Examples Set By a Healthy Church
First Thessalonians 1:5-7
Preached by Pastor Tony Miano
Pico Canyon Community Church
October 8, 2000
Introduction: Last week we looked at three characteristics or building blocks essential to building a healthy church. We saw through the church in Thessalonica’s example that in order to build a healthy church we need to have a faith that works, a love that labors, and a hope that endures. We also saw what kind of great assurance comes from knowing that God, according to His sovereign plan, has chosen to extend His grace and mercy to us.
Having looked at some of the things it takes to build a healthy church, we’re now going to look at the kind of example a healthy church sets for the world around it. Let’s turn to First Thessalonians 1 and read the chapter again.
Before talking about the example the Thessalonian church set for others, Paul explains the reason why the assurance of their faith, the faith of this young church, was so valid. Remember, last week we saw how Paul encouraged the believers in Thessalonica by expressing to them that they were chosen by God. Paul validates the faith of these young believers by telling them to consider his own experience regarding the way the gospel was brought to Thessalonica.
for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. (1:5)
for our gospel did not come to you . . .
Let’s look at verse five. Paul says that it was their gospel, the apostle’s gospel, which came to the Thessalonians. He’s not saying that the message was theirs in the sense that they created it, that it was something they thought up themselves.
Paul is expressing the apostles’ commitment to the message, God’s message, which they were bringing to the Thessalonians. And he says so in such a way as to put far greater emphasis on the message, not the messengers. Instead of saying, “We came to you with the gospel,” Paul says, “Our gospel came to you.” Paul’s commitment to the message reflects how good the news really was that he and his team brought to the Thessalonians.
I think we need to take heed to what Paul is saying here. It’s very easy in the super-information age we live in to drift into putting the performance of our message before the substance of our message.
Here, at Pico Canyon, we’re committed to excellence in everything we do. Our commitment is not based on wanting to give the best performance. It’s based on wanting to give God what He so richly deserves–and that’s our very best.
As important as it is to reach as many people as we can with the good news, the free gift of salvation in Jesus Christ, we must be careful not to become so focused on those we are trying to reach that we lose sight of Who we are trying to reach them for.
There’s nothing wrong with being innovative in our approach to evangelism. There’s nothing wrong with using tools and strategies that may not be recognized as traditional approaches to ministry. There’s nothing wrong with these things as long as we take great pains to make sure that our presentation doesn’t minimize our adoration of the Lord. As a young church hungry to reach the community with the gospel, wanting to see every seat filled for His glory, we need to exercise a great deal of wisdom in how we present the gospel to the world around us.
We must never let the content of our message deteriorate to the point that we look at it as little more than a marketing approach, or a vehicle to fill seats. We must remember that the gospel is not for sale and we are not salesmen. We need to maintain the same reverence and awe toward the message when we present it as we did when we freely received it.
We need to remember as Paul did that the gospel is our message only in the sense that we are committed to it. It is not ours to edit. It is not ours to squander. It is not ours in the sense that we can pick and choose whom we share it with. It is ours because we have been blessed by it, not because it is owned by us.
The reason why the Thessalonians could be assured of their position in Christ is two-fold. It was the manner in which they received the gospel and their response to it.
in word only . . .
The gospel came to the Thessalonians by verbal presentation. Paul and the other missionaries used words, intelligent conversation, to share the free gift of salvation, through Jesus Christ, with the Thessalonians. They chose their words carefully–not because they feared rejection or opposition, and not because they felt the need to be politically correct. They chose their words carefully because they realized the extreme importance of what they had to say.
However, notice in verse five that it says that the gospel did not come to them “in word only.” Paul makes sure that his readers clearly understand that no matter how technical or eloquent the verbal presentation may be, it will fall woefully short if the power of the message rests on nothing more than man’s speech.
. . . but also in power . . .
There are three other aspects of the presentation of the gospel message that must accompany the spoken words of the pastor, missionary, evangelist, or any believer who shares their faith with others. They are power, the Holy Spirit, and deep conviction.
Since it was and is God’s message, it is far more powerful than the words of men. The message Paul brought to the Thessalonians came with a power not their own. It was a power that, at times, manifested itself in the lives of the apostles with signs and wonders. But it’s unlikely that Paul is referring to such manifestations here since he uses the singular form of the word. Had he been referring to miraculous signs and wonders, he probably would have used the word “powers.”
. . . and in the Holy Spirit . . .
