The Thessalonians # 4

Someone might ask, “Is that not the case in all churches?” It would be good if it were true, but that is not the case.

Some believe the greatest harvest field is within the four walls of their church because although the people may attend church, give to the church and associate mostly with saved people, actually many of them have never been born again. These think just attending church makes them Christians.

Illus: If that were the case then:

• Going to a garage would make you a mechanic.

• Going to the hospital would make you a doctor.

• Going to a restaurant would make you a cook. And, we all know this is not the case.

All across this nation there are people in churches who think they are saved, but who have never been born again. Every Sunday they sit in church starring out into space.

Illus: They remind me of Melody Schick. She dressed as a rag doll, with a Teddy bear cradled in her left arm. She was seeking to beat the world record for sitting still. She sat in a Dallas shopping center, setting a new record of 5 hours and 32 minutes, only moving her eyes.

There are surely some saints in the church who could compete for that record. They have been sitting still in those pews for years, just staring into space.

However, the Christians at Thessalonica demonstrated that they were truly saved. They dwelled in Christ and Christ dwelled in them.

• In John 15, Jesus spoke to His disciples as being “in Him” as branches are “in” the vine!

• In I Cor. 12, Paul spoke of the church as being “in” Christ the same way the members of our bodies are attached to our bodies.

• In Col. 3:3, our new Christian life is described as being “hidden with Christ in God.”

The relationship between the church and the Lord Jesus is a vital one. It is an organic relationship--we derive our life from Him. The Thessalonians also derived spiritual life from Christ and had proof of it.

Look at what Paul said about them in chapter one. Look at:

• v. 5, “...our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance...”

• v. 6, Paul said that they received the gospel.

• v. 8, Then he said that the Lord’s message rang out from them.

Paul was saying that the gospel had come to them, they had received it, and they spread the gospel everywhere!

If we are to be the church God wants us to be, we must follow the same pattern the Thessalonian church chose to follow.

So far we have had much to say about the congregation, but let me show you how vital the pastor, and his relationship to God and the congregation are. First, let us look at...

I. HIS DUTIES

Because of the pastor’s duties, he is placed as a target of much criticism.

Illus: Three little guys were doing what little boys do so well: bragging about their dads.

• One said, “My dad owns a factory.”

• Another said, “So what! My dad owns a farm.”

• The third, a preacher’s son, said, “That’s nothing. My father owns Hell.” “Oh yeah” said one of the boys, “How can a man own Hell?” “Well,” the pastor’s son said, “I heard my mother tell my grandma that the deacons of our church gave it to him last night.”

Seriously, the ministry is one of the most stressful jobs in existence.

Illus: A study of 301 clergy revealed:

• 66% feel lonely and isolated.

• 80% sometimes experience feelings of futility.

• 90% suffer stress because of problems with parishioners.

• Many are tired after a 55 hour week.

• But still, most say they are 95% satisfied with their work.

Ministers are called on to do many things. In a spiritual sense you might say they are “general practitioners.”

One of the duties that has always traditionally been associated with the duties of a minister is visitation. This is not always easy.

Illus: Once a minister went to call on an elderly widow of the church. While visiting with her, he noticed a bowl of shelled peanuts on the coffee table. During the conversation he began nibbling on them and soon the bowl was empty. He then apologized to the woman for eating all of her peanuts.

She replied, “That is okay, Preacher. You see, three weeks ago I had all my teeth pulled. Since that time I’ve just been sucking the chocolate off the peanuts and putting them back in that bowl.”

Yes, a minister never knows what he is going to get into when he visits a home. However, that is not his primary job. His primary work is “To FEED THE FLOCK OF GOD!”