to advertise and go,

hey,

look,

look what we're doing

here.

Look how good it is,

look how cool,

look how cool

the gathering is.

But that's not my heart,

that's not my prayer.

Leonard Ravenhill,

a famous British evangelist,

said this,

no one needs

to advertise a fire.

No one needs

to advertise a fire.

If there's a fire,

people will know

about it.

Our job isn't

to advertise

and say,

hey,

look what we're doing here,

this is so great,

this is so fun.

Come,

if you want to

sit in a church service

and if you're late,

you have to stand

for the whole time,

come.

Wouldn't it be great

if people are like,

I just want to know

what real Christianity is.

I just want to meet

real followers of Jesus

that are not hypocrites,

that are very real

about their flaws,

that are really trying

their best

to live a life

devoted to

and following Jesus.

I would love to come

and meet these people.

Wouldn't that be a church

that we really want

to be a part of?

No?

You don't want

to be a part of it?

Sorry,

who was this?

That's the hope.

Here's another question.

So the first one was like,

who are you imitating?

The second question

I have for you is this,

if someone imitated

your life,

would they look

more like Jesus?

If someone looked

at your life

and like,

you know what,

Uday just seems

like such a good guy,

just so capable

of growing

such great facial hair

and just those muscles,

I'm going to imitate Uday.

How do I do this?

Which gym do I sign up to

and what do I do?

Now,

if we all imitated Uday,

would we start

looking more like Jesus?

That's the question

Uday needs to ask himself.

If someone looked

at the way

you read the Bible,

if someone looked

at the way you prayed,

if someone looked

at the way you love

people on the fringe

who people don't

usually love,

would they become

more like Jesus?

Or would they not?

That's the question

I have to ask.

When people look

at our lives

and they seek

to copy

and imitate our lives,

would it lead them

to looking more like Jesus?

Because if that's

not the case,

then something's wrong.

We were made

in the image

of God.

We have all

fallen short.

But we're supposed

to be heading

into that direction

to look like him

so that if someone

is following you,

they will start

looking like him.

1 Corinthians 11,

that's what Paul says,

imitate me

as I imitate Christ.

So as we seek

to follow Christ

and we have other people

follow,

our hope is that

we would just not

create mini Jameses

and mini Mihis,

but we would create

mini Jesuses,

Christians,

Christians.

But isn't that

the problem

with the church?

It's funny

because at this dinner

that I was speaking

at on Friday,

it was a dinner

designed to share

the gospel with people

and actually

it was refreshing.

It was talking

to a whole group

of people

who don't know

the gospel,

just non-believers

who haven't been

in a church

in Hong Kong.

And just to speak

to them and go,

hey, so how come,

have you been to church?

Oh, no, no, no, no, no.

But I went to DBS.

Have you been to church?

Oh, no,

but I went to St. Mary Noel.

Oh, so what?

The people I saw

in school,

the Christians

that I saw

were not really

that inspiring.

In fact,

they did the opposite thing.

They turned me

off the faith.

Put your hand up

if you've heard

someone say

something like that.

Oh,

that should ache you.

That should break

your heart.

That's one of the

questions I was asked.

So I did this,

I did this talk

and there was like

15 minutes of Q&A

afterwards,

which terrified me

because I was like,

can I just speak

over time

so that we don't

have time for Q&A?

But that was

one of the questions.

What do we do

with people who,

when they say,

oh, well,

I'm kind of interested

in God,

but people just

put me off.

Those Christians

really put me off.

It's called hypocrisy.

When they say one thing

and they do another.

Do you think

this young church

in Thessalonica

would have survived

if Paul and Timothy

lived a different gospel

to the one

that they preached?

No.

It wouldn't have happened

then and it won't

happen now.

The question for us

is do we live

with the same power

and conviction?

The word really here

is integrity.

If you ask me

what that word,

and I think Keller

described it in such a way,

integrity is basically

are you the same person

in any and every circumstance

regardless of

who's around you?

Now,

you've got to temper

that with what Paul

says in 1 Corinthians 9

which is,

I become all things

to all people

in order that I may

save some.