Paul and the other missionaries knew that the power they had was not simply the power of persuasive speech, but the power of the Holy Spirit working in them and through them that compelled people to take heed to what they were saying. Without the filling of the Holy Spirit, without this living, active power working within them, the apostles would merely be spouting rhetoric about a deeply held religious belief.
. . . and with full conviction . . .
Paul says that the message he brought to the Thessalonians came to them “with full conviction.” Not only did the Holy Spirt provide the apostles with the power to bring the message, but He also made it possible for them to do so with every assurance that what they were preaching was truth.
Paul and the missionaries brought the gospel to the Thessalonians without a shred of doubt as to the validity of what they were saying;. “Full conviction” can be described as “perfect assurance.” Paul was completely confident that the message was true and that it was truly received by the Thessalonians.
Do you share the gospel with full conviction? I think if we were to take a survey of believers in the Santa Clarita Valley and asked the question, “How often do you share your faith,” the results would probably show us that many believers do not live their lives with a perfect assurance of the gospel message. How can I say that?
Well, my guess is that most people who honestly answer the question would say that they couldn’t remember the last time they shared the gospel with an unbeliever. Think about something for which you made a stand. What was it? Was it a political issue–say abortion? Was it a stance about fair treatment at work? What was it? Do you remember the passion you had about the issue? Do you remember the fire that welled up inside of you any time someone, anyone, was willing to talk to you about it? Do you remember being so convinced that your position was right that there was absolutely nothing anyone could say to change your mind–and they couldn’t change your mind today if they tried?
Now think of the last time you had the opportunity to share the gospel with someone. Did your palms start to sweat? Did you feel as though the walls were closing in, even though you were standing outside? Did you wonder, “What am I doing here?” Did you hope that the person that was with you would do all of the talking?
I think it’s a very good thing to support moral issues or causes. Mahria and I support the local pregnancy center and have for years. We’ve participated in the “Walk for Life” several times. So don’t take what I’m about to say as being unsupportive of those who are making a stand for a baby’s right to life.
But let me ask you this. Would you be as willing to walk down the street holding a placard that says, “Talk to me about Jesus,” as you would be to carry one that says, “I’m pro-life?”
Do you have a full conviction about the truth of God’s Word and the truth of the gospel message? Is that conviction greater than any other conviction you may have? Tough questions–I know. But I think they are important to ask.
Don’t be discouraged by the questions. Be challenged. We can have the same full conviction Paul had about the gospel. Is the Holy Spirit living inside of you? Have you been born again by the grace of God alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone? If your answer is “Yes,” than you can have the same perfect assurance, the same full conviction in the truth and effectiveness of the gospel that Paul had.
But, Tony, I answered “Yes,” but I still lack the conviction you’re talking about. I think there is a simple answer to that. I think many believers, and maybe some of you here this morning, lack the full conviction Paul is talking about for this reason.
You know what you believe, but you’re not sure why you believe it. You don’t doubt your faith or your position in Christ. You doubt how effective the message is going to be the first time someone asks you a question you can’t answer–and it may be as simple as, “So, why do you believe in Jesus and not someone else?”
So, how do you get over the hump? How do you overcome the doubt and replace it with full conviction? The answers are in the pages of God’s Word. I’ve said that to some and have seen what looks like a complete deflation of their spirit. I didn’t notice anyone here do that.
These folks were hoping for a neat and tidy three-point plan that they could just add water to and they would become completely assured evangelists. Unfortunately, or should I say fortunately, it doesn’t work that way.
Remember last week we talked about having a love that is willing to labor. That kind of love must extend to our study of God’s Word. We must be willing to labor over it and through it if we can ever hope to reap the sweet rewards from the fruit it brings. We must love each other; we must love the lost, enough to labor to know the truths of God’s Word so we can share it with others whenever the opportunity presents itself.
All of our conviction, all of our assurance, will not come simply from our knowledge. Paul has already said that without the power from the Holy Spirit in our lives our knowledge will be of little use. But the more we study God’s Word, the more assurance we will develop–not because of our abilities, but because of our growing confidence in the truth God’s Word brings.
. . . just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.
Paul ends verse five by saying, “just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.” He was reminding the Thessalonians that the conduct of the missionaries matched the content of the message. Paul and his team were not only carriers of the gospel, but living examples as well.
What was true of Paul must be true of us as well. The communities we are trying to reach are skeptical by nature. They have a general distrust of the Christian community, much of it being the Church’s own fault. That’s why we are trying to give ourselves away as much as possible. It’s difficult for someone to believe a message that talks about the free gift of salvation if it’s presented with an outstretched hand.
