Your Church as it’s supposed to be
1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the assembly of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
2 We always give thanks to God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers, 3 remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and perseverance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father. 4 We know, brothers[a] loved by God, that you are chosen, 5 and that our Good News came to you not in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and with much assurance. You know what kind of men we showed ourselves to be among you for your sake. 6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became an example to all who believe in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 For from you the word of the Lord has been declared, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone out, so that we need not to say anything. 9 For they themselves report concerning us what kind of a reception we had from you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead: Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come.
In this letter to the church at Thessalonica, we get a glimpse into what Church is supposed to be.
So, today, in light of being an ever improving church, we’re going to start a study in Paul’s epistle to the church in Thessalonica. Of all the churches that Paul founded, and wrote to, the church at Thessalonica was one of the best.
Well, how do you know that preacher? I’ve read his letters to these churches. To give you a contrast, Paul wrote two letters to the church in Corinth. And I remember when we studied those letters in New Testament class in seminary. The church in Corinth was full of problems, so many that I had to come up with an acronym in order to remember them. The acronym was FILMFTR. They had problems with factions, idol sacrifices, lawsuits, marriage/incest, tongues, battle of the sexes, conduct at the Lord’s Supper, the resurrection
By contrast, Paul writes to the church at Thessalonica with encouragement, a desire to see them again, comforting them. Listen to these words from 1st and 2nd Thessalonians;
1: 2 We always give thanks to God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers, 3 remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and perseverance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father.
2: 8 Even so, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you, not the Good News of God only, but also our own souls, because you had become very dear to us.
4: Finally then, brothers, we beg and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, that you abound more and more.
9 But concerning brotherly love, you have no need that one write to you. For you yourselves are taught by God to love one another, 10 for indeed you do it toward all the brothers who are in all Macedonia. But we exhort you, brothers, that you abound more and more;
5: 23 May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So, I read all of that to say, that the church at Thessalonica was a great church. And despite the fact that there are many churches that are not great, it is possible to be a great church. And that’s what we want isn’t it? So, we’re going to look at these letters over the coming weeks, to discover “Church, as it is supposed to be.”
The church as it is supposed to be is:
1) a people of encouragement (1:2–10);
2) a people of self-sacrifice (2:1–12);
3) a people of controversy (2:13–16);
4) a people of joy (2:17–3:13);
5) a people of purity (4:1–8);
6) a people of work (4:9–12);
7) a people of clarity (4:13–5:11);
8) a people of unity (5:12–15);
9) a people of growth (5:16–22).
1st point- the church is supposed to be a people of encouragement.
A
Builder Or a Wrecker
As I watched them tear a building down
A gang of men in a busy town
With a ho-heave-ho, and a lusty yell
They swung a beam and the side wall fell
I
asked the foreman, "Are these men skilled,
And the men you'd hire if you wanted to build?"
He gave a laugh and said, "No, indeed,
Just common labor is all I need."
"I
can easily wreck in a day or two,
What builders have taken years to do."
And I thought to myself, as I went my way
Which of these roles have I tried to play?
Am
I a builder who works with care,
Measuring life by rule and square?
Am I shaping my work to a well-made plan
Patiently doing the best I can?
Or
am I a wrecker who walks to town
Content with the labor of tearing down?
"O Lord let my life and my labors be
That which will build for eternity!"
-Author Unknown
The Increase, 35th Anniversary Issue, 1993, p. 9.
Let’s pray
Those are the issues that Paul wrote about to a church that had little to criticize. So that means that these should be universal attributes of all churches for all times. No church can say that they have arrived at the pinnacle in any of these areas. We can all become better. We can be better encouragers, in our self-sacrifice, in standing for the truth despite controversy, in joy, purity, hard work, in the clarity of the message, unity, and continued growth.
So that’s where we are going. And let me say this. Please don’t take these sermons as an opportunity to criticize our church. It is sometimes disheartening to preach about the church, and then have someone respond by saying, “Well, you all failed at that!” Especially if those words come from a member of the church. If they were going to say anything, it should be, “We have failed at that.” And “What can we do to be better?”
