Thessalonians Series (Part 2)
What Every Church Should Be

No doubt you have heard some preacher say, "If you ever find the perfect
church, please don’t join it. If you do, it won’t be perfect anymore!"

Since local churches are made up of human beings, saved by God’s grace,
no church is perfect. But some churches are closer to the New Testament
ideal than others. The church at Thessalonica was in that category.

At least three times in this letter, Paul gave thanks for the church and
the way it responded to his ministry (1 Thessalonians 1:2 NIV) "We
always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers."

(1 Thessalonians 2:13 NIV) "And we also thank God continually because,
when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted
it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which
is at work in you who believe."

(1 Thessalonians 3:9 NIV) "How can we thank God enough for you in return
for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you?").

Not every minister can be that thankful.

A. The Model Church: A Strong Church or Work, 1:1-4
1 Thessalonians 1:1-4: "Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the
Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and
peace to you. {2} We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in
our prayers. {3} We continually remember before our God and Father your
work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance
inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. {4} For we know, brothers
loved by God, that he has chosen you,"

(1:1-4) Introduction: the introductory verses give us a clear picture of
a strong church.
    1.    It is a church that has ministers who are faithful to the church
(v.1).
    2.    It is a church of the people (v.1).
    3.    It is a church founded in God and in the Lord (v.1).
    4.    It is a church possessing God’s supreme gifts: grace and peace (v.1).
    5.    It is a church that stirs prayer (v.2).
    6.    It is a church stirred up to work (v.3).
    7.    It is a church seen to be chosen by God (v.4).

1. (1:1) Church: a strong church has ministers who are faithful to the
church. Note that Paul was not writing this letter alone. Silas and
Timothy joined him in exhorting the church. Why is this an exhortation
from three ministers? Because these particular ministers had been the
three who had founded and ministered to the church throughout the early
years of its ministry.

The point is this: the Thessalonica church was strong because its
ministers had remained faithful to the church. From every indication they
had continued to stay in touch with the church and to exhort the
believers through visits and letters as long as they were living and able
to minister.
Þ    Paul visited the church when he returned to the area on his third
missionary journey (Acts 20:1-2).
Þ    Timothy made a special visit to the church for the very purpose of
helping the church through a difficult time and to establish and comfort
the believers in their faith (1 Thes. 3:1-6).
Þ    All three ministers wrote the church at least two times, this letter of
1 Thessalonians and the second letter to the Thessalonians (1 Thes. 1:1;
2 Thes. 1:1).

Note how Paul, probably the greatest minister who has ever lived,
acknowledged Silas and Timothy as equal to him.

2. (1:1) Church: a strong church is a church of the people. Paul did not
address the letter to "the church at Thessalonica," but to "the church of
the Thessalonians." The church was the people, the people who had been
buried with Christ in baptism. Without people who are committed to the
Lord there is no church. The letter was not addressed to a particular
group of leaders, but to all the people of the church. Every believer was
important, and it took every one of them to make up the church.

The word church in 1 Thessalonians 1:1 means "a called-out people."
Whenever you read about a call in the Bible, it indicates divine
election—God is calling out a people from this world (Acts 15:13-18).
Seven times in John 17, our Lord referred to believers as those whom the
Father gave to Him out of the world (John 17:2, 6, 9, 11-12, 24). Paul
stated that he knew the Thessalonians had been chosen by God (1 Thes.
1:4).

The picture painted in these verses is a model for all churches. It is
the picture of a church strong in carrying on a work for the Lord. A
strong church is a church of the people, a church...
·    that is comprised of all the people.
·    that is built upon all the people.
·    that acknowledges the importance of all the people.
·    that involves and uses the gifts of all the people.
·    that recognizes and esteems the presence and contribution of all the
people.

Thought 1. Several things will always weaken a church:
Þ    Building the church upon a few people or leaders.
Þ    Ignoring and neglecting the needs of some members.
Þ    Failing to involve and use the gifts of some members.

3. (1:1) Church—Jesus Christ, Deity: a strong church is founded "in God
the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ." Jesus Christ is said to be
equal with God the Father. God is acknowledged as the Father of the Lord
Jesus Christ. This is the distinctive belief upon which the church is
built. We believe that "God so loved the world, that He gave His only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have
everlasting life" (John 3:16).

