The Church's Duty
Notes
Transcript
In 2005 Christian Smith’s book “Soul Searching” introduced the term Moralistic Therapeutic Deisim.
Research done by National Study of Youth&Religion to identify the insight of American youth into religion (including christianity)
Core tenet of MTD 1. "A god exists who created and ordered the world and watches over human life on earth." 2. "God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions." 3. "The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about ones self." 4. "God does not need to be particularly involved in one's life except when God is needed to resolve a problem." 5. "Good people go to heaven when they die."
when this gets in the church then the duty of the church becomes propagating these tenets
on the contrary
At the conclusion of Paul’s exhortation regarding the Day of the Lord, he conveys 2 main duties the church must fulfil continuously.
Comfort/Encourage- this verb is in the 2nd person/active/imperative (showing that it is the duty of the church and it’s not optional) It is intended to be followed.
Parakeleo (Commonly used in few senses)
1. These two words have a wide range of meaning, the first sense being that of “calling to” either literally or with such nuances as calling for aid, inviting, and summoning.
2. A second sense is that of “beseeching,” e.g., calling on the gods in prayer, or, from a superior to an inferior, proposing.
3. A third sense is that of “exhorting” or “encouraging,” and even on occasion of “winning over” for a plan.
4. The final sense is that of “comforting,” mostly in the form of giving exhortation or encouragement in times of sorrow. This is not a common use
The Thessalonians would have this knowledge of the word from their culture that viewed an Exhortation as a form of comfort because it is used with a view to overcome or setting aside grief.
They would have also been aware of ways of giving comfort such as personal presence, visits, letters, and consolatory writings.
They even had Professional comforters are also available and they used philosophical teachings, religious teachings and practices, e.g., prayer and the mysteries, and such things as music, diversions, sleep, and even wine.
Paul’s conclusion however goes beyond this.
The Church’s duty to comfort one another is not founded on the MTD model even the Thessalonians seem to have been aware of.
It is based on the notion that There is no true comfort apart from God.
Book of Job is an illustration (from Ch 2-37) Human comfort was inadequate but (Ch 38-41) Divine comfort restored Job’s comfort.
The Psalmist in Psalm 69:20
20 Reproach has broken my heart and I am so sick.
And I hoped for sympathy, but there was none,
And for comforters, but I found none.
Solomon in his wisdom looks out at the oppression in the world and states in Ecclesiastes 4:1
1 Then I looked again at all the acts of oppression which were being done under the sun. And behold, I saw the tears of the oppressed and that they had no one to comfort them; and on the side of their oppressors was power, but they had no one to comfort them.
The source and the means of the comfort that is the church’s duty for one another is Christ's atoning work of salvation v10
It is the comfort that God brings through his present and future salvation
This is a sure source of comfort/encouragement that Paul presents to the same church in 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 “16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, 17 encourage your hearts and strengthen them in every good work and word.”
He calls God the God of all comfort in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
4 who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
The primary means of this comfort is the Spirit’s work of revealing and iluuminating the truth of scripture
26 “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.
26 “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness about Me,
27 and you will bear witness also, because you have been with Me from the beginning.
4 For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through the perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
Paul is commanding the church to be agents of this comfort by reminding one another God’s aid to the churches in present affliction on the basis of the saving work of Christ and with a view to final deliverance.
The Church in Thessalonica seems to be experiencing some level of uncertainty/ anxiety regarding the death of their loved ones and the eventual coming of the Lord to judge the living and the dead according to their deeds.
This imperative of actively comforting one another by reminding each other the truth of scripture empowers by the divine author (the Holy Spirit) was a necessary remedy for that church.
The cause of your certainty/anxiety may be different. But We are to to actively engage in the same way (reminding, encouraging, exhorting,) one another to look to Christ who is the author & finisher of our faith and to God our Father who is the God of comfort to supply divine comfort into our hearts by His Spirit through His word.
2. Build up/strengthen- The second imperative that is given to the church is that they actively build one another.
Oiko (House/ family) Domeo (Build) Builder of the house/architect . Sometimes used for Planting trees.
This concept of contribution of individual pieces/ parts to make up a whole is an idea that was prevelent in the world of the Thessalonian Church.
For the Jews God builds the world, the righteous build by doing good works and learning the law, and students build up the world by studying the law. For the civilized/ enlightened/ sophisticated good thoughts and teaching are the foundation stones of a solid house.
You can ask anyone today and you would find definations of a similar concept.
These definitions fit well in the MTD model of christianity
However, what Paul is commanding the Thessalonians goes beyond/much deeper than this.
Paul is saying to the church they must build on something/ to build further
Which assumes an existing structure on which to build
Listen to this explanation in 1 Corinthians 3:9-16 “9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. 11 For no one can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each man’s work will become evident, for the day will indicate it because it is revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. 14 If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. 16 Do you not know that you are a sanctuary of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”
For the church there’s one divine Architect and foundation Matthew 16:18
18 “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.
Peter refers not to Himself but to Christ as revealed in scripture as that foundation in 1 Peter 2:6-7
6 For this is contained in Scripture:
“BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A CHOICE STONE, A PRECIOUS CORNER stone,
AND HE WHO BELIEVES UPON HIM WILL NOT BE PUT TO SHAME.”
7 This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve,
“THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED,
THIS BECAME THE VERY CORNER stone,”
The Church is commanded to build each other up further on the foundation of Christ as the Father reveals Him through the scriptures by the Spirit.
This is different than a pragmatic approach to building.
If something seems to work we can build on it. (Find something that works for our context and build on it)
Paul’s admonishment to the Thessalonians is that they anchor any building up they do on Christ as revealed in scripture.
The Thessalonians were clearly in need of growing and being built up and not crumble under the uncertainty/ anxiety brought by death and the Day of the Lord.
Hence Paul instructs them to build on the revealed knowledge of God/Christ in scripture by the Spirit edifying the community with a a mutual interrelationship of individuals with the end product being like Christ (a dwelling place of Gd in the Spirit)
Ephesians 2:19-22 “19 So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, 21 in whom the whole building, being joined together, is growing into a holy sanctuary in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.”
Not only building on what we already know, but to use the very spiritual truths that are revealed for the benefit of others in the church.
Here’s the conclusion, as Paul concludes his address to the Thessalonians regarding their anxiety/uncertainty by giving the church a command to comfort and build up each other with the distinct means of grace in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.
I want you to consider the same regarding the things that make you uncertain and anxious
God has given you the identity through Christ’s justifying, adopting work and given you the church and to the church as a means of comfort and edification for one another.