Everyone Needs a Church

On the morning of June 6, 1944 millions of Americans waited anxiously for news about the success of the allied invasion on the northern shores of France. Wives waited to hear about their husbands, Mothers and Fathers waited to hear about their sons, brothers and sisters waited to hear about their siblings, and friends waited to hear about their friends.

I imagine that wait was agonizing for everyone who had someone involved in the invasion. Global communication was much slower 74 years ago—news didn’t travel instantly from the shores of Europe to homes in America. So, people waited, and they prayed, and they waited some more. Finally, news came—many learned that their loved ones were tragically killed in battle. As a matter of fact, those who were involved in the initial invasion only had a 25% chance of survival.

But others received good news—their loved one survived the battle. Put yourself in the place of so many who had loved ones and friends involved in that fight—now imagine getting a telegram informing you they are one their way home and they are alright. Can you imagine the joy that must have swept over this country—house-by-house, neighborhood-by-neighborhood, city-by-city.

There is nothing like getting good news concerning someone you love and care for.

Now, I want to take you back in time—much further than 74 years. I want to take you back nearly 2,000 years to a time when a man named Paul was anxiously waiting for news concerning a group of friends that he loved. You see, Paul quickly established a relationship with these people, but then a violent mob forced him to leave them before he was ready to go. Paul finally made it to Athens where he waited as long as he could possibly wait before he sent one of his associates—a young man named Timothy, to check on his friends and fellow believers in Thessalonica and then report back to Paul about their condition.

Timothy was gone at least a month—possibly longer. I’m sure the wait was excruciating for Paul as he wondered what happened to them. Did they continue in the faith? Did they walk away from the faith because of the persecution they were facing? Was there still a church in Thessalonica? Paul had no answers and the only thing he could do was wait for Timothy to return with news about their condition.

Timothy finally returned—what we are about to read came from Timothy’s report to Paul.

1 Thessalonians 3:6–10

6 But now when Timotheus came from you unto us, and brought us good tidings of your faith and charity, and that ye have good remembrance of us always, desiring greatly to see us, as we also to see you: 7 Therefore, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our affliction and distress by your faith: 8 For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord. 9 For what thanks can we render to God again for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God; 10 Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith?

Like the family and friends who received good news from the battle in 1944—Paul received good news about the condition of his friends in the church at Thessalonica. They had not turned away from the faith. They did not take the path of least resistance. They did not start to follow false teaching. They did not resent Paul for leaving so quickly.

Paul was so excited by the news he received that he used a word, translated “good news”, that was only ever used in the New Testament in reference to the gospel message of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. The good news is the gospel and the gospel is the best news anyone could ever hear.

But in this letter, Paul used the same word to describe how he felt about the news he received from Timothy. Paul did not think Timothy’s report was merely good news—Paul thought it was the best news he could hear concerning his friends.

Timothy told Paul that they had faith and love—meaning that their faith in Jesus Christ and their love for Jesus Christ were genuine. In other words, they didn’t put on a show for Paul when he was with them. When he preached the gospel, they listened and believed the gospel and their lives were changed by their faith.

It is important to know that faith in Jesus Christ is a life-altering faith. Listen, if you come to a place where you believe that Jesus Christ lived and died and rose from the dead to pay the price for your sin—that He suffered once so you can have life forever—and you begin to follow Jesus because you know that He is the only One who can save you and because you know that He is the only One worth living for, your life will be different.

I’m not saying your life will be perfect. I’m not saying that you will be perfect. I’m not saying you will never struggle with sin anymore. But I am telling you that your life will be different and the longer you follow Jesus, your life will become even more different. Your desires will change, your priorities will change, your responses will change, your motives will change.

Why?

Because when you trust Jesus as Savior and begin to follow Him as Lord, you are a new creation. Before you trusted Jesus, you were enslaved to sin. Before you trusted Jesus, you were spiritually dead and separated from God. Before you trusted Jesus, you were blind and could not see what life is about. Before you trusted Jesus, you were without hope in the world. But when you trusted Jesus you were brought to life, you were set free from the bondage of sin, you received your sight, you were reconciled to God and adopted into His family, and you were given a hope that transcends a 70-year life-span.

If all of this is true (and it is true) how could this truth not change your life?

Here is something we need to remember, Jesus did not suffer and die only to save people. Jesus suffered and died to transform people.

We see this truth in Timothy’s report to Paul on the condition of the people in Thessalonica.

