We are looking today at the final chapter in Paul’s 1st letter to the Thessalonians
• What we are going to see is that Paul is giving some final instructions to the Family of the church.
• How should we view the leaders of the church
• And how the members of the church should treat their fellow brothers and sisters
Read 1 Thessalonians 5:12-24
Leaders
• Overview: Paul had taught the Thessalonians about living with people when the going gets rough.
• He had just encouraged them to build each other up (5:11).
• Now he asked that they honor those whose main responsibility is to do the building up—the church leaders (5:12).
• They were involved in what was hard work
• They were over the congregation—and they warned people who needed direction.
• They exercised authority in the church,
• And it was necessary to remind the congregation about the leaders’ position
• and to show them proper respect coupled with love.
Without leadership, a family falls apart.
• The father is the head of the home; the mother stands with him in love and cooperation.
• And the children are to obey their parents.
• This is the order God has given us, and for us to disturb this order is to ask for serious trouble.
The church leaders that Paul spoke of in these verses are the elders of the church
• These were men who worked hard to provide pastoral care for the flock,
• Probably in their spare time since in the early church
• Leaders often had full-time jobs outside the church. Much as they do today.
• These leaders are further described as being over you in the Lord.
• They had positions of spiritual leadership in the church and were responsible to God for those under their care (cf. Heb. 13:17).
• This responsibility included providing correction as needed.
Here Paul is explaining that the Leaders are there to push believers into maturity.
• And their decisions , no matter how difficult they may be to accept,
• Should always result in peace and appreciation.
• Their decisions are to be respected and followed.
In most churches, the members pay the leaders to do the work of the ministry;
• But the leaders can’t do it all.
• As a result of this, the work begins to weaken and die, and everybody blames the preacher.
• But According to Ephesians 4:12, the spiritual leaders in the church
• Are supposed to equip the members of the church to do the work of the ministry.
God has ordained leadership for the local church.
• And while it’s true that we are “all one in Jesus” (Gal. 3:28);
• It is also true that the Head of the church (Jesus Himself) has given gifts to certain people,
• Then He gave these people to the churches to exercise His will (Eph. 4:7–16).
• Just as the flock needs a shepherd (1 Peter 5:1–5), the family needs a leader.
• The result of the church family following the spiritual leaders
• Will be peace and harmony in the church:
Paul gives us a great summary of the responsibilities of spiritual leaders (5:12).
• They are to “work hard” (“diligently labor,” NASB),
• They are to rule or govern (“among you”),
• They are to “warn” (“give instruction,” NASB).
• They are to match their ministry to the particular needs of the people.
We can see that there were some people in the church
• That weren’t doing what they were suppose to.
• Paul named some special family members who need personal help.
• And He was encouraging everyone not just the elders and leaders to warn these people.
Paul says Warn them about being Lazy
• This word means “careless, out of line.”
• It originates from a military term meaning the marching soldier who does not keep in proper step.
• It was applied to a soldier who would not keep rank but insisted on marching his own way.
• Or to put it another way, doing what they wanted
• Instead of what they need to be doing.
• While the loving atmosphere of the family encourages individual development, there are some things we all must do in the same way.
• If we do not have rules and standards in the family, we have chaos.
• So here it refers to members of the church who are out of line.
“Encouragement” for the The Timid
• KJV Translates this as the feebleminded (v. 14b).
• This term has nothing to do with mentality.
• The literal translation of the Greek word is “little-souled, fainthearted.”
• These are the quitters in the church family.
• They always look on the dark side of things and give up when the going is tough.
• In families where there are three or more children, usually one of them is a quitter.
• Every church family has its share of quitters too.
• These people need to be encouraged, which is the meaning of the word translated “comfort.”
• Instead of scolding the fainthearted from a distance, we must get close to them and speak tenderly.
• We must teach the “little-souled” that the trials of life will help to make them stronger in the faith.
“Care” for the weak.
• “Hold fast to the weak!” is the literal translation. “Don’t let them fall!”
• But who are these weak believers?
• Paul wasn’t talking about people who were physically weak,
• He was referring to those who were “weak in their faith”
• Those who hadn’t grown strong in the Lord (Rom. 14:1–15:3).
• Usually, the weak Christians still lived by rules and regulations.
• In the Roman assemblies, the weak Christians wouldn’t eat meat,
• They held to the Jewish rules on holy days.
• And They were severe in their judgment of the mature saints who enjoyed all foods and all days
We have strong people and weak people in our church families today,
• Just as in our natural families we have children who mature faster than others.
• And It’s not fair to compare one child with another,
• Because each one matures at their own speed and in their own way.
• We must “take hold” of these weaker believers and help them stand and walk in their faith.
• We have to handle them With patient, and reassuring love.
• This kind of personal ministry is not easy,
• So Paul added some wise advice
He tells us Be patient (v. 14d).
• It takes patience to raise a family.
• The weaker member who demands a lot of help may one day be one of our leaders,
• So we can never give up.
And we can see from reading verse 15
• That the instructions to Live peacefully may suggest that there was some kind of a problem between the leaders and the member of the church.
• That there probably were some people who were causing trouble in the church.
• We can see this in the statement to not return evil for evil,
• But rather always show kindness, even when you have been treated unkindly.
• We have to understand that this was not limited to the group of believers but it was to be shown to everyone else as well.
• This attitude was to be the characteristics of a Christian
Paul goes on to say Watch your motives (v. 15).