As stated, it is upon this confession that the church is built. This
confession is the one distinctive mark of the church.

4. (1:1) Church—Grace—Peace: a strong church possesses God’s supreme
gifts—grace and peace.
1. Grace (charis) means the undeserved favor and blessings of God. No
church can be strong...without the favor of God and without the blessings
of God.

When we see a strong church, the hand of God is immediately noticed: the
hand that favors the church and blesses it. What is it that brings the
hand of God’s grace to a church? Note the exact wording of this verse:
"Grace be to you...from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." Grace
comes from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

The church that really commits itself to this confession is the church
that God favors and blesses, that experiences the outpouring of His
grace. Every strong church is a church that is confessing God to be the
Father of the Lord Jesus Christ and confessing the Lord Jesus Christ to
be the only begotten Son of God. When this confession is forcefully made
and demonstrated by a church, then it is that the grace (favor and
blessings) of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ pours forth.

2.    Peace (eirene) means to be bound, joined, and woven together. It means
to be assured, confident, and secure in the love and care of God. The
Father and Christ alone can bring peace to the hearts of men, and that
peace can be given only to those who come to God for peace. The Father
and Christ cannot give peace to a person who does not come to God for
peace.

The point is this: a strong church is a body of people who know and
experience the peace of God as they walk throughout the world day by day.

5. (1:2) Church—Prayer: a strong church stirs prayer. This is a crucial
trait, for God has ordained prayer to be the medium through which He
blesses and moves in behalf of people.

Why has God chosen prayer to be the medium through which He acts for man?
Because sharing and talking together are the way all persons communicate,
fellowship, and commune together. This is true both with men and God.

Prayer requires our presence, sharing, and talking; and God wants to
fellowship and commune with us. Few persons heed this fact; few persons
take prayer seriously. Nevertheless a strong church encourages people to
pray, and it stirs people to pray for it and its ministry. Note that Paul
gave thanks to God always for the Thessalonian church.

6. (1:3) Church: a strong church is a church that is stirred up and
aroused to work. Disciples should not stand lazily by waiting for the
judgment day.

Three things stir and arouse the church to work.
    1.    Faith stirs the church to work. When a person believes in Jesus
Christ, truly believes, he is stirred to work and serve the Lord Jesus.
The same is true with a body of believers, the church. The stronger the
belief of the people in Christ, the stronger they will work for the Lord.
A strong faith stirs, arouses, activates, and energizes believers to work
and carry out the mission of Christ.

2. Love stirs the church to labor. The word "labor" (kopou) means to
toil; to labor to the point of exhaustion; to arduously labor. When a
person truly loves Christ, he is prompted and driven to arduously labor
for Christ. Note: the believer who is driven by love is the believer who
has really seen the love of Christ. He is always conscious that Christ
has taken his sins upon Himself and borne the punishment for them.

The believer knows that he is ever so short of the glory of God, and that
he deserves to be punished as the transgressor of God’s law. But he knows
and walks around with the deep sense that Christ bore his punishment for
him. It is the wonderful love of Christ that stirs the believer to love
Christ ever so much. Therefore, he does all he can to please Christ and
to fulfil the joy of Christ.

    3.    Hope in the Lord Jesus Christ stirs the church to endure in its work
and labor. The word "patience" (hupomones) means endurance, stedfastness,
perseverance. In addition, we know that that Lord is going to transfer
us into heaven at the end of this life and reward us according to our
labor here on earth. Therefore, strong believers and churches are driven
to endure in hope—to continue on in their arduous labor for Christ.

Thought 1. There are several reasons why a man works.
Þ    There is forced labor: a man is forced to work.
Þ    There is a sense of duty: a man feels obligated to work.
Þ    There is the need to meet necessities: a man has needs that have to be
met.
Þ    There is the wish to gain more: a man works to build up wealth.

When a man is baptized into Christ, his motive for working changes. He
now serves and works for Christ (Ephes. 6:5-9; Col. 3:22-4:1). His faith
in the new world Christ is creating stirs him to work for Christ. His
love for Christ and for others stirs him to work in order to share the
gospel with the world (1 Thes. 1:6-9). His hope in the return of Christ
to set up His kingdom causes him to labor patiently (1 Thes. 1:3).