To the Jews,

I'm a Jew.

To the Greek,

I'm a Greek.

It's not quite that

because that's actually

just getting to the place

where you can relate

to people

so you can share

the gospel with them.

You and I know

it's not about that.

That's not the problem

we have.

The problem that we have

is that when we're

in different groups,

we start acting

different altogether.

We have different

values altogether.

Our language changes

because of the people

that we're around.

Much like my accent,

when I'm around

people,

Americans,

and they don't understand

certain words I'm saying,

I'll have to say it

in the way

that they understand it.

The wrong way,

but I have to say it

in that way

together.

Or if you meet

Singaporean and Malaysian people,

they do the same.

Because some Singaporean

and Malaysian people

that I meet,

I'm like,

oh,

actually,

I don't quite hear

the accent,

but they're like,

oh,

trust me,

the moment I'm with

my fellow Singaporeans,

things turn up.

Walau!

And it comes out.

Do you have integrity?

If someone imitated you,

would they look more

like Jesus?

Because that is what

the church desperately,

desperately,

desperately needs.

As part of my role

with Young Life,

I always get asked,

why are so many,

so many young people

leaving the church?

And I'm like,

I just,

I just think it's because

they don't see

enough real people,

real Christians.

They have this perception

that has been passed on

as to what Christian

living should be like.

Their mom or their dad

tells them this is how

it should be,

and then they go home

and they see a very

different version of it.

And then we wonder

why they're leaving.

This next generation

is hungry for,

desperate for,

people who are

authentic and vulnerable.

Now,

there is a nuance there,

and Gabs and I were

talking about this

this morning,

the goal isn't for us

to kind of go to people

and go,

hey,

I'm just like you.

I'm a sinner,

just like you.

I do the same stuff as you.

We can go to LKF tonight

and we'll do the same stuff.

It's okay.

I'm real.

I'm not fake.

It isn't that.

It's being honest

with who you are

and saying,

I have this temptation

and I have messed up

in my life,

but I call myself higher

because I'm trying

to look more like Jesus.

So I am not

where I used to be,

but I am also not

where I should be

and I am heading

in that direction.

People to be honest

with that

is what we really need.

To have people

who are genuine

about their faith

because modern culture

is so disillusioned.

So disillusioned

with the church.

You see all these

scandals that are

happening everywhere.

You see all this abuse

that is happening everywhere.

People who are not

imitating Jesus.

If someone imitated you,

would they look

more like Jesus?

So people are hearing

about this church.

They're hearing about it

and it's spreading everywhere.

For they themselves

report concerning us,

verse 9.

For they themselves

report concerning us

the kind of reception

we had among you

and how you turn to God

from idols to serve

the true living

and true God.

They're hearing about

this group of people

that have turned away

from idols.

Now Thessalonica

was a place

that had tons of idols,

all kinds of statues,

things that you would worship.

And now this group,

this small group,

this young group

were now getting famous

or they were hearing

about this group

that they were turning

away from those things.

The question is,

as we evaluate

each of our lives,

have we genuinely

turned from the idols

that we have?

The same idols

that the world has.

I was reading

different newspapers

these last few weeks

and I was like,

you know what?

And of course,

the more time you spend

reading just articles

about the world,

your heart just sinks

further and further.

And I was looking

at the SEMP,

I was looking at the BBC

and I was like,

you know what?

All of these articles,

all of these events

can be summed up

by what Richard Foster

calls the three idols,

just money,

sex and power.

If you remove

the problems

that come from money,

sex and power,

there would be no news

this year.

You could categorize

every one of these

bad events

into one of these

three things.

Now these things

technically are

neutral things.

Money is a neutral

thing.

It's just a number,

it's just a piece

of paper.

But we've turned

it into something,

an idol,

and then we've

let it consume us,

we've let it corrupt us.

Sex isn't just

a neutral thing,

sex is a beautiful thing.

We cannot live,

we cannot survive

as a species

without sex.

but we've

been corrupted by it,

we've been consumed

by it,

it's been distorted,

it's been twisted,

turned into an idol,

put in a place

where it shouldn't

really belong.

