A Contagious Church

Introduction

Well, good morning!

Listen, I hope you’ve come…ready to dig into God’s Word…ready to learn…to take notes…to apply God’s truth to your lives. I pray you’re impacted by the Word of God this morning…and my prayer’s that you have this desire and this longing to hear the Word taught and preached…because as God’s people, we know how important it is to our lives…and we know how foundational it is. And so, my challenge to you this morning…as we get ready to do that as a body of believers…pay attention. Have your Bibles open and ready…have your notebooks out or your phone or whatever it is you take notes in…and be attentive as the Word of God’s proclaimed. Amen?

But listen, before we do that, let’s recite our mission verse together as God’s people. Matthew chapter 28, verses 19 and 20. Remember this passage, this command that Jesus gives His disciples, it’s what we wrap our mission and our goals around. We wanna become this kind of church…a church without walls…a church that cares about the glory of Christ…and the kingdom of Christ…and the body of Christ…which is why we’ve committed ourselves to delivering the good news of the gospel, and discipling born-again believers, and deploying members of this body out all for the glory of God.

And so, if you’re ready…I’ll get us started…you finish us up.

Matthew 28:19–20 (ESV)

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

[Prayer]

Alright…if you’d take your Bibles and turn with me to 1 Thessalonians chapter 1…1 Thessalonians chapter 1. Last week, we started this new sermon series looking at the church of Thessalonica by studying the two letters that Paul wrote to them. And in the opening verses of chapter one…Paul really defined who these Thessalonians were, right?…He said, “You’re in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ.” And he said that they were recipients of God’s grace and peace. Their lives had been transformed…and this was evidenced because of their radical direction change. They began to model Paul and his partners…they began to care about the things of Christ…they prioritized Jesus’s glory…and His kingdom…and His church. And because of this transformation and because of their direction change, they were able to display joy even through their adversity.

And listen, these Thessalonians, even when they were living in uncertain times…even when they were facing real life-threatening persecution…they were able to be the church Jesus intended them to be. They had faith in the gospel of Jesus and they had hope in the return of Christ…and for those reasons, they allowed the gospel message to define their body of believers. And listen to me…this church…because of what the Spirit of God did in them…the radical change…it was contagious to those in their community. They were a contagious church because of the gospel impact in their lives…which is the main idea of this message…a church that’s been impacted by the gospel, they become contagious in their community.

Listen, when we examine our culture…everything about it…it’s meant to communicate a message…everything from social media, to movies, TV shows, books we read, all the ways we entertain ourselves and even all the ways we communicate with each other. One of the dominant messages coming from all these different mediums, it’s directly contrary to the gospel and the call that Jesus gave us to take up our crosses and to follow Him. Our culture, it preaches to us a message of fulfillment and happiness. If you’d just imitate the people on TV, or if you’d just imitate the athletes you see play on your favorite sports teams…if you’d just do those things you’ll find fulfillment that comes with money and fame and success. And that message, it constantly bombards us, trying so hard to pull us into the world.

And listen, the scary part of all of that…it’s that this message, its winning…even in the church. We find ourselves, more often than not, following that path…buying into that message…teaching our kids that’s what it’s all about…its the American Dream! We try and follow the movie stars and the athletes…we try and dress like them and live like them and play like them and they become our role models.

Our life and the way we were designed…we were created to be imitators and so naturally we’re going to imitate what we love, right? In the beginning, before the fall, that meant imitating God, because that’s where all of our love and all of our devotion was centered…but now, if we’re honest with ourselves, we see ourselves more like the world in both outward and inward ways. Why? Because imitation, imitating someone or something you love, it’s contagious. And others follow so easily. They see how much happiness something brings you and they see how devoted you are to that thing and it impacts them to the point where they begin imitating you, just as you did for someone else.

Guys, when we’ve been impacted and changed by the gospel of Jesus Christ…just as we looked at last week…then all our love and all of our devotion, it changes and it centers on the person and work of Jesus. And those around us…those in our families…and in our friend groups…and in our community…they see this joy that comes out of us…how much fulfillment Jesus brings us…and it should be contagious to them. If it’s not, then we have some examining to do…and some repenting to do. Because as we’ll see today, these Thessalonians…because of the gospel impact in their lives, they were contagious to those around them.

And so, if you’re there with me…let’s stand together as we read, starting in verse 6. It says this:

1 Thessalonians 1:6–10 (ESV)

And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

Thank you, you can be seated.

And so, as we dig into this passage together this morning…there’s three questions I want you to think about…number 1, do you imitate Jesus…number 2, do you make the gospel visible…and then finally, number 3, do you demonstrate what matters?

