A Healthy Church

Introduction

Well, good morning!

Listen, just about every week I tell you to be in the Word…listen to the words I say, verify the things I’m preaching to you, back it up with the Word of God, right? Because guys, sometimes, I get it wrong…maybe sometimes I communicate a certain idea wrong…and the last thing I want is for you to be led astray. My goal, my calling, its to build you up and equip you to do the work of ministry.

And so for that reason, I just wanna address something I said last week in our sermon before we get started this morning. I made a comment about desiring this world and I said it was okay for us to desire this world. And listen, I had someone approach me this week concerned about how that might’ve come across. They said, “Pastor Steven, I think I know where you were going with all of that but I’m afraid that maybe a new believer or even an unbeliever might be misinformed with that comment.” And guys, she was absolutely right. And so, I just wanna address that this morning because again I don’t want there to be any confusion on this. When I say its okay for us to desire this world…I’m talking about God’s creation without sin. I’m talking about desiring the world that God originally created for us all the way back in Genesis…a world that was perfect and good…a world that He’s leading us all toward. We should desire a restored world, one without sin. And part of that restored world, it’s having a desire to walk with God. Guys, our desire, it’s not for the sinful things of this world. That’s why John says in 1 John chapter 2:

1 John 2:15–17 (CSB)

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s possessions—is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does the will of God remains forever.

And so, John, he’s talking about sin and how sin’s impacted certain aspects of this world and the way we see the world…and we shouldn’t desire those things…what we should desire is a picture of the garden that’s presented in Genesis 2…because that’s from the Father…that’s what He wants for us. We should desire to walk with God and experience His fullness.

And so, again I just wanted to clarify that for you this morning. Thank you to the person that had the confidence in coming to me because that’s the true definition of love…its being able to have these kinds of conversations in a humble manner because you care about my calling, you care my relationship with God. That’s us building each other up. And so, again thank you to that person! And I’ll just say this for everyone else…be in your Bibles. Scrutinize the things that I tell you. Amen?

Alright, before we jump back in 1 Thessalonians, let’s recite our mission verse together. Matthew chapter 28, verses 19 and 20. I’ll get us started:

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]

Alrighty, if you’d take your Bibles and turn with me to 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. As we kind of come to the end of this letter…Paul, he wants to leave this church with another picture of the gospel. He wants to show these Thessalonians how to flourish as a church…what it looks like to be healthy.

Now, keeping all that in mind…I want you to think for just a moment about Facebook. I don’t know if some of you middle-age folks like me understand…but Facebook, its only used by old people now. Most of your Gen-Z and your younger people, they don’t use it anymore. But let me tell you what Facebook has done for our society.

In 2014, Facebook reported that they had nearly 1 billion users on their platform. That’s almost 1 out of every 6 people in the world. Facebook, it connected the entire globe together and it literally became a daily habit for so many of us. In fact, if you’re a millennial like me, oftentimes, checking your Facebook page, its the first thing you do in the mornings when you get up and it’s the last thing you do before you go to sleep. It’s where we get all of our news. It’s been so woven into the fabric of our world that for so many of us, we can’t imagine a life without it.

But listen, as a pastor, Facebook’s actually given us a very unique opportunity. It’s given us the ability to see our church members on their own turf. And the things we see, sometimes, its very enlightening. For example, sometimes what we see on Sunday morning isn’t what we see posted in pictures or posts or things you joke about through the week. Facebook’s given us an opportunity to see people for who they really are. Sometimes I wonder if people even realize that what they post online, it’s actually available for the whole world to see, but that’s an entirely different sermon altogether…But listen, Facebook, its allowed people to just be themselves…almost like what you see is what you get, right?

Well, turn that thought to the church. If someone could really look into the inner workings of our church, what would they see? And I’m not talking about what we want them to see. I’m talking about what they'd actually see. In other words, if our church posted real pictures on our Facebook page through the week, what kind of story would it communicate?…Listen, churches, we’re just like people. There’s the real “you” and then there’s the “you” you want others to see. In the same way, there’s the real church, and then there’s the church we want others to think we are.

Paul, he actually addresses this in our passage today. And his instruction, it’s pretty straight forward…he desires them, these Thessalonians, to be a healthy church. And guys, a healthy church, its identified by how they relate to God and one another. Meaning, when people look into our family…we give them a gospel model by how we treat each other in the church and how we approach God. Its about allowing those people to get what they actually see from us. When people’s perceptions of us line up with who we really are, it really helps us navigate through our culture and it helps us to actually communicate the gospel of Jesus Christ. That’s what it takes for us to be healthy…to communicate the gospel through our relationships. Be who we say we are.

