How often do we hear people complain about the church? Seems fairly frequent that we hear something like; “I would go to church but I don’t like all the hypocrites, or judgmental looks I get.”
The church should be the model of Gods love to the world. Unfortunately, sin follows us everywhere, including inside the church.
Next week pastor Zach Sutton, of my home church, Catalyst Church, will be preaching on 2nd Thessalonians Chapter 1. The first chapter really delves into the meat of deeper scriptural truths that help the believer grow, but I’d like to take a quick moment to look at the first few verses that often get overlooked. These first few verses address the congregation at Thessalonica. They talk about being thankful for Gods blessing and the faithfulness of the church at Thessalonica. Let’s check that out real quick.
3 We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.
4 Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. (2 Thessalonians 1:3, ESV)
This is a picture of what the church should look like. A church is supposed to be place for believers to gather to worship God. As believers grow in spiritual maturity, our love for each other as brothers and sisters in faith and Christ should be growing equally. And as the body of believers in the church grow, our worship should be greater as a congregation. The church should not be a place where we have trivial bickering, and groups of the have and have not’s, or the spiritual and the not so spiritual.
As the unbelieving world wanders in and out of our churches, it is to be a place they see how we love and worship Him. They see true fellowship and friendship as a unified body of Christians and when they do hear the word of God, it should be to a message that is entirely based in scripture. Not some pandering message to entice them into thinking Christ and the church will give them the desires of their heart. God does things like this after true regeneration. But let them be reconciled back to Him first. That is a work of the Holy Spirit as the gospel is proclaimed. Let them judge for themselves based on our behavior toward each other and toward God, whether or not, this is something they feel drawn to. Nor are we to judge them into a corner, in the false hopes of scaring them into faith. Again, it is Gods word and the work of the Holy Spirit that convicts someone’s heart. We are to just preach the word, and worship.
As the letter opens in this first chapter, it was the Apostle Paul writer of both books bearing the name Thessalonians, who even as he spent 18 months or more in Corinth was still receiving word back from the young church in Thessalonica. This 2nd letter is his response to hearing about the goings on back in the church he helped launch. Before he sets out to answer some concerns he has heard back, he addresses their growth collectively.
Then Paul, comforts these young believers (not necessarily young in age) in that since receiving word of their spiritual growth he has been bragging about them to other churches and congregations—like the one in Corinth. I think there is a great truth here. As a believer you find such joy in the growth of friends as they learn, and mature, in their faith. As we see those who we love going through struggles, we can take comfort in our hearts, that their faith is being strengthened and even through the fire of trials, faith remains. Why? So glad you asked. Because persecution destroys false faith. Another way to say that is to say that if someone is a false convert, meaning they believe in God only for what they think they could get (i.e. like a better life , become wealthier, more successful in their business dealings, healthier etc.) persecution destroys all this. Only true faith remains.
This passage of scripture is also an answer to Paul’s prayer which you can read about in the beginning of his first letter. (1st Thes 1:3, & also in 3:12), and why he is so thankful to God, because of this answered prayer for the churches steadfastness in faith.
As I bring this to a close, (you’re welcome) here’s where the rubber meets the road.....So as we let God’s perfecting work take place in our lives and we endure temptations and struggles, and while we grow to be the church body we need to be to the world and each other let us remember to be thankful to God even in the midst of our deepest trials. He is at work, and He is answering prayer.
I invite you to come join us next Sunday, if you are local or if you can’t make it to the service we live stream the video of the service on Facebook via Catalyst Church FB page. I hope you’ll join us as Zach unpacks all that is in the first chapter of the second letter to the church in Thessalonica.
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