1 Thessalonians 2:13-16
The Church; A people of controversy

The church as it is supposed to be is: The church in Thessalonica was an exemplary church.

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);

¹³ For this cause we also thank God without ceasing, that when you received from us the word of the message of God, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also works in you who believe. ¹⁴ For you, brothers, became imitators of the assemblies of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus; for you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, ¹⁵ who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and drove us out, and don’t please God, and are contrary to all men, ¹⁶ forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved, to fill up their sins always. But wrath has come on them to the uttermost.

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).

A people of controversy.  They stand out in the world-follow Word of God, not word of men, world makes them suffer for it—they are a white dot on a black canvas, and so are we to be. The definition of controversy  from Merriam Webster is; a discussion marked especially by the expression of opposing views. 

Dictionary.com defines it as; a prolonged public dispute, debate, or contention; disputation concerning a matter of opinion.

 -synonyms from Merriam-Webster and Dictionary.com

altercation, argle-bargle [chiefly British], or less sophisticated argy-bargy [chiefly British], argument, battle royal, bicker, brawl, contretemps, cross fire, disagreement, dispute, donnybrook, falling-out, fight, hassle, imbroglio, kickup, misunderstanding, quarrel, rhubarb, rowscrap, set-to, spat, squabble, tiff, wrangle

The Church will be a people of controversy.  But, many of those words that I just mentioned don’t sound very Christian.  It doesn’t sound Christian that the people of the Church would be caught up in an altercation or dispute.  It doesn’t sound right that there was a quarrel or fight or brawl that ensued over a spat about Christianity. 

But if we read the book of Acts, and in particular, the life of Paul, that’s exactly what happened everywhere he went.  Many of the churches that Paul founded, especially the church in Thessalonica, were founded out of a battle royal in the city.

It wasn’t that Paul started it.  He was just obeying God by preaching the gospel, and the people opposed to that gospel reacted with violence.

And that’s the way it always is.  The world we live in hates the truth, and the light.  And so when they are exposed to it, the attack the light bearer.

So, the Church is to be a people of controversy.

All that means to us is, that the Church will believe and do things that run contrary to their world.  Stand out. The Church, and its people will point out the difference between sin and righteousness.  And the world doesn’t want to hear that. The Church will ruffle societies feathers.  And the world will react with an argy-bargy, a donnybrook, sometimes a brawl. 

Now, that doesn’t mean that we become obnoxious people just for the sake of being obnoxious.  But we do speak the truth in love.  The people of the Church do that.

A People of Controversy 2:13-16

I have 2 points to make from these 4 verses this morning.  They are that the people of the Church will have a  Controversial belief –Word of God, not word of men vs 13, a controversial way of living, the world won’t stand for it vss14-16.

So, let’s start this morning with a controversial belief.  We, in the Church will have beliefs that upset the world around us.  -Word of God-And that upset will often result in hostility, and even violence.  And Paul, and the church at Thessalonica were an example of that.

A.    Controversial Belief

¹³ For this cause we also thank God without ceasing, that when you received from us the word of the message of God, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also works in you who believe. 

a.     For this cause we give thanks to God always for you. 

For what cause?  Why is Paul thankful for them? 

You received…which also works—controversy—you went against the tide of men—these Christians only one year old

Paul says, we pray for you with continual thankfulness, because we brought the gospel to you, we encouraged you to follow Jesus.  And you did it.  You followed through.  Remember that Paul is writing from Corinth.  And Timothy was sent back to Thessalonica to check on the church there.  Remember that Paul was only there about 3 weeks.  And Paul and Silas were driven out of town by those who violently opposed their preaching.  So, he was worried that this little church that he left behind would crumble under the pressure of their community.  Paul and Silas left Thessalonica, but the violent opposition remained.  Remember what they accused Paul and Silas of;

 Acts 17: ⁵ But the Jews ^[a]who were not persuaded, ^[b]becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. ⁶ But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too. ⁷ Jason has ^[c]harbored them, and these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king—Jesus.” ⁸ And they troubled the crowd and the rulers of the city when they heard these things. ⁹ So when they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.