Listen, everything Paul’s been saying throughout this letter, it revolved around community…around family…how we’re to act together. He’s showing us that the picture we give, it has the ability to reflect the gospel to a watching world.

And so, with that, if you’re there with me, let’s stand together as we read, starting in verse 12, looking at these different relationships. Paul says this:

1 Thessalonians 5:12–22 (ESV)

We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.

Thank you, you can be seated.

Listen, as we examine what it looks like to reflect the gospel as a family here at FBC…again, it all comes back to our relationships.

And so, there’s three relationships I really want us to look at as we walk through this text together. Number 1, our relationship with elders…number 2, our relationship with one another…and then finally, number 3, our relationship with God.

And so, if you’re ready, let’s walk through each of these together.

I. Our Relationship with Elders (vv. 12-13)

Number 1…our relationship with elders. And listen, when I say elders…we’re talking about pastors here.

Look back at verses 12 and 13 with me again. Paul says, “12 We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.”

And so, there’s always been this tension in the church about leadership. Listen, on one hand, we see through church history, leaders, they’ve been placed in these exalted positions that are just unbiblical. An then on the other hand, we have Christians that want nothing to do with leadership within the church at all.

Let me address the first thing we see through church history…leaders being exalted in these unbiblical positions. I think John MacArthur said it best…Concerning how much authority pastors have in the church, he responded, “None…No Authority.” He says, “I have no authority in this church, personally. My experience doesn’t give me any authority. My knowledge doesn’t give me any authority. My education doesn’t give me any authority. My position doesn’t give me any authority. My title doesn’t give me any authority.” He goes on, “Only the Word of God has authority. Christ is the head of the church and He mediates His rule through the church in His Word. I have no authority.” And guys, that’s true. As your pastor…as an elder here at First Baptist Church, I don’t have authority past the Word of God. I can never exceed what’s already been written…which is exactly what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 4:6, to do that…is to become arrogant and to regard yourself as superior. Even Paul says, “Who is Paul? Who is Apollos? Who is Cephas? We’re nothing.” It’s all of Christ. It’s all of the Holy Spirit. It’s all of the Scriptures. That’s where authority’s found.

But the second thing…Christians wanting nothing to do with leadership in the church…thinking they don’t need it…well, that goes completely against what God’s said is best for us in His Word.

Paul says in Ephesians 4:

Ephesians 4:11–12 (ESV)

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,

What he’s saying there…its that God gives the church its leaders…all so that believers can be equipped for the work of ministry and so that they can build each other up. Oftentimes, a pastor’s job, its misunderstood…my calling, it’s to each of you. It’s to build you up…its to prepare each of you to do the work of ministry. Many times, we have this notion that the pastor’s to do all the ministry work in the church…but what Paul says, my job, it’s to grow you so that you’ll do the work of ministry and so that you’ll build each other up…pushing each other closer to Christ.

Now, there’s a fine line between exalting your church leaders and ignoring your church leaders. We have to understand that Jesus, He gives us leaders, pastors, elders, to shepherd His people. And Jesus delegates to these elders the responsibility of oversight of his sheep. And guys, its a huge responsibility. In the same ways husbands are responsible for their spouses and the upbringing of their children…in the same ways you’ll answer for your leadership there…I’m gonna have to give an account for how I led each of you. That’s the burden I carry as I lead you.

But what I want you to notice as Paul gives these instructions to respect your elders. It’s that its plural here. We don’t have a ton of time to discuss this topic this morning, but there’s a difference between deacons and elders. Deacons, according to their institution in Acts chapter 6, they were to help elders care for the physical needs of the church. They’re not elders themselves. Elders on the other hand, they’re called to lead the flock spiritually, caring for their souls by teaching them God’s Word, instructing them and encouraging them through it…praying for them. Now, again, not enough time here this morning to go through all of this but this is actually an area we’re looking at here with our constitution. But listen, Paul addresses, in almost every letter he wrote, a plural body of elders. And then sometimes he would even include a separate, plural body of deacons. They’re two offices meant to guide and lead the church. Now, again, authority belongs where? With Jesus and the Word of God. Elders, they don’t make decisions…those responsibilities should always rest with the congregation. Elders, they shepherd. They teach. That’s actually the one qualification that’s different from deacons, elders must be able and willing to teach. We’re gonna talk more about this in the future. I encourage you to go read our most recent newsletter…but look at what Paul says here, “Respect those who labor among you, who over you in the Lord and who admonish you.”