And so, question number one.

I. Do You Imitate Jesus? (v. 6)

Do you imitate Jesus?

Look back at verse 6 with me again. Paul says, “you became imitators of us and of the Lord.”

Now, last week, we talked a little about this verse…Paul was making the point that these Thessalonians had definitely been transformed by the gospel through the Holy Spirit because it had been evidenced by the joy they showed in their affliction…and not just any joy, but the joy of the Holy Spirit. But listen, that wasn’t the only evidence of their conversion…it wasn’t just in their joy…it wasn’t just in their proclamation of the gospel they received…it was also found in their desire to become imitators.

These people, they saw Paul and they saw his companions…and they became what the words of the gospel proclaimed…and they became what the lives of the apostles revealed. Because the words of their message and because the actions of their lives aligned, the Thessalonians were intrigued with Paul and his companions.

Listen, going back to Acts chapter 17, which outlines the story of Paul coming to Thessalonica…when Paul came to preach, he didn’t show favoritism, he preached to both Jews and Gentiles alike…he wasn’t afraid to preach, obviously his preaching landed him in prison before…and even in this account, it started a riot where local believers ended up being arrested…which is what Paul’s talking about here…even then, these Thessalonians heard the gospel proclaimed and they started to imitate him.

Listen, here’s the point. Imitation…the doctrine of imitation, this is something we really get wrong in the church today. You see, its become a very seductive concept for Christians today. There’s all these punch lines that pastor’s put out, “Seven principles for making your marriage work,” or, “Six tips for successful child raising,” or, “Fifteen ways to grow your church and your faith,” right? And what it does, ultimately, is teach us that salvation and perseverance its all about what we can do and what we have to be.

But listen, Paul, when he came to Thessalonica…his goal was only to proclaim the gospel…he believed in its power and he believed in the Spirit who did the work. That’s why he says earlier in the letter that the word came to these Thessalonians in power and in Spirit and with full conviction.

And its the same for us today, when we hear the gospel…at some point we were convicted by the Holy Spirit, which allowed us to believe in the gospel, and we made a profession of faith because of the Holy Spirit. That’s how we’re able to come to Jesus, through the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit. And that’s the evidence of our conversion.

But Paul emphasizes something else here in verse 6. It’s this doctrine of imitation…Listen, many of us…we’ve experienced the Spirit convicting us, but we don’t realize that we’re supposed to press on…we’re supposed to grow in our holiness. Just coming into a relationship with Jesus isn’t the goal of salvation…we were meant to grow and pursue holiness…that’s what Jesus intended…He wants us to find real joy and real fulfillment, but it’s only experienced when we grow…Well, one of the ways we grow, is by seeing the example of a more mature believer and following that example. It should be our desire…we should wanna model those that are champions of our faith…we should wanna be like them and act like them and talk like them and dress like them. We should wanna be just like them…it should be contagious to us. And this is exactly what Paul’s talking about here…He says, “You became imitators of us.” It was evidence that they really were changed…they didn’t care about the things of this world anymore…they cared about pleasing and honoring God and so they modeled those that were living out that gospel message.

And listen, the only way we can do that, its to spend time with those that are more mature than us…that’s what knot groups are all about here at FBC. Its about finding someone more mature than you, someone that models the gospel message, and allowing them to disciple you.

And listen, we should want that. Part of our transformation, it gives us a desire to wanna grow and wanna model those around us. If you don’t have that desire or if you’re too busy for that, again, like we talked about last week, you need to bring it back to verse 1…have you really been transformed into something new? Are you really in “God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ?”

Because if you are, you’ll have a desire to imitate those that are following Jesus…which is why Paul doesn’t just say they model him and his partners…but that they imitated the Lord as well. Listen, Jesus, He’s not just an example to us…the gospel’s not just “Jesus set a good example and so, go and be good.” If that’s the gospel, then we’re all in trouble. The gospel’s about what Jesus did for us, things that we couldn’t do and wouldn’t do for ourselves. And when that truth penetrates our hearts, and when we understand the power behind it, it changes us and through His power, we wanna become like Jesus…which is why Paul says over and over again in his different letters to imitate Jesus. Of course he says it here…but He said all the time.

In Philippians 2:5 he wrote:

Philippians 2:5 (ESV)

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,

In 2 Corinthians 8:9:

2 Corinthians 8:9 (ESV)

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

He used that example to encourage the Corinthian church to be generous givers.

Paul constantly pointed believers to the example of Christ and he encouraged them to follow Him.