When Paul heard this, he knew they were genuinely following Jesus because those who follow Jesus are filled with faith and love.

When Paul heard this, he knew they had the marks of true Christianity and one of his great fears—that the tempter had tempted them to walk away from the faith, was relieved (v.5). When Paul heard this, he knew his efforts were not in vain.

Not only did they have faith and love—but they thought kindly of Paul and his team and they had an intense desire to see Paul again. They were not angry or resentful that he left—they harbored no animosity toward Paul.

So, they had not abandoned Christ and they had not rejected Paul. No wonder Paul wrote that Timothy brought him the best news about his friends.

Now, the verses following Paul’s summary of Timothy’s report provides a truth that equates to uncommon sense in our society and culture.

You see, today’s common sense tells you that you don’t need the church. You don’t need to be connected to a group of people in the church. You don’t need to go to church. You can worship God wherever and whenever you want. Common sense tells you that the church is just another organization—an imperfect organization at that. Common sense tells you that churches only want your money. Common sense tells you the church doesn’t care about you.

But let me show you some uncommon sense: Everyone needs the church because everyone needs the benefits that come from personal connection.

Let me show you what I mean by showing you why this report was such good news to Paul.

1. This was good news because it brought encouragement. (v.7)

If you were to read through the entire letter that Paul wrote to his Thessalonian friends, you would clearly see that Paul and the people in Thessalonica were strongly connected. They didn’t just know each other, they loved one another and had a very strong desire to see one another.

In verse 7 Paul refers to them as brothers. Now, I don’t have a brother, so I don’t know from experience just how strong the bond is between brothers. But I did have the opportunity to witness the bond my Dad had with his brothers. He loved them and wanted to be with them. In fact, he moved back down to his hometown primarily to be with his only surviving brother and he mourned when that brother passed away.

My point is, Paul was close to these people and one of the reasons Timothy’s report was such good news is that it brought encouragement to him.

You see, Paul didn’t have an easy time before he came to Thessalonica or after he left Thessalonica. Angry mobs chased him. He was rejected, he was persecuted, he spent time in jail, he was beaten, he was defamed, and all of the difficulties were taking their toll on him. He was—after all—only a man.

But when Paul received Timothy’s report, he was comforted. The word means that he was instilled with courage or cheer—he was encouraged to continue with joy.

Why?

Because of their faith. You see, they had not waivered—they had not backed-away—they continued in the faith—even though they were suffering because of their faith. Look at what Paul wrote:

1 Thessalonians 2:14

14 For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews,

Paul was not the only one suffering—they were also under intense pressure—but they remained faithful to Jesus Christ.

Those of you who have children might be able to relate to how Paul was feeling when he wrote this. Let me explain—every parent tries to teach their children how think, how to behave, how to speak. Every parent tells their children to avoid wrong, dangerous, destructive behaviors and to do things that are good and positive—things that will build them up.

But then we send our kids to school—Christian or Public School—doesn’t really make all that much of a difference. We’ve done everything we can to instruct them, but now we have to trust that they will follow our instruction.

And then we learn that—in a moment of temptation—they made the right decision and they followed truth. Moms and Dads, no matter what we’re going through, when we get that kind of news we are encouraged! We desperately want our children to embrace and follow truth.

I like how the apostle John described this:

3 John 4

4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

So, their faith was good news to Paul because it brought encouragement and…

2. This was good news because it brought joy. (vs. 8-9)

Paul makes a strange statement in the beginning of verse eight—“now we really live”.

Let me tell you what he means—simply put, he felt revitalized when he received the good news from Timothy. You see, Paul was oppressed by his circumstances and he was distressed by his concerns for the church—everything was taking a toll on him.

You can relate, can’t you? Sometimes the burdens pile on us to such a degree that we feel as if we are being crushed. Sometimes we’ll say things like, this is sucking the life out of me.

C.H. Spurgeon, one of the greatest preachers of the 19th Century, during a time of intense pressure brought on by the ministry wrote in a letter to a friend, “You will never see me again, this fight is killing me”

Times of great pressure take their toll—Paul was no different.

But when he heard the good news from Timothy, he was revitalized. All the anxiety and fear that gripped his heart concerning his friends was taken away when he learned that they “stood firm” in the Lord.

To stand firm comes from a military term that means to take a position and keep a position. It means to be constant and stable. Their unwavering faith and love for Jesus brought life to Paul.

