06AM November 12 2 Thessalonians 1 3
November 12, 2006—Morning Worship
Growing More Godly Every Day – Part 7
Growing in Groups
Tests for Effective Spiritual Growth in Fellowships
2 Thessalonians 1:3
Intro: As you probably know, WMIT, 106.9 FM, was the brain child of the Rev. Billy Graham. He began the radio station to expose people to the gospel of Jesus Christ. But Christian broadcasting is really not something new. It’s a multi-cultural, multi-denominational, world-wide attempt to fulfill the Great Commission. You know that all “Christian” broadcasting does NOT magnify Christ. Some people see it & use it as a money making device for personal gain. But there are still many ministries that use this media wisely & for the glory of God.
Since its invention, the world-wide web has also come to be an avenue through which many ministries present the gospel. There are literally 10’s of 1,000’s maybe even millions of religious websites. But, again, not all of them are to the glory of God & many of them are spreading lies & deception rather than the truth & majesty of God through Jesus Christ.
If the research projections of the Barna Group hold true, online worship will likely attract 30-35 million adults in this decade. & many people don’t “bother” going to church any more b/c they can “worship at home” w/Charles Stanley or David Jeremiah or any number of others w/radio, TV or internet broadcasts.
But these people are missing out on a vital part of the worship experience. They are missing the interaction & fellowship of multiple generations of people. They are missing the friendships of others & the support of others & the personal contact that spurs us on to be better, more loving believers, who reflect the glory of God. These people are missing the practice of grace & forgiveness & the ministry of the body of Christ when hard times come.
The body of Christ is the army of God! & as an army we must stand & stick together! In battle, the general never says to his men, “It’s every man for himself.” He lays out a plan of unity & cooperation & that’s how victory is achieved!
[One of my favorite movies of recent years is Gladiator. I’ve never seen the uncut version—just the cleaned up one. But in one scene in the movie, Maximus Meridius, played by Russell Crowe, has positioned his men in a tight circle w/their shields facing outward & he tells his men, as the gates of the coliseum are about to open to reveal their opponents, “Whatever comes out that gate, stay together.” Those are words that the church needs to hear & heed b/c one of the enemy’s greatest strategies to defeat the church is to divide & conquer.]
So today, I want to challenge us w/these words, “Whatever comes against us, stay together.” & how can we do that in a world that is bent on dividing us? There are ways to do it & they amount to tests for spiritual growth in fellowships of faith. These tests apply to friendships, Sunday School classes, Men’s & Women’s ministries & to the church as a whole. So let’s see how we can grow in groups for God’s glory.
READ 2 Thessalonians 1:3
The 1st test for spiritual growth in any group is…
1. Do you practice the Obligation of Sacrificial Praise? (v. 3a)
Notice 1st of all in v. 3…
A. The obligation to Pray (v. 3a “We are bound to thank God…for you”).
1. Just as parents have an obligation to care for their children, Paul felt that same obligation to care for his spiritual children
2. These were men & women who had come to faith in Christ through Paul’s ministry
3. These were people of whom Paul said in the next verse, “we…boast of you”
4. Paul’s gratefulness for their faithfulness was expressed in his prayerfulness
5. Did you notice the word “bound” – it means, “to owe, to be in debt for, or one’s duty”
6. IOW Paul said it was his obligation to pray for these believers & he gladly did
7. Do you realize that it’s your obligation to pray for others?
8. As a body, we are to care for the other members & one way is through prayer
9. Never neglect your spiritual obligation to pray for your family, friends, classmates, & church members – it is your spiritual obligation but it’s also a privilege!
