The Church that Made an Impact: WHY the Thessalonian Church Made an Impact
Series: 1 Thessalonians
Chuck Sligh
Nov-Dec, 2016
NOTE: This is the fourth lesson of an extended Bible study of the book of 1 Thessalonians. Each lesson includes discussion questions. Some are open ended questions which require no guidance or correction designed to just get the participants thinking. Some offer suggested possible answers to make sure they are included in the discussion, or correct answers for questions that have only right or wrong answers. Most lessons extend over more than one week; some several weeks if the discussion is good.
TEXT: Read all of 1 Thessalonians 1.
INTRODUCTION
In the last few weeks we have been looking at a church that made a tremendous impact. Note verse 7 – “So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.”
You will recall that the word ensamples is the Greek word tupos, which literally means “an impression; the mark of a blow; the impress of a seal; the stamp made by a die.” So Paul was not just saying that they had been GOOD EXAMPLES, though they were that. He was saying that they had made a GREAT IMPACT, or a DEEP IMPRESSION, upon all the believers throughout all the regions of Macedonia and Achaia. The church at Thessalonica was not a mediocre church, but a dynamic one that made a deep impression both on those in the church and those outside.
Over the last two weeks we examined HOW they made an impact. It was a church that made an impact in five ways:
1) First, it had a mind to work – Verses 2-3 – “We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; 3 Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father.”
2) Second, it had joy in the midst of problems – Verse 6 – “And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost.”
3) Third, it was bold and excited about being saved – Verse 8 – “For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.”
4) Fourth, there had been a dramatic change in the lives of its members – Verse 9 – “For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.”
5) Lastly, the church of Thessalonica looked with anticipation and expectation for the Lord’s return – Verse 10 – “And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.”
These deal with HOW the church of Thessalonica made such an impact. But I like to dig deeper and examine WHY things are the way they are. So, let’s now consider WHY this church made such a profound impact.
In chapter 1 of 1 Thessalonians, we see two keys that unlock the door to the greatness of the church at Thessalonica:
I. NUMBER ONE, THEY WERE RECEPTIVE TO THE WORD OF GOD
A.
B. Let’s look at three verses in chapter 1 that mention their receptivity to God’s Word:
1. The first is in verse 5 – “For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.”
2. Look also at verse 6 – “And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost.”
3. Now let’s go over to chapter 2 and look also at 2:13 – “For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.”
C.
D. These verses reveal to us the keen receptivity the Thessalonian church had to God’s Word.
E. Remember this: Grace Baptist Church will only be as good as its members are receptive and open to the Word of God.
F. Also, personally, YOU will only succeed in your Christian life insofar a you are receptive to the Bible.
G.
H. In regard to their openness to receive God’s Word, let’s note three attitudes the Thessalonians had:
1) First, they VALUED the Word of God.
So few Christians today really value and treasure the Word of God. They miss out on so much of the Christian life because the Word of God has such a small place in their daily lives. They spend more time in front of the TV than they do reading God’s Word. They spend more time in a hobby than they spend in the Bible.
Listen to the words of Scripture:
-- The Psalmist said, “I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.” (Psalm 119:16) – When was the last time you DELIGHTED in God’s Word?
-- In the same chapter, verse 97, the Psalmist said, “O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.” (Psalm 119:97)
Can you honestly say you LOVE to spend time in God’s Word? Do you meditate on its precepts all through the day? I know these can be penetrating questions, but remember that whenever I point a finger at you, I am pointing three at myself. I never ask of you what I do not ask of myself. And I’ll have to be honest with you and admit that in my Christian walk there are times when I do not properly appreciate God’s Word. Like you, occasionally I have to reevaluate the things I spend my time on and reorient my life to do things God wants me to concentrate on.
-- Jeremiah said, “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart…” (Jeremiah 15:16)
Illus. – One time a pastor asked a little girl if she attended Sunday School. “Oh, yes sir,” she replied.
“And do you know the Bible?”