Jason, this new believer and others, had to put up a bond.  Paul and Silas left town.  But the church they left behind had to stay, live, and continue to preach the gospel in that city.

And Paul was worried that they might cave to the pressure.  So, Timothy comes back and after having visited the people of the church in Thessalonica, and he has good news.  There was no compromise for him to be worried about.

And then Paul tells them 2 reasons why he is thankful for them.

You received the message of God, as from God, and God is using that message to work in you.

a.     1^st-You received it.

When we came to you with the gospel, you received it.

Acts 17: 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, 

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.

There was a “great multitude” who believed.

What did they believe?

1 Thessalonians 1: and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, ¹⁰ and to wait for His Son from heaven,

 So, Paul and Silas left behind a rather large group of believers.  “A great multitude”  Now, this has always fascinated me, because I have always thought of “church” as this building we come to every week.  I’ve always attended smaller churches, so the buildings have been smaller.  But I’ve read about churches that grew rapidly, and had to move from renting space, to school auditoriums, to warehouses, as they grew.

“great multitude”

But how did that work in Thessalonica?  In three weeks, they had “a great multitude” who believed.  Where are they going to meet?  The synagogue was off-limits.  They weren’t well received by the city governing officials, so any public building was probably closed to them.

That means that they probably had big meetings out in the open somewhere, down by the lake, and they probably also met in small groups in homes.  (logistics-as pastor) How did they organize all that?  They didn’t even have Messenger or email. 

We know how easily a church can go down today, with all our advantages.  But they had none of that, they were under the threat of persecution, and their leadership were all brand new Christians themselves. 

But Paul says, “when I pray for you, I am always thankful, because you accepted the word.” They embraced the hardship

Not only… You received the Word. And…

b.    You received it as the Word from God.

You received it as God’s Word, not the Word of men.

You received the Word of God you heard from us.  The literal translation of that phrase is, you received “a word heard from us out from God.”  You believed that what we were telling you came straight from God. 

Not as the word of men.  See, here’s the controversy.  They believed that what they were hearing was not just some human opinion.  They had heard plenty of that. The Thessalonians would be quite familiar with different human opinions and philosophies.  Their world was like ours in that way.  They were a part of Greece, the birthplace of a number of philosophies and belief systems.  The city was on a seaport, right in the middle of the Egnatian Highway, which was like the major highway connecting the east and the west.

They would have people of every sort coming through their city, with every kind of false teaching and demonic doctrine that you can imagine.  And it would have been easy to dismiss Paul as just another huckster, snake-oil salesman, trying to make a buck.

But instead, they received his Word as coming from God.  They would have believed,

That’s the controversy of Christian living-we believe-this book-this book is controversial-in what it says-what it claims to be.

2 Timothy 3:16 World English Bible

¹⁶ Every Scripture is God-breathed and^[a] profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness,

Paul was thankful that they received the Word of God.

And what is the 2nd reason that Paul is thankful for them; they received the Word, they received it as the Word of God, and,

c.     It works in you.

Which also works in you who believe. 

They didn’t just believe the Word, they lived it.  They turned from idols to God.  They were a people of controversy-not only in belief, but in life change.

1 Peter 4:3-4 King James Version

³ For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:

⁴ Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:

And that would have been no small thing.  We can’t imagine this, but turning to God could have turned some of their world’s entirely upside down.  Because the worship of some god or goddess happened in the home, at work, and in community activities.   Let me illustrate that so we can understand them a little better. 