• Often when we minister to others, they reject us and even oppose us.
• Often they show no appreciation.
• But we should always serve in love, and be ready to forgive.
• “Never pay back evil for evil to anyone.
• Respect what is right in the sight of all men.
• We need to work at being at peace with all men.
Romans 12:17-21 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable.
18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. 19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,”I will take revenge;I will pay them back,”*says the Lord.
20 Instead, If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.”
*21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.
Paul says immediately after this Be joyful (v. 16).
• Joy takes the burden out of service.
• “The joy of the Lord is our strength” (Neh. 8:10).
• God loves a cheerful servant as well as a cheerful giver.
• Now every church family has its Doubting Thomas or its Gloomy Gus.
• To see them and listen to them is like diving into a cold lake on a winter’s day.
• God wants His family to be happy, and that means that each member must contribute to the joy.
• Family partnership is vital to the health and growth of the church.
• We have to continually ask ourselves
• Are we bearing our share of the burdens?
• Or are we merely a spectator who watches others do the job?
The final point Paul addresses is Family Worship
• Worship is the most important activity of a local church family.
• Ministry must flow out of worship,
• Otherwise it becomes a busy activity without power and without heart.
• Here Paul names the various elements that make up the worship ministry in the church.
Prayer (v. 17).
• Prayer was important in the early church (1 Cor. 11:1–6; Acts 1:13–14; 4:23ff).
• It was a high and holy experience when the church united in prayer.
• Today when we “call someone to lead in prayer,”,
• We have no idea whether that believer is even in fellowship with God.
• In some churches, there are two or three people who monopolize the prayer meeting.
• If we are led by the Spirit, we will experience unity and freedom in our praying, and God will answer.
• “Pray without ceasing” doesn’t mean we always are mumbling prayers.
• The word means “constantly recurring,” not continuously occurring.
• We’re to “keep the receiver off the hook” and be in touch with God
• So that our praying is part of a long conversation that’s not broken.
• God knows the desires of our hearts, and He responds to those desires even when our voice is silent.
Praise (v. 18).
• Thanksgiving is also a vital element of worship.
• We use “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” to express our love and gratitude to the Lord.
• As we grow in our use of the Word of God,
• We must also grow in our expression of praise, because the two go together.
• If a local church is “growing in grace”
• The members will want to learn new hymns in order to give praise to God.
• If our hearts and our heads don’t keep pace with each other,
• Christian worship becomes either juvenile or hypocritical.
The Word of God (vv. 19–21).
• Apart from God’s Word, we have no certain revelation from the Lord.
• Worship that ignores the Bible isn’t spiritual.
• There may be emotion—and even commotion
• But unless there is spiritual truth, the Holy Spirit is not at work.
• The three warnings in these verses go together and help us understand how the Holy Spirit works in Christian worship.
The early church didn’t have a completed Bible like we do.
• So The Holy Spirit gave the gift of prophecy to certain members of the church and would speak through them.
• When I preach in a church service, I preach the truth by means of the Bible.
• But the early prophets preached the truth immediately as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
• Their spiritual knowledge was given to them by the Spirit, and often they spoke in tongues.
• This is why the three gifts of prophecy, tongues, and knowledge are grouped together in 1 Corinthians 13.
Of course, there are dangers in this kind of ministry,
• Because Satan (or the flesh) could seek to counterfeit a message from God, and lead the church astray.
• If the church restrained the speakers, they might be guilty of quenching the Spirit.
• If they believed all that was spoken, they might be obeying false spirits.
• The answer was to “prove all things.
It is important that we permit the Spirit of God to teach us the Word of God
• when we meet to worship.
• “Sharing” is good if you have something relevant to share from the Word;
• But I have listened to some “sharing meetings” that were not only unspiritual, but anti-spiritual.
• “Apt to teach” requires that we be “apt to learn.”
• Beware of a false spirit that can lead you and your church astray.
• Follow the Word of God and prove all things.
Godly living (vv. 22–24).
• The purpose of worship is that we might become more like Christ in character and conduct.
• The greatest definition of worship I ever read was given by William Temple, a late Archbishop of Canterbury:
• “For to worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open up the heart to the love of God, to devote the will to the purpose of God.”
Paul emphasized balance in Christian living:
• The negative—“Abstain from all appearance of evil” (1 Thes. 5:22)
• And the positive—“And the very God of peace sanctify you” (1 Thes. 5:23).
• Some churches only preach the negative, and this leads to lives and ministries that are out of balance.
• Sanctify simply means “set apart for God’s exclusive use.”
• There is positional sanctification
(Heb. 10:10); we have once and for all been set apart for God.
• There is also practical sanctification
(2 Cor. 7:1), a daily dealing with our sins and a growth in holiness.
• All of this will makes perfect sanctification
(1 John 3:2), when we see Christ and become eternally like Him. Expecting to see Jesus Christ is a great motivation for holy living.
So to kind of revue what we have learned in this letter
1 We see that we like the Thessalonians are elect people, we have been chosen
2That we should be ready and willing to share our testimony, with anyone, at anytime
• We are the elect –exemplary-enthusiastic - expectant
3 That we like Timothy need to establish believers, to encourage them and to comfort them in their faith.
4 That a Life worth living is a life Worth working at.
People need to see us display God in our daily lives.
5 Never pay back evil with more evil.
We have to do things in such a way so that everyone can see we are honorable.
