Excerpts from : The Broken Window Theory
11/14/2004
2 Thessalonians 3:1-18

If you take a tour of any urban sprawl you'll notice a striking contrast: Some buildings are
well-maintained, while others are in disrepair, and covered with graffiti. You might be surprised to learn that it isn't the age of a building that causes it to fall apart, or its location, or even the finances of its owner.

Researchers in the field of crime and urban decay have discovered that one shattered pane, left unrepaired for a significant period of time, causes area residents and inhabitants of the building to feel a sense of abandonment.

The people begin to believe that the owner doesn't care about them or the building, or they believe the building has been abandoned, freeing them to toss a brick through another window. Soon there's litter and junk collecting in the doorways.

Graffiti appears, and no one cares enough to scrub it off. Serious structural damage begins, and in a relatively short time the building becomes damaged beyond the owner's desire to fix it. The sense of abandonment felt by the residents suddenly becomes reality.

All because of a piece of shattered glass.

This "Broken Window Theory" has inspired police departments in New York and other urban areas to crack down on the small stuff in order to keep out the big stuff. In his book Leadership, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani tells of how he applied the Broken Window Theory to crime, and in the process reduced murders from 2000 a year to under 600.

It turns out that murderers and muggers tend to break a lot of little laws, too. So when you crack down on the little infractions - when you fix the broken windows - you end up catching criminals that otherwise would have gotten away. A critic of Giuliani said that arresting subway turnstile jumpers was a waste of police effort when they should be chasing drug pushers.

Well, guess what? They discovered that drug pushers were part of the turnstile­jumping crowd.

Attacking small and petty problems is rarely a waste of time, according to Broken Window Theory. Instead, it helps you to manage the major issues, and prevent the condition of your building - or your city - or your self - from spiraling out of control.

The apostle Paul seems to have this theory in mind in the text before us.

Let's take a look at our text, 2 Thessalonians 3:1-18

Now, notice that Paul doesn't focus on the big theological issues of the Christian faith, talking about the importance of trust in God or faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. No, he advises the Thessalonians to attack petty problems and fix the broken windows of the Christian community. I want us to hone in on a few points that Paul is making this morning.

• Paul writes in V.6; "We command you...to keep away from believers who are living in idleness". Paul reminds them that he himself was never idle when he was visiting their community, but instead he worked night and day and paid for his own bread so that he would not be a burden to anyone. Paul did this to set an example for the Thessalonians, and quicker than a New York minute, he lays down the law: "Anyone unwilling to work should not eat" (3: 1 0).

Humm, Idleness? It just doesn't seem like such a biggie. Well, it was, and it is. Life in Thessalonica was tough for the Christians. They were being persecuted, they were suffering for the faith (1 :4) and in the midst of this turmoil, some of them had become idle. There was the mindset that Jesus was returning any day, and it's easy to understand how they might get weary of the strife in their lives and shout to the sky, "Come, Lord Jesus...or else I give up!" Yes, we continue looking for the Lord's return, but, no, we are not likely to just sit down on our suitcases and idly wait. There were also those who had come into the church claiming to be teachers and prophets. They would live off of the good heart of the people in Thessalonica, not contributing themselves.

The Greek word "Ataktoi" doesn't only mean "idle," it also means "disorderly." The faithful anticipation of the Lord's return was being suppressed by the tension caused by a disordered heart. The Thessalonians were trying to live outside the truth of the here and now with its struggles with persecution.

The disordered heart turns away from the truth to an existence of non-pain, but also non-joy. Let me ask you this morning, have you exchanged the reality of God's reign-that already/not yet kingdom for a life of limbo? As a believer, if you're trying to find purpose, happiness, or fulfillment outside of the direction of God's Word, and the gifts of His Holy Spirit-you will find yourself joyless and powerless because your heart is disordered.

Such turning away leads not only to non-pain/non-joy, but also to non-life. Listen, to those who refuse to love the truth, and Paul reminds the Thessalonians in chapter 2 that God sends a powerful delusion so that all who have not believed the truth, but instead took pleasure in unrighteousness, will be condemned.

The problem with idleness is that it's a broken window. Left uncorrected, it creates larger and more destructive difficulties. Grandmother's counsel still rings true: Idle hands are the devil's workshop. So where is the small sin of spiritual idleness creating big problems for you? Maybe a little broken window of missing your devotions, or not having time for morning prayer.

Instead, too many people feel that they're busy beyond belief, not idle. Their lives are full of sales meetings, parent/teacher conferences, athletic contests or concerts for their children, volunteer work at church, and the list goes on and on.

Here's the deal: What's the difference between being idle, and being busy doing stupid stuff? There's no difference. Paul alludes to this when he says, "They are not busy; they are busybodies." Paul uses a clever word play that his readers would find amusing. The rendering would be: "They aren't busy with anything except being busybodies," which captures the spirit and semantics of the Greek text. Busybodies don't build up the body of Christ, they bust out a few more windows.

No, attending piano recitals and basketball games, and doing your job, and going to parent/teacher conferences are not stupid things. They're wise, good things. But somewhere in our lives, we have important time decisions to make, and if we don't repair the broken windows, that is, clean up the nonproductive, ill-spent activities, the whole structure of our lives is going to crash and burn.

This Broken Window Theory will emerge in broken relationships, a soured marriage, a barren spiritual life and a lack of time to do things that nurture both your self and your family and our spiritual family here at The Sanctuay. "Brothers and sisters," Paul concludes, "do not be weary in doing what is right"
(3:13 ).

So, again, we pose the Question: Where are the broken windows? What needs to be repaired? What have you been meaning to address in your life that for some reason you still have not gotten around to? When we crack down on the small problems in order to keep out the big problems, we are doing our work quietly and faithfully and well. When we fix our broken windows so that our personal spiritual structure will remain attractive and healthy and strong, we are following Paul's advice to "not be weary in doing what is right."

Your challenge is to put your best effort into doing what is right. This is not the most awe-inspiring and exciting aspect of the life of faith, but it remains foundational for our spirituaL health. We can be most useful to God when we're not spiraling out of control, and when our bodies are safe and secure structures for the Holy Spirit to live in.

So let's take a close and personal look at ourselves, and determine where we need cleaning. Through honest self-assessment, we can identify our cracked and corroded parts, and take the steps we need to fix what is damaged within us. When we acknowledge our brokenness before God, we can be restored to wholeness by the gift of forgiveness.

God wants us to be solid and strong, not shattered. Maybe you've found yourself living in a spiritual limbo-land. No real pain, yet no real joy. You've wearied in doing right. What broken windows need to be repaired so God's light may shine brightly through them? God wants you to be strong, not shattered.

When we turn to him, lift our previously idle hands and disordered hearts to him in trust, we are given his eternally ordered life. Our hands are strengthened, our hearts are comforted, and directed to the love of God and the steadfastness of Christ.

Remember the words of Paul this morning:

"But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one." God is faithful! You do not have to worry about him. He will never fail you but will always deliver you, if you trust him.

Paul says in vs 5, "May the Lord direct your heart to the love of God and Christ's perseverance. "

That is also what we need today. Are you keeping yourself in the love of God? That is what will give you a sense of security and worth, a sense of being wanted and needed. It makes no difference what people think about you. "If God be for you, who can be against you?" (Rom 8:31). Remind yourself of the love of God throughout the day. Think through what the apostle has written' in this section. Keep yourself in the love of God!

He will also give you the patience of Christ, the willingness to wait and watch him work things out. The Lord never became upset and angry at the resistance he encountered. He did not despair through all the terrible trials he had to endure but committed himself to "him who is able" and he waited for him to work That is surely what we need to do today. The love of God gives us security, and the patience of Christ give us consistency, the quality that this age needs more than anything else. Christians should be the same day in and day out. They should refuse to become, upset and thrown off by circumstances so that they end up responding like the world around. Stand fast! And hold fast! God will see you through to the day when you will share the glory of Christ.

We no longer need be deceived by the power, signs and lying wonders of the lawless one. We are confused about neither the times nor how we ought to live in the already/not yet of God's reign today. We can grow abundantly in faith, increase in our love one to another, warn each other of the perils of idleness, work quietly to earn our own livings and stand together saying, "Amen, Come Lord Jesus."