Power.

We were given power

in the very beginning.

Genesis 1,

what does God say

to Adam and Eve?

He says,

I've given you

authority and dominion

over creation.

Power is

essentially good.

if we use it

for the right thing.

We serve and

trust and follow

a benevolent king

with all the authority.

But often,

the moment we

have power,

we use it

for our own good.

It's funny,

when you start off

in a profession

that's really hard,

medics maybe

is a good example

of this,

it's super,

super hard,

super, super busy,

you get completely

just destroyed

by your bosses

and your supervisors,

and so just

the whole vibe

within the profession

is just sad

and no one smiles.

And I'm like,

oh,

that my boss

is mistreating me.

But it's funny,

isn't it?

It's funny that it

happens to so many of us

when we get mistreated

when we're at the bottom

of the ladder,

but the moment we reach

the top of the ladder,

suddenly it's our turn

and it's kind of like,

well,

this is the only way,

this is what happened

to me.

And so this is how

I will dish it out.

But as Christ followers,

we believe in a king

who surrendered

all of that power

and spent time

with the least of these.

That's what we should

be imitating.

And then it says this,

and this is the final verse,

so this is the good news

to those of you

who are falling asleep.

And to wait for his son

from heaven.

This group of people

who have turned

from those idols

are now waiting

for the son.

I think there's

people here

in this room

who kind of

understand the gospel

and say,

yeah, I do,

Jesus,

I do believe you.

And I also believe

that you're coming back again.

And I also want you

to come back again.

But can you come back

after I get qualified

as an accountant?

Actually,

Jesus,

I really welcome you back,

but can it only be

after I get my own apartment?

Or actually,

Jesus,

I really,

really want you back.

I am so desperate

for you to come back,

but only after I find

a girlfriend

and I can get married

and I can have kids.

I think for some people,

if the good news

was to step into this room

right now,

it wouldn't be good news

because you would have

your own ambitions.

You're like,

oh, Jesus,

yeah,

it is cool that you're here,

but could you just wait

in that room

just for a little bit longer

because I've got a couple

other things to do.

This group,

this young church,

of course,

it's easy to understand

because they have

this affliction,

they have to double down

to be here,

which is something,

as I'll say again,

that we don't have.

So we have to constantly

remind ourselves

of this more

because of the comfort,

because of the complacency

that comes with the comfort.

These guys were here

because they were desperately,

eagerly waiting

for the son.

Are you waiting

for the son?

Are you truly waiting

for him to come back?

Or are you kind of like,

yeah,

I guess I want him

to come back,

but only after I do

all the things

that I want to do.

The kind of community,

the kind of believer

that I'm praying

that I become,

that I hope

that we will become

is people who are

just so set

on the return of Jesus

that they will have

this kind of hope

that isn't a wishful

thinking kind of hope.

But it is a hope

that he is coming back.

So in the meantime,

I will take out the trash.

But out of just joy

and love

and conviction.

That's the type of

people I want us to be.

And to wait for his son

from heaven,

whom he raised from the dead,

Jesus,

who delivers us

from the wrath to come.

And maybe that's the reason

why we aren't

that desperate

for him to come back.

Because we don't truly

understand the wrath.

And the church

doesn't really like

to talk about the wrath

because it's not one

of those lovey-dovey

verses that you can

put on a fridge magnet.

But until you truly

understand that you

and I are destined

for wrath,

so therefore no

earthly affliction

and persecution

can really weigh up

to what it is,

that you have truly

been saved

from the wrath,

maybe you won't

be that desperate

for Jesus to come back.

Maybe you think

you're actually

a good enough person

that you will be spared.

That's the key here.

The heart of the gospel

is knowing that we are

in deep need

of a saviour.

And if we were to meet

our creator tomorrow,

we wouldn't be able

to get past him

without the son.

Because I think

some of us,

we may not say this

out loud,

but we're kind of like,

oh, I don't know,

I fancy my chances.

I've been a decent person.

Look at my tax receipts.

It's like,

I've donated

to a lot of charities.

And so you think

you'll meet your creator

and he'll be like,

oh, you've actually

been okay.