“Oh, yes sir,” came the answer again.
Chuckling to himself, the pastor asked, “Could you perhaps tell me something in it?”
“Oh, I can tell you EVERYTHING that is in it.”
“My!” said the pastor, “You’re a smart little girl. Then tell me what’s in the Bible.”
“Well, my sister’s baby picture is in it; Mommy’s recipe for apple pie is in it; a lock of my baby hair is in it; and the receipt for my Daddy’s iPad is in it” she replied with a proud smile on her face.
You know what?—The sad thing about that amusing story is?—The truth is, that’s about all the Bible is used for in many Christian’s lives—a collection box for bits and bobs of a too busy life instead of a treasure chest of truths to read and study and treasure and live by. And what a shame, for the Bible is the very lifeblood for a strong and vibrant Christian life. God help us to appreciate the Word of God by reading it and loving it and cherishing its life-giving words.
Not only did the Thessalonian church properly APPRECIATE God’s Word…
2) Second, they APPROPRIATED or INTERNALIZED the Word of God.
Look again at 2:13 – “For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.”
Notice that the word “received” is used twice in this verse. Interestingly, they are two separate words in the Greek. The second one literally means “to take into your heart.” This is appropriating or internalizing God’s Word.
We should do more than passively HEAR the Word of God. It should AFFECT US when we hear it! When it points to a sin in our lives, we ought to feel a sense of conviction. When it gives us a word of encouragement, our souls should be warmed or excited. When it challenges us to live for God, there ought to arise in us a holy fervor and a righteous desire to live out in our lives what we have heard.
So many people have become deadened in their response to the Word, it’s no wonder they no longer value it like they should.
Illus. – Suppose you go up to a corpse and start a conversation. First you give it a command: “Joe, you should witness for the Lord.”
Joe isn’t affected whatever. He doesn’t go and tell anyone about Jesus. He’s dead, after all!
Next you try to make him feel a sense of conviction: “Joe, you sure were a lousy husband. You should have spent more time with your lovely wife.” Does Joe feel a sense of guilt for his sorry life?
Not at all; He’s dead. Finally, you try to encourage his heart: “Joe, you weren’t perfect, but you were the best friend a fellow ever had.” Well, Joe isn’t very encouraged, is he? He can’t be encouraged because it takes life to be encouraged.
Some people hear God’s Word either in their Bible reading or from their preacher, and it just doesn’t affect them.
“You ought to go witnessing” – Response: No effect upon the hearer’s heart.
“You ought to be a good spouse and fulfill your scriptural responsibilities to your spouse” – Response: None whatsoever.
“God loves you” – Response: Big deal.
There are two reasons a person might not appropriate God’s Word in his heart:
a) First, he might not have spiritual life to begin with—that is, he might not even be saved.
The truths of God’s Word cannot be assimilated by the unsaved person. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 2:14 – “But the natural man [his term for the lost person] receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
If we are being disobedient to God and His Word points that out in our lives, it will cause conviction in our hearts and cause us to have a desire to make it right. If that conviction is absent, something is missing. It might be true spiritual life itself. Such a person must, as Paul said in 2 Corinthians 13:5 – “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith…”
b) Second, a person might not appropriate God’s Word because of hardness of heart caused by a refusal to obey God in some area of his life.
The Bible talks a lot about hardness of heart and cautions against it. Our heart becomes hard when we as believers refuse to deal with sin in our lives.
This closes the window of fellowship with God. We are still saved, but He closes off His close fellowship. He continually comes to us, prompting us to take care of that sin, and each time we refuse, our heart gets a little bit harder and God seems a little more distant. It seems God does not hear our prayers anymore, and He doesn’t, for we are told in Psalm 66:18 – “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” Reading the Bible becomes a chore because it seems the Lord is not speaking to us anymore, except to incessantly bring our minds back to that unforsaken sin.
