Insight for Living

Chuck Swindoll: What does it actually mean to follow Jesus? Not just believe in Him, not just show up on Sunday, but truly, actively, wholeheartedly follow Him. Today on Insight for Living, Chuck Swindoll brings a message that cuts straight to the heart of that question. From Second Thessalonians 3, Chuck confronts the kind of comfortable, uncommitted Christianity that looks real from a distance, but doesn't hold up under honest examination. If your faith has grown a little lukewarm, this message is for you. Chuck titled it, Buying into the Vision.

Chuck Swindoll: When you think of the Apostle Paul's life, you don't think of someone who bailed out on his responsibilities. You don't think of someone who lacked discipline. You think of someone whose life was marked by hard work and honesty and faithfulness. He says that in verse 8. Nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship, we kept working night and day, so that we might not be a burden to any of you. We weren't out of order. We weren't absent from you when you needed us.

And furthermore, we weren't ministerial sponges. Hold your place here and go back to the first letter he wrote to the Thessalonians and locate in chapter 2, words for these same people earlier in life. First Thessalonians 2, verse 7. Let me give you a little pen portrait of Paul when he ministered in Thessalonica. He is early on in ministry and even yet, he is a diligent example or an example of diligence.

Verse 7, chapter 2. We proved to be gentle among you as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children. These are words right from the nursery. These are words of a nursing mother gently, tenderly caring for her own children. Having thus a fond affection for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel, but we gave you our own lives. Why? Because you had become very dear to us.

You remember, brethren, he adds. You remember our labor and hardship, how working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you, we proclaimed to you the Gospel of God. You're witnesses and so is God, how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers. You know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father his own children. Do you have that marked? Verse 7, as a mother. Verse 11, as a father.

So that you may walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into his own Kingdom and Glory. Now, back to Second Thessalonians, chapter 3. His point is this. You Thessalonians who were sitting around waiting for the coming of Christ, you who have stepped away from responsibilities and are getting all of your meals from those who are still responsible, you are out of order. You are skipping school. You are truant.

As a matter of fact, you are disobedient. I've had some laymen say to me on occasion, Chuck, I wish it would be possible for you to get a message across to those in vocational Christian service, that it would be kind of nice if on occasion they picked up the tab. So this is my moment to say that. You may be a missionary. You may be a pastor. You may be on a pastoral staff. You may be in some kind of Christian service.

Let's learn from this, fellow ministers, that we are not always to be the ones that expect someone else to pay the tab. And we should never be the ones who ask for a discount. It is so easy to take advantage of our role as minister types. And gracious laymen and women will regularly pay the freight for us. Surprise them on occasion by saying, nope, this bill's on me. This is my privilege today.

You say, what's the biblical basis of that? Well, I think the Apostle Paul is a good example. He says, we didn't need anyone's bread without paying for it. Now, there are sometimes when it's appropriate and it's acceptable for the minister to accept those privileges and those blessings, but let them not be hinted at. Let's not take advantage of someone's generosity. Let's be willing to pay our own way.

Verse 9 puts it in perspective, not because we don't have the right to this, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you that you might follow our example. You see, he was an apostle. He was a miracle working founder of churches. He had seen the risen Christ. I mean, he could have, he wouldn't have done it, but he could have strutted his way through the church and made demands and they could have met those demands because after all, he was the Apostle Paul.

But he doesn't do that. In fact, he stays away from that idea. The reason he stays away from it is his motto in verse 10. Even when we were with you, we used to give you this order. If anyone will not work, neither let him eat. I didn't know Paul had the same dad that I had. Did you? Did you ever know that? That same dad you had, Paul had. Does that sound like what your father taught you?

Son, if you're going to eat, you're going to have to work for it. From your earliest days, even when you were making an allowance, you were back there paying your way or part of your way, weren't you? Or you should have been. Isn't it amazing how he stands for the work ethic at this point? If anyone will not work, neither let him eat. Now he encourages us further in 11 through 13.

I especially like the way he says it. We hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life. Same word for the third time. Unruly in verse 6, undisciplined in verse 7, and again, undisciplined in verse 11. We hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. Now there it is again.

