The Church That Makes An Impact Series

NOTE:

This is a manuscript, and not a transcript of this message. The actual presentation of the message differed from the manuscript through the leading of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, it is possible, and even likely that there is material in this manuscript that was not included in the live presentation and that there was additional material in the live presentation that is not included in this manuscript.

› Engagement

As we all know this last year has been quite challenging for most of us as individuals. And it has also been a struggle for many churches. A lot of them have had to completely change the way that they “do church”. Many have seen their giving decrease dramatically, leading to staff layoffs and/or the need to apply for PPP loans just to keep operating. And almost every church I know of has experienced at least some division because of differing opinions about how the church should respond to the COVID pandemic.

Here at TFC we haven’t been immune to those challenges, but I certainly want to commend all of you for remaining faithful to support the ministry of our church, both by being steadfast in your attendance, whether that has been in person or online and through your continued giving that has kept us very close to our budget throughout this period.

› Tension

But there is no doubt that there is a certain amount of what we might call “pandemic fatigue” has set in for all of us. We’re tired of wearing masks and using hand sanitizer and we just want to be able to shake hands or hug someone.

And there is a danger that fatigue could easily spill over into our life together as the body of Christ. So I do sometimes worry that the fatigue could very easily cause us to be distracted from our mission.

That’s why I am really excited about the new sermon series that we begin this morning. Paul’s first letter to the church in Thessalonica was written to a group of disciples who also were experiencing a similar kind of fatigue. They had been eagerly awaiting the return of Jesus, but now some of them were getting impatient and even doubting whether He was coming back at all. So Paul writes a letter to encourage them to persevere through that fatigue in order to continue to carry out the mission that Jesus had given them.

› Truth

So for the next 8 weeks, we’ll be studying what we know as the book of 1 Thessalonians. We’ve titled this sermon series Living in Light of Eternity because we’re going to find that is the key to persevering through difficult times as we await the return of Jesus.

The theme of Paul’s letter is summed up quite well near the end, when he writes these words that will serve as our benediction throughout this series:

1 Thessalonians 5:23–24 ESV

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

Before we read chapter 1 this morning, let’s briefly consider the context of Paul’s letter, which can be found in Acts chapters 17 and 18. After miraculously being released from a prison in Philippi, Paul traveled to Thessalonica along with Silas and Timothy. There, he preached the gospel in the synagogue for three Sabbaths. Some Jews were persuaded to become disciples of Jesus, but Paul had more success among the Gentiles. But a group of jealous Jews created an insurrection and Paul and Silas were sent away to Berea for their safety. Eventually, Paul was also driven out of Berea and made his way to Athens, where he continued to preach the gospel with mixed results.

After his time in Athens, Paul made his way to Corinth, where he was joined again by Silas and Timothy. It was from there that Paul, along with his companions, wrote the letter we will study. 1 Thessalonians may very well be the earliest written book in the New Testament. It was likely penned in AD 50 or 51 only a few months after Paul had planted the church in Thessalonica. This young church is making a tremendous impact for the kingdom of Jesus all throughout the area and Paul wants to encourage them to continue those efforts.

One of the reasons this letter is so relevant to us is that it was written to a church during some very perilous times. Within 20 years of the writing of this letter, the entire Roman Empire would be engulfed in warfare and rebellion. The Roman army, under the leadership of Titus, would surround the city of Jerusalem, and overrun it following a bloody siege. The Temple would be destroyed and many Jews and Christians would be taken captive. The underlying conditions that would lead to those events were already playing out as Paul wrote his letter. So the Thessalonian Christians were facing perilous times that were not altogether different than those we face today. So in addition to encouraging the disciples there, his letter also provides some very practical instruction about how to persevere in their faith and not give into fatigue.