And listen, Paul says that’s part of the evidence that these Thessalonians were genuinely converted…because they imitated Jesus. And as we’ll find out in just a second, it was this imitation that allowed them to be contagious to others.

And so, again…the question…do you imitate Jesus? Because guys, that’s part of our conversion. Now, I’m not saying that you’ll be perfect…I’m not saying you won’t mess up…but does your life demonstrate this kind of imitation?…Or if you were to reflect on your life, does it model more of this world? Are you placing a lamp shade over yourself to conceal the message of the gospel when you go out because you’re embarrassed by it? Or like these Thessalonians, are you willing to give everything…just like Paul…just like Jesus…to advance it?

And if you answer yes to that question, then what’s the evidence of that in your life recently? Because if you’re imitating those more mature…those ultimately modeling the example of Jesus…then you will be contagious to those around you. And if we’re doing that as a body, then again, we’d be contagious to those in our community.

Are you imitating Jesus?…which leads straight into our second question.

II. Do You Make the Gospel Visible? (vv. 7-8)

Do you make the gospel visible?

Listen, when we’re imitating Jesus…we can’t help but make the gospel visible…because if we’re imitating Jesus and if we’re aligning our hearts with His…we’ll begin to care most about His glory…and His kingdom…and His church. And every one of our actions, it’ll make the gospel visible in our lives…and it’ll lead us into situations where we can communicate the gospel to those around us.

Look at verses 7 and 8 with me again. It says, “7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything.”

Listen, we could summarize these two verses with one big truth…the church makes the gospel visible. That’s exactly what these Thessalonians did, right?

Now, last week, we talked about the importance of the gospel being communicated with words because its those words that have real power and its those words, through the power of the Spirit, that actually changes lives…but it doesn’t mean our lives shouldn’t make the gospel visible…our actions, partnered with our words…there’s power there as well. My point last week was we shouldn’t be satisfied with just doing one aspect of evangelism. We should live in a way that models the gospel with the purpose of leading others into gospel conservations, right? I mean that’s what we see here…Paul says they were an example to those in Macedonia and in Achaia…but pay attention to this…he says, “for not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you.” Meaning, these Thessalonians, they proclaimed the gospel with their words…but their actions backed up their words…it proved that they, themselves, they’ve been impacted by those words.

Listen, I’m about to talk about how your life should make the gospel visible…but I don’t want you to lose focus of our goal in doing that…our goal should be to lead people into conservations where we, ourselves, can proclaim the gospel with our words…not only our actions…Because listen, there’s real power in the actions we display to those around us. When people, especially people who knew us before we knew Jesus, when people see real life transformation in us…when they see we’re different…that’s powerful and it has the ability to open them up to hearing about what caused that transformation in us…it intrigues them, right? Now, I wanna be clear…your gospel display…the power there, it’s not the power to change lives…its just the power to point people to the Jesus…its a power that opens them up and softens them, so that they might be able to hear the gospel and respond to it.

And that’s the point of the church…our lives, they’re meant to make the gospel visible together…it’s in this place that people are meant to see the glorious effects of the gospel at work in the lives of real people they know. And through that display of the gospel…doors are opened so that the gospel can be proclaimed.

And this is why the church is so important because its through the church, when we’re prioritizing the church, its in this place that the power of the gospel, in how it’s transformed us, it’s displayed to others. And in our passage this morning, the way people knew these Christians in Thessalonica weren’t just talking non-sense…the way it became clear that there was some validity and truth to their words…it was by the dramatic change that resulted in them and was witnessed in them…because in a congregation of believers, the glorious reality of the gospel, its manifested to the watching world by how they demonstrate that transformation together as one body.

Listen, as these new believers followed the example of Paul…and as they imitated Jesus together…look at what happened! The text says that they, themselves, became examples. Other Christians started saying, “We wanna look like them! We wanna be like them!”

These Thessalonians, they first saw Paul and they saw everything he endured and they said, “We wanna be like him.” And then they heard the truths of the gospel and they heard about Jesus, and they said, “We wanna be like him!” And now other Christians, they see these Thessalonians and they say, “We wanna be like them!” They went from being imitators to being examples…they began to make the gospel visible and it was contagious to others.

And listen, look at verse 8…their reputation proved to others who they really were and who they belonged to. Paul says, “8 For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything.”

Guys, those are huge compliments from a guy like Paul! He’s going into all these places…wanting to share the gospel…and he says, “I don’t even have to do it because you’ve already done it! They’ve heard it…they know it.” He’s saying, “I can hardly go anywhere in the region and share because you’ve already shared it.” Those who once imitated the Lord were now models for other believers.

