How to Rescue Those in Spiritual Danger, Part 1

Guest (Male): Today on Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram.
Chip Ingram: Do you know anyone that's drifting away from Christ? Is there someone in your relational network that you see disaster is on the horizon? How do you bring them back without coming off as holier than thou? That's what we're going to address today.
Guest (Male): Welcome to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. Have you ever watched someone you love slowly drift away from God a little at a time until one day you realize they're nowhere close to where they used to be? Well, today Chip begins a redemptive message showing us that drifting is exactly what happens to all of us left to ourselves, and he introduces what he calls a spiritual rescue intervention. A way to reach that person before they drift completely out of sight. Now, let's join Chip in 1 Thessalonians chapter two for today's message titled, How to Rescue Those in Spiritual Danger.
Chip Ingram: You ever feel between a rock and a hard place? You see someone that you haven't seen around for a while and you think to yourself, boy, I wonder how they're doing spiritually? And oh, they've probably been out of town. And then it's beyond they've been out of town. And you sense you really need to say something. But you think if I start talking to people about why they haven't been around, why they didn't come to a Bible study or community group, or I haven't seen them at church, then they're going to think I'm some holier than thou Gestapo in their case. And who am I to do that? And so you know what happens normally? We don't say anything. And we don't say anything, and there's people who God loves very deeply and he made us as a body, and he made us as a body to love them and care for them. There's a lot of people that feel desperately confused, very guilty, and when they need to come and be with God's people the most, it's when they tend to come the least. The first two years of my Christian life were some of the most joyful, confusing, difficult, and frustrating of my whole life. I didn't know anything. I had never opened the Bible until I was 18. I didn't know much about this new life. And I was, boy, I was forgiven, and I had peace, and I had purpose. I was excited about it. But I'd take one or two steps this way, and then boom, four or five back this way. And you know, I'd make real decisions about really wanting to follow God and address issues in my life, and three days later I'd find myself doing just the thing I said I didn't want to do anymore. And then I'd feel guilty at church, then I felt this, and then pretty soon I learned how to sleep in. And then avoid Christians. And then I thought there was something wrong with me. I thought my faith must be defective. But it was real, and I kept longing and wanting to be near to Christ, but it was so hard, and I got so frustrated. You know what I didn't understand? Just as there's physical laws that govern the universe, there are spiritual laws that govern our lives. And the law I didn't know about was the law of entropy. That's the second law of thermodynamics for all the non-engineers and science majors, who didn't study that part. It has to do basically with that that well-known fact in life that when you go on a diet, you can work, work, work, work, work to lose 10 pounds, and you gain it back in three days. It's that well-known fact that when you clean your garage, that it doesn't keep getting cleaner and cleaner, it just starts getting dirty. That when you wash your car, three days later, it starts looking bad again. That when you make commitments, that when you move and work in relationships and it gets better and better and better, just do nothing, it'll get worse. You see, the entire universe is moving from order into chaos. Things aren't getting better and better and better. Things left to themselves, do what? They get worse. And it's true spiritually. Every single one of us will go through seasons where in your heart of hearts, you will find yourself drifting away from God. And that's what I want to talk about. That's what the Apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians is going to talk about tonight. How in the world do you overcome this magnetic draw away from Christ? The danger is the longer we drift, the more difficult it is to return. The word picture that comes to my mind is that of a little boat. I mean like a little rowboat drifting out to sea. The farther it drifts, the greater the danger. Picture if you will, a little rowboat and it's out by the harbor, and then it gets out past the harbor, and then the waves and the currents and the winds, and it gets beyond the horizon. Now it's so far away from shore, no one can see it. Spiritually, there's people that you know, and there's people that I know who are spiritually drifting away from God and the truth and all the things that we know are right. It happens. In fact, it happens so regularly that in Hebrews 3:13, we are given a command about how to relate to one another. It says, "But encourage," build up. "But encourage one another, when? Day after day, as long as it is still called today." Now, how many days does that apply to? When you wake up, what do you usually call it? Today. "Encourage one another day after day as long as it's still called