7. (1:4) Church: a strong church is seen to be elected by God. Without
God's love there would be no gospel. The whole Bible is, in a sense, the
unfolding story of God's love. The word "election" (eklogen) means that
the church has been selected and chosen by God.

The doctrine of divine election confuses some people and frightens
others, yet neither response is justified. A professor once told me, "Try
to explain election, and you may lose your mind. But explain it away—and
you may lose your soul!" In relation to believers, God's choosing is
sovereign (Rom. 9:11), it is pretemporal (Eph. 1:4), it is for salvation
(2 Thess. 2:13), and it is proved by the fruit that accompany salvation
(v. 5; Col. 3:12).

This means two things.
    1.    Believers are elected and chosen by God to be His beloved people. God
has called believers out of the world and away from the old life which
the world offered, the old life of sin and death. He has called believers
to be separated and set apart to Himself and the new life He offers, the
new life of righteousness and eternity.

    2.    Believers are elected and chosen to be beloved brothers; they are
called to hold one another ever so closely to their hearts and to count
one another as precious and deeply loved.

2)    A people can show that election is only a false profession...
·    by acting like they are not the beloved of God—living in sin and shame,
dirt and pollution, worldliness and greed.
· by treating one another as anything but beloved brothers: being
critical and divisive, prideful and arrogant, angry and hurtful, envious
and prejudiced, superior and super-spiritual.

In relation to believers, God's choosing is sovereign (Rom. 9:11), it is
pretemporal (Eph. 1:4), it is for salvation (2 Thess. 2:13), and it is
proved by the fruit that accompany salvation (v. 5; Col. 3:12).

B.    The Model Church: A Strong Conversion, 1:5-10
(1:5-10) Introduction: Paul says that the Thessalonian church was a
pattern. He says that they were examples not only to the heathen, but
also to believers. Their example is primarily found in their strong
conversion and in their thundering forth the Word of the Lord (1 Thes.
1:8).
    1.    They had ministers who preached the gospel as it should be preached
(v.5).
    2.    They received the Word (the gospel) despite opposition and
persecution (v.6).
    3.    They became examples to other believers (v.7-8).
    4.    They turned to God from idols (v.9-10).

1. (1:5-6) Ministers: the model church had ministers who preached the
gospel as it should be preached. When Paul went to Thessalonica, he went
for one purpose and for one purpose only: to preach the gospel and to
minister to the needs of people. Note three striking lessons.
1. Paul did not preach in word only; that is, he did not preach mere
words, depending upon his own ability to influence people. He did not
stand before people using nothing but his own words to reach people.

When Paul stood before people and preached, he was not concerned with
words and eloquence, nor with whether or not people thought he was a good
preacher. He was concerned with only one thing: sharing the Word of God
and the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul knew that God honored His
Word and His Word only.

    2.    Paul preached in power and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance.
a.    Preaching in "power" (dunamis) means preaching in the power and energy
of God Himself. This is what is so often missed and misunderstood. The
gospel is not mere words nor just sharing an idea. Words and ideas are,
of course, involved; but the gospel is more, much more. The gospel is the
power of God at work in the human heart. The gospel is the power of God
operating, working, stirring, convicting, and energizing a person to
believe and accept the Lord Jesus Christ.

    This is the reason it is so important for the preacher to be completely
surrendered to God—living ever so closely to Him—living and moving and
having his being in the Lord. The preacher must be under the control of
God so that the power of God can rest upon and flow through his life. The
preacher must become nothing but an instrument in the hands of God. Then
and only then can the gospel—the very power of God—flow through his
preaching like it should.

b.    Preaching in the Holy Spirit means that the Holy Spirit was also
working in the hearts of people. He was doing what God had sent Him to
earth to do: convict the hearts of the hearers and convince them of the
truth of the gospel:
Þ    that Jesus Christ did die for their sins.
Þ    that Jesus Christ does provide righteousness for men; that His
righteousness does stand for the righteousness of men.
Þ    that Jesus Christ did bear the judgment and punishment of sin for men.