It’s tempting to read that statement and again think elders or pastors have some kind control or power over you when it says “who are over you in the Lord” but guys, it’s not a charge of power. Jesus, He’s the model of what ministry should look like and He was a servant. And listen, He taught that whoever wanted to be first in God’s kingdom would be last, right? And so, leadership its all about servanthood, serving those God’s called you to…and the best way respect those who labor among you and for you…it’s to follow them as they follow Christ. It’s to equally hold them accountable to the Word as they work to build you up. It’s the recognize the sacrifices them and their family make to spiritually grow you. That’s why he says “esteem them very highly in love because of their work.”

That’s the attitude that we’re to show toward our leaders. It doesn’t mean our leaders are always right. It doesn’t mean that you just do whatever it is they say. It’s pretty obvious that these Thessalonians had some conflicts at times with their leaders. That’s why Paul says, “Be at peace among yourselves.” Even in the midst of disagreement, difficulty, there should be this combination of respect and affection…the idea’s not for the elders and the church to go head-to-head because that just leads to sin and destruction…instead its reflecting the gospel. If we believe in the gospel, then we believe Jesus has forgiven us…And if we believe that’s true, then there’s really no difficult situations, no conflict that should cause us to act in disrespect for one another. We’re on the same team and we’re called to the same purpose.

And listen, when an outside world sees our relationship with leaders even in the midst of difficult situations, we paint picture of the gospel…otherwise, if we fail to follow Paul’s instructions, we prove those people right and push them further away.

And so a healthy church, they respect and love their elders who labor among them. That’s the first thing.

II. Our Relationship with One Another (vv. 14-15)

The second thing…our relationship with one another.

Look at verses 14 and 15 with me again. Paul says, “14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.”

And so, this is the charge Paul gives to the whole family. It’s no longer just about leadership…now he’s talking about everyone in the church. And he says, “These are the responsibilities we have to one another.” It’s not just about our pastors and elders…but it’s about all of us. It takes all of us, working together, to bring the peace he just exhorted us to demonstrate.

And listen, he tells us how to do that. There’s three groups of people Paul mentions here. He says first, “admonish the idle.” That word “idle” it actually doesn’t just mean what we think it means. It doesn’t just mean “lazy.”…it also means “disruptive” or “unruly.” And I think this is getting more to the point Paul’s trying to make here. These Christians, they were out of order. They were disruptive. Which is why he said before this statement to “be at peace among yourselves.” It’s why he also encouraged them to not be busybodies in the second letter we’re gonna get to soon enough. It’s part of the reason why he encouraged them to “do their work quietly” earlier in the letter. These types of Christians, they disrupt the peace of the church…and that’s why we see him attach the word “admonish” with “idle.” He says, “admonish the idle.” Meaning, we’re to warn them…and not just for their own benefit…but for the benefit of the whole body.

Secondly, Paul says, “encourage the fainthearted.” That word “fainthearted,” it means “the small of soul” or “the discouraged.” Listen, there would’ve been two reasons a person was discouraged in 1st century Thessalonica…Number 1, persecution. We know from the rest of Paul’s letter, this church, it most definitely faced persecution. And that absolutely would cause a person to become discouraged…especially in their faith.

But another reason people might’ve been discouraged…it was because of death. Death was a big deal to these Thessalonians…which is why Paul said everything he did before this section. These guys, they were anxious about death and they were anxious about the death of their loved ones. “Will they be saved when Jesus comes back? Will they be included in this promise?” And again, that’s why Paul answered that question and told them to encourage one another with his words. But now Paul’s reminding all of us that in our gospel community, in our new family, we need the encouragement of our brothers and sisters…we need that as we face difficulties and as we face trials. Guys, in our family here at FBC…its not enough to only rejoice with those who rejoice…but we’re to weep with those who weep. We’re be here for each other!

And then finally, Paul says, “help the weak.” And this word “weak,” it’s referring to physical weakness. Paul’s already talked about the spiritually immature in telling us to admonish the idle…He’s already talked about the spiritually weak in talking about encouraging the fainthearted. Now he’s talking about our responsibility to each other physically…and listen, this could be some kind of illness, sickness…it might be economic difficulties. They’re physical. Guys, as a family…we’re called to care for each other’s physical needs. We should be aware of those things…and we should seek to help in those things. And listen, in order to be aware, we have to have strong relationships first. That’s the only way to meet physical needs. We have to have a strong deacon ministry that understands their call and their responsibility…and we have to have a body of believers that care for each other.