Oh, don’t be caught in the deceptive web of sin. The only cure is to go back to that sin, confess it, forsake it, and restore the lines of fellowship with the Lord.
So we have seen that the Thessalonians APPRECIATED God’s Word, and second, they APPROPRIATED God’s Word.
3) The third thing they did was they APPLIED the Word of God.
This is taking what we have heard or read from God’s Word and PUTTING IT INTO PRACTICE IN OUR LIVES. When the Thessalonians read the Great Commission, their attitude was not just that Christians in general should win others to Christ, but WE need to win OUR loved ones and neighbors to Christ. When they read God’s teachings on prayer, their attitude was not that churches ought to be places of prayer, but WE need to be a church of prayer, so let’s meet together to pray. They didn’t think to themselves in a general, generic sense, that it is the duty of the Christian to be faithful to the house of God; rather, they thought, let US be faithful to the services of the First Baptist Church of Thessalonica!
Note James 1:22-25 (EXPAND AS LED) – “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” – Q. What is this passage teaching us.
So the first reason the Thessalonian church made such an impact was because IT WAS RECEPTIVE TO THE WORD OF GOD.
LESSON 2
INTRODUCTION
In the last few weeks we have been looking at a church that made a tremendous impact. In verse 7 Paul said to the members of the church in Thessalonica, “So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.” The word translated ensamples literally means “an impression; the mark of a blow; the impress of a seal; the stamp made by a die.” So, Paul was not just saying that they had been good examples, but that they had made a great impact, or a deep impression, upon all the believers throughout all the regions of Macedonia and Achaia.
Over the previous weeks we examined HOW they made an impact.
It was a church that made an impact in five ways:
1) First, it had a mind to work – Verses 2-3
2) Second, it had joy in the midst of problems – Verse 6
3) Third, it was bold and excited about being saved – Verse 8
4) Fourth, there had been a dramatic change in the lives of its members – Verse 9
5) Lastly, the church of Thessalonica looked with anticipation and expectation for the Lord’s return – Verse 10
The last time we met together, we went beyond HOW they made an impression, and began to discover WHY they made such a profound impact. There are two keys to why this church made such an impact. The first was that it was receptive to the Word of God – which is seen in verses 5, 6 and 2:13.
The church of Thessalonica was receptive to God’s Word in that… it APPRECIATED the Word of God; it APPROPRIATED the Word of God; and it APPLIED the Word of God.
Let’s consider now the second reason it made such an impact. That was that…
II. IT WAS RESPONSIVE TO THE MEN OF GOD – Verse 6 – “And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost.”
I.
J. It had always puzzled me that Paul put the word “us” before “the Lord” in this and other verses in his epistles.
1. He says, “ye became followers of us, and of the Lord.”
2. Why not “ye became followers of the Lord and of us”?
3. This order seemed reversed to me until I got a picture of God’s way of dealing with mankind.
K.
L. Q. Why to you think Paul did this?
A. You see, God always leads His people through men of God.
-- After rejecting Saul’s kingship, we find this curious phrase in 1 Samuel 13:14 – “…the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart…”
-- In Jeremiah we find God lamenting the sinfulness of His people. In Jeremiah 4:25 God says, “I beheld, and, lo, there was no man,…” – God was looking for a man because He doesn’t use angels to do His work on earth—He uses human leadership. The Holy Spirit works through the instrumentality of men.
-- God said in Ezekiel 22:30 – “And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.” – God could have gotten the job done without the instrumentality of a man. But he didn’t choose to, and because there was not a man to fill the job that needed to be done, the job did not get done.
M. You see, God works through chosen men to lead His people in the ways of God.
N. The church of Thessalonica understood this.
O.
P. Note three things about the Thessalonian church regarding their men of God:
1.
1) First, they EVALUATED them – Verse 5 – “For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.”
Q. How did they evaluate them?
A. The Thessalonian church watched Paul and his helpers and made sure they met God’s standard. – Then they followed them because they had judged them to be worthy to follow.
