Sermon Central
-
A Letter Of Encouragement- A Successful Church Series
Contributed by Shawn Drake on Jul 3, 2021 (message contributor)
Summary: This is the 58th sermon in the series "Action". This is the 1st sermon from 2 Thessalonians.
Series: Action [#58]
A LETTER OF ENCOURAGEMENT- A SUCCESSFUL CHURCH
2 Thessalonians 1:1-4
Introduction:
One thing I talk about often is the success of our children and their families. While they are all grown, I love talking about what they are doing and how they are doing. Paul continues this same theme in 2 Thessalonians as he had in 1 Thessalonians. This letter was another letter of encouragement.
I was recently asked, what my idea of a successful Church is. The answer to this question varies a lot from person to person; but these 1st 4 verses give us some good direction. Paul told them that they were boasting about their congregation.
2 Thessalonians 1:1-4
I had a friend that would tell me if he didn’t like something I was doing, he would tell me; but if I was doing something he liked, he would tell everyone else. Often times, we do the opposite; but not Paul.
A Church worth boasting on is…
1. Growing spiritually.
Most of the time, when people talk about Church growth, they are talking about numbers. I am not saying that statistics don’t matter; but compared to spiritual growth, they mean nothing. In 1 Thessalonians, Paul wrote to them about spiritual growth and how to accomplish that. Now, he is bragging on them because they were following what he said to do.
A Church worth boasting on is…
2. Increasing in their love for one another.
The longer they worship and work together for the Lord; the closer they become. You cannot really minister to people effectively until you have been through some tough things with them. Your love for one another should be growing each day.
A Church worth boasting on is…
3. Persevering through persecutions and trials.
This is done through faith. We all go through tough times and at some point, we will face some persecution for our faith in Christ. Paul was bragging on this Church to other Churches in how they were persevering.
Conclusion:
Is Bel Aire a Church worth boasting about? Are we growing spiritually? Is our love for one another increasing? Do we persevere during the difficult times in life?