Paul wrote to the Thessalonians about the obligation to pray but also about…
B. The sacrifice of Pleasure (v. 3a “We are bound to thank God always for you).
1. This is another way to apply this test of growth to your group
2. When you meet do you pray for others w/o fail?
3. Are the members of your group willing to give up time to pray?
4. There are a million other things that demand our attention & yet what’s more important?
5. Paul says that he willingly sacrificed pleasure to spend time in prayer
6. When times are hard you want friends like that – you want friends who will get on their knees & pour out their hearts to the Lord for you
7. & if you want friends like that – you must be a friend like that
8. Don’t be ashamed to pray for your group & let them know you do it
[Terry Silvers was a classmate of mine at Fruitland. Anytime anyone came to Terry & asked him to pray about a matter, he stopped what he was doing & right then & there began to pray! He & I were talking one day outside the cafeteria & I said something about praying for a particular matter & he bowed his head & began praying right there – even as other people were walking past! You want people around you like that; you need people like that—& that means you need to be people like that yourself!]
9. God is glorified & works through people who sacrifice pleasure for prayer!
Paul was like that & in all of his writings he never failed to mention…
C. The praise for Partnership (v. 3a …always for you, brethren…).
1. Paul was writing to believers & was thanking God for their partnership
2. The old saying is, “No man is an island.”
3. No one can live by himself—for himself—forever
4. We must be in partnership w/someone & in God’s grace He gave us the church
5. I’m so glad God placed us here together to work for His glory & I thank God for each one of you
6. I’m so glad that God sent us to NY to minister in Galway & I thank God for them
7. I’m so glad that God sent us to the villages in Romania & I thank God for them
8. Some people have a hard time being thankful when others ministries are more successful than their own – But if God is being glorified—thank God for them & their partnership in ministry
9. Thank God for you & all that you do—thank God for your faith; dedication; perseverance; presence; patience; participation; partnership in ministry!
10. One test of spiritual growth for your group is—do you pray together; do you sacrificially work together; do you thank God for the people He placed around you?
11. IOW do you practice the obligation of sacrificial praise?
A 2nd test for spiritual growth in any group is…
2. Do you grasp the Application of Spiritual Power? (READ v. 3b)
Notice that Paul writes about…
A. The application of right Behavior (v. 3b “as it is fitting“).
1. Paul says what he was doing was the right thing to do for believers
2. The word “fitting” means, “weighty, worthy, a due reward”
3. Even though Paul was bound to pray for the Thessalonians, he found it his privilege to do so
4. It is indeed our privilege to pray for others & especially those who are working hard for the glory of God
5. IOW it would be a sin for us not to pray b/c the Bible says to him who knows to do good & does not, to him it is sin
6. So this is one application of spiritual power—praying for others who have proven themselves to be laborers in the harvest
7. Jesus said we were to pray for laborers & I also believe He meant for us to pray for new laborers & to pray for those who are already laboring
& you may ask, “Why all this emphasis on prayer?” & Paul responds by telling us of…
B. The spirit of abundant Belief (v. 3b “b/c your faith grows”).
1. Jesus once said that if you had faith the size of a muster seed you could move mountains w/it
2. The muster seed is the smallest plant-able seed in the garden
3. & Jesus said w/just the smallest amount of faith, great things are possible
4. But we are not born into the kingdom of God as spiritual giants w/great faith
5. That is part of the process of sanctification; of our growing in Christ
6. Our faith is like our muscles – you must use them for them to grow strong
7. If you don’t exercise your faith it cannot grow & here Paul praises these believers b/c their faith had grown & was still growing
8. God puts challenges in your life so that your faith will be exercised & grow
9. So God’s purpose in you will be fulfilled as you grow more godly every day
Paul goes on to tell these believers about…
C. The power of faith’s Benefits (v. 3b “b/c your faith grows exceedingly“)
1. The literal meaning of the word “exceedingly” is “beyond measure”
2. IOW Paul says their faith had grown so much that it could not be underestimated—their faith was a powerful force for the glory of God
3. I’m not talking about a faith that works miracles – there is no such thing
4. God works miracles – we merely believe that He can do it so He can do it
5. Jesus said He could not do many miracles in His home town b/c the people did not believe
6. So if you want to see God work through you in ways beyond explanation for His glory – believe that He can
7. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen!
