“What Does A Healthy Church Look Like?”
2 Thessalonians. 1:1-4
It is hard to know what it takes to be healthy these days. Almost every week we hear how some-thing is either good or bad for us. I don’t know either good or bad for us. I don’t know whether to eat gluten or not eat gluten. In fact, I am not sure what gluten is. Do I go low carbs or should I load up on carbs? Should I be a vegetarian and give up all meats or go even further and be a vegan and even give up all animal products such as milk and eggs? And after all what is a healthy weight? I look-ed on the charts for what it says I should weigh and the last time I weighed that I was 17!
The same can be said of a healthy church.
“Churches in the West today increasingly take pride in the beauty of their buildings, the quality of their music, the dynamic (or not) personalities of their preachers, and above all their numerical size. More biblically minded churches take satisfaction in doctrinal faithfulness (fidelity), commitment to world missions, and sound biblical leadership.” [Richard D. Philips. “1 & 2 Thessalonians.” Reformed Expository Commentary. (Philipsburg, NJ: P & R Pub., 2015) pp. 271-2.)
Before we turn to the text and since this is the beginning of a new study we need a little back-ground to this letter. This letter is addressed to believers living in the city of Thessalonica, Thessalonica is in the northern part of Greece. In Paul’s day it was the capital of Macedonia. In our day the city is called Thessaloniki and it is the second most important city of Greece. It was a major city located on a chief highway between Rome and Constantinople.
The church in Thessalonica was established by Paul during his second missionary journey (Acts 17:1-9). We do not know how long Paul was in the city but it could have as little as three weeks (“three Sabbaths”- 17:2), as a result of his visit, many Jews believed as did a number of Greeks and a local congregation was established. Because of opposition Paul was forced to leave the city going through Athens and ending up in Corinth. It is from Corinth that Paul writes the first and second letter to the church in Thessalonica.
Paul’s first letter sent by Timothy was written to encourage these new believers to remain faithful and give them practical encouragements for Christian living in the light of Christ’s return. After delivering the letter Timothy returned to Paul with a report that these believers have additional questions concerning the Lord’s return and the second letter was written to answer these questions.
“Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other, 4 so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure.”
Since Paul says that He uses the church of Thessalonica as an example to other churches of a church worthy of emulating (v. 4). In noting what Paul praises about this church we can see What A Healthy Church Looks Like.
First, Keep On Gathering with the Church. (1:1-2)
“Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
The letter is addressed “to the church of the Thessalonians.” The word “church” is one of the most common words in the New Testament occur-ring over 100 times. It appears first in Matthew 16 where Jesus says, “upon this rock I will build my church” (Matt. 16:18). The last time the word “church” appears on the last page of the New Testament in the book of Revelation where Jesus says, “send this message to the churches, ‘I AM the Root and Offspring of David, and the bright and Morning Star.” (Rev. 22:16).
The Greek word for church is (ecclesia) and means “the called out ones.” Believers are called out to live a different kind of life. God is of course everywhere but there is a special sense of His presence when His Church gathers together. We have the promise of God that “where there are two or more gathered in my name, there I am with them.” (Matthew 18:20)
There are people who are continually leaving one church and joining another. They find fault everywhere (except with themselves). Most of these people have been part of MANY different churches because they are never happy. The healthy Chris-tians are the ones who stand fast in hard times. If they have a problem with the leadership of the church or a member in the church, they work it out rather than run away or bad-mouth the church or people in it.
Lloyd John Ogilvie (oh/gul/be), in his commentary on the book of Mark says something very significant. "The Church is not a channel of inspiration for uninvolved observers, but a communion of involved participants. Our language betrays us. We say we go to church, give to the church, support the cause of the church, attend the church. Not so! We are the Church. But a strange thing has happened over the years of history. The Church is now a programmed presentation which can be attended. Today, we have become sermon-evalua-tors, music appreciators, Bible students, (followers of certain Christian leaders), without commitment to a family. It’s possible, actually, to assume that we can have Christ without the family of faith, but that’s realizing only half of the reason for which Christ came." [Lloyd John Ogilvie. Life Without Limits Word Pub. Group p. 78]
This letter begins with by identifying the two blessings that Paul almost always mentions in the opening of his letters, “grace” and “peace” (v. 2).
