AN IMPACTFUL CHURCH

Introduction

-Well, football season is here. And I know better than to try to pick sides around here, but I want to talk about football in general. If you watch either college or pros, you will often hear the announcers talk about a player on the teams that they call the IMPACT PLAYER.

-An impact player is a player who plays consistently well, shows that they have a handle on the sport and their particular position, and whose leadership and performance has a huge effect on how the game will turn out.

-A lot of times it’s the quarterback. So, to give an example of 1, I don’t think anyone really cares about the Green Bay Packers other than me, but there is no doubt that quarterback Aaron Rodgers is an IMPACT PLAYER. When he plays well, all the Packers play well and they win. When he is a bit off of his game, the rest of the team doesn’t do so well, and they lose. Aaron Rodgers makes an impact on what goes on around him.

-I use this example of an IMPACT PLAYER for us to look at ourselves as a church. If particular players are considered so important because they make an impact on a game, how much more important is it for a church to make an impact on those around them.

-I want to make a comparison that I hope won’t get me kicked out of the church so soon (so bear with me and hear the whole thing that I want to say):

Football players play a game that in the long scheme of things won’t make a huge difference in the years to come. But churches can make a difference for an eternity…

-Sports has its impact players, but God has His IMPACTFUL CHURCHES====churches that spread the gospel, live in power, and change lives.

-The Thessalonian church was one of those churches. The apostle Paul was encouraged by the Thessalonian church for the impact that they were having in their community, and in this first epistle to the Thessalonians he elaborated on why they made such an impact on those around them.

-I want us to see that by the power of the Holy Spirit through the gospel of Jesus Christ, Harvest Baptist Church can also make an eternal impact on those around us. And so I want to lead us to take on the qualities of a biblical, New Testament Church that makes an impact on the community around us

1 Thessalonians 1:1–10 ESV

1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. 2 We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, 3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. 6 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, 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. 9 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, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

I want to answer the question: WHAT MAKES A CHURCH AN IMPACTFUL CHURCH? And I want us to notice three qualities that we would do well in imitating.

First, we see that they had:

I) Strong Christian Character (vv. 2-5)

-In vv. 2-5 Paul talks about the influence that the gospel had on the church such that it completely changed their lives.~~~~Paul is saying is that it wasn’t only the preaching of the Word that affected them, but that God’s Holy Spirit with great power and might imprinted the gospel message in their hearts such that they were radically transformed.

-That is true conversion—true conversion isn’t merely consenting to a bunch of facts, but its having the gospel message of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection so change your life, that you become a new person.

-The gospel does not merely take you as you are and make you a better you—the gospel of Jesus Christ makes you a completely new you. Old things pass away, behold, all things become new.

-And with this new you comes a certain character that is developed within you. And when a group of Christians come together with that new character, the church as a whole takes on that character.

-Paul describes this character in v. 3 where he says that they as a church were known for their work of faith, labor of love, and steadfastness of hope.

-The church became a place where spiritual fruit was born resulting in people doing good works out of the faith and love that God developed in them through Christ, as well as persevering through hard times based on the hope given through Jesus Christ.

-Often we might talk to our children about developing good character within themselves as they grow up—meaning, that as they mature they reflect the moral excellences that we desire for them to have.

-God wants His church to do the same—as the church matures it increases in works of faith and labors of love, and their steadfastness/persistence increases in the midst of hard times knowing the hope of Christ’s return is still to come.

-And as the church allows this strong Christian character to be developed within them, the more impact they will have on the community in which God has placed them.

-So, Harvest Baptist Church, if we want to do something for the gospel of Jesus Christ in this community, we need to allow the true gospel to so impact us that this character is developed within us and that it is noticeable.

And this leads to our 2nd quality, as we see that they were a:

II) Joyful Persevering Example (vv. 6-7)

-I know that is a bit of a mouthful, but if you look at vv. 6 & 7 you see that Paul talks about them being imitators. It literally means that they mimicked Paul.

-We often hear that we are to become more and more like Christ, to develop certain characteristics, and we are able to find these characteristics within Scripture. But we are also able to see and then imitate these characteristics when we see them in mature Christians.

-It reminds me of when we were kids and we would play “follow the leader” on the playground. The leader might run up the ladder and then down the slide, and the followers would do the same. The leader might then swing on a swing and jump off, and then the followers would do the same. And on and on it would go.

-Jesus is obviously the ultimate leader, but then mature Christians imitate His example, and then they themselves become examples for others to imitate, and on and on it goes.

-Paul here says that the Thessalonian church imitated Paul in his strong Christian character because he himself was following Christ’s character and example.

-But it did not merely stop with the church imitating Paul. Paul did not say that it was just fine for the church to imitate him and then to sit in their pews and bask in their holiness.

-It says in v. 7 that they became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. As they imitated Paul who imitated Christ, the church itself became an example to imitate such that the people in the surrounding area desire to follow their example.

-But how could they have followed the example if the church did not go out into the community and live out their strong Christian character for others to see.

-Christianity is not coming into a church building, singing some songs, listening to some messages, and then going out into the world to live life like the rest of the world does.