If you are a member of the church, then when you say, “the church should…” you are really saying, “I should.”
So, let’s take this letter as a diagnostic for each of our hearts, and use it as a tool to look at our church. And propose ways we can all improve.
Well, the last thing we are going to do today, is to get into the 1st point.
I. II. The church as it is supposed to be is a people of encouragement (1:2–10) Encouragement
Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the assembly of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 We always give thanks to God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers, 3 remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and perseverance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father.
Now, we’re going to end up considering all of chapter 1 under this point, but verses 1 through 3 are a good start.
How do we encourage each other in the church? Verse 1 through 10 give us an example from the relationship between Paul and this church, and between this church and other churches. It’s a symbiosis of encouragement.
I want to look at the definition of encourage, and then share with you 3 ways that the church of Thessalonica encouraged and was encouraged;
Lifting each other up in prayer, Reminding each other of our position, Exhibiting for each other a Right Pattern
A. The definition of encourage
It means to strengthen or establish. The church is a people who strengthen and establish. We think of encouragement as…It’s not just saying positive words to someone. “Keep your chin up.” “It’s always darkest before the dawn.” But it means to do something to shore up something that needs stabilizing. To prevent something from toppling. I found this example from the Old Testament.
Ezra 1:5-6 5 Then the heads of the fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, with all whose spirits God [a]had moved, arose to go up and build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem. 6 And all those who were around them [b]encouraged them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with precious things, besides all that was willingly offered.
They encouraged them with---stuff they needed for the work. God had placed a task before Ezra, and those returning to Jerusalem. They were to rebuild the temple. So, the people encouraged them. How? Did the all walk by and say, “Good luck with that!” “You can do anything you set your mind to!” No, it doesn’t say that they said anything. They encouraged them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with precious things. They helped them get the things they needed for the task.
What does encouragement mean for the church in Thessalonica?
1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.
In this place, it wasn’t gold or livestock that they needed. They were living under the threat of persecution.
I think about the story of Thessalonica and Paul. He only spent about 3 weeks there, yet he goes to Berea, Athens, and Corinth. And even at Corinth, what is he thinking about? Thessalonica, those believers left behind. So what does he do? He gives up his fellow workers, sends them back to make sure that these new Christians are okay.
He knew they were enduring the hostility of certain people in their community. So, Paul calls on Timothy to comfort and edify. That’s what encouragement is; presence and action.
What would that look like in Thessalonica, or our church? Well it can be words. But it’s not limited to words. It’s possible some Jewish believers were beaten for their new-found faith. What would be encouraging to them? Maybe medical care, or attending to their wounds. Some may have lost homes, jobs, or families for their faith, what does encouragement look like for them? Not “be warmed and filled.” Maybe a place to sleep. Help finding employment.
That’s what the church is supposed to be, a place where you know people care about your problems. And they don’t just give them lip-service.
And I know that kind of encouragement has happened at this church. I know people who have opened their homes to someone who needed a place to stay until they got back on their feet. I know people who have helped get others to the store or doctor’s appointments. I know some who have given away vehicles to others in need. Some have helped someone get a job, or study for a test.
That’s all encouragement.
Well, what does Paul specifically describe that is a means of encouragement? Prayer, position, pattern
B. Lifting each other up in prayer-“What kind of prayer?” unceasing, specific, God-centered
1. Unceasing-Paul encouraged them with unceasing prayer-look at all the superlatives in verses 2 and 3.
2 We always give thanks to God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers, 3 remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and perseverance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father.
2 We always give thanks to God for all of you,
That indicates that he is thinking about each and every person who is a part of the church in Thessalonica.
Mentioning you in our prayers,
And he doesn’t just offer a trite, “Thinking of you” He let’s them know that he mentions each of them in his prayers; how often? always
3 remembering without ceasing
He says, we don’t stop praying for you.
2. Specific
3 remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and perseverance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father.
Remembering-he is praying based on his memory of them. It’s not just some generic list of petitions that he would pray for any group of Christians. He calls to mind specifics about their walk of faith.
a. Work of faith: your salvation-the past
Your faith that produces work. Remember now that Paul is praying for each individual in the church of Thessalonica. So, I think he is calling to mind, in his prayers, that thankful moment when that person repented of their sins and turned to faith in Christ.