The “servant evangelism” model we have tried to adapt here at Pico Canyon is not designed to sell the church or to bribe people into accepting it. We want to not only clearly present the gift of salvation to those who don’t know Christ, but we want to let them see the gospel message through the way we live our lives.
You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit (1:6)
You also became imitators of us and of the Lord . . .
Not only was Paul sure of God’s choice of the Thessalonians because of the way the gospel came to them, he was also confident of their election because of the way they responded to the gospel message. In verses six and seven, we see several examples set by this healthy, young church.
Look at verse six. Paul says that the Thessalonians became imitators of the apostles and of the Lord. The Thessalonians were examples to others, and to us, by the way they followed the example set by the apostles.
More often than not, when we think of an imitator, we think of him or her in a negative or annoying way. We look at words like mimic and imitation much the same way. How often do you hear in advertising, “Accept no imitations!” It’s easy to think of imitations as little more than one persons lazy attempt to copy the hard work of another.
Interestingly, every time the word is used in the New Testament, it is used in a positive light. In I Cor. 4:16, Paul exhorts his readers to imitate him in the area of service. In Ephesians 5:1, Paul encourages his readers to be imitators of God. Even later on in his this first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul praises them for becoming imitators of other healthy churches.
Now, at first glance, this phrase may sound a bit arrogant. After all, Paul is telling the Thessalonians that the evidence of God’s choice of them is the fact that they were imitating him and the other missionaries. But notice that Paul doesn’t stop there. He also says that the Thessalonians were imitators of the Lord.
Paul could expect his followers, his imitators, to behave as he did only to the extent that he was imitating Christ. So it was not that the Thessalonians were simply following Paul, but they were following Paul’s examples of the outward manifestations of Christ in his life. Paul emphasizes this very thing when he said to the Corinthian church, in I Cor. 11:1, “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.”
“On September 6, 1995, Cal Ripken, Jr., broke the baseball record that many believed would never be broken: Lou Gehrig’s iron-man feat of playing in 2,131 consecutive games. Ripken gives much of the credit for his accomplishments to the example and teaching of his father Cal Ripken, Sr., who played minor league baseball, and coached and managed for the Orioles.”
“During the 1996 season Ripken, Sr., was inducted into the Orioles Hall of Fame. After he gave his acceptance speech, the son came to the microphone, an emotional moment recalled in his book The Only Way I Know:”
“It was difficult. I wasn’t certain I could say what I wanted about my father and what he means to me. So I told a little story about my two children, Rachel, six at the time, and Ryan, then three. They’d been bickering for weeks, and I explained how one day I Rachel taunt Ryan, ‘You’re just trying to be like Daddy.’”
“After a few moments of indecision, I asked Rachel, ‘What’s wrong with trying to be like Dad?’”
“When I finished telling the story, I looked at my father and added, ‘That’s what I’ve always tried to do’” (Larson, p. 136).
What could be more right than to try to be like your heavenly Father? We need to be imitators of Christ.
With all of the idolatry and worship of men that was going on in the word when Paul penned this letter, it makes sense that he would qualify his statement by saying to his readers, in effect, that they should only follow him to the extent that he was following Christ. Paul recognized, as we should, that there is a negative side to imitation. Not just to the one who is being imitated, but to the one doing the imitating.
Here’s my point. A lot of people are lead astray by false teachers. They were then and they are today. The teachers fiery preaching or charismatic delivery captivates them. Teachers who speak with conviction even though the truth is often an optional ingredient in their message lure them. They start by following the leader. Sadly, the interested following turns into blind imitation.
I’ve seen this happen to people I know. In fact, there is a small group of people in the Green Valley area, calling themselves “God’s Word Fellowship,” who have allowed this to happen to them. They have been attracted to the teaching of a particular man who has convinced his small group that he is the only one teaching biblical truth.
He has gone as far as to call just about every popular teacher you can think of heretics. This man’s rhetoric alone is enough evidence for the discerning believer to see that he is not imitating Christ. Yet these people still follow him.
As we begin to see our church grow, I want to exhort you the way Paul exhorted the Corinthians and encourage you the way he encouraged the Thessalonians. Only follow me, as your pastor, to the extent that you see me following Christ. Do not imitate anything you see in me that you would not expect to see in Jesus Christ. This is why you will hear me regularly encourage you to dig into the Scriptures for yourself.