-Christianity includes coming into the church and worshipping God and learning about Christ, but then going outside the four walls and imitating what it is that we have learned so that we can be an example for others to follow.

-A church should be able to come together and learn what it is that we are to imitate, and then go out there and tell others to imitate us as we live out what we ourselves have learned about imitating Christ.

-And Paul stresses that it includes the joy of the Holy Spirit. Imitating Christ is not a burden, but is a joy. There is a joy that radiates from us as we develop Christian character and imitate Christ. When people see that joy in us, they see that Christianity is actually something worth imitating.

-I mean, if you go to work and you look like you’ve sucked on a lemon your whole life, and you’re cranky and you’re irritable, and then you try and tell someone: hey, I’m a Christian and it’s a great life that you should follow. People would probably look at you and say: THANKS, BUT NO THANKS.

-The Thessalonians had joy, and what was so amazing is that it was in the midst of persecution. Paul makes mention that they received the word in much affliction. They were persecuted, and yet they had joy as they imitated Paul who imitated Christ.

-And that was why they were an example to follow. They joyfully persevered following Christ even when troubles and tribulations came their way. And Paul is saying to other people and other churches: NOW LOOK AT THAT CHURCH. THAT IS SOMEONE TO FOLLOW.

-Wouldn’t it be great if people saw Harvest Baptist Church and said: look at their joy and look at their Christian character==let’s follow their example? What’s stopping it from being that way? How can you have impact on those around you if you are not an example for them to follow?

Third, we see that they had a:

III) Good & Faithful Reputation (vv. 8-10)

-vv. 8-10 talk about the fact that word had gotten out that the Thessalonian church was something special. When Paul went to other areas to minister and to plant churches, he might have brought up the Thessalonian church in conversation, and the people he was talking to in essence stated: WE’VE ALREADY HEARD ABOUT THEM—THEY’VE MADE AN IMPACT NOT ONLY IN THESSALONICA, BUT THEIR IMPACT HAS REACHED FAR AND WIDE.

-The Thessalonian church had a reputation, as all churches do. But they were known for the fact of the deep work of God that utterly changed them. Paul says that the report went out on how the church accepted the missionaries, embraced the gospel, and then turned away from their false gods and false religions. They had a reputation of true repentance.

-And he goes on to say that they served the living and true God. They were marked by their faithfulness to God and the gospel. They didn’t turn to the left or to the right. They didn’t compromise the message. And they looked forward to the second coming of Jesus Christ, who alone can deliver from God’s wrath to come.

-The entire region knew that the Thessalonian church was filled with solid, loving, faithful, good-hearted, compassionate people who stayed true to God, stayed true to His Word, stayed true to the gospel, and stayed true to their Savior.

-In our day and age, many churches have bad reputations for their lack of love. Some, just recently during times of disaster, whether rightly or wrongly, have become known as more concerned about their money, about their building, about themselves, rather than other people.

-Being so knew, I can ask the question: what is Harvest Baptist Church known for? What is our reputation in the community? I don’t know, but it doesn’t matter right now, because I want to look to the future, and ask an even deeper question: What is it that we want Harvest Baptist Church to be known for? And, what is the reputation that we want in the community?

-My prayer is that we are known as a church who has made an impact on our community, and we are able to do that when we develop strong Christian character, become an example for other people to follow, and are known as a people who are faithful to their God.

Conclusion

When something or someone has an impact, it is evident. People take notice when they have an encounter with something that makes an impact.

~I want to close with this (using a Paul Washer illustration):

Imagine that I ran in here late this morning and gave the excuse that my tire went flat and as I was changing the tire one of the lug nuts rolled into the road. So as I went to get the lug nut an 18-wheeler hit me dead on and it made me a little late.

-If I’d say that you’d think I was nuts or a liar. Why? Because when you have an encounter with an 18-wheeler like that, it makes an impact. There is no mistaking when someone has a run-in with an 18-wheeler b/c you are most definitely changed.

-Oh, that people would be so changed when they have an encounter w/ us. That Harvest’s impact would be life-changing for all the people we come into contact with.

-I ask the church to come to the altar and pray that you personally, and that we as a church, will have a noticeable impact on everyone around us just like the Thessalonian church did.

-Maybe there are others here who have never trusted in Christ. He died and rose again to save your life. And when you have an encounter with Jesus, you know it, because you are changed. I invite you to place your trust in Him today.

-If you’re looking for a church home, I invite you to consider making an impact through Harvest. Come forward and join.

-Oh, that people would be so changed when they have an encounter w/ us. That Harvest’s impact would be life-changing for all the people we come into contact with.

-I ask the church to come to the altar and pray that you personally, and that we as a church, will have a noticeable impact on everyone around us just like the Thessalonian church did.

-Maybe there are others here who have never trusted in Christ. He died and rose again to save your life. And when you have an encounter with Jesus, you know it, because you are changed. I invite you to place your trust in Him today.

-If you’re looking for a church home, I invite you to consider making an impact through Harvest. Come forward and join.