Authentic
Have you ever felt disillusioned? Do you ever look around you and wonder what is real, if there is anything left that you can believe in?
It is true that we live in a world that is designed to encourage disingenuousness. We want to always look our best on social media. We fear that our true feelings revealed at an inopportune time will lead us to be publicly shunned. Those whom we elect to be our leaders often earn our vote by cynically saying one thing but actually doing another.
In this environment, it is no wonder that the Church often finds itself fighting an uphill battle to convince people to listen to the message of the Good News of the Gospel. After all, one doesn’t have to look far to find infamous examples of ministers who preached piety while living secret lives of shame. It’s not hard to find someone who has felt injured by a church that publicly proclaims how much they care.
God’s solution for this problem is a life of authenticity in His believers. This is brought to the forefront in the book of I Thessalonians. Step by step, Paul lays out how the Gospel found its place in his life and then bore fruit among the Thessalonians who in turn bore fruit throughout their region. The Gospel succeeded in finding a foothold and changing lives in the midst of a time of persecution. This happened because the Gospel proved itself to be truth by the evident change in the lives of its adherents.
Join us for the next six weeks as we study this matter of authenticity in life throughout the book of I Thessalonians.
Sermon Series Schedule:
An Authentic Example (1 Thessalonians 1:1-10) on May 14th
An Authentic Message (1 Thessalonians 2:1-20) on May 21st
Authentic Relationships (1 Thessalonians 3:1-13) on May 28th
Authentic Love and Commitment (1 Thessalonians 4:1-12) on June 4th
Authentic Hope: Part I (1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11) on June 11th
Authentic Hope: Part II (1 Thessalonians 5:12-28) on June 18th