What is a Gospel Church

Good morning, everyone! Whether you're here with us in the room or joining online—listening live or later—I am truly glad you're here. Leaf River Baptist church exist to Know Christ, Grow in faith, and to Go make Him known.

Hey, if you’ve got kids with you this morning—now’s a great time for them to head to class. We’ve got an amazing team ready to welcome them and help them know Jesus in a way that makes sense to them.

Now today we start something brand new…

For the last several weeks we talked about evangelism. We’ve talked about opening our mounts and actually sharing the gospel with friends, neighbors, and coworkers. We talked about your story and how you can share your story to impact the lives of others so they will consider Christ and what it would look for them to turn to Christ themselves.

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But let me ask you a question.

What would happen if someone actually took you up on your invitation? If they walk through these doors, hear the gospel, believe in Christ, and begin following Jesus…What exactly are they walking into?

In other words…what kind of church are we inviting them into?

Are we inviting them to join us for a weekly event?

Are we inviting them to a place to come and sit anonymously?

Are we inviting them to join our social club?

Or are we inviting them into a family—a group of people who have been redeemed by Christ, shaped by the Word of God, commited to one another, willing to suffer together, serve together, forgive each other, encourage each other, and ultimatly wait together for Jesus to return?

The thing is…the gospel doesn’t just save individuals…The gospel creates a people.

Now, again, for the last several weeks we’ve talked about sharing the gospel and inviting people to come join us at LRBC.

The question is: Once someone walks through those doors…what are they walking info?

What does it mean to belong to a church?

These next several weeks we’ll be spending time in 1 Thessalonians.

This is one of Paul’s first letters, and it was written to a young church roughly 20 years after the resurrection.

Thessalonica was a major city of around 200,000 people.

Paul had left a Philippian prison and then went to Thessalonica, where he taught Jesus, started a church, appointed Elders all within about 3-4 weeks.

These weren’t people who have been following Jesus for decades…these are new beleivers who are learning how to live faithfully in a culture that was pulling them in another direction.

Paul doesn’t just tell them what they should believe. He shows them what the gospel looks like when it gets a hold of a church.

Here’s what’s really cool folks…We don’t need to imagine how this church began…Luke actually tells us.

So, before we head over and read Pauls letter to this church, we’re going to go back and see how this church was born.

We’re going to be in Acts 17. Go ahead and turn over there because that’s where we get to know this new church.

Acts 17:1–4 ESV

1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” 4 And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women.

What just happened is that we witnessed something remarkable happening when someone simply showed up and began talking about Scripture.

I want to take a moment and reflect on what Paul is doing here though, ok.

First of all it was the custom to go and talk about Scripture on the Sabbath…so Paul used that meeting point as an opportunity to meet and discuss Scripture.

So Paul went to where the people were to be able to share the truth of the gospel with them.

Then…Paul “reasoned” with people from the Scripture.

What does that mean?

Well…it means Paul went into the city and began having conversations and debating about the Scriptures. Paul talked with various people about various things, so that they would understand who Jesus actually is.

Paul began to show them using reason and thinking that Jesus of Nazareth does in fact fulfill the prophecies of the O.T.

Paul engaged with people and spent time having conversations. He didn’t allow his nice personality to express Christ…he actually opened his mouth and had conversations with others using what he knew about Scripture.

Folks…that’s why it’s important to actually read and study Scripture for yourself so that you can have discussions about what Scripture says.

So — Paul discussed the O.T. scripture, which led him to proclaim Jesus as Christ.

That gives us our first point today.

A Gospel Church is Built on Jesus Christ (v.1-4)

The church that is forming here in Thessalonica was not built around the man named Paul — Silas—or anyone else.

This church was built on the proclamation that Jesus is the Christ!

Acts 17:3 ESV

3 explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead…

and then saying

Acts 17:3 ESV

…“This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.”

That statement right there is where this church in Thessalonica is born.

You see…

The gospel is about a person

The gospel that we share is not just some advice for better living.

It’s not: try harder — be nicer — clean up your life — become a better version of you

The gospel is the announcement of what God has done through Jesus Christ.

Paul’s message to people was not, “Here are some principles for living.”

Paul’s message was,

Jesus is the Christ!

Jesus is the promised Messiah.

Jesus suffered — Jesus died — Jesus rose — Jesus reigns

And because all of that is true…you must repent and believe!

Paul started directly with Scripture and led them to Christ.

The church begins when sinners hear about Christ and, by God’s grace, are brought to faith in Christ.

After the person of Christ is proclaimed…

The gospel calls for a response

We just read it where verse 4 says that

Acts 17:4 ESV

4 And some of them were persuaded…

You see, they didn’t just hear some interesting information to think about…they responded.