The person who doesn't work as he or she should, will not behave himself or herself. He will misbehave. Something has to fill the vacuum of time. And the vacuum is usually filled with gossiping and extreme curiosity and idleness and being involved in other people's business. Becoming petty. You know some folks like that, don't you?

I do too. In fact, they are the bane of the ministry. So involved in everyone else's life. And yet not home doing their job, doing their own business. I came across a couple of three good statements regarding this. One says, there's a vast difference between putting your nose in other people's business and putting your heart in other people's problems.

One is just curiosity, the other is compassion. Someone said, when you're tempted to gossip, just breathe through your nose. Well, that was a good word. Another, a bright eye indicates curiosity. A black eye, too much. Show me an idle gossip and I'll show you somebody who isn't working hard enough. Show me someone who has the time to meddle in other people's affairs, and I'll show you someone who has too much time on their hands.

Hardworking people don't have time to be petty about other people's lives. This was true even in the first century where he says, if anyone will not work, neither let him eat. Because those who don't work, don't simply live at home and behave themselves. They get involved in other people's affairs and before long they're making a mess of their lives, other lives, and the church in general. By the way, while you're rearranging your deck chairs in life, how hard are you working?

Are you in vocational Christian service? Are you earning your pay? For it's true that we shouldn't muzzle the ox who treads out the corn. As a minister of the Gospel, are you known as one who is diligent? Who works hard when no one is looking? Who if necessary will burn the candle a little later at night to get the job done? If you preach, do you preach with heart and enthusiasm, having prepared well, or are you hitting from your hip?

Looking for the benefits of ministry. I'm talking to my own kind so I can be very tough and straight with you. Too many in the ministry are freeloaders, ministerial sponges that expect an easy life because someone else is going to pay the freight. Come on, men and women. Tighten your belt. Work hard. Earn your way. It applies to us.

Verse 12 says, now such persons who command, we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and to eat their own bread. Isn't that good? You have something to do, get at it. Stay home, work hard, or get a job. Earn your way. Pay your way. That's what's written between the lines of this passage. Now I need to balance this because some people hear only the extremes.

There are some engaged in ministry who are absolutely fabulous examples of diligence. Paid far less than they deserve, they do a work that has eternal dimensions without complaining about it. And in those cases, the lay people need to realize that job needs to be better compensated. There is a reason for paying well, and that job deserves it.

Now for those who are working hard and seeing many who aren't, and the tendency is to become burdened and discouraged. Verse 13 is just for you. As for you, brethren, now he's speaking to those who were working hard and doing their job, don't grow weary of doing good. Stay at it. Hard at the task, faithfully serving Christ. Don't let someone's lack of diligence cut into your life of diligence.

Hang in there. Now, you and I might think that Paul would leave it at that and just place a big benediction here and call it quits, but he doesn't. He puts a real punch at the end of this paragraph. This is the treatment you ought to be getting from the church. Verse 14. If anyone does not obey our instruction. Take special note of that person, that man, that woman. Take special note of that person.

And do not associate with him so that he may be put to shame. But don't regard him as an enemy. Admonish him as a brother. Can you imagine the impact this would have on the idle gossips in the church if they were simply ignored by the family? The worst kind of treatment is not hatred. The worst kind of treatment is indifference.

Ever been ignored at a party? Ever been ignored in a group? How about in a little social club? And you're just overlooked and ignored? Has an effect on you. But you see, in the church of Jesus Christ, for some reason, we give too much time and attention to the idle. I mean, they sap our energy. They drain us from enthusiasm. You've heard me say it before, I, I get on occasion some of these hate letters and they're unsigned.

And I'll just swear I'm not going to read them. Then I memorize them. I, I know every line. And, and I get preoccupied and it steals my energy. And they weren't even man or woman enough to sign it. My dad used to say, well, son, when a mule kicks you, just consider the source. Just consider the source when you get an unsigned letter. Don't let an idle gossip bother you.

I say that and then I fight with it myself. This passage says, turn them off. I'm impressed with the strength and determination the apostle says has in this. But he doesn't say treat him like an enemy. They're not enemies. They're just wayward family members. Bob Thomas from Talbott Seminary writes wise words as he describes the meaning of this not associating with him.

