Right Turn: Turning Lives Around Through Character

Anne Rice is a best-selling author of gothic and religious-themed novels. Her books have sold nearly 100 million copies, making her one of the most widely read authors in modern history.  As a child, Rice had connections with the Catholic Church.  As she grew older, however, she left that church.  She also left the Christian faith in general.  Rice became so removed from all religious faith that she eventually described herself as an atheist.  In 1998, however, Rice returned to the Christian faith and to the Catholic Church.  She announced she would now use her life and her writing to glorify God.  It was a surprising conversion, one that shocked many of Rice’s readers.  But twelve years later, on July 29, 2010, Rice publicly renounced her affiliation with the Catholic church.  Yet she steadfastly proclaimed her commitment to Christ.  Here is her announcement from her Facebook page: “For those who care, and I understand if you don’t: Today I quit being a Christian. I’m out. I remain committed to Christ as always but not to being “Christian” or to being part of Christianity. It’s simply impossible for me to “belong” to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group. For ten years, I’ve tried. I’ve failed. I’m an outsider. My conscience will allow nothing else.”  Rice followed that post with this one a few hours later:  “My faith in Christ is central to my life. My conversion from a pessimistic atheist lost in a world I didn’t understand, to an optimistic believer in a universe created and sustained by a loving God is crucial to me. But following Christ does not mean following His followers. Christ is infinitely more important than Christianity and always will be, no matter what Christianity is, has been, or might become.”

Rice was driven from Christianity by Christian doctrine.  She could not embrace Christian doctrines regarding things like homosexuality and abortion.  But she was also driven from Christianity by Christian character.  She found Christians to be “quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous.”  There was something about the way Christians behaved which led Rice to turn her back on Christianity.  Her story shows that the wrong Christian character keeps people from the Christian faith.   

A new study from the Barna Group found that many in the United States have had an experience similar to Rice’s.[i] The study found that about 1 out of every 8 adults in this country who used to be Christian, Protestant or Catholic now report being atheist, agnostic or a member of a non Christian faith.  When asked why they left Christianity, some of the common reasons given were the following: feeling disillusioned with church; feeling the church is hypocritical; having negative experiences in churches; and feeling the church is too authoritarian.  The wrong Christian character keeps people from the Christian faith.

 

And this is particularly troubling because that wrong Christian character is keeping people from something that is tremendously valuable.  Paul’s first letter to Christians in the ancient city of Thessalonica reveals just how valuable the Christian faith can be.

1 Thessalonians is probably the earliest letter in the New Testament.  This letter was written before any of the Gospels.  It is our first look into what happened when people were first introduced to the Christian faith.  Paul, Silas and Timothy visited this city during what is called Paul’s second missionary journey.  Paul travelled much of the world of his day as a missionary.  During his second major road trip, he stopped in Thessalonica with his coworkers Silas and Timothy.  Luke records their visit in Acts 17.

Thessalonica was located on a main highway which ran from east to west.  It also had a good harbor.  And this location on land and water routes made it a major trade and distribution center—an ancient Memphis.  It was the largest and most important city in Macedonia.  As the capital, Thessalonica had temples of Roma and of the Roman emperor.[ii] It’s possible that citizens in Thessalonica were required to pledge an oath of loyalty to Caesar and to Rome.  An example of this oath was found in another ancient city.  The oath read as follows: “I swear…that I will support Caesar Augustus, his children and descendants throughout my life in word, deed and thought…that in whatsoever concerns them I will spare neither body nor soul nor life nor children…that whenever I see or hear of anything being said, planned or done against them I will report it…and whomever they regard as enemies I will attack and pursue with arms and the sword by land and by sea…”[iii] Luke tells us that when Paul started preaching in this city that was filled with people who had sworn loyalty to Caesar, there was a riot.  Paul was accused of treason and sedition against Caesar and Rome.  As a result, Paul and his friends were run out of town.

But while they were in Thessalonica, Paul and his friends were accused, in Luke’s words, of turning “the world upside down” (Acts 17:6).  Spiritually speaking, that’s just what they did.  The Thessalonians who came to believe in Jesus went through the greatest turn-around they had ever experienced.  Their lives were turned spiritually upside down by Paul’s Jesus.  Paul puts it this way in 1 Thess. 1:9: you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.  The Thessalonians completely rejected the empty spiritual beliefs and practices taught them by their parents and grandparents and fully embraced the truth about God found in Jesus.  They finally found a God worth believing in and discovered the joy of grace and mercy.  They were ushered into a world in which they had purpose and meaning and a connection to the God who created it all.

 

Paul’s experience in Thessalonica reveals that the Christian faith turns lives around. Though Paul was run out of town and many rejected the Christian way, when these Thessalonians embraced the good news their lives were changed forever.  They were turned around 180 degrees.

