Paul is obviously writing a letter to these Thessalonians that is of a very personal.nature. So far, we haven’t seen any deep doctrinal dissertations. Rather than doctrinal considerations, he has been bringing them up to speed regarding his own affairs during his absence, thanking God for their progress in the faith, and now in this chapter, responding to Timothy’s report after having visited them.
But even though we have not yet seen in depth discussions of doctrine up to this point, we have been able to categorize his remarks into various headings. Namely, in the first chapter, Paul’s remarks about the church in Thessalonica constitutes a list of the characteristics of a godly church which is an example for the church today.
In the second chapter, we see in Paul’s remarks an outline for a godly ministry, particularly emphasizing the ministry of the pastor, but applicable to everyone in the church who ministers the gospel.
Now today we are looking at chapter three, in which Paul continues these remarks about his ministry and the ministry of his team to the church there, from which we might be able to extract another summary of characteristics concerning the ministry of fellowship. Fellowship is an important aspect of the church. In fact, to a certain degree, fellowship may be considered a synonym for church. That’s the reasoning behind naming our church the Beach Fellowship.
In the very first church in Jerusalem, which was begun on the day of Pentecost, there were added to the church 3000 souls who had been saved during Peter’s message and the outpouring of the Spirit. And it says concerning that church in Acts 2:42 “They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” That’s a pretty good definition of the church. First of all, they were saved by the preaching of the word. Then they continually devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching and to fellowship. It says a few verses later in Acts that they were coming together to hear the word day by day.
It goes on to say in vs 46 “Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”
So breaking bread from house to house is indicated as taking their meals together. I want to point that out from the text, because many pastors, especially in certain denominations, have used that as a proof text to say that the early church took the Lord’s supper every time they met together. We can debate whether hat may be true or not, but I don’t think this text supports that at all. I think it’s obvious from the text that breaking bread means they were taking their meals together.
But I don’t want to digress further on the subject of the Lord’s Supper. I want to stress the idea of fellowship that characterized the early church. I believe that in chapter 3 of Thessalonians, we can see an example of what constitutes fellowship in the early church. And hopefully, as we look at this chapter, we can find a pattern of fellowship for our own church, an example that we can follow.
Now due to the narrative style of writing that Paul does here, I think it’s difficult to outline it. Or at least that’s my excuse. I think it’s easier to just see it as a list of characteristics of fellowship in the church, and through this list, we can determine what constitutes fellowship, and how we might apply the same characteristics to our church.
The first characteristic we see is the desire for fellowship. Paul says, in vs 1, “Therefore when we could endure [it] no longer, we thought it best to be left behind at Athens alone, and we sent Timothy, our brother and God's fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith.” Twice Paul speaks of this desire to see them, to hear from them, to have fellowship with them by using the phrase, “when we could endure it no longer.”
When you really love someone, when they are your family or your loved ones that you are estranged from for whatever reason, there comes a time when you might say, “I can’t stand it any longer! I must talk to them, or I must go to see them!” If we are brothers and sisters in Christ, if we are called to fellowship with one another, to love one another, then there should be an earnest desire to be together with the church in person.
Previously in chapter 2, Paul spoke of this desire he had to see them. He said in chapter 2:8, “Having so fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us.” And then in vs 17 “But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short while--in person, not in spirit--were all the more eager with great desire to see your face.”
If you’re really a Christian, you should have a desire for Christian fellowship. You should not have to be coerced to go to church. You should not have to be enticed or manipulated to go to church. I can assure you that if you’re right with the Lord, you will have a desire to be in fellowship. That’s a natural affection of the Spirit that we all should share. You can’t force someone to love you. But you can expect someone to love you. And if you have that affection, then it’s natural to want to see them.
So whene they could endure it no longer, they sent Timothy to the church to encourage them. That’s another characteristic of fellowship. It’s personal. It’s face to face. It’s physical. Paul speaks of a fellowship of the spirit back in 2:17. That’s a reference to being apart physically, but being connected spiritually. But that wasn’t sufficient. Listen, I know the concerns many of you have about the virus. But we were not created for isolation. We were created to be in face to face fellowship. Virtual fellowship is not sufficient. Romans 12: 1 says, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, [which is] your spiritual service of worship.” Your bodies. That’s physical. And I believe that is speaking of presenting your body physically to the church, which is your spiritual service of worship. I believe that whole passage in chapter 12 is talking about fellowship in the church. Read it for yourself.
The next characteristic we see there of fellowship is to strengthen and encourage. Timothy was going to see them face to face to strengthen and encourage the church. That’s the ministry of fellowship that each of us is called to do. I hear people all the time talk about they need from the church, their need to be fed, their need for this or that from a church. But what about your ministry to strengthen and encourage others? When other see you there, it strengthens and encourages them. When they see you singing, when they see you praying, when they see your faithfulness, it serves to encourage them. There is strength in numbers. Sometimes, you can strengthen and encourage others just by showing up. If you really want to take it to the next level, speak to someone else who is in church. Go out of your way to speak to someone who is not in your cliche of friends. That’s how you strengthen and encourage others.
The next thing we see about fellowship is that it’s self sacrificing. Paul and Silas and Timothy sought out fellowship even though they were in the midst of affliction. vs 2, “we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith, so that no one would be disturbed by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we have been destined for this. For indeed when we were with you, we [kept] telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction; and so it came to pass, as you know.”