When Paul preached the gospel for the first time in the Greek city of
Thessalonica, a number of Jews and Gentiles put their faith in Christ (Ac
17:1-9). The Spirit had made the church's testimony to the gospel
possible (Jn 15:26), called Paul to preach it (Ac 13:2-4), guided Paul on
his travels, (Ac 16:6-7), and was responsible for its being heard by the
Thessalonians.

When they believed the gospel, they experienced the power and joy of the
new life the Spirit gives. Thus the Spirit convicts, regenerates, and
gives joy to us as we enter God's new life of eternal salvation.

c.    Preaching in assurance is a critical point. How can a minister preach
and have the assurance that his preaching will bear fruit? How can he be
assured that the power of God and of the Holy Spirit will rest upon his
preaching? The answer is found in what is said in the following point,
point three.

3. Paul lived what he preached. He lived a life that was completely
surrendered to Christ. He lived and moved and had his being in Christ,
walking and living ever so closely to Him. Assurance and confidence come
from obedience—knowing that we are doing what we should be doing. It
comes from knowing that we please God—that we are living pure and clean
lives, praying and studying God’s Word every day and witnessing to the
saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

When we know that we are pleasing God, then we know that His presence and
power will be upon us.
Þ    Obedience is the secret to assurance.
Þ    Obedience is the secret to the presence and power of God upon our lives
and preaching.
Þ    Obedience is the secret to bearing fruit through preaching. This was
the secret of Paul. Paul obeyed God; therefore, Paul was convinced that
his preaching would be in power and in the Holy Spirit.

Thought 2. The point is this: the Thessalonians had a preacher who
preached the gospel as it should be preached. They had a minister who
surrendered his life totally to Christ: he lived and preached Christ and
Christ alone. What a dynamic example for us! When we live and preach like
we should, then our preaching will be in power and in the Holy Spirit.
The presence and power of God Himself will rest upon our lives and
ministries.

2. (1:6) Decision: they received the Word (the gospel) despite
opposition and persecution. Remember: unbelieving Jews had opposed Paul
and aroused some of the city troublemakers against him. The persecution
became so threatening that Paul had been forced to flee the city (cp.
Acts 17:4-10).

However, his absence did not stop the persecution. In fact, it seems that
the attack upon the church and its young believers became even more
fierce. The Jews had convinced some of the Gentile citizens—some
countrymen of the believers—to join them in trying to stop the gospel and
destroy the church (cp. 1 Thes. 2:14). But note what Paul says:
Þ    The gospel still bore fruit. Some persons still received the Word and
accepted Christ despite the opposition and persecution.
Þ    The Holy Spirit rewarded the believers’ commitment to Christ. He
stirred joy in their hearts and lives, giving them full assurance of
their eternal salvation and deliverance from death.

One other fact is important: the believers became followers of Paul and
Christ. The word follow (mimetai) means to imitate. Is it right for
people to imitate and follow preachers and other outstanding Christian
leaders?

A.T. Robertson gives an excellent answer to the question: "It is a daring
thing to expect people to ‘imitate’ the preacher, but Paul adds ‘and of
the Lord,’ for he only expected or desired ‘imitation’ as he himself
imitated the Lord Jesus, as he expressly says in 1 Cor. 11:1. The peril
of it all is that people so easily and so readily imitate the preacher
when he does not imitate the Lord." (A.T. Robertson. Word Pictures in the
New Testament, Vol.4. Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1931, p.11.)

Thought 1. There are two striking lessons in this point.
1)    Nothing, absolutely nothing, should keep a person from receiving the
Word of the gospel — not even opposition and persecution.
2)    Believers—preachers and laymen alike—must guard their lives ever so
closely and make sure they are living for Christ and living ever so
diligently for Him. Why? Because others are watching and following
us—some child, some adult, some neighbor, some friend. There are people
who look up to us and follow after us. Whether or not we like the fact,
they are. Therefore, it behooves us to follow Christ as perfectly as we
can.