“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” But this is more than just a greeting it is a statement that sums up the Gospel that Paul preached. First there is “grace” which is God’s free gift of favor to those who are only worthy of condemnation because of their sin. Our sin is deep and we need to Lord to do something for us that we do not deserve and we cannot do for ourselves. We need forgiveness! Through God’s grace we receive that forgiveness as Paul tells the Ephesian believers, “by grace have you been saved through faith and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
(Ephesians 2:8-9) The way that we obtain grace is by putting our confidence not in our ability, awe-some resume, or charming personality; but by placing our faith in Christ who paid for our sins and offers us forgiveness.
Although “peace” is a normal Hebrew greet-ing (shalom) - here it connecting peace in our lives as the result of presence of God’s grace. The Apostle Paul tells us, “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.” (Romans 5:1- NLT)
Here is what this peace means – We no long-er need to worry about what will happen when we die. Heaven is our home! We no longer need to fret about circumstances in our lives because we know we belong to Him and He is control of every circumstance in our lives.
Keep On Gathering with the Church and…
Second, Keep on Growing Your Faith. (1:3a)
“We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly…”
Paul describes their faith with a complex verb (hyperauxanei) which means “superabundant.”
When we first begin our walk of faith we are spiritual infants but we can’t stay there we must grow.
Charles Spurgeon noted three inconveniences of a little faith, which supply us with reasons for us to grow our faith.
1. Little assurance of salvation.
This doesn’t mean they are not right with God (we are saved by grace not by our confidence). They don’t see God working in their lives, so they have no confidence. A lack of confidence inhibits joy and increases fear.
2. Seldom attempt to do things for God.
Believer’s with little faith do not see the importance and cannot hear the prompting of God’s Spirit. They also tend to be tentative in their commitment to the work of the Lord in the local church.
3. Apt to stumble when tempted to sin.
Believer’s with little faith have trouble distinguishing the difference between the voice of God and the voice of the tempter. They do not have good handle on the Word of God, so they are much more susceptible to error.
Spurgeon ends his thoughts on this subject with these words, “Beloved, you who are of little faith, I tell you it is inconvenient for you to remain so; for you have many nights and few days. Your years are like Norwegian years – very long winters and very short summers!” [Charles Spurgeon. The New Park Street Pulpit. 6 vols. (Pasadena, TX: Pilgrim, 1975) 4:322-324]
No one wants to stay in a state of “little faith” so the question becomes, “How does one grow a “little faith” into a great faith?” Of course it is God who is the cause of spiritual growth but there are things we can do to facilitate growth.
1. In order for faith to grow it must have
a steady diet of God’s Word. It has been noted that “Most Christians feed their body three hot meals a day and their spirit one cold snack a week. And they wonder why their faith is weak”
Most products we buy this days comes with instruction manual usually at the front of that document is found the word, “Read This First!”
If we want to grow it is essential that we consult the manual. But unfortunately we treat the Bible the same way we do instruction manuals we only consult it when something goes wrong.
2. Faith grows through Prayer. We accept
the value of prayer and yet we seldom pray. We have made prayer into a stuffy formal conversa-tion instead of an ongoing conversation with a friend.
3. Faith grows through association with other
believers. Scripture says that as Believers we have a responsibility to be a positive influence to other Believers.
Keep on growing your faith….
Third, Keep On Showing Your Love. (1:3b)
“…and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other.”
Another way for faith to grow is in being exercised in loving ministry to other people. “Behold how they love one another’ was the confession of pagan world as it beheld the miracle of Christian fellowship. The early believers were only obeying the command of the Lord, “Love one another” (John 13:34). An important principle was that their suffering persecution did not prevent them from sharing love with others who were suffering.
“The importance of love was highlighted by a life philosophy that has made the rounds on the Internet in recent years. First, readers are asked to name the five wealthiest people in the world, the last five winners of the Heisman Trophy, the last five Miss Americas, ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize, the last half-dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress, and the teams that won baseball’s World Series over the last ten years. The point of these questions is to show that we remember few of these famous achievers because they are not important to our lives. Then readers are asked to name a different class of people: a few teachers who aided your journey through school, three friends who helped you in a difficult time, five people who have taught you something worth-while, a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special, and five people you enjoy spending time with. These are questions for which we have answers! Why? Because the people who truly make a difference in our lives are not those with the most impressive credentials, the most money, or the most notoriety, but the ones who most express their care through acts of love.” [Phillips. Reformed Expository Commentary. pp. 277)
Keep On Showing Your Love and…
Fourth, Keep On Standing Firm. (1:4)
“so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure.”