The truth is that in your workplace, in your school, in your neighborhood, and right here at Highland there are people just like the Thessalonians.  They’ve accepted a wrong view of life, a wrong view of the world, and a wrong view of faith given to them by their family, their friends, their church, or their culture.  They may not be worshipping idols, but they’ve devoted their lives to pursuits that will leave them empty and purposeless.  And the Christian faith still has the power to turn their lives around.  The Christian faith still has the power to turn this world upside down.  There is nothing more valuable than this Christian faith and its amazing ability to turn lives around.

 

But the question is how?  That’s what we are taking up in this four-part series.  We’re learning four practices from Paul for sharing this faith so that it can turn lives around today.  This morning we are going to tackle the difficult dilemma of character.  One the one hand the wrong Christian character keeps some from the Christian faith.  On the other hand, the Christian faith still has the power to turn lives around.  What do we do?

Here’s what Paul did: 3For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, 4but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. 5 For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed— God is witness. 6 Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. (1 Thess. 2:3-6 ESV)

Traveling philosophers and traveling orators were common in the Roman Empire in Paul’s day. They moved from place to place, entertaining people and seeking a following.  Their primary motives were fame and fortune.^[iv] They were teachers and eloquent speakers who would draw large crowds and from these crowds they would gain wealth and notoriety.  They were often ill thought of.

What then do you think the Thessalonians thought of Paul, Silas, and Timothy when they strode into town and started speaking?  The Thessalonians assumed this was another trio out to attract a following and gain fame. They assumed this was another trio full of hot air and slight-of-hand.  They assumed this trio was just another group of hucksters and entertainers looking for a quick buck.

 

We American Christians are not the first ones who have had a character gap to bridge in order to gain a hearing.  Paul faced what we face: people who are fiercely skeptical because they assume, based on past experiences with similar people, that we have ulterior motives, that we aren’t who we claim to be, that we are here just to use people to get something we want.

Thus Paul draws a specific contrast between how they acted and how the run of the mill orators and philosophers of the day acted.  Paul refers to his message, his motivation, and his method.^[v] All three were expressions of a very different kind of character than people in Thessalonica were used to.

• First, the message.  Paul says in vs. 3 that their “appeal” or message does not spring from error.  This word “error” refers to something that strays from what is known to be true about God and about life. ^[vi] Paul did not change his message for his audience.  He didn’t come to Thessalonica to say whatever people wanted to hear.  Other traveling philosophers and orators may have done that.  But not Paul.  His character was different.  His message had no error.
• Second, the motivation.  Paul says in vs. 3 that their message did not spring from impurity.  The word “impurity” refers to moral uncleanness or moral impurity.^[vii] There was nothing morally questionable driving Paul’s preaching in Thessalonica.  More specifically, Paul mentions in vs. 4 that he did not speak to please man.  His goal was not to gain a large following.  Further, Paul writes in vs. 6 that he didn’t seek glory from people.  He didn’t come to make a name for himself.  Ancient travelling philosophers and orators may have done this.  But not Paul.  His character was different.  No impurity.  No people-pleasing.  No glory seeking.
• Finally, the method.  Paul writes in vs. 3 that he did not come with any attempt to deceive.  The word “deceive” literally refers to something used for catching.^[viii] It can refer to a decoy.^[ix] A decoy is something that looks like a duck or a deer, but once you get up close you realize it is not what it appears to be.  Paul is saying that he was no decoy.  He was no fake.  He didn’t look like a sincere follower of Jesus who, upon closer inspection, was not what he appeared to be.  Further, Paul says in vs. 5 that he didn’t come with any pretext for greed. This word “pretext” refers to a “cloak” used to hide something.^[x] Paul is saying that his teaching and ministry were not a cloak hiding the fact that all he really wanted was their money.  Ancient philosophers and orators may have used these kinds of methods.  But not Paul.  His character was different.  No attempt to deceive.  No pretext for greed.

 

Paul knew that he operated within a culture in which the wrong character of orators and philosophers had caused people to look upon any teacher with skepticism and distrust.  Paul knew that this could easily lead people to reject what he wanted to teach about Christ.  Thus Paul focused on demonstrating the most Christ-like character possible.  Paul understood that true Christian character can draw people to the Christian faith. By his own conduct, Paul could be a living example of the kind of turn-around the Christian faith can provide.  He could become a living sample of the Christian faith which allowed the Thessalonians to taste and see how good Christ was.

Elsewhere Paul shows just how much attention he gave to character:

• You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. (1 Thess. 1:5 ESV)
• You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you… (1 Thess. 2:10 ESV)

Paul understood that true Christian character can draw people to the Christian faith.  For that reason he was deeply intentional about living out a Christ-like character before those to whom he preached.