Many of us have become familiar with the Buddhist temples that have popped up around our community.  Well imagine if you were Vietnamese, and your whole family attended the Buddhist temple down here on Hydraulic and 51st.  And imagine that after you left services, you went home, and had a meal, and there was a Buddha on the mantel, the porch, and in several places throughout the house.  Not just a decorative decision. Even some of your food would be left for Buddha.  And imagine that your family runs a little Cantonese restaurant.  And there’s a Buddha at the door, in the kitchen, at the cash register.  Now imagine that every year your family helped plan and sponsor a Buddhist festival here in Wichita, of which they are an integral part.

Now imagine that you become a Christian.  How do you think that will affect your life?

So, that little phrase, “you turned to God from idols” is huge.  Paul was thankful that they not only believed the Word from God, but that belief resulted in change, and action.

Philippians 2:13 World English Bible

¹³ For it is God who works in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure

So, the Church is to be a people of controversy because we believe the Word of God, and it changes our lives.  We don’t fit in.  We can make people feel uncomfortable.

We say things like, “Jesus is the only way” 

Our beliefs are controversial

You already know this if you are paying attention, our beliefs are becoming more controversial every day.

If you believe the Bible, and mingle with the world, it will be controversial.

Well, not only do the people of the Church have a controversial belief, they live in a controversial fashion.

B.    Controversial living (1:6)

¹⁴ For you, brothers, became imitators of the assemblies of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus; for you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, even as they did from the Jews. ¹⁵ who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and drove us out, and don’t please God, and are contrary to all men, ¹⁶ forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved, to fill up their sins always. But wrath has come on them to the uttermost.

Controversial living

1.    Imitators of the churches in Judea

¹⁴ For you, brothers, became imitators of the assemblies of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus; for you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, even as they did from the Jews.

How controversial were they?  They got their community upset, that’s no small feat.

Their living reminded Paul of the Christians in Judea.  They imitated those churches.  Those churches back in Israel were their models.  Now, how did they know about those churches?  Well, in the time that Paul and Silas were in Thessalonica, it says that Paul

1 Thessalonians 2 we preached to you the gospel of God.

3 weeks-meetings whenever he could meet

So, I can imagine that Paul not only shared with them the story of Jesus, but also about those who had believed in Judea, but also the story of Pentecost, and the filling of the Holy Spirit, and the thousands who believed in Judea, and how the Sanhedrin threatened the apostles, and imprisoned them. 

We know that he also had to have told them how he came to faith.  How he himself had been a Pharisee who was hunting down these Judean Jewish Christians in every town in Israel, and dragging them out of their homes, putting them on trial, even standing by while they were put to death.

These people in Thessalonica came into the faith hearing first hand accounts of the heroes of the faith.  Think of this, they chose Christ, knowing that at the same time, they may have been choosing imprisonment and death. 

They didn’t just say, “I have my ticket to heaven, I’m saved from Hell.”  They did as Christ instructed, they “took up their cross to follow Jesus, if necessary, to death. 

This is why they were a people of controversy.  They were not willing to compromise their beliefs, or the way they lived, in order to get along in society.  

And that is why the American church is so impotent today.  We’ve compromised in beliefs and actions.  Satan and the world have been assaulting our beliefs in the public arena from the founding of this nation.  And, for the most part, the church has either chosen the route of compromise, or we have chosen to be silent on offensive messages. 

But Paul is saying that these people in Thessalonica were standing against the same kind of opposition that existed in Judea. And they were.  You can almost lay the stories of the gospel coming to Judea side by side with how it came to Thessalonica and find parallel happenings.

Look at it.

Both-gospel 1^st preached to the Jews-Thessalonica

Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they 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.” 

The gospel first went out in Judea among the Jews.  It spread in their synagogues and in the temple.  The apostles preached those first messages in Judea about Christ crucifixion and resurrection.  This is what Peter preached to the Jews at Pentecost;

Both had crucifixion and resurrection preached-Pentecost-Peter

Acts 2: ²² “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know— ²³ Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you ^[f]have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; ²⁴ whom God raised up, having ^[g]loosed the ^[h]pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.

Both had multitudes believe

Back to the story of the Thessalonians.

Thessalonica

Acts 17: 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.