Remember that Paul is writing to young
church that is undergoing persecution. The encouragement to “endure” means to “stand up under”- would have special meaning to them.
So, How is it possible to stand in the times of trial? We stand because we believe God works in all things for His good. We don’t panic. We wait. We watch. We look with anticipation for what God is going to do. The more we grow the more we will reveal our faith in the toughest times of life. When things are going bad and people ask how you can remain positive, the best answer is: “Because I REALLY believe the message of the gospel. I believe God is sovereign and has a purpose in EVERY-THING.”
When faced with adversity, it makes some people bitter. But the Bible is full of people who could have been victims, but because of their faith they became victors. There is something to be said for the persistent attitude that says, “I won’t give up. I won’t quit. I’m not going to give in or give up.” The most valuable Christians are not those who make the biggest impact both in joining and leaving a church but the quiet members who stand fact in hard times!
Pastor David Dykes of Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler Texas tells a story about “A farmer’s old donkey fell into an abandoned well. The donkey started making a racket from the well. He was heehawing up a storm. When the farmer found him, he had no idea how to get him out of the well. Since the donkey was old and crippled, and the well needed to be covered up, he figured the best thing to do would be to just bury the old donkey in the well. He invited some of his neighbors over to help him. They all grabbed a shovel and started digging and shoveling dirt into the well. At first the donkey cried out in protest, but soon, the old donkey quieted down. And he refused to give up. After a few minutes, the farmer looked down into the well and was amazed at what he saw. For every shovel-fill of dirt that was tossed on his head, the old donkey would shake off the dirt and step up on the dirt. As they continued to fill up the well, the donkey continued to shake off the dirt and step up. Pretty soon the dirt level reached the edge of the well and the old donkey stepped over the ledge of the well and trotted off heehawing and leaping for joy. Here’s the lesson we learn from the persistent donkey. “In this life, you’ll have lots of dirt shoveled on you. The key to surviving is to shake it off and step on top of it. God can turn your adversity into advance if you DO NOT GIVE UP!” The Bible says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9) So don’t give up. Don’t quit. Keep on persevering to the end. There is great power in persistence. [David Dykes. “The Power of Persistence.” 2 Thess. 1:1-5. http://www.gabc.org/wp-content/uploads/s090813.pdf]
CONCLUSIONS
What are we supposed to learn from all of this? I think first we should feel led to evaluate our own lives.
Is your faith growing? What priority does the Lord really have in your life? Him If people judged the depth of your faith not by your words but by the way that you live, what would they conclude?
How hard are you working at love? Are you trying to build bridges to people that you find difficult? What are we doing to introduce our non-Christian friends to the message of eternal life?
And secondly as a church we need to ask,
If people looked only at what we do, would they see the impact that Jesus has made upon us? What are we doing as a congregation to serve the Lord? Are we operating as a business or as a shelter reaching out to the hurting?
What are we doing to reach the non-Christian people around us? Would a stranger feel welcomed in our midst or would they feel condemned? Would we embrace them or ignore them?
Are we willing to continue to be faithful no matter what happens in the future?
“What Does A Healthy Church Look Like?”
2 Thess. 2:1-5
First, Keep On Gathering with the Church. (1:1-2)
• Grace – God’s unmerited favor.
• Peace – means our eternity is settled.
Second, Keep on Growing Your Faith. (1:3a)
The inconveniences of a little faith (Spurgeon)
1. Little assurance of salvation.
2. Seldom attempt to do things for God.
3. Apt to stumble when tempted to sin.
How does one grow a “little faith” into a great faith?”
1. Faith grows through a steady diet of God’s Word
2. Faith grows through Prayer.
3. Faith grows through association with other believers.
Third, Keep On Showing Your Love. (1:3b)
Fourth, Keep On Standing Firm. (1:4)
“What Does A Healthy Church Look Like?”
2 Thess. 2:1-4
First, Keep On Gathering with the ________. (1:1-2)
• Grace – God’s unmerited favor.
• Peace - means our eternity is settled.
Second, Keep on Growing Your ________. (1:3a)
The inconveniences of a little faith (Spurgeon)
1. Little __________ of salvation.
2. Seldom _________ to do things for God.
3. Apt to ________ when tempted to sin.
How does one grow a “little faith” into a great faith?”
1. Faith grows through a steady diet of God’s ______.
2. Faith grows through _________.
3 Faith grows through _____________ with other believers.
Third, Keep On Showing Your _______. (1:3b)
Fourth, Keep On Standing _________. (1:4)