Let me give you an example from a few years ago. I was privileged to be a part of someone coming to faith. Now as I pray for them, I might say, “Thank you Lord for your work in this person’s heart. I know you are continuing to draw them into a deeper walk with you. Lord, they came out of a life of addiction. Protect them from the assault of Satan. Build them up in their faith.
b. Labor of love: service-present-current ministry or circumstance
He is calling to mind, in his prayers, whatever their specific giftedness of calling is.
Now if I continued to pray for the above person, I might say, “Lord, I know you are using this person to guide young people in their church. Encourage him to be faithful to your Word, to rightly divide the Word of truth. Call to his mind the example that he is setting for these young ones. Show your love to him, so he knows how to show it to them.
c. Perseverance of hope: steadfastness -future
Paul is praying about their steadfastness. He is praying that they hold on to their faith.
If I were praying for the above person, I might say, “Lord, I know that this person is enduring an illness that saps his strength. Lord, you promised to not put on Him more than he is able to endure. I claim that promise, and I know you will give him a peace that passes understanding.”
He encouraged with prayer.
You might say, “How can our prayers encourage others in the church?” 3 ways--Well, they might encourage if we pray with them, for them. They might also encourage if we tell them we prayed for them. And, on that note, let me tell you what I find most encouraging. I am most encouraged when I’m not only told, “I’m praying for you” but I’m also told what the are praying for.
As a pastor, it encourages my heart when someone says, “I’m praying for you to be able to understand and clearly preach the Word of God.”
Get specific when you tell someone you are praying for them. Let me tell you why. Not only does it help the know that you are taking their real issues before God’s throne of grace, it also forces you to take your praying more seriously. If I force myself to tell someone what I am praying for them, I have to get very Biblical. Let me illustrate. If someone is depressed, I can say, “I’m praying for you.” Or I could say, “I’m praying that you feel better.” But that’s sounds a little empty and powerless. So, I go to the Word of God to discover how I should pray for someone who is depressed. I might come across lots of verses like
Isaiah 26:3 3 You will keep him in perfect peace,Whose mind is stayed on You,Because he trusts in You.
So I can now pray, Lord help this person keep their mind on you. Remind them by your Spirit to meditate on your word, to turn from worldly shows and thoughts that bring them down, and to begin filling their mind with your thoughts. Teach them to surround themselves with good Christian music, and the Word of God. Teach them how to trust in you. And teach me Lord, how I can be a further encouragement to their spirit.
Unceasing, specific and…
3. God-centered
2. We always give thanks to God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers.
3 remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and perseverance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father.
How can my prayers be encouraging? I don’t always know the words to say. I didn’t get the opportunity to pray with you. Take heart, your prayers are encouraging, because they are not just positive vibes. They are not just words or actions designed to lift the spirit. They are words calling on our Lord Jesus Christ, God our Father to act on behalf of our brother or sister in Christ.
Because they are real. They go to a real God.
I hope that your prayers are not just an empty gesture. Like saying, “I’m thinking of you.” When you say, “I’m praying for you,” is that all you are saying, “I’m thinking of you?”
It’s not if you actually believe there is a loving God that you are praying to, who wants to encourage your friend’s heart far more than you do.
If we want to be a people of encouragement, we have to believe in the power of prayer
Spurgeon ascending to the pulpit—I believe in the Holy Spirit
I believe in prayer.
How else are we to be a people of encouragement?
C. Reminding each other of our position—past, present, and future
4 We know, brothers[a] loved by God, that you are chosen, 5 and that our Good News came to you not in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and with much assurance.
One of the ways that Church can be a people of encouragement is if it is a place where you are elevated in your position. Every other place in the world, you may feel worthless, but it shouldn’t be that way in the church.
You see, once we get past the message of salvation, once we repent of our sins, and surrender to Christ as Lord, it’s all grace from there. From that point forward you are a child of God.
And even if you come to church having failed in regards to sin, you’ve already been forgiven.