3. (1:7-8) Witnessing—Testimony: the model church became examples to
other believers. This is a striking point: this young church was so
committed to the Lord that their testimony spread all over the world.
Note this: when Rome had conquered Greece, it had divided the country
into two provinces, the northern province being Macedonia and the
southern province being Achaia. Paul clearly says that the testimony of
the church had spread all over Greece, both northern Greece and southern
Greece. Then he adds that their faith had spread out beyond the borders
of Greece.

This must mean all over the world, for Thessalonica was a major
commercial center where salesmen, tradesmen, and businessmen visited from
all over the world. Just imagine the witnessing the church and its
believers must have been doing day by day. Their excitement and
enthusiasm for Christ and the opposition and persecution against them
must have been the talk of the city and world.

Their "work of faith and labor of love" expressed itself in their sharing
of the Gospel with others. They were both "receivers" (the Word came to
them, 1 Thes. 1:5) and "transmitters" (the Word went out from them, 1
Thes. 1:8). Each believer and each local church must receive and transmit
God’s Word.

The verb sounded out actually means "to sound as a trumpet." But the
Thessalonians were not "tooting their own horns" as did the Pharisees
(Matt. 6:1-4). They were trumpeting forth the Good News of salvation, and
their message had a clear and certain sound to it (1 Cor. 14:8). Wherever
Paul went, the people told him about the faith of the Thessalonian
believers.

It is the responsibility and privilege of each local church to share the
message of salvation with the lost world. At the end of each of the four
Gospels and at the beginning of the Book of Acts, there are commissions
for the churches to obey (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:46-49;
John 20:21; Acts 1:8). Many congregations are content to pay a staff to
do the witnessing and soul-winning. But in New Testament churches, the
entire congregation was involved in sharing the Good News (Acts 2:44-47;
5:42).

A recent survey of church growth indicated that 70 to 80 percent of a
church’s growth is the result of friends witnessing to friends and
relatives to relatives. While visitation evangelism and other methods of
outreach help, the personal contact brings the harvest.

But election and evangelism go together. The person who says, "God will
save those He wants to save and He doesn’t need my help!" understands
neither election nor evangelism. In the Bible, election always involves
responsibility. God chose Israel and made them an elect nation so that
they might witness to the Gentiles.

In the same way, God has chosen the church that we might be witnesses
today. The fact that we are God’s elect people does not excuse us from
the task of evangelism. On the contrary, the doctrine of election is one
of the greatest encouragements to evangelism.

If salvation were the work of man, we would have every right to be
discouraged and quit. But salvation is the work of God, and He uses
people to call out His elect. "He called you by our Gospel" (2 Thes.
2:14). The same God who ordains the end (the salvation of the lost) also
ordains the means to the end (the preaching of the Gospel). There is no
conflict between divine sovereignty and human responsibility, even though
we cannot reconcile the two.

We need more churches today where the people are enthusiastic to share
the message of salvation with others. As I write this, 2.4 billion people
in our world have no visible witness of the Gospel in their midst, or no
church body. In spite of the outreach of radio, television, and the
printing press, we are losing ground in the work of reaching the lost.
Are you an enthusiastic Christian? Is your church enthusiastic about
witnessing?

4. (1:9-10) Conversion—Repentance—Idolatry: the model church turned to
God from idols. Remember that Paul had been forced to flee from
Thessalonica for his life. The only way he knew how the young church and
its believers were holding up was from others who had been to
Thessalonica to visit or conduct business. What he had heard thrilled his
heart: the believers were standing fast in the gospel he had preached.
There were three things in particular that struck him about their
testimony.
    1.    The believers had turned to God from idols. John Walvoord makes an
important point: they turned to God from idols, not from idols to God
(The Thessalonian Epistles. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1973, p.17).
Þ    They did not seek to clean up their own lives by themselves. They did
not try to reform themselves by turning away from idols and then turning
to God.
Þ    They turned to God first, then with God’s help and strength, they
repented and turned away from idols.

What is an idol? It is crucial to understand exactly what an idol is.
Very simply, every man has an idea of what God is like and what God
allows and does not allow. Some men take their ideas and make images of
them by carving wood or melting and molding metal or porcelain. Other men
just hold the images in their mind and picture God as being like this or
like that. Either image is as much an idol as the other. An idol is
merely an image of some god created by the mind of man—an image other
than the God revealed by the Scripture (cp. Romans 1:21).