 

The Christian faith is still able to radically turn lives around.  But the way for us to help that happen is not through a tested program or a canned strategy.  It’s not going to happen when we get the “professionals”—the staff and elders—out there converting people.  It’s going to happen when every one of us understands the critical impact of Christian character and commits to living among outsiders with true Christ-like character.  If we want people to hear the good news, every one of us must first become that good news.

That is why in November we are holding what we call “Go MAD Sunday.”  “MAD” stands for “Make A Difference.”  We’ll have an abbreviated worship service that Sunday—no Sunday School—and then we’ll be dismissed to go and do some act of service to some person in this area.  Reach Groups, Sunday School classes, Huddles and individuals will be challenged to leave this building and immediately do some act of service and show some kindness to a neighbor, a coworker, a poor family, a stranger, or a classmate.  Why?  Because we want to practice being good news.  We want to demonstrate the right Christian character.  We want to help people see that what they may have thought about Christians is wrong.  We want to live out Christian character so that we might then speak out regarding the Christian gospel.

Author Michael Green shares this story to remind us of the impact of our actions: [xi] I read about a missionary candidate in language school. The very first day of class the teacher entered the room and, without saying a word, walked down every row of students. Finally, still without saying a word, she walked out of the room again. Then she came back and addressed the class. “Did you notice anything special about me?” she asked.   Nobody could think of anything in particular. One student finally raised her hand. “I noticed that you had on a very lovely perfume,” she said. The class chuckled.  But the teacher said, “That was exactly the point. [It] will be a long time before any of you will be able to speak Chinese well enough to share the gospel with anyone in China. But even before you are able to do that, you can minister the sweet fragrance of Christ to these people by the quality of your lives.” Our character becomes the perfume of Christ.  The sweet fragrance of good, honest, caring, and kind conduct among non Christians becomes the aroma which draws them to Christ himself.

Joe Stowell writes of this experience at a Starbucks:[xii] The guy in front of me was in a tense argument with the clerk. In loud and no uncertain terms, the customer was complaining that all he wanted was the copy of the New York Times that he was holding in one hand while he was waving a fifty-dollar bill in the other. The fight was over the fact that the clerk did not have enough change yet to break the fifty-dollar bill, which made it impossible for him to sell the paper.  It dawned on me that this was an early morning opportunity to commit one intentional act of [goodness]…So I said to the clerk, “Hey, put the paper on my bill; I’ll buy it for him.” This immediately defused the tension, and the grateful New York Times guy walked away saying, “Thanks a lot. All I have is yours!” Which evidently did not include the fifty-dollar bill.  To my surprise, when the barista handed me my coffee, he said, “Mister, that was a really nice thing for you to do. This world would be a lot better place to live if more people were like you.”…His comments caught me totally off guard, and I knew that I could say something at that point that would point the glory upward…but nothing came…As I was walking down the sidewalk, it came to me. I should have said, “Well, this world would not be a better place if more people were like me. But it would be a better place if more people were like Jesus, because he taught me how to do that.” Your character can help people realize just how good this world could be if more people followed Jesus.  True Christian character can draw people to the Christian faith.

Where does it all begin?  It starts with what I’m calling “My Turn.”  My Turn is your chance to put this message into action.  Take some time today or this week to prayerfully address the following: Because I believe that the wrong character turns people from the Christian faith and the right character draws people to the Christian faith, I will 1) pray each day this week for God to transform this character flaw________________; and 2) demonstrate Christlike love and kindness to this person who may be far from God ____________________ in this way __________________.

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[i] http://www.barna.org/faith-spirituality/412-do-americans-change-faiths.

[ii] Christopher R. Hutson, “1 Thessalonians” in The Transforming Word edited by Mark Hamilton (ACU Press, 2009), 979.

[iii] Ben Witherington III 1 and 2 Thessalonians (Eerdmans, 2006), 7.

^[iv] Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1983-). The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures (1 Th 2:6). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

^[v] Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1983-). The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures (1 Th 2:3). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

^[vi] Strong, J., S.T.D., LL.D. (2009). Vol. 1: A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible (58). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

^[vii] Kittel, G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W. (1995). Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (381). Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans.

^[viii] Liddell, H. (1996). A lexicon : Abridged from Liddell and Scott’s Greek-English lexicon (208). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

^[ix] Strong, J. (1996). The exhaustive concordance of the Bible : Showing every word of the text of the common English version of the canonical books, and every occurrence of each word in regular order. (electronic ed.). Ontario: Woodside Bible Fellowship.

^[x] Strong, J., S.T.D., LL.D. (2009). Vol. 1: A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible (62). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

[xi] Michael Green, in Alice Gray’s (editor) Stories for a Faithful Heart (Multnomah, 2004), 95.

[xii] Joe Stowell, Jesus Nation (Tyndale, 2009), 80-81.