Christian people get really messed up in their theology here. Somehow people think that when you become a Christian, that you are forgiven of the sins that you’ve committed up to that point. But from then on, you need to walk a sanctified walk, and make sure you ask forgiveness for every sin you commit. And you’d better adequately grovel over your sin. And even then, they think, that God is up there in heaven, after you sin, just shaking His head in disappointment, saying, “Are you ever going to get it right?”
That’s not a very encouraging message is it? I think that’s where Southern Baptists have dropped the ball. In many Southern Baptist churches we haven’t done an adequate job of teaching basic doctrines. One of those basic doctrines is the doctrine of election.
1. Chosen--past
4 We know, brothers[a] loved by God, that you are chosen,
Let me tell you something, the doctrine of election is encouraging. How is it encouraging preacher? Listen to what the Bible says about you being chosen, or elected.
1 Peter 2:4 Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious,
What was He chosen to do?
1 Peter 1:20 18 knowing that you were not redeemed with [g]corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you
God chose Jesus, His Son, to be the sacrifice for sin, before the world was ever created.
Now get this, God chose Him so you could be chosen.
1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
Jesus chose you. You say, “yes, I remember the day He chose me, it was on Sunday, August 8th of 1973. No! Do you know when you were chosen?
Ephesians 1:3-5 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,He chose you before you were ever born. Before you had ever called on Him, before you had ever committed a single sin. So, when Jesus died on the cross, He carried all your sin, even the ones you haven’t committed yet. That’s why the doctrine of election is encouraging. All my sin is gone, even the sins in my future.
You know, I didn’t always comprehend that. I would be walking my Christian life. Doing pretty good. Feeling pretty good about myself. Then I would fall into some sin. That same old sin that always besets me. And I’d think, “God’s got to be so discouraged with me.” “Bruce, I thought you knew better.” And I’d spend days, or sometimes weeks, just groveling around in my sense of worthlessness. Then I’d crawl back to God, “God, I am so very sorry, I am resolved to do better this time.”
Let me ask you this. When God chose you, back at the foundation of the world, do you think that He wasn’t aware that you were going to fail, repeatedly? Do you think He wants you to pay for your sins with a few weeks of feeling really guilty? No! He wants you to get off of your self-loathing hobby horse, and get back to work. Confess your sins, cry about it for a bit, then say, “Okay Lord, I’m ready for what’s next.”
That’s why the doctrine of election is encouraging, because it tells me that I serve a God who chose this flawed and failing sinner, before I was even born.
Now I know some of you are struggling with some discomfort here. Because the idea of God choosing before the foundation of the world raises some questions in your mind. Like,
If He chose me, did I have a choice? Yes you did! It says in
John 3: 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
John 6:37 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.
Anybody that comes to Him, He won’t cast out. He chose those who are His before the foundation of the world.
You say, “Preacher, how to you reconcile those two things?”
People struggle with this. Hyper Calvinist say, “well, the only ones who will come to Him will be those He has already chosen.”
Hyper Armenians say, “Well God looked down through time and chose all the people who He knew would choose Him.”
You say, “Preacher, how to you reconcile those two things?” Let me tell you my secret to theological happiness. I don’t reconcile them
Let me ask you this, “Where in the Bible does it say either of those two things?” It doesn’t.
It tells us that God chose us before the foundation of the world, and that God wants everyone to be saved, and that whoever comes to Him, He won’t cast out.
How do I fit all that together? I don’t. I’m not going to stand here in the pulpit and spin a yarn out of my own head, my own logic. It may be wrong, and I will be guilty of preaching a lie. I just tell you what the Bible says, and I just take what it says on faith.
Church should be a place of encouragement, and it encourages my heart that God knew me, and chose me before the foundation of the world. That’s my position.
What else is my position?
2. Power--present
4 We know, brothers[a] loved by God, that you are chosen, 5 and that our Good News came to you not in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit,
The Word of God came to you in power and in the Holy Spirit.
When we gather as the church, we are not only encouraged by our past-we were chosen before the foundation of the world, but by our present state of being.