Anyone refusing to comply with the work ethic set out in this letter was not to be associated with so that he might be ashamed of his behavior. He was not to be expelled from the church like the sinning brother referred to in First Corinthians 5. In Corinth, the offense was so flagrant as to bring disrepute on the whole church. In Thessalonica, however, the lapse was not yet so aggravated as to bring the reproach of the pagans on the church.

Here, the erring brother was allowed to continue in the meetings, but, but probably was denied participation in the Lord's supper. Certainly he was not to be given food because this would make the community appear to condone his offense. Do not associate implies let there be no intimate association with that person. You have a lazy Christian as a friend, a close friend?

Why is the lazy Christian still a close friend in light of this passage? Do you support an undisciplined and unruly believer who is not an active part of the ministry of Christ? Why is he so close to you? Why do you give your time to her? There's a place for shame in that kind of lifestyle. Oh, we don't like preaching like this.

I mean, who knows how many would have to be set aside for a while. Strong words. Now, our problem is not one of star gazing. Okay. Well, the church that I pastor is not filled with people who have used their theology as a cop out. I mean, I don't know too many people who live on their housetop looking up waiting for Christ's return as they have in other eras.

That's not our problem. But our problem is one of indifference and some of you are in the center of that problem. I mean, you talk a good fight. You realize there's work to be done. There are people needs to be met. There are lives to reach and there are bills to pay. You, you know that. But yeah, that's someone else's responsibility. What you want is a good sermon. Or what you really need is somebody to kind of tickle your, your, your ears and, uh, give you a good time.

Sing with you. And kind of let that pass for commitment. But see, that isn't Christianity. That isn't what's reshaped history. Men and women, there's a big job to get done and it's our job. Ours. Let me give you three targets to shoot at. Three that'll help you stay on, on course. The first target is what I will call praying.

Praying. There are adventures in prayer going on and it won't involve hours and hours of time, but it'll involve some of your time. How many of you would have to admit as you answer this now in your heart that, um, your praying really is lukewarm. I'm not asking for people to spend three hours a day. I don't have that kind of time either, not even for prayer.

There's an enormous job to be done, and it calls at times for presence and work and conversation and writing and talking and preaching and teaching and counseling. I, I have many things to take care of as you do. And so three hours isn't practical. How about 30 minutes? 30 solid. How about three minutes a day? How about two minutes?

How about just two minutes? Man, and while I'm mentioning these targets, I, I need to mention giving. How many of you would have to say in your heart, my giving is really lukewarm? I mean, if the future of this church depended upon my giving, I'm not sure that even be able to turn the lights on Sunday morning. I mean, down deep in your soul kind of giving where you plan carefully and you look at your at your list of expenditures and right at the top is the Lord's part, 10, 12, 15%.

Why our plans at this church are to increase our budget some 40% to get out of debt in three years. We're committed to that. It's our plan. And the way some rock along and sort of drop in a coin now and then, we'll never make that. It can't continue. I, uh, want to assure you, we'll not rely on gimmicks to make this happen. I read not long ago about a pastor who was pressed to get people to give more.

He came up with a very ingenious plan called an offering box. If you gave $5 or more, nothing happened. Just drop your money in and walk by. If you gave 50 cents, a little bell tinkled. If you donated a quarter, it blew a whistle. If you gave a dime, a siren went off. If you gave a nickel, a shot sounded. A shot. If you walked by and gave nothing, it took your picture.

I think that's terrific. Some churches had run out of film. How many Sundays are there where you just virtually give nothing? Come on. Face it. It's an enormous job to get done and giving is for some of you, your major part in ministry. How foolish of me to pass this up in my exhortation. I mean tell you, if you're praying right, you'll be giving right.

It's absolutely revolutionized my whole idea of giving. And I don't brag about that. I just tell you as a fact because I wasn't raised to be generous. I was raised to be tight by very tight-fisted parents who meant well but didn't engender generosity in me. And I'm working on generosity. There is nothing I have that God can't get and hasn't the right to at any time of my life.

I'm planning this year to increase my giving sizably. Are you? Third is serving. And I mean serving in places where, where the needs are and consistently. Not once a year in the nursery. Not just, uh, every other, uh, month I'll drop by and see if all the needs are met, but a consistent place of service. With children, youth or adults, as an usher, as a parking lot attendant, as a member of a choir, as a part in this family, serving.