Don’t walk away from our time together on Sunday morning and simply store everything you learn in your memory banks. There is a difference between trusting me to bring you the truth of God’s Word and assuming that just because you hear it from me that it will always be right. While I want to earn your trust, don’t let your confidence in me or my abilities ever deter you from confirming that what you hear in this church is consistent with the teaching of God’s word. It’s a high standard in which there is no room for compromise.
All right—Enough of a tangent. The Thessalonians were examples for their contemporaries and for us in that they imitated Paul and the other missionaries’ walk with Christ. The Pico Canyon family needs to be known for this very thing–when people think of our church, they think of a body of believers that seeks to imitate Christ, and not the world, in everything we do.
. . . having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit . . .
The wording here shows us that the Thessalonians received the word before they became imitators of Paul and of Christ. “Word” has a few different meanings throughout Scripture. There is the Word, which became flesh, Jesus Christ. There is the written Word, which is contained in the Scriptures. And there is the word, which, as it is used in this verse, is the gospel message.
The only way the Thessalonians could hope to imitate Paul, or ever hope to imitate Christ, is if they first had received the word implanted in their hearts. Whenever you see in Scripture “received the word,” as it’s used here, it’s equivalent to faith. It was by faith that the Thessalonians received the word, accepting the gospel message.
If we could, let’s go back to the idea of imitating for just a moment, and look at the negative side of imitating. Anyone can imitate the outward manifestations of the Christian faith. Churches are filled with millions of people this morning doing this very thing. When you think of an impersonator, you may think of the unique way they are able to mimic the mannerisms, tone or inflection of the voice, or facial expressions.
Sometimes it’s uncanny how close they get to the real thing. And it’s been said that imitation can be the highest form of flattery. But one thing the impersonator cannot reproduce is the heart of the person they are mimicking. After all, theirs is a false impersonation. Only the believer, those saved by the precious blood of Christ, can hope to be a true imitator of the heart of Christ.
We can go about trying to flatter Christ by imitating the way He served others, or the gentle way in which he dealt with people. We can mimic His words or some other actions that were His. But unless by the grace of God alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone we receive the gospel message and commit our lives to Him first, we are little more than imitators. We are not the real thing. Without Christ as Lord of our lives, we are living a lie–acting out a false impersonation of Christ.
So, is there any way to know for sure whether or not the person standing in front of you or sitting beside you is more than an imitator? What outward signs did Paul see in the Thessalonians that convinced him that they were not only chosen by God, but that they were also imitators, in the best sense of the word, of Christ?
The effect on the Thessalonians because of their reception of the gospel message was two-fold. They endured a great deal of tribulation and they were filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit. Paul, because of his own experience, recognized the genuineness of the example set by the Thessalonian church through the hardships they experienced for Christ’s sake.
The Greek word translated here as tribulation literally means “to press hard against,” or “to exert a great deal of pressure against something. It also means “affliction or distress.”
But not only did they endure great pressure and affliction because of their faith in Christ, they did so with an inner peace, a joy, that can only come from the Holy Spirit. What an incredible example to other groups of Christians, other churches, around the world. What a testimony to the unbelievers around them. The idea of experiencing joy while at the same time suffering and being under extreme pressure was completely foreign to those outside the church.
I heard John MacArthur say something very interesting just the other day. He was talking about the use of illustrations in sermons. He said that life illustrations, although they may be very interesting, lack the authority of biblical illustrations. As I was studying for this morning’s message, I saw firsthand what he meant by that.
Paul and Silas were able to see the genuineness of the Thessalonians faith through the way they handled their tribulations with joyful hearts. What made it easier for the two missionaries to see this was the fact that they had “been there, done that.”
Turn to Acts 16. Let’s look at verses 22-26. This may be a familiar story to some of you. It’s a great illustration of experiencing joy in the midst of tribulations. “The crowd rose up together against them, and the chief magistrates tore their robes off them and proceeded to order them to be beaten with rods. When they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely; and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened.”
Paul and Silas knew what tribulation felt like. They also knew what authentic joy in the Holy Spirit felt like. As I was looking at this story, this biblical illustration, one of the things that impressed me was a brief phrase in verse 25–“and the prisoners were listening to them.”
Some of the prisoners knew who Paul and Silas were. Some of them were probably arrested during the uprisings brought on by the apostle’s teaching. Some of them probably witnessed the beating these godly men took for their proclamation and defense of the gospel. Some of them could have been quietly listening and waiting for the two beaten men to begin to beg for their life and deny their faith.