Paul is reminding these people in the church in Thessalonica, that they weren’t converted by some sort of self-improvement program. They didn’t just muster up enough gumption, or personal wisdom to reach a personal epiphany. They were saved because they believed the Word of God. And that Word of God was unleashed in their hearts with power and the very Spirit of God bursting out of their lives.
Now, what kind of power, or manifestation of the Holy Spirit are we talking about here?
Was there some sort of miracle, healing, or resurrection performed at Thessalonica? The book of Acts gives us no record of any. Did they all speak in tongues as a result of the filling of the Spirit? The record in Acts doesn’t indicate that. Now let’s be totally up front. Some of that may have happened at Thessalonica. We don’t know. There’s no record. All we get is that Paul,
came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.” 4 And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas.
So, where’s the power, and the Holy Spirit?
Here it is, they heard the Word, believed the Word, repented, were saved, received the Holy Spirit, and God changed them.
2: 13 For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.
1: 9 For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,
2: 14 For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus.
Now this was not written to the church in Thessalonica, but it applies to anyone’s salvation.
1 Corinthians 6:10-12 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were [a]sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.What is their position? They are a people who are changed by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Church is a place of encouragement because it is a people who are changed, and being changed by the power of God. Where else can you go for that?
We have the power to be a changed people.
What is the third aspect of our position that encourages?
3. Assurance
4 We know, brothers[a] loved by God, that you are chosen, 5 and that our Good News came to you not in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and with much assurance.
Hebrews 10: 19 Therefore, brethren, having boldness[f] to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21 and having a High Priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
Paul reminds them that the faith they hold wasn’t just established in the past, chosen before the foundation of the world, held in the present by the power of the Holy Spirit, but it affords them the confidence of their future.
We’ve been given a gospel with “much full assurance.” What that says to me is that we have a faith that elicits confidence in the bearer.
What was Paul saying to these Thessalonians? That they had chosen Christ, and had no buyer’s remorse.
How many times have you bought something, or joined something, and within days, or even hours, you had buyer’s remorse? You immediately see the negative. You realize that it’s not going to work the way you thought it would. And maybe you give the product or membership a decent try, but you know, deep down, that you got suckered.
But Paul is saying here that this church at Thessalonica received the gospel that immediately made sense out of their past, present, and future. It was as though their eyes were finally opened and they knew the truth, they knew wisdom, and there was nothing that could dissuade them from this life.
The church in Thessalonica was a people of encouragement, because their faith was real. And also because…
Prayer, position and pattern—this is how our church can be a people of encouragement.
One man who was ousted from his profession for an indiscretion took work as a hod carrier simply to put bread on the table. He was suddenly plunged into a drastically different world; instead of going to an office each day, he was hauling loads of concrete block up to the fifth level of a construction site. Gone was the piped-in music in the corridors; now he had to endure blaring transistors. Any girl who walked by was subject to rude remarks and whistles. Profanity shot through the air, especially from the foreman, whose primary tactics were whining and intimidation; "For---sake, you---, can't you do anything right? I never worked with such a bunch of --- in all my life..."
Near the end of the third week, the new employee felt he could take no more. "I'll work till break time this morning," he told himself, "and then that's it. I'm going home." He'd already been the butt of more than one joke when his lack of experience caused him to do something foolish. The stories were retold constantly thereafter. "I just can't handle any more of this." A while later, he decided to finish out the morning and then leave at lunchtime.
Shortly before noon, the foreman came around with paychecks. As he handed the man his envelope, he made his first civil comment to him in three weeks. "Hey, there's a woman working in the front office who knows you. Says she takes care of your kids sometimes." "Who?" He named the woman, who sometimes helped in the nursery of the church where the man and his family worshiped. The foreman then went on with his rounds. When the hod carrier opened his envelope, he found, along with his check, a handwritten note from the payroll clerk: "When one part of the body of Christ suffers, we all suffer with it. Just wanted you to know that I'm praying for you these days." He stared at the note, astonished at God's timing. He hadn't even known the woman worked for this company. Here at his lowest hour, she had given him the courage to go on, to push another wheelbarrow of mortar up that ramp.
Dean Merrill, Another Chance, Zondervan, 1981, p. 138.