2) Second, they ESTEEMED them – Go over to 5:12-13 – “And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; 13 And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves.”
Q. What does it mean to esteem God’s men?
A. The answer is found in three other places in the New Testament, so please turn with me first me to Hebrews 13.
Here the writer of Hebrews gives several instructions concerning the relationship of a pastor to his people. The writer of Hebrews instructs four things on this subject:
a) First, he commands God’s people to “REMEMBER” GOD’S MAN – Hebrews 13:7 – “Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God…”
Q. What does it mean to “remember” God’s man?
A. I think it might mean to remember him in prayer, wouldn’t you? I think it could include remembering special days—birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, homecoming—things like that—just to let him know you do remember him. The Bible is not clear exactly what is meant by the phrase “remember them,” but these are ones that are traditionally mentioned.
b) The second instruction is to FOLLOW HIM
This is found in the second part of verse 7 – “…whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation [literally, “manner of life” or “behavior”].”
Q. What does this mean, and how can believers do this?.
c) Third, the Bible says to OBEY HIM – Hebrews 13:17 – “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.”
This refers to church and spiritual matters, of course. Pastors have no authority over your personal or family life, unless there is a matter of sin involved. But he does have authority regarding church life.
Wise pastors seek their people’s counsel and are careful not to be dictators because Peter commands elders to “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight [the Greek word is episkopos, meaning “authority” or “rulership”] thereof, not by constraint [i.e., forcing people against their will], but willingly [this speaks of inspiring leadership]; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 3 Neither as being lords over God's heritage [in other words, being dictators], but being ensamples to the flock.” (1 Peter 5:2-3)
So pastors have to walk a fine line. They should try to inspire their people to follow them, and they should simultaneously take authority in the church, but without doing so in a dictatorial manner.
Conversely, from the peoples’ point of view, the Bible says they are to obey him in the realm of a local church’s affairs as long as he does not lead them into sin or away from biblical principles.
Notice the last part of Hebrews 13:17 – “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account…”
Note the last part of that verse: ”for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account…”
Remember that there is only one person who will ultimately give account for Bicester Baptist Church—the pastor of the church.
Illus. – I remember a man in our church in Germany named Richard who got all in a kink over a philosophy of ministry issue. I believe that every ministry should be under the local church and be managed and financed by the local church. I believe this as a matter of principal based upon my understanding from the Word of God of the way God wants His work to function on earth.
Well, Richard thought our Christian school ought to be a separate entity from our church and be totally self-supporting, which was financially impossible with our parents on GI salaries, besides the fact that I didn’t think it was scriptural.
Well, to make a long story short, he met with me several times, and though he was never disrespectful or threatening in any way, he was just being kind of stubborn about the issue.
Finally one day I took him to this verse—Hebrews 13:17. I said “Richard, I feel that this is the Scriptural way to run a church and Christian school. This is the way I feel God has led me as the pastor to proceed, and there is no Scripture you can give me to show me I am leading the church away from the Bible or the Lord. Now let me ask you a question: If I am wrong, who’s going to answer for this wrong decision at the judgment seat of Christ—you or me?”
He looked at the verse again, looked up at me, looked down at the verse again, then at me again, and then said, “You are, pastor. And this verse says that I should obey your leadership, even though I disagree. Since no biblical issue is involved and it’s just a difference of opinion, that means that I should follow your direction in this.”
It was just that sudden a turnaround in his thinking and his attitude. He then asked me to forgive him and he remained one of our best supporters until the time he PCSed from Germany. You see, he got a handle on this truth in the Bible.
d) Fourth, the writer of Hebrews says you should GREET the pastor. – Hebrews 13:24 – “Salute all them that have the rule over you,…
The word “salute” means to “greet.” Notice that the writer of Hebrews tells the church that THEY should initiate the greeting.