today." Why? "Lest any one of you be hardened, your hearts be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." See, it's not just, no one wakes up and says, you know something? God's been so good to me. He loves me. He's restored relationships. He's done such a work of grace in my life. I never knew what peace was. I've got forgiveness. I've got purpose. He's used me in the lives of other people. Today would be a good day just to drop out. You know, I think I'll just quit the Christian life today. No one wakes up and does that. You do it by little, tiny degrees. The question then is who do you know that is in spiritual danger? If you visualized in your mind a little rowboat drifting past the harbor, and then the wind and the current taking it out to sea, who's in that boat? Is it you? Is it a friend? Is it a family member, a mate, a child? Is it a coworker? You know they're a believer, and you've watched the slide. And I want you to say, "Oh God, who's in that little rowboat that the current is pulling out? They're going farther and farther away from shore. And they're going to destroy themselves. They're going to have a fractured family. They're going to end up shipwrecking their faith. They're going to end up doing something very, very dumb, and it's going to cost them a lot, and it's going to embarrass your name, and it's going to embarrass your church, and they will reap the consequences forever." Who is it? Because I'm going to tell you, there's a lot at stake tonight. This is exactly the situation that the Apostle Paul is going to write into. There's a church he's been away from for plus or minus two years, 18 to 24 months. And he knows that there's incredible persecution on the outside, and he knows there's great temptation on the inside. And he literally can't sleep at night. And he can't sleep at night because he's fearful. And what he's fearful about is that all their labor, all their preaching, all their discipling is going to go straight down the tubes because these people are going to spiritually drift, and they're going to end up shipwrecked. And after coming to Christ, they're going to drift away, and there's going to be no impact, no fruit, no church. And you know what? This is something that makes the Apostle Paul's heart beat and pound, and it's one of his passions. And what we're going to look at tonight is a letter he writes to that group where he jumps into what I want to call his 911 rescue response. If you'll open your study notes, we're going to look here, and we're going to see that there is a way to help people. And I've been in restaurants. I've seen the people come in. I think, they used to go to our church. And then I rationalize, "They're probably going somewhere else." And I sit here at a restaurant or in the mall just like this, and as I sit here, I don't say anything. I don't say anything because I don't want them to reject me. I don't say anything because I think they'll think I'm butting into their lives. I don't say anything because I'm not obeying scripture. What we're going to learn tonight is what to say and how to say it and how to do it in such a way where those people, you're going to be like a little tugboat. And as those people are drifting out of the harbor into danger, God is going to show us through the Apostle Paul how in a little tugboat you can come alongside, throw a little anchor, or whatever they rope you throw over, hook onto their boat and pull them into safety. And you won't be pushy. You won't be holier than thou. And it'll happen in a way that will restore them to the savior. And so let's look at the model that the Apostle Paul gives us here. He's going to model a 911 rescue response. In verses 13 through 16 of chapter 2, Paul thanks God continually for the manner in which the Thessalonians received the word of God's message. Now, just before I read it, listen carefully. Here's what he's going to do. He's going to tell them, "I am so impressed." Notice he starts very positively. He's going to say, "I'm so impressed about how authentic your faith is." And then he's going to say, "I know it's authentic because you have held strong even in the midst of persecution." And then he's going to have a little aside where he talks about the evil of those who persecute the church and then the judgment that God's going to have on it. So follow along with me. Verse 13. He says, "And for this reason, we constantly thank God that when you received from us the word of God's message, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe." Do you hear what he's saying? He's communicating his gratitude. He says, "I'm continually thankful for you." By the way, that's the best way to start with people. Be thankful and communicate your gratitude for times in your shared experience when you know their faith was authentic, when it was operating well.
Guest (Male): You're listening to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. And we'll pick the message back up in just a moment. Quick question, is Chip's teaching already on your phone? The Chip Ingram app puts his messages, video teachings, and daily encouragement right in your pocket. So you're never more than a tap away from something like what you're hearing right now. It's completely free and it only takes a minute to download wherever you get your apps. Okay, now let's get back to today's message.