Judea

And a “great multitude” among the Jews believed.  At Pentecost, 3000 believed, followed by thousands more over the following weeks and months.

Both followed with obedience-Judea

⁴³ Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. ⁴⁴ Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, ⁴⁵ and ^[o]sold their possessions and goods, and divided^[p] them among all, as anyone had need.

⁴⁶ So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, (apostles doctrine and prayer) and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, ⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added ^[q]to the church daily those who were being saved.

Thessalonica-Paul tells us about their devotion here

And the Thessalonians exhibited the same kind of devotion that the early Judean church did.  And then, just as this mass conversion to Christianity in Judea brought persecution from the Jews, so it did in Thessalonica. 

Both-persecution

In Judea

 Acts 4: 4 Now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them, ² being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. ³ And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening.

¹⁸ So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.

And things escalated until Stephen was stoned,

⁵⁴ When they heard these things they were ^[h]cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. ⁵⁵ But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, ⁵⁶ and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”

⁵⁷ Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; ⁵⁸ and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. 

then Paul himself started a campaign to destroy Christians.

Thessalonica-church began with persecution at temple, arrest of Paul and Silas

And in Thessalonica

⁵ But the Jews ^[a]who were not persuaded, ^[b]becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. ⁶ But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too. 

After persecution scattering-Judea

After persecution in Judea

Stephen

Acts 1: At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

Thessalonica

And in Thessalonica, Paul and Silas were forced to leave town, and the persecutors even pursued them to Berea, and drove them out of there

Here’s the controversy-your belief and life took such a radical turn that it was like the earliest church in Judea.

So, Paul says

¹⁴ For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus. For you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, just as they did from the Judeans, 

This is a remarkable statement.  Paul was only in Thessalonica for 3 weeks.  That means that when he wrote this letter to them, they were all baby Christians.  They had been believers for less than a year.  Think about it, these baby Christians were immediately faced with hostility and persecution, and they endured and thrived.  Take note of that; you don’t have to be long in the faith to be mature in the faith.  There are brand new Christians who are spiritually mature, and there are those who have been Christians for decades who are still spiritually immature.

They were not only imitators of the churches in Judea, they

2.    Stood opposed to the same kind of people who crucified Christ, and persecuted the apostles. 

the Jews. ¹⁵ who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and drove us out, and don’t please God, and are contrary to all men, ¹⁶ forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved, to fill up their sins always. But wrath has come on them to the uttermost.

The Jews of Jesus’ day did the opposite of the Thessalonians.  The Thessalonians received the Word, the Jews, for the most part, rejected the Word.  The Thessalonians acted on the Word, the Jews acted on their rejection.  How did they act on their rejection?

Paul says, they crucified Christ and they drove us out—it means to hunt someone like an animal.  They continually arrested the preachers of the gospel, and forbade them to preach Christ, with threatening’s.

Paul concludes by telling the punishment to come to those who rejected.  “But wrath has come on them to the uttermost.”

For those who reject Christ

³⁶ One who believes in the Son has eternal life, but one who disobeys^[a] the Son won’t see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”

Those in Thessalonica are an example of how

The Church are a people of controversy. 

If it they don’t, you have to wonder if they really are the Church at all.  Let me share with you what Scripture says on the matter.

We will stand out as Jesus stood out.

John 1:10 ¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world didn’t recognize him. ¹¹ He came to his own, and those who were his own didn’t receive him.

John 15:19 ¹⁸ “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. But because you are not of the world, since I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you

1 John 3: ¹² not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.

¹³ Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you. ¹⁴ We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love ^[a]his brother abides in death.

Matthew 10: ¹¹ “Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out. ¹² And when you go into a household, greet it. ¹³ If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. ¹⁴ And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. ¹⁵ Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!

¹⁶ “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless^[f] as doves. ¹⁷ But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. ¹⁸ You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 

¹ “Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. ²² And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. ²³ When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

²⁴ “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. ²⁵ It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house ^[g]Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household!