You see, lukewarmness comes out in any number of different ways. I want to show you two verses that are some of the finest in the New Testament. The toward the end of Colossians chapter 3, and then I want to read you an illustration and then we're all through. Colossians chapter 3. Verses 23 and 24. Come on now, turn to that. Colossians 3, 23 and 24.

Whatever you do, do your work heartily. You know what the word means in its original? Exsuke from the soul, from deep within the soul, let it pour forth. That's the word here. Whatever you do, do it from the soul as for the Lord rather than for men. Knowing that from the Lord you'll receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. I love that verse.

You do this as unto the Lord. Tell no one else about it. Just make it your service to the king. And I'll guarantee you the rewards will blow you away. You'll be free for maybe the first time in your life. Now let me warn you. Our tendency is to give attention to it if people will see it. And not to give too much attention to it if men and women don't find out about it.

But in the committed Christian's life, it is the same even though no one sees it. Let's pray together. Will you bow, please? Some of you need to give for the first time in your life sacrificially. Not till it hurts, but till it feels good. And you could give so much more if Christ were king in your life. If he were Lord.

For some of you, the decision is simply coming to faith in Christ. So I dedicate this last 60 seconds to you. Ever been a time in your life when you said, Lord God, I'm a stranger to you. I'm lost. I have no future. If I were to die this day, I know I wouldn't go to heaven. Well, if that's your story, take Christ today.

Lord Jesus, come into my life. That's the prayer for you. I want to live like a Christian ought to live, but I don't have the power. So I ask you to take over the controls of my life and forgive me of my sins and take charge. And he'll come in, I promise you. While Christians around you are praying about their lifestyle, maybe it's time for you to pray about life. There are Christians that wait your coming in the prayer room.

Trained people are there to minister to you today. Lord God, thank you for Christ who loved us and gave himself for us. Forgive us. Do forgive us for the lukewarm days. When we have gotten our priorities mixed up, when we have moved in the wrong direction, when we've simply spent our time getting our deck chair unfolded. Show us a purpose, show us a reason for change, and then motivate us to do it, Father, that the work of Christ might be accomplished.

We pray in his strong and blessed name. Amen.

Bill Meyer: Chuck Swindoll has given us three very practical goals to aim for. Three ways to move from lukewarm to wholehearted in our walk with Christ: praying, giving, and serving. The question isn't whether the work needs to be done. It does. The question is whether we're willing to do our part. Today's message is number seven in an eight-part series called Steadfast Christianity.

At the heart of this entire series is a simple, unshakeable conviction: God is faithful to those who hold fast to Him, even in the darkest of days. That same conviction drove a man named Nehemiah. The wall around Jerusalem was nothing but rubble, the city was exposed, the opposition was loud and relentless. But Nehemiah had something that critics didn't: a vision rooted in God, a plan anchored in prayer, and a refusal to quit. In 52 days, the impossible got done.

Chuck Swindoll's classic book, Hand Me Another Brick, unpacks the leadership genius of Nehemiah. It draws out principles that are just as powerful today as they were in ancient Jerusalem for the pastor, the ministry leader, the parent, or anyone that God has called to lead others through difficult terrain. If today's message about persevering through the fire stirred something in you, this book will take that conviction even deeper.

Hand Me Another Brick is our gift to you when you support Insight for Living with a generous donation. You can write to us at Insight for Living, Post Office Box 5000, Frisco, Texas, 75034. In addition to Chuck's book, both Searching the Scriptures Bible study workbooks are available for purchase. I'm referring to the brand new editions for both First and Second Thessalonians, two separate workbooks.

These spiral-bound resources are designed to lay flat where you can easily take notes as you read through Paul's two letters. This teaching series concludes on Friday, so don't delay in making your purchase. To have the Bible study workbooks sent to your home, call us at 800-772-8888, or go online to insight.org/offer.

Chuck Swindoll: What does it mean to bear the name Christian? I'm Bill Meyer. Hear Chuck Swindoll's compelling answer Thursday on Insight for Living.

Bill Meyer: The preceding message, Buying into the Vision, was copyrighted in 1986, 1991, 2002, and 2024 by Charles R. Swindoll, Incorporated. All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited.