The Thessalonians # 3

The doctor, in his best professional manner, asked if anything had happened to shock or upset his nerves. “No,” the man answered, “unless it was a letter I received this morning.” He showed the doctor a letter which stated in part, “If you don’t stop running around with my wife, I am going to blow your head off.” The doctor then said, “Well, that’s a simple matter. Why don’t you just stop it?” The patient’s face fell as he said, “But doctor, the fool forgot to sign his name.”

Churches face problems today. Often the problem seems simple enough, yet it seems almost impossible to solve the problem at times. Many groups have discovered this, and they produce helps, but often these helps are not so helpful.

For example, if a pastor paid attention to his mail, he would find solving the problems of the church seems easy. The advertisements say all it takes is a postage stamp. For example,

(1) IF A CHURCH HAS AN ATTENDANCE PROBLEM, we are told this is easy to solve. All the pastor has to do is respond to the mail sent him from companies that provide printed materials, tapes, and videos, and if the church will purchase these items, the attendance will double or triple in weeks. Also...

(2) IF A CHURCH HAS FINANCIAL PROBLEMS, pastors are told this problem can also be solved easily. Again, all the pastor has to do is respond to the mail he receives from companies that provide printed materials, tapes, and videos for a set price and they guarantee that within weeks the church income will double or triple.

All over this nation church workers in many churches respond to these offers, but usually find that they have wasted a lot of time and money.

Then some of the successful churches have marketed themselves. They send out literature telling other churches how they have had tremendous success doing things a particular way.

Then they tell churches if they want to learn how to be successful, they are holding a seminar at their church and for $150.00 a person they can attend and learn how to be successful also.

All over the nation pastors and staff members have flocked out to seminars by the thousands to learn how to build successful churches for the Lord. But, many times when they come back home from those seminars and try to implement those programs, they discover the things that brought the other church success does not bring them success.

However, this is not a bad way for a church to learn how to please the Lord. That is, to look at a successful church and learn from them how they pleased the Lord.

Again, I believe one of the best churches we can pattern after was this church that existed in 51 AD in Thessalonica. THIS WAS A MAGNIFICENT CHURCH!

If we pattern after this church we also will be a very successful church for the Lord. What kind of church was the Thessalonian church?

I. IT WAS A COMPLYING CHURCH

That is, they complied with the SPOKEN WORD that we now have as the WRITTEN WORD OF GOD! When Paul spoke, they listened and they obeyed.

A preacher has to be careful what he says to new converts because so often they are so eager to please the Lord they will do almost anything without even questioning it.

Illus: This young man who was recently saved came to his pastor about some marital problems. He told how his wife was giving him a hard time. The preacher commented in sort of a joking way during the conversation that he needed to take her over his knees and spank her. The next time they came to church, the pastor noticed that this young housewife had a frown on her face. He asked her why she was so sad. She said, “Preacher, you know why! You told Jimmy to spank me, and he did!”

As God moved on the apostle Paul to preach the Word of God, those people did not just listen, they obeyed!

Look at verse 5. Paul said, “For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance...” Paul was saying that when he preached the gospel to them, they recognized it was not him speaking, but it was God speaking to them!

One of the things that determines whether a church will be used of God is what the members of that church decide to do with the Word of God.

As we drive across this country we...

• Can not help seeing church buildings under construction.

• See some that have just recently been built.

• See some that are hundreds of years old.