Instead, what they heard was more than just the spoken word of men. They heard the gospel being lived out in the lives of two seemingly ordinary men. The other prisoners could no longer deny the genuineness of Paul and Silas’ faith. They saw a genuine faith, love and hope expressed in the lives and through the tribulations of Paul and Silas, and the prisoners listened.
One of my favorite writers, a man by the name of D. Edmond Hiebert, had this to say about the tribulations of the Thessalonian church. “While enduring tribulation because of their faith, they were experiencing a joy that the Holy Spirit worked in them. The same Spirit . . . enabled the Thessalonians to believe with joy in spite of all persecution. The Spirit was not only the external giver but also the internal source of their joy. No other explanation for their deep joy under the circumstances was possible” (Hiebert, p. 63).
Listen closely to what He says next. “A joy arising out of a spurious religious excitement will fail under such circumstances” (Hiebert, p. 63). Paul and Silas did not experience any sort of spurious religious excitement during their stay in the Philippian jail. What they experienced was a genuine move of the Holy Spirit. But look at the order in which these things happened. There joy wasn’t the result of the manifestation of the Spirit. The joy came first. They were rejoicing in and worshiping the Lord before the earthquake shook the jail.
There are many movements around the world today, many of which started here in the states, in which the driving force is the subjective experiences of people who convince themselves that it is a move of the Holy Spirit. They desperately seek the experience to bring them some sort of sense of joy in their lives.
I’ve known many people involved in such movements who come away from an event or a service exhilarated. They act as if they don’t have a care in the world and claim they have never felt such joy, such peace. But a few days later it was common to find these same people back in the same spiritual rut that sent them looking for the experience in the first place.
The joy they thought they had failed to hold up under the weight, the heavy pressure of tribulations. The reason is that they went looking for the experience to bring them joy instead of rejoicing in the tribulation and seeing the Spirit move in their lives through a deeper walk with Christ and truer understanding of His Word.
. . . so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. (1:7)
The result of the example set by the Thessalonian church was that they became a model for others to pattern their faith and ministry after.
The word translated as example in the NASB comes from the Greek word tupos. The word was primarily used in ancient times for an impression or the mark of a blow. The word was used to describe the impress of a seal or a stamp made by a die.
Paul was telling the Thessalonians that they left an indelible impression on the world around them. Their example was such that it was as if they struck a blow with their reception of the gospel message, their tribulations, and the joy of the Lord in their hearts, and left the seal of their faith on the hearts of every believer who heard of their congregation.
Wouldn’t it be great for Pico Canyon Community Church to be known, both inside and outside the body of Christ, the way the Thessalonian church was known throughout their world? Better for us to say, won’t it be great when that happens? I believe that has already begun.
Mahria spends time on-line chatting with other homeschool moms who share a common interest in old school books. One day the ladies decided to share on-line pictures with each other so Mahria directed the entire loop to our church’s website. Here are a couple of the responses Mahria received.
Mahria,
I LOVE YOUR SITE! I could hear your wonderful theology coming through so clearly. May God bless the work of His people!!! Your vision is beautiful. May He grant a fervency and joy in working towards that vision.
His is the only true church, and it cannot be built without Him. May He remain strong in your lives, and may you remain true to Him, the one true
and glorious Holy One.
Thanks for the encouragement.
Another message said this . . .
Mahria,
I just went to your website and I am sitting here with tears in my eyes after reading Tony’s story about how the Holy Spirit led him to witness in a very special situation as a peace officer. The Lord’s best to you as you begin your new church. You have great courage to do so and I can only imagine the powerful impact this must be making on your three beautiful and precious daughters. And your website is great! Everybody go look!!
Please know that I will be praying for you on the 22nd as you start your services....
We need to be a church that follows the example set by the church in Thessalonica. We need to follow their model of joy in the midst of tribulations. We need to seek to be imitators of the apostles who were genuine imitators of Christ.
Like most new, small churches, we may experience times of testing, times of intense pressure. Our encouragement today should be that almost two thousand years ago another small church, planted in a community probably not too unlike our own, became a model for other new churches throughout the world. The Thessalonians did that by being imitators of Christ. Instead of the best marketing, the most entertaining songs, the easiest teaching to sit through, let the fact that our purpose, our mission, our vision to be imitators of Christ in everything we do be the thing that leaves a permanent mark on the heart of every life we touch. Let that be our example and may it always be for Christ’s glory.
Let’s pray.