Chip Ingram: Now, how does he know? Look at verse 14. "For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you endured the same sufferings at the hands of your own countrymen, even as they did from the Jews." He's going back to the early days. They received the word, you came to Christ, you had a lot of pressure, you had a lot of persecution. He says, "Hey, I want to congratulate you and I want to thank God for those early times in your faith where I saw you stand up under difficult times." In fact, the little phrase here where it says, "You received the word of God," where he says, "Not as a word from men, but from God." And then he says, "Which also performs its work in you." That word for work we get our word energy. It's used in the New Testament for a supernatural activity. He says, "There was clear evidence of a supernatural working of the Spirit of God through the word of God that was transforming your life even in the midst of great persecution." Now he has a little aside in verse 15 and 16. He says that just as the Jews persecuted him and the Lord, their countrymen are doing it to them. And he goes on, "Who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and drove us out." Now, notice his description of the enemies of the cross of Christ. One, they are not pleasing to God. Two, they are hostile to all men. Three, they've been hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles in order that they might be saved with the result that they're always filling up the measure of their sins. Then notice the conclusion, "But wrath has come upon them to the utmost." He paints a picture of real gratitude. And he does it in the context of, "I know it's real because I reached back into our shared experience and how you walked with God in the midst of hard times against some pretty tough cookies." So here's the application. I'm going to give you four steps of rescue intervention. Step one: Communicate your gratitude for the authenticity of their faith in the midst of spiritual opposition. See, when I'm sitting in that restaurant or when I'm at the mall or when I bump into someone, or if I see someone at church and I know, man, it's been a long time since they've been here, or they've not been to our Bible study group or whatever. See, how they're feeling is how we've felt when we've been there, or maybe some of you are there tonight. You feel down on yourself. You feel like, you know, you've got to perform and do something good to get God to love you, which isn't true, but you feel that way. You think everyone's down on you, and you think everyone is going to really get hard on you if you go back. And so what you need is people to help you and love you and support you, and you do what I do. I tend to avoid them at that time. So guess what we need to do? We need to communicate our gratitude to God for the authenticity of their faith. And you need to reach back into a shared experience. In one of my surgeries, I had the chance to lead a young mom to the Lord. And I led her to the Lord, and she comes from a very difficult background. And her father is an atheist. She had never been in a church in her life. But little by little, as I went to physical therapy, I got to share my faith, and then she began to read the scriptures on her own, and little by little she trusted Christ. And early on, she was very, very faithful in church and making good progress. But she's got all these demands and all these pressures, and you know how it is, right? Those early years. And I hadn't seen her for quite some time. And so she stopped in a Saturday night, and I just, first of all, I just, I think, I think the way you greet people is important. I just, I just said, "Oh, it's so good to see you. I'm so glad you're here." You see, that's a lot better than, "Oh, where have you been?" You understand what I'm saying? Let's communicate some love. Everybody in this room has dropped the ball spiritually, and if you haven't, you will. So, what we need to do is be positive and encouraging towards people. Well, she needed to pick something up, and I gave a couple words of encouragement, but there wasn't much time. She swung by the office to pick something up. And then I, then I was able to share, I said, "Boy, you know, I think of when you trusted Christ, the impact you've had there. And you know, the steps you've taken, how it's impacted your family. I am so thankful to God for how he's already used your life and the authenticity," I didn't use this word, but I communicated, "the authenticity of your faith." And you know, you could just see her eyes start to light up. She was starting to remember, "Oh yeah. Yeah." And then, so guess what her next line is, "Oh, you know, I need to be here a lot more often. You know, I I miss everyone, and I've just, I'm listening, you know, then, you know, I'm reading on my own." And then I was able to say, "Yeah, you know, I think all that's really great, but we miss you. It's not a matter of just what you need. You see, God's given you something, and as you come, you have something to give to the body, and we're incomplete without you. We really miss you. But I'm thankful to God for all he's done in you." Do you hear that? Have you got step one of rescue intervention? That's how you communicate to people that are drifting away. Now, we're going to talk about step two in just a second. Let's look at what the Apostle Paul