8. But the Thessalonians had faith that grew exceedingly IOW they believed God!
9. & w/God all things are possible
10. Seas can part; supplies can come; sicknesses can vanish; lives are changed
11. Do you grasp the application of spiritual power? Does your group trust God beyond measure? Is He working through you w/o precedent? You see—God is able—but do you believe?
Practicing the obligation of sacrificial praise, grasping the application of spiritual power & the 3rd test for spiritual growth in any group is…
3. Do you express the Multiplication of Supernatural Passion? (READ v. 3c)
Looking closely at this verse we can see…
A. The importance of the multiplication Factor (v. 3c “the love of every one of you all abounds”)
1. The word “abounds” literally means, “a superabundance, to exist in abundance”
2. & its writing in the Greek in the present tense which means a constant abounding
3. Now, that would be wonderful for one individual to grow to that point
4. But Paul says that every one of them all had that kind of growth
5. & that only happens as it becomes contagious
6. It’s like the flue spreading through a group of people
7. One person gets it; & passes it to another & then both of them pass it to someone else & then all 4 of them pass it on to someone & so it doubles at every cycle
8. Oh, that the love of the church could be spread in such a manner
9. Oh, that God would be glorified in us as we multiply as we reproduce for God
But not only that, but also notice…
B. The necessity of the supernatural Focus (v. 3c “the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other”)
1. We love the brethren b/c God loves us
2. We are the body of Christ & Christ loves the body & therefore everyone in the body should be loving the other parts of the body
3. QUOTE John 3:16
4. God loved & God gave & b/c we are God’s, we are to do the same
5. Now I know, it’s not natural for us to love one another – & its especially not natural for everyone of us to love everyone of us
6. But the focus of our love is not natural but supernatural
7. We don’t have the ability w/in ourselves to love the way God does
8. So He loves through us as we express that love in words & actions & caring & praying & serving & giving & living holy lives before the only God & the watching world
So if we can’t love like God loves, why did Paul praise the Thessalonians for their love for others? Its b/c he could see…
C. The expectation for your passion Furnished (v. 3c “the love of every one of you all”)
1. The word “love” is the word that expresses the love of God toward man
2. This is the word that expresses God’s untarnished, undiminished, unconditional love
3. & we are not capable of that kind of love apart from God shedding that love abroad in our hearts
4. IOW you are able to love others w/the same love which God loves you only b/c that love is God’s gift to you
5. Therefore, God loves others directly from Himself & indirectly through you
6. You are a messenger of the love of God; the grace of God; the mercy of God
7. & He does it all through a vessel that is incapable of doing what it’s asked to do
8. I can’t love you like God loves you
9. The old song is right – no one ever cared for me like Jesus!
10. But I’m so glad that God placed around me people who love Jesus & who love me b/c He loves them
Conclusion: God’s purpose in your life is that you grow spiritually & help others to do the same & in that way you glorify God as you go through life. But you cannot grow alone! You must have help; support; community; harmony w/others to truly fulfill God’s desires for you.
So think about this; does the group you associate w/most often practice the obligation of sacrificial praise? Does your group grasp the application of spiritual power? & does your group express the multiplication of supernatural passion?
These are tests for effective spiritual growth in fellowships. Does your fellowship pass these tests? Do you pass them?
Let me encourage you to search out the answers to these questions & to do it w/in the fellowship group. If you discover these truths together your group will be transformed to be what David wrote about in Psalm 133 1 Behold, how good & how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity!
Invitation: God may have called you today to salvation—to experience His grace through repentance of sin & faith in Jesus Christ. If that’s you today, will you come to Him & offer yourself to the only One who can save you?
Or maybe God has spoken to you about your own spiritual growth. Maybe you need to come in repentance of being an average believer & commit yourself to be on fire for Jesus. If that’s true of you, would you come?
Or maybe God has spoken to you about uniting w/this body of believers. Whether you have recently come to faith in Christ & need to be baptized or you’ve been led here by the Spirit of God from another church, would you come?
Will you respond to God’s offer of grace & come to Him that you may glorify Him w/your life?
Hymn 600 More About Jesus