This news was so welcome that Paul starts to express His thankfulness to God for their strong stand in the faith. Paul asks a rhetorical question, “what thanks can we render to God for you in return for all the joy with which we rejoice before our God on your account?”

In other words, there is nothing we can say or do that is adequate to repay God for the joy we have received from you—from knowing that you are firmly committed to God and you continue in faith and love.

Do you hear the joy that was produced in Paul’s life because of their faith?

This report not only provided inexpressible thanksgiving that came from overflowing joy—but it also moved Paul to continue to pray for them.

Look at verse 10—night and day we keep praying—they prayed constantly and passionately that they might be reunited again so that Paul could continue to instruct them.

You see, Paul knew they needed further instruction—they needed additional training in the faith. The term, “may perfect” or “may complete” simply means to make adjustments to what they know and how they practice their faith.

Isn’t this what a trainer does? A trainer will show you what to do, they will correct what you are doing wrong, they will encourage you to do right.

Paul prayed desperately to be able to connect with them again so that shortcomings in their faith would be corrected so they would not continue to struggle with some issues (see, 4:1-5:11).

Paul’s heart was for his friends and the good news he received encouraged him and produced great joy in his life.

But how do these verses impact us? How do we apply these verses to see that everyone needs the church because everyone needs the benefits that come from personal connection?

Let me give you three things:

The church provides spiritual connection to other believers.

We are living in a time when people are more connected than ever before. Let me share some statistics I found last night…

Facebook boasts 2.23 Billion monthly active users (over 1 Billion are active daily).

At least 336 Million people actively tweet every month.

There are 1 Billion monthly active users on Instagram.

Snapchat boasts 191 Million daily active users.

With all of our connectedness, a recent study by the University of Pittsburg in Pennsylvania found that young people who use social media heavily are 3 times as likely to feel socially isolated.

Why? Because social media does not connect most people relationally. In fact, how many people are actually encouraged through social media interaction?

But there is a connectedness that comes through the church that should provide us the same benefit that Paul received almost 2,000 years ago.

Here we see one of the benefits of being connected to other believers through a church. When we come together, we are given a spiritual relationship that has the power to encourage others as we walk together in faith.

Listen, when you come together and begin to share stories of how God is working in your life, how God has given you victory in some area of your life, or how you have been able to share God’s love with someone else, those conversations might give a brother or sister the encouragement they need. They might be struggling in their own walk—they might feel crushed by pressure or by persecution—but the news of your faith can embolden them and bring them joy.

You can can’t come alongside people that way if you’re not connected to them through the church. You can’t enjoy the benefit of someone coming alongside you if you’re not connected through the church.

The writer of Hebrews told us not to neglect coming together—instead we should come together more and more to encourage one another!

Here is a simple truth from this text, your life will be affected by other believers and their life will be affected by your life.

I love the fact that we can live-stream our services to folks who cannot be here—but nothing can replace the connection you get when we are together in one place, with one purpose.

Nothing can bring the joy of sitting together, serving together, singing together, and growing together.

Paul wanted nothing more than to be with them—but his connect to them brought encouragement, revitalization, and joy.

The church gives you someone to pray for and someone to pray for you.

When we are connected to one another we can pray for one another specifically. Paul’s prayer was not a general prayer of wellness—he was praying specifically for certain things. That leads us to…

The church will help you grow as you follow Jesus.

When we connect with each other during our services and Bible studies, you are being equipped as a follower of Jesus Christ. This means that you are given the tools you need to live for Him and to make Him known to others.

Yes, you can receive instruction from podcast preachers and teachers—but can you call or text them with a question? Can you make an appointement to see them? Do you call them at 2am when your world is falling apart—looking for prayer and answers? Do they hold you accountable for your walk with Jesus?

I’m fairly certain the answer to all of those questions is an emphatic “no” (if you’re on the fence, try to get in touch with James MacDonald or John MacArthur or David Platt). I’m not saying those men do not care for believers in general—but they have not been tasked with caring for you specifically. This is why God connects believers to the church.

In the church you have many people (not just the pastors) who will be there for, the will live life with you, and they will encourage you to grow in your faith.

This is what Paul wanted to do—this is what you have the opportunity to be part of.

Common sense in the world today tells you that you don’t need the church. But everyone needs the church because everyone needs the benefits that come from personal connection.

The fact that we can be connected to each other and receive encouragement, life and joy is great news for us.