Yes, some rejected…but some believed.

That word persuaded indicates that they chose of their own free will to follow Jesus based on the evidence that Paul shared about Jesus.

We’ve talked about this before…the gospel ALWAYS demands a response.

There is no neutral position before Jesus.

You either receive Christ…or reject Christ.

Now, I know some of you here today, or maybe joining us online are waiting to be ready.

Folks...let me just be very clear right now — If you are waiting to be ready, then you are rejecting Christ today.

There are two choices here.

You can trust Christ — Or you can trust yourself.

You cannot do both!.

Acts 17:4 ESV

4 And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women.

The gospel created something new right here. Men and women who heard the message about Jesus were now joining themselves with Paul and Silas and becoming part of this new Christian community.

Women…you hold a great influence…Right here Paul points out that “not a few” leading women. That’s kind of important. These women were leaders in their community and their coming to Christ will influence many others to follow Christ.

Of course, for this early church, joining together meant alot more than simply attending a weekly meeting.

Joining together meant joining with Christ — and that is not a temporary thing

You see…

The gospel is permanent

There is a danger when a church begins to see God move and they grow.

A church can get really good at doing “church things”…and become less passionate about the gospel.

As a church we can become preoccupied with things like budgets, and buildings — events, and traditions — preferences, and personalities — music, and ministries

All while the cross becomes little more than background scenery.

However, the Thessalonian church began with Christ — and the church must continually return to Christ.

Paul knew how easy the church can get fascinated with everything else outside of the gospel. So, years later when writing to the church in Corinth, he says about his own ministry.

1 Corinthians 2:2 ESV

2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

The gospel is permanent and must never become secondary here at LRBC.

The church God calls us to be is a Christ-centered church.

We are not a “Christ-adjacent” church or a “Christ-occasionally” church…we are a Christ-centered church.

Of course things are about to get interesting in Thessalonica.

You see, when the gospel changes people, others notice…that’s what we’re about to see

A Gospel Church is Changed by Jesus Christ (v.5-7)

Now, I want to be clear here…being changed by Jesus doesn’t mean that you will be perfect overnight.

However, it does mean that Jesus is no longer an addition to your life…but Jesus IS your life.

That’s exactly what begins to happen in Thessalonica

The gospel changes what we love.

Look at the reaction of those who oppose the gospel.

Luke gives us a word to help us understand.

JEALOUSY

Acts 17:5 ESV

5 But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd.

So why does the gospel produce such a wide range of reactions from people?

Because the gospel doesn’t just challenge what we think…it challenges what we love.

Luke tells us that some of the Jews became jealous when they saw the crowds responding to Paul’s message.

Their opposition wasn't merely an intellectual disagreement; the gospel was confronting their priorities and their idolatry and threatening the influence they had over the people.

And that reminds us of a simple truth:

Whatever has your heart will eventually shape your life.

Then the gospel comes along and tells us we were made for God…we belong to God…and that Christ is worthy of our whole life

Of course what we love changes…how we live will begin to change, and that continues to grow animosity from the religious elites.

So what do they do…they gather a group of people to form a mob and begin a riot. Yes…the church in Thessalonica was born in a riot.

In the midst of all of that, there are people who’s love has changed. Their love is no longer themselves…there love is Christ.

Now what we will see from these Christians proves that…

The gospel changes how we live.

Look at the accusation they are making here.

Acts 17:6 ESV

6 And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also,

“These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also…”

That’s meant as an accusation against these new beleivers just to be clear.

But something else happened as a result of this accusation.

People noticed…People noticed that Jesus changed them.

Their new faith was not invisible — Their new faith wasn’t something they did for a couple of hours on Sunday and then move on with their lives.

Their new faith had already begun to affect the way they were living in the world around them.

Luke takes us another layer deeper here.

You see, these Christians weren’t just behaving differently…

These Christians have changed their allegiance…

That becomes the problem

The gospel changes who is king.

Listen to the words that they use here.

Acts 17:7 ESV

7 and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.”

“Another king, named Jesus.”

That’s the reality…Jesus isn’t just our helper…he’s not an example…he’s not someone to admire.

Jesus is our King!

You see…the gospel doesn’t just add Jesus to your life…the gospel puts Jesus over your life.

So, I have a question for you…

If someone watched your life for 7 days, who would they say is king of your life?

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Now…

You can answer that question using your calendar

You can answer that question using your bank account

You can answer that question using your relationships — or your private life.

The thing is that if Jesus is King…then he gets the final word in every aspect!

But there’s something beautiful about a life changed by Jesus.

When Jesus becomes King, we don’t keep that to ourselves.

You see…

A church that is about Jesus and changed by Jesus will make Jesus known.