Illus. – In the church I was associate pastor of in Durham, North Carolina, there was a middle-aged lady in the church who was a little self-centered named Mary. One Sunday morning I had arrived at church a little late and had a lot to do in a very short period of time in order to get ready for church. On top of that, I had a load on my mind— Who was going to substitute teach for one of our absent teachers? Who was going to fill in for me at Awana on Friday since I was going to be out of town? What time should I stop singing and start my Sunday School lesson since I had a lot to cover that morning? And on and on things were swirling in my mind.
While all these things were going through my mind, on my way through the sanctuary to clean up a clogged toilet, I walked right past Mary without even noticing that she was there.
Well!—Mary was quite offended by this, thinking that I had deliberately slighted her. In fact, I wasn’t even aware that she had been there, and later, when I found out she had been offended, I quickly found her and apologized.
But I pointed out to her that occasionally I might have so much on my mind that I might not notice her unless SHE took the initiative and greeted ME. I said, “Mary, all you have to do is show up for church, sit in a pew, sing the songs, listen to the sermon, and go home and rest the remainder of the day. But Sunday is my busiest, most stressful day of the week.”
I think that was the first time she thought there was more to coming to church than just her and her own world.
So if in the hustle and bustle of Sunday I somehow miss you, or seem distracted, and I somehow fail to give proper notice of you, please don’t be offended. I assure you, it’s not personal. Understand that there is a lot going through my mind on Sundays. Is it too cold in the building? Where is the children’s Sunday School teacher? Where are the offering baskets? Is it time to start? Where are our musicians? Those chairs aren’t straight. And on and on it goes.
Don’t wait for me to greet you. I might walk right past you in a daze. You greet me and it will rouse me from my haze of thoughts and cause me to focus my attention on YOU—the REALLY important thing about church on Sunday!
Two more instructions concerning pastors are found in two other passages:
a) The first is in 1 Timothy 5:17 (if you will turn there with me), where Paul instructs honor for pastors, and double honor for those who minister in the Word. – 1 Timothy 5:17 – “Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially they who labou in the word and doctrine.”
To honor the pastor means to show him respect. It also means to commend and recognize him both privately and publically when he does well or ministers to you in special ways.
b) The other is found in Galatians 6:6-7 (let’s turn there now) where Paul instructs the Galatians to provide for their pastors.
Galatians 6:6-7 – “Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him [that is, “provide for him,” or “share with him”] that teacheth in all good things. 7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”
Note that the promise in verse 7 in context deals with providing for pastors, though we quote this verse in all manner of other situations. Our church, as a missions church, is not able to provide all of the pastor’s needs, but I praise the Lord, it has not hesitated to do what it could. Very early on, when it became apparent that our support from the States was not sufficient, the church took on paying our rent and paying for office supplies for the church. I believe the Lord will bless the church for that. Eventually, the goal is to be able to support a pastor completely.
So far we have seen that the Thessalonians EVALUATED their men of God and secondly, they ESTEEMED them. Now note the third thing they did:
3) They EMULATED the men of God – 1 Thessalonians 1:6 – “And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord…”
The word “followers” is the Greek word mimetes, which literally means “imitators.” It was the Greek word from which we derive our English word, “mimic.” The Thessalonians imitated Paul and his helpers—they mimicked them, if you will.
Paul taught this idea frequently:
-- 1 Corinthians 4:15-16 – “For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. 16 Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.” – Again, the word Paul uses is mimetes, or “imitators.”
-- Philippians 3:17 – “Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.” – In this case Paul uses a variation of the previous word, which still has essentially the same meaning, in this case, “an imitator of others.”
We should be imitators of men of God wherein they are imitators of Christ. – Note 1 Corinthians 11:1 – “Be ye followers [mimetes, or “imitators.”] of me, even as I also am of Christ.”
SUMMARY
The church at Thessalonica was responsive to the Word of God:
They APPRECIATED the Word of God.
They APPROPRIATED the Word of God.
They APPLIED the Word of God.
They were also responsive to the men of God:
They EVALUATED them.
They ESTEEMED them.
They EMULATED them.