And then notice how Paul concludes this section of our passage. He says, “be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.” Guys, as we care for those in our body…those that are disruptive and disobedient…as we care for those struggling spiritually…as we care for those struggling physically…we have to be patient with them. That’s what it means to love your neighbor. Part of caring…it’s patiently serving people.

And listen, we do all of that because of the love Jesus has shown us. We ensure that no one treats others wrongly.

Listen, you ever tried to minister to someone that just didn’t appreciate or accept your service? Well, the temptation there, its to get angry…it’s to focus on self and what we gave up or the sacrifices we made, right?

But guys, when we minister to each other…we serve because we love each other. And no matter what, we don’t return evil for good. It’s so easy for someone to get angry at us as we try and help them in their physical weaknesses…or even for someone to take advantage of our generosity. There’s so many ways that people can return evil to us in place of the good we show them…but guys, we have to ensure that we do it all from the right place. We don’t return evil with evil. We don’t retaliate. Instead, we seek to be Christ to those people…remembering that even we’ve rejected Jesus’s ministry to us at various points in our life. Guys, we shouldn’t be surprised when others reject us or our service to them…we shouldn’t be surprised when they mistake our love for something else. We have to remember that this is all about our growth in the faith and it’s our responsibility in keeping the peace of the church all because we care about Jesus’s glory and His mission through the church in advancing His kingdom.

And guys, when we do that with each other…what a great gospel reflection to an outside world? When others see imperfect people serving each other out of love and not responding to the flesh…what a great testimony for the work of Christ.

That’s the second thing.

III. Our Relationship with God (vv. 16-22)

And then the third and final thing…our relationship with God.

Look back at verse 16 with me again. Paul writes, “16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.”

And so, he kind of moves the conversation from the Thessalonians’ inter-relationships, those with one another…and he shifts that to discuss their relationship with God. And listen, in these verses he gives them six imperatives or six commands…all of which are directed at each member’s personal devotion to God. And notice, as we go through these, they’re all in present tense…meaning these are things we’re to do continuously. And guys, these aren’t suggestions…these are commands from Paul. And so, ultimately…what he’s showing us here…it’s what a healthy Christian life looks like in relationship to God.

Let’s look at these six things together. Number 1…he says to have a joyful outlook. We’ve talked about this in detail as we walked through his other letter to the church of Philippi last year…but he says to “rejoice always.” Again, putting yourself in these Thessalonians’ shoes…this would’ve been a strange thing to hear. They’re being persecuted…many have given their life…and Paul says to rejoice…and not just rejoice…but he says to rejoice always. And that’s exactly what Paul meant. Rejoice in life’s hurts…rejoice in life’s pains…rejoice in life’s sorrows. Joy’s not something that we work on; joy’s something that we live in…and we’re able to live in joy because of the presence of God’s Spirit in us. Our joy, it’s not generated from outside of us…it’s generated from within. And we strengthen our relationship with God by constantly finding joy in Him. It’s a choice. We choose to live in the Spirit and find joy in Him.

The second thing…we’re persistent in prayer. He says, “pray without ceasing.” Now this doesn’t necessarily mean we pray 24 hours, 7 days a week. It also doesn’t mean you memorize written prayers and recite them incessantly. It means you constantly communicate with God. God wants you to depend on Him. He wants you to know that He’s near and that He hears and listens. Through the Spirit and because of Jesus, we have direct access to the Father. Praying without ceasing, it means you’re constantly seeking the presence of God, depending on Him and walking in His will. Guys, there’s all kinds of ways to pray but it doesn’t always have to be on your knees. It doesn’t always have to be in a church or before a meal. I talk to God when I’m driving down the road. I pray for so many of you during times like that. I talk to Him like I would a friend that’s sitting next to me. I share my heart with Him, I ask Him for His wisdom and His will. I talk to God more than I do anyone else…but it’s mostly conversational…in the most general parts of my day. Do you seek God persistently?

Number 3…are you grateful in attitude. Paul says, “give thanks in all circumstances.” Meaning, we’re to give God thanks for everything. And notice, Paul doesn’t say when its only good…he says for everything. We’re always to look at the big picture and understand how God’s providence works…which demonstrates our trust in Him. And we trust Him because only God can take the thousand details of a person’s life, the good and bad, and weave them all together in this beautiful tapestry of His perfect plan. Only God can do that…and so, we’re grateful in attitude for everything because God promises that all will work together for good.

Number 4…we’re sensitive to the Spirit. He tells us to not “quench the Spirit.” In other words, he’s telling the church to not do anything that would put out the fire of the Spirit. And it’s interesting here because joy, prayer, gratefulness…those are all things from the Spirit…and so, if you want a test of whether you’re quenching the Spirit, are the first three things present? We’re called to live by the Spirit…letting Him guide us and direct us. And that’s true among us in the church as well.