So…think about where we’ve been for the last several weeks.

We’ve talked about how we take the gospel to people.

We’ve talked about how we open our mouths and tell people about Jesus

Remember though..evangelism doesn’t end when someone believes.

The people who receive Jesus become the people who carry the gospel to others

That’s exactly what starts to happen in Thessalonica

A Gospel Church Makes Jesus Christ Known (v. 8-9)

The gospel has been preached

People have believed

Their lives are being changed

Jesus is now their king

and the people of Thessalonica can’t ignore it

Watch this…

Acts 17:8–9 ESV

8 And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things. 9 And when they had taken money as security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.

Jason and these new beleivers found themselves caught in the middle of the opposition to the gospel.

The accusations were serious enough that Jason and the others were arrested and had to provide financial security…basically bail, before they were set free.

Why did this happen?

Because the gospel had begun to affect the public life of the city here.

The gospel didn’t stay in the synagogue — it didn’t stay will Paul — it didn’t stay in the hearts of new beleivers

The gospel spilled out into the community.

The reality is that…

The gospel cannot remain hidden.

When the gospel takes root in peoples lives, it isn’t long before visible change begins.

People hear the reality of the gospel.

People react to the gospel.

That’s what’s happening in Thessalonica — The gospel had begun to affect the life of the city around them.

There were some in Thessalonica who would say something like, “Worship how you want…but leave that in your own home” or “Your worship is between you and your God—don’t push your religion on me”.

That sounds kind of familiar to us today.

As a matter of fact, today you will hear people saying “keep your religion out of politics”….Folks, your religion…the reality of the gospel, better impact the the way you live your life…including the way you vote.

The thing is that when the gospel truly takes root in people, the fruit becomes visible.

That’s why a healthy church doesn’t just gather together on Sunday’s

A healthy church goes out together.

AND

The church makes Christ known

This is where we connect to the last couple of months.

Remember, we’ve spent some time talking about telling others about Jesus.

Now, we’re gonna spend some time talking about what a gospel-shaped church really looks like.

You see…

We talk about the gospel because Christ saved us. We live the gospel because Christ is changing us.

The church isn’t the end of evangelism…the church is the launching pad.

The thing is that we don’t gather together just to be refreshed so we can come back next Sunday.

We gather so we can be equipped to go back into the world and make Christ known.

There’s something we need to understand though.

Making Jesus known isn’t always going to be comfortable.

Sometimes people will grateful — sometimes people will listen — sometimes people will believe — and sometimes people will push back or even get angry.

Acts 17 shows us both sides of people’s response.

In our last series, I kept saying that “Success isn’t saving people — success is faithfulness.”

Now, Your faithfulness is not measured by whether anyone or everyone applauds.

Faithfulness is measured by whether you are faithful to Christ.

The hard part is realizing that…

Making Christ known can be costly.

Jason and the other new believers didn’t start that morning looking for trouble.

They simply identified with Jesus and those who were proclaiming Jesus.

That identification cost them something.

Jesus never promised that faithfulness would make us popular. He promised that he would be with us.

So our goal as Christians isn’t to provoke people…we don’t go looking for persecution.

We pursue faithfulness, love people, speak the truth, and trust Christ with the results.

Now, look at how the church in Thessalonica began

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Jesus was proclaimed

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Jesus changed people

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Those changed people made Jesus known

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That’s the church we’re going to be studying for the next few weeks.

A church that learned how to live through the gospel

A church that loved one another with the gospel.

A church that suffered because of the gospel

The gospel didn’t just give them something to believe. the gospel gave them a new life and a new family.

But before we ask what kind of church we should be…we have to ask a more personal question.

Have you actually come to Christ.

You can sit in a church without belonging to Christ.

You can know the songs, and know the language, and even know the history.

You can serve, attend, give, and know many people here — and yet still not know Jesus.

The reality is that church involvement cannot save you folks…some of you are hoping it will…but it won’t

You must come to Christ yourself.

Paul was…

Acts 17:3 ESV

3 explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.”

Paul wasn’t just giving them information…he was proclaiming that Jesus is the Christ…Jesus is the Messiah!

Now Jesus calls you to repent and believe.

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If you’re here today and you have already claimed Christ, then please pay attention

The question isn’t simply, “am I saved?”

The question is, “What is the gospel producing in me?”

You see…if Jesus really is king, then his kingship should be visible in your life.

If Jesus has really changed you…then other people should see evidence of that change.

If Jesus is worth knowing…then you should want other people to know him too

So…for everyone who belongs to Christ

Because Christ is your king, live under His rule

Because Christ has changed you, live as someone who has been made new.

Because Christ is worth knowing, make — him — known.

Let’s pray