does. After he communicates his gratitude, then he expresses genuine concern. Verse 17. "But we, brethren, having been bereft," that's an interesting word. The NIV, I like a little better, says, "Having been torn away from you for a short period, in person, not in spirit, were all the more eager with great desire to see you face to face." By the way, this little word bereft or bereaved is the idea, you might circle it, it means to be physically separated but also with mental anguish. It's an involuntary separation. One commentator says you could translate it orphaned. Do you hear what he's doing? He's communicating his sincere concern. This isn't perfunctory. This isn't, "Oh, we happen to go to church together." This is, "I care about you." And notice the word here, he says, "We have great desire." It's the most emphatic, intensive form of that verb that you can that you can have. In fact, that same word is translated in a negative way, of being extremely lustful. Exact same word, but it's used in a positive way here. He's saying, "My heart beats for you." And even though we've been separated geographically, I'll tell you what, it's out of sight, out of mind, it doesn't happen to the Apostle Paul. Out of sight, deep in my heart. He says, "I greatly desire to see your face." Why? "For we wanted to come to you." "I, Paul, more than once, and yet Satan thwarted us." Do you get the picture? The Apostle Paul is saying, "You matter. I'm concerned about you. Not only am I grateful for what God's done in your life, but I'm concerned about you, and I care about you, and I love you." And it was almost like, you know, they've had no contact, and it would be like someone that you haven't heard from in a long, long time saying, "Oh, it's it's glad I finally got to see you, and I've really missed you." And you say, "Yeah, right." And then they have a box and they say, "Here." And you say, "What's in the box?" "Oh, you open it." And you take the box and you open it. And there's a stack of 30 letters in it. And somehow, they couldn't get the right address. They couldn't find you. And on the corner stamped in red in every letter, it says, "Return to sender, return to sender." And here, for a two-year period, there's 30 letters. They've been thinking about you every month, every two weeks, writing your letter, praying for you. You just didn't know it. That's what he's saying here. Then notice the reason. Look at verse 19. "For who is our hope, our joy, or our crown of exaltation?" I mean, why do we live? Why do we get up? The Apostle Paul says, "I don't get up so that, you know, I earn more money this year. I don't get up to find out what's going on in the stock market. I don't get up just so that my life will be successful, wealthy, happy, comfortable, and all my circumstances turn out right. I get up in the morning and I live for your spiritual welfare and progress. You are our hope, our joy, and our crown." Two words for crown in the New Testament. This one is referenced to a crown of victory. It's the idea of royalty coming and arriving with his crown as a sign of honor. And he says, notice what his crown is, "Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?" He says, "The day when I come to Christ, whether he comes back or whether I die and go to him, when I go to him, and when I go to that believer's judgment that doesn't have anything to do with our sin because that's dealt with, but it has everything to do with reward, the crown that I'll wear on my head of victory and royalty will be my relationship with you as a church. I invested in you. I loved you. I led you to Christ. I built into your life. I gave my life. And when I stand before God, you are my crown, my joy, and my hope." In fact, he repeats it. Look at the last line. "For you are our glory and joy." Now, you know something? If the person, even if it's you, you need to get to know some others. But if the person in that little rowboat that you have pictured in your mind is drifting out to sea and is spiritually adrift from Christ, can you imagine what would happen if someone communicated that they really cared?
Guest (Male): You're listening to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram, and a message titled, How to Rescue Those in Spiritual Danger. It's part of our larger series called Building Authentic Community, How to Lift Up Those You Love. If you'd like to hear it again or share it with someone else, you can find it anytime at livingontheedge.org. Chip introduced the idea of a spiritual rescue intervention, going after somebody who's drifting before they drift out of reach. A rescue like that one only happens because somebody decides that kind of love is worth the risk. That's the whole premise of Chip's book, I Choose Love, a clear practical case for love as a decision, not a feeling you wait around to catch. It's a practical guide for anyone who wants to actually go after the people worth going after. And it gives you the perspective and the confidence to make the first move. Get your copy of I Choose Love at a special price today at livingontheedge.org/offers. Somebody somewhere is going to hear exactly the message they need today, simply because listeners like you keep it on the air. Be that listener. Give today and help keep this kind of practical biblical teaching reaching homes and cars across the country. Give today at livingontheedge.org, or call us at 888-333.