You can get through.

No, because if you

have that mindset,

then maybe you don't

need the son.

And that's why

you're not that eager.

Because you think

all the other things

will get you there.

But this group of people,

this group of people

were waiting for the son.

They have turned

from their idols

to the living God

Jesus who has saved

them from the wrath.

And you wonder,

well, how did he do that?

How does he rescue us

from the wrath?

Because he took

on the wrath himself.

Because he went

to the cross himself

and he spared us

from that.

So we should be

filled with the joy.

We should be filled

with conviction.

We should be filled

with power.

And so until we truly

understand that bit,

maybe we don't

truly get it.

Maybe we choose

to imitate the things

of this world more.

So my heart is this.

And I'll finish here.

And I'll summarize

the questions.

Who are you imitating?

Who are you a product of?

As you sit,

just think about

the way you talk,

the way you act,

think about the values

that you have.

Julie and I were talking

the other day

and we're just joking

that he's poking

in front of me

because one of my idols

is the issue

of cheap parking.

I am willing to walk

very far,

I assure you,

to get cheap parking.

Every time,

if I end up having

to pay a specific place

and have no parking

redemption,

oh,

I am,

my heart is in despair.

And I'm willing

to spend quite a lot

extra to get

the free parking.

And he jokes

that that's one

of my idols.

And of course,

where did I get that from?

It's because I imitate

my dad.

I caught it,

he didn't teach me.

It just happened.

Because I watched him

walk 20 minutes

in the rain

to save £1.50.

Who are you imitating?

Have a think about your life.

Who have you been imitating?

And now there's good ones

and there's great ones,

but I know

there are also bad ones.

And can you,

first of all,

just be aware of them?

Be able to articulate,

oh man,

that's,

yeah,

I caught that.

I need to get,

I need to give that up.

Who are you,

who have you been imitating?

In your office,

who have you been imitating?

Have you been imitating

your boss

so that they can like you

a little bit more?

That was my first question.

My second question is,

if someone was to imitate you,

would they look more like Jesus?

And are you truly

eager for

and waiting for

the son

to come back?

If he stepped

into this room

on the 14th floor

right now,

would that be good news

to you?

Would that be good news

to you?

For this group,

it was.

And my prayer

that as we go

on our way,

as we look through

this book,

as we are the same

kind of age

as this church here,

that we would commit

to following the way

of Jesus,

just like this group did.

And that we wouldn't

have to advertise

the fire that's here

because people will see,

people will hear

that there is a group

of people

that live differently,

that they love differently,

that they work differently,

that they hope differently

because of Jesus.

Can I invite you now

just to spend a moment

of reflection

to ponder those questions,

to surrender anything

that actually

you know

shouldn't be there,

that you've been

imitating the wrong person,

or if you've just realized

that if someone

was to imitate you

right now,

it would be

a horrible fate

for them.

Without

being too hard

on yourself,

would you then

repent of that?

Would you confess?

And then would you

turn around?

Turn around

and go back

to following Jesus.

Let's just spend

a moment to pray now.

Jesus,

we choose you.

We try our very best

not to say that

lightly or casually.

that Jesus,

we really do

choose you

to follow you.

Forgive us

when we don't.

Forgive us

when it's too hard

and we give up.

Forgive us

when we are

distracted.

We just want to look

more like you.

And show us now,

Lord,

what that looks like

in our lives.

So that when

others see us,

they see you.

Thank you, Lord.

in your name

we pray.

Amen.

Please take a seat.

Just have a final

thought.

Our society,

our culture

has cheapened

the word follow.

I don't know

if you agree

with this

because we've

used that word

and put it

mostly on social

media

and we follow

people

on social

media.

But the word

follow

that we

kind of

interpret it

as,

we really

just mean

we watch

and we stalk.

I feel

with all the love

in my heart,

I feel as though

there are many

of us here

who are guilty

of simply

following Jesus

on Instagram.

And what I

mean by that

is that we

follow him

from a distance

we watch

and we've

seen and we

read and we

just follow.

But that's not

the follow

that we're

after here.

When Jesus