Here’s Paul’s point…when you’re transformed by something…when you fall so deeply in love with something…you become consumed by that thing…it drives you, it motivates you, your life becomes engulfed with whatever that thing is, right? We see that in our culture all the time with things and people we wanna emulate. It’s evidence of how something’s impacted us. But guys, those that have genuinely been transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ…those that have been raised to life as Paul puts it in Ephesians chapter 2…they’re simply not the same person…they’re transformed into something new, they’re given a new heart and new desires and new passions…and they fall so deeply in love with Jesus and the gospel message…their life…it’s consumed by that…so much so that they begin to become that very example to those around them…it becomes contagious…People don’t question who you are or where your identity’s found. It’s just obvious…and your life and your actions it begins make the gospel visible to a point where either you’ll be ridiculed and rejected by those around you…or it’ll give you opportunities to communicate the gospel with words. And if neither of those two things are happening…then it might just be that you’re imitating the world and neither has to happen because you’re what normal looks like to the world.

Listen, if Paul were writing this letter to First Baptist Church of Cambridge Springs…or if he were writing this letter to you, individually…would he describe the same things about us…or the same things about you?…Or would he have to share the gospel in Cambridge Springs or in all the places God’s called you to because you’ve failed to make the gospel visible?

That’s the second question.

Do you make the gospel visible?

III. Do You Demonstrate What Matters? (vv. 9-10)

Number 3…do you demonstrate what matters?…Because if you’ve been impacted by the gospel and if you’re imitating Jesus you’ve gonna make the gospel visible…and if you’re truly making the gospel visible…you’re demonstrating what really matters to you?

Listen, I love how the New Testament gives us so many different metaphors to summarize what conversion is. It talks about us going from death to life, right? “You were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked…But God…made us alive together with Christ.” That’s Ephesians chapter 2.

We see this imagery of light and dark. Paul says, “At one time you were darkness, but now you’re light in the Lord.” That’s Ephesians 5:8.

Jesus told Nicodemus that “unless one is born again he can’t see the kingdom of God.” That’s John 3:3.

There’s all kinds of examples like this.

And now Paul tells these Thessalonians, “9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you,” (listen to this) He says, “and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.”

Listen, he’s giving us another picture of what conversion looks like. He says that these Thessalonians they turned and they now serve…and its a beautiful picture of what the gospel does in the lives of those it impacts.

In this Thessalonian context, these people, they really were pagan idolaters. They literally bowed down to worship statues at altars or shrines or temples…just as in Athens and all these other Roman cities. These Thessalonians, they were idol-worshipers…but he says they turned from that....they turned from those idols…they turned from the worldly things around them…they turned from what looked normal in their community…and he says they began to serve the one true and living God. And the point of him saying that, its proof of their conversion…they had really been impacted by the gospel and it was apparent. Jesus…and the gospel…His glory…His kingdom…His church…it was what mattered most now to these Thessalonians.

And listen, it should be the same story for us today. Idol worship isn’t restricted to people who are pagan worshipers. Every one of us, we struggle with idolatry; it’s a foundational sin that all of us fight against…or give in to. An idol can literally be anything in which we think we can find ultimate security and satisfaction…instead of or in place of or better than in God. An idol is something or someone that we set up as our ultimate source of satisfaction and security. It literally becomes a god to us…and we might not bow down to it at an altar, but we certainly still worship that thing or that person…we sacrifice for it with our time and with our energy and with our money.

And so, again if Paul were writing this letter to us, would he say the same thing, “that we’ve turned from our idols to serve the living and true God,” and that we’ve continued to do so? I mean think about that for a moment…are we determined to not follow the culture around us? Are we making sure we don’t go after the things everybody else is going after? I mean what do people notice and say about you?

Listen, I can give a list of things that Western culture sets before us and what it is many of us might be going after…but I don’t want some of you to hear me and think, “Whew, none of those things on that list are idols of mine, maybe I don’t have a problem with idolatry!” Friend, you have a problem with idolatry…we all do, the world’s constantly beckoning for God’s people to worship it…and so, we should constantly be on guard and we should constantly be identifying our struggles and we should be turning from those things.

And so, instead of a list, I want you to ask yourself three questions this morning…number one, What do I think about? What do you think about when you’re not thinking about anything else? In those moments when you’re frustrated or disappointed…where does your mind escape to? What’s the thing that you believe brings you relief? Thinking about this thing, it gives you pleasure, it gives you satisfaction; it gives you security. It might even be what you think about right before you fall asleep, or when you’re trying to escape from the problems of the day…or when you’re simply dreaming or wishing. What do you think about in those quiet moments?