The fifth thing…we’re obedient to the Scriptures. He says don’t despise prophecies. Most of the Bible, it was written to foretell something…and so, for that reason, many scholars believe Paul’s referring to the rejection of the preached word here. We don’t have to spend a ton of time on this because I feel like we talk about this every week. The church is only as strong as it’s commitment to preaching, to teaching, to obeying the Scriptures. This is exactly why I’ve been training qualified and willing men to preach alongside of me. We have to know the Scriptures, we have to believe the Scriptures, we have to be shaped by the Scriptures.

The sixth thing…we’re committed to discernment. He says, “test everything; hold fast to what is good.” He’s saying…put everything to the test. That word “test” it literally means to “examine closely for the purpose of determining authenticity.” How do we determine authenticity? It means we bring it back to the Word, right? Guys, I think this is something American Christianity gets wrong the most. On one side, you have people who are led astray with false doctrine and practices because they just don’t test those things with Scripture…they don’t know or affirm what it is the Bible says. And then on the other side…when leaders try and make a certain aspect of church more biblical, members refuse it, refuse to follow, not because its unbiblical but because its a tradition and they hate change. They’re stuck in their ways…and so, they refuse to test anything to the Scriptures. I’ll say this…anything we present…you need to put away your emotions…your personal feelings…even your beliefs…and you need to test it to the only thing that matters. Amen? And guys, that goes for doctrine…that goes for constitutions…that goes for anything. Our goal is to be as biblical as we can be…because that’s us holding fast to what’s good.

And when we devote ourselves to the only source of truth, we'll hold to what is good…abstain from every form of evil. Guys, no matter what our culture says is good…no matter what they say is acceptable…we have to hold to the truth of God’s Word. And I’m gonna be honest, as our culture continues to go in this direction…it’s gonna be harder for us to do that as a church. Even in our own community, churches are bowing to the idea of things like abortion and homosexuality…they’re now questioning pillars of our faith and the person and work of Jesus. Here at FBC, we have to devote ourselves to the Scriptures…so we can test everything, inside and out of the church…and hold fast to what is good.

And listen, when we do all of that…not only do we strengthen our relationship with God…but we give the outside world a snapshot of what it really looks like to be born again.

Closing

Listen, in closing…our health as a church, it’s identified and its determined by how we relate to each other…and how we relate to God.

What kind of picture are you giving to those on the outside?

Would you bow your heads and close your eyes with me?

What kind of picture are you presenting to those around you, those outside the church?

Guys, you see Paul mention three very specific relationships here in this text…our relationship with elders…our relationship with one another…and our relationship with God. I want you to reflect on each of those areas in your life right now. Do you model what Paul presents here? Do you reflect this kind of picture? Because this is the definition of a healthy Christian and this is the definition of a healthy church.

If the Spirit’s convicting you…first, ask Him for forgiveness. Guys, we’re not perfect…and that’s okay…but the Spirit that dwells in us, He is…and guys, He can mend us back together. Ask Him to give you the means to fix whatever relationship might be struggling. Maybe during this time…take that person aside, pray with them, ask them for forgiveness. If it’s your relationship with God, ask Him to fill you and renew you. But guys, if we’re gonna reach our community…our relationships in this family, they have to be right first. And so, if you’re a believer, a member of FBC…start there. Reflect on your relationships.

If you’re a believer and not a member of FBC…what’s holding you back from committing to us? If you know you’re called to this family, then commit to us. Come alongside of us in membership. Membership is so much more than you think…it’s about commitment, accountability. And so, if that’s you…relationships are a lot harder to reflect on because the reality is I’m not your pastor…and these people might be your brothers and your sisters but it’s harder to care for them in a family way because you haven’t committed to them. And so, pray about that this morning.

But listen, if you’re here and you’re not a believer…then you, you need to repent and believe. You need to recognize that you’re a sinner and that your sin, it will cause death and separation. And without something saving you from that destiny, that’s what you’ll experience. Guys, Jesus came so you wouldn’t have to experience the consequences of your sin. He died on the cross in place of us. He wore the weight of our sin…took on our punishment. And if we repent, if we turn to Him…and believe in Him…He’ll save us and fill us with His Spirit. And so listen, if that’s you this morning, ask God to forgive you, to lead you, to fill you.

And so, whoever you are this morning…whatever you’re struggling with…whatever the Spirit’s placing on your heart…you take these next several minutes and just respond to whatever that is…and we’ll close in just a moment.

[Prayer]