Note the sharp contrast made between these images of man’s mind and God:
God is the living and true God; the images are only the lifeless and
false notions of men.

    2.    The believers had turned to God because of the promise of Christ’s
return. It was God’s Son who was returning to earth, the Person who had
died for them so that they might be acceptable to God and live with Him
forever. They believed with all their hearts that they were to live with
God forever. This was the reason they were waiting for the return of
Christ. The word "wait" is in the present tense. This means that their
hope for the return of Christ was alive. They expected Christ to return
at any moment and eagerly looked for Him to rent the skies. Their
expectation was a daily expectation.

Note one other significant fact. How do we know that Christ is going to
return to earth and take believers to live with God forever? Because God
raised up Christ from the dead. By resurrecting Christ, God...
·    proved that He is the God of all power.
·    proved that He has the power to raise the dead.
·    proved that He is going to do just as Christ taught: raise all men,
some to eternal life and some to eternal death, that is, to be eternally
separated from God.

    3.    The believers had turned to God to escape the wrath of God. Note
this: a day of wrath is coming; it has to come, for man and his universe
are corruptible and imperfect and are in rebellion against God. The world
is already condemned; the day of wrath is already set. But this is the
glorious news of the gospel: we can be delivered from the wrath to come.
The word "delivered" (ruomenon) means to rescue; to deliver us right out
of the wrath. The picture is that of God rescuing and lifting us up out
of the wrath.

In these verses, Paul related the second coming of Christ to their
salvation. Because they had trusted Christ, they looked for His return
with joyful expectancy and knew that they would be delivered "from the
wrath to come" (1 Thes. 1:10). Paul repeated this truth in 1
Thessalonians 5:9-10, and he amplified it again in 2 Thessalonians
1:5-10.

When they worshiped idols, the Thessalonians had no hope. But when they
trusted "the living God," they had a living hope (see 1 Peter 1:2-3).
Those of us who have been brought up in the Christian doctrine cannot
understand the bondage of pagan idolatry. Before Paul came to them with
the Gospel, these people were without hope and "without God in the world"
(Eph. 2:12). Read Psalm 115 for a vivid description of what it is like to
worship an idol.

Christians are "children of the living God" (Rom. 9:26). Their bodies are
the "temples of the living God" (2 Cor. 6:16), indwelt by the "Spirit of
the living God" (2 Cor. 3:3). The church is "the church of the living
God" (1 Tim. 3:15); and for His church, God is preparing "the city of the
living God" (Heb. 12:22). The living God has given us a living hope by
raising His Son Jesus Christ from the dead.

The word translated "wait" in 1 Thessalonians 1:10 means "to await
someone with patience and confidence, expectantly." Waiting involves
activity and endurance. Some of the Thessalonian believers quit their
work and became idle busybodies, arguing that the Lord was coming soon.
But if we really believe the Lord is coming, we will prove our faith by
keeping busy and obeying His Word. Our Lord’s Parable of the Pounds (Luke
19:11-27) teaches that we must "occupy" (be busy; in this case, invest
the money) till He returns.

Christians are waiting for Jesus Christ, and He may return at any time.
We are not waiting for any "signs"; we are waiting for the Saviour. We
are waiting for the redemption of the body (Rom. 8:23-25) and the hope of
righteousness (Gal. 5:5). When Jesus Christ returns we shall receive new
bodies (Phil. 3:20-21), and we shall be like Him (1 John 3:1-2). He will
take us to the home He has prepared (John 14:1-6), and He will reward us
for the service we have given in His name (Rom. 14:10-12).

A local church that truly lives in the expectation of seeing Jesus Christ
at any time will be a vibrant and victorious group of people. Expecting
the Lord’s return is a great motivation for soul-winning (1 Thes.
2:19-20) and Christian stability (1 Thes. 3:11-13).

It is a wonderful comfort in sorrow (1 Thes. 4:13-18) and a great
encouragement for godly living (1 Thes. 5:23-24). It is tragic when
churches forget this wonderful doctrine. It is even more tragic when
churches believe it and preach it—but do not practice it.