Number two…how do I spend my time, my resources, and my energy? Because when you look at those three things and you ask that question, you’re gonna see the things that you really care about…because how you use those things, it indicates what you really value. Typically you spend your time and your resources and your energy on the things that you care most about and the things you believe will deliver you the most. I mean just look at your schedules and your bank statements…Look there, and you’ll probably be able to identify some of your idols.

And then the last question…what disappoints me? What absolutely crushes me with disappointment? What, if I lost it or failed at it, what would make me feel crushed or worthless?…The chances are that in answering that, you’re gonna find an idol. There’s gonna be something that you think you have or need or something that you desperately want to have that you don’t have.

Listen, the difference between a converted believer and an unconverted person, its not whether we struggle with idolatry…its what we do when we realize we’re struggling with idolatry. The converted believer, they commit themselves to turning away…no matter how acceptable it might be to the culture around them or no matter how rooted in our heart it may be…and no matter what our families want or our kids want…a believer turns from those things and they serve God instead by trusting Him to deliver and to satisfy. And guys, this is a constant fight…if you’re not constantly asking yourself these questions and looking for idols or if you’re refusing to even analyze your life because you think you’re good…it might just mean, you’re not what you think you are…because as Paul shows us here…evidence of our conversion is not that we’re perfect, its that we strive to imitate Jesus and when idols are revealed…we have a desire to show what’s most important and turn from those things.

Do you demonstrate what matters most to those around you? These Thessalonians did…and guys, it was contagious to those around them.

And not just that…but verse 10, it’s what allowed them to wait for Jesus’s return patiently…its what gave them hope in that return. And instead of the return of Christ being something fun to learn about and think about…it became their motivation for the command He gave them in Matthew 28…to go and make disciples for His kingdom.

Closing

And so, in closing…do you imitate Jesus? If someone were to look at you today, your personal life, would they say that about you?

Do you make the gospel visible? Whether you realize it or not, God’s given you all kinds of opportunities in your jobs and in your neighborhoods and in this church to do that.

And do you demonstrate what really matters most? Or are you the definition of normal in our culture today? Are you constantly identifying idols and turning from those things, choosing to serve Christ? Or are you just content with this hour or so of church that you get and devote the rest of your time to the things you really love the most?

Guys, if we’re gonna impact the kingdom of God…and if we’re gonna be contagious to those in our community, we have to model these Thessalonians.

Listen, as you think about some of these questions, would you bow your head and close your eyes with me?

Guys, I wanna keep this as short and simple as I can…if you struggle with any one of those questions, would you just repent this morning? Would you turn from whatever’s holding you back in that area…and would you turn to Jesus and serve Him and the things He cares most about? His glory…and His kingdom…and His church?

I know I keep talking about this…but I think it’s important…if you wanna be a model of what the Thessalonica church was…you need to get connected to our knot groups so that you can learn how to imitate other believers as they imitate Christ…and you need to get plugged in this family God’s called you too. There’s joy to be found here…there’s satisfaction and encouragement…and growth.

And so, maybe that means you need to get more involved…or you need to join us in membership…you need to help build us up as a body, hold us accountable, edify us. Let us pastor you…let us care for you…let us admonish you. And you do the same for us. Go on mission with us? Join one of our home groups or community groups. Be the church…care about the church…and through the church…bring glory to God by working together with us to advance His kingdom.

And so, what do you need to do today to get your priorities straight? Ask Jesus to give you the power to turn from whatever it is holding you back?

Or listen, maybe you’re here and you recognize you don’t truly have a relationship with Christ. Guys, the Bible, it says that we’re all sinful and that the penalty of this sin, its death. But through Jesus…who came and lived a perfect life…who died on a cross…He came to take on your punishment from that sin…and its through Jesus, we can experience this astounding grace…through Jesus and His Spirit, we have the ability to turn and to repent…we have the ability to be freed from the power of sin. And guys, it’s through Christ and Christ alone that we can be restored and experience real joy, even now.

And so, listen, Wendy’s gonna play…and if that’s you, then I want you to take the next several minutes and I want you to turn to Him…to deal with your sin. The Bible says, to experience salvation and genuine conversion, as we see with these Thessalonians…all we have to do is repent and believe. Jesus does the rest…He does the changing…that’s all you have to do. You can do it right where you’re at…you can let me pray with you, if you need that encouragement. But would you do that? Would you turn to Him and let him change you? And listen, if you do that this morning, tell someone…get connected with other believers. Come to talk to me.

And so, you respond…whatever it is God’s putting on your heart and then we’ll close in just a moment. I’m here if you need me.

[Prayer]