When affliction comes in all of it’s various forms, all too often Christians want to curl up in the fetal position and pull their covers over their head and not go to church. Their perspective is all inward. “I’m hurting, so I don’t want to see anyone. I don’t want to have to speak to anyone.” Listen, I understand how you can feel that way. That’s the natural response of the flesh. When you’re hurting, when you are suffering, you want to go crawl in a hole and lick your wounds. But that’s the way the devil takes advantage of your afflictions. If you will stop putting your suffering first, and instead think of others first, then you will perhaps find that God will heal your hurting so that you might minister to others.
2 Cor. 1:3-4 says, “Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” Don’t let the devil add insult to injury by keeping you down and in self pity when you are in affliction. Come to church. Remember James? When you are suffering, he said you should come to the elders of the church and let them pray over you so that you may be healed. We can debate what that specifically means in regards to physical healing, but be assured that at the least it means that when you are hurting, you should come to church. Don’t let the devil get you separated from the flock, hurting, wounded, and alone. That’s when he has you at your weakest and most vulnerable.
And that’s exactly what Paul was afraid of for the Thessalonians. Look at vs 5, “For this reason, when I could endure [it] no longer, I also sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter might have tempted you, and our labor would be in vain.” When you are not in church, week after week, it’s not unreasonable to start to worry about someone’s faith. The devil works through your absence from fellowship.
I’m sure you’ve all watched the old Wild Kingdom television shows, or something like them. And they always have the typical scenario; they show the lions stalking in the bush behind the antelope herd. The lions stay hidden and up wind of the herd looking for the weak, the stragglers, the young. And sure enough, this one little antelope starts to wander away from the herd. And when he gets far enough, the lions start to run towards him. The rest of the herd now senses the lions and starts to run, but the little antelope is unable to catch up and the lions end up catching it and tearing it to pieces.
Peter says in 1Peter 5:8 “Be of sober [spirit,] be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” The moral of the story? Don’t be a silly antelope. Stay with the herd. Don’t become separated from fellowship.
The next characteristic we see of fellowship is perseverance or steadfastness of faith. Vs6 “But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always think kindly of us, longing to see us just as we also long to see you, for this reason, brethren, in all our distress and affliction we were comforted about you through your faith; for now we [really] live, if you stand firm in the Lord.”
Paul uses that phrase a lot in his epistles - “stand firm in the Lord.” When you present your body to the church as a living sacrifice, then you stand firm in your faith against the forces of evil, against the temptations by the devil, against the lies of the world. Three times in Ephesians 6 Paul says stand firm. Eph 6:10-17 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual [forces] of wickedness in the heavenly [places.] Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil [one.] And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
The church is in a spiritual battle for the souls of men against the world forces of darkness. It’s a battle, and you better not forget it. It’s a war and you need to stand with your church and defend your faith. Stand firm. Be steadfast. Persevere in the faith. Fellowship is taking your place in the ranks and standing firm. Not wavering. Not here one day and then absent the next. Stand firm in fellowship, in participation with the church.
The next characteristic of fellowship we see here in this passage is the prayer of fellowship. Paul says in vs 9 “For 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, as we night and day keep praying most earnestly that we may see your face, and may complete what is lacking in your faith?”
If we go back to Ephesians 6 in the passage about standing firm in spiritual warfare, it goes on to say about our strategy that we are to pray at all times. After putting on the helmet of salvation and the sheild of faith, and taking up the sword of the Lord which is the word of God, it then says, in vs18 “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and [pray] on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel.”
Prayer for one another, prayer for the ministry of the word, prayer for the pastor, praying at all times, being on the alert with all perseverance and petition (prayer) for all the saints. Prayer is an essential component of fellowship. It’s not optional. It’s the way we do battle. We fight spiritual battles with spiritual means. Prayer is such a major aspect of fellowship. Yes, you can and should pray at home, in your car, while you’re working, pray at all times. You should pray wherever you may be. But there is something powerful about corporate prayer, praying together. Remember the early church met together to prayi for Peter who was in prison. And as a result the angels came and opened up the gates of the prison and Peter walked out. Prayer is so important. And everyone is called to participate in it.
The next component of fellowship has already been alluded to but Paul emphasizes it again towards the end of this passage. And that component is love. Love is the defining aspect of fellowship. Jesus said they will know you are my disciples by your love for one another.
Paul says in vs 11 “Now may our God and Father Himself and Jesus our Lord direct our way to you; and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also [do] for you.” Abound in love. That’s more than just having a warm, fuzzy feeling. That’s a sacrificial love for others. That’s having a greater concern for other’s well being than for your own needs or concerns. Love one another is not a suggestion - it’s a commandment.
Jesus said in John 13:34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” And notice that Paul says not only are we to love one another, that is the church, but we are to love all people. Woah! That’s not as easy as it sounds. If we are truthful, we must admit we all fall short of that one quite often.
Jesus said in Matt. 5:44 "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on [the] evil and [the] good, and sends rain on [the] righteous and [the] unrighteous.”
If we love all people, then we will shine the light of the SON on the evil and the good. We will do good to all people. We will overcome evil with good. That’s how God loved us, when we were evil, when we were His enemies, He loved us enough to lay down His life for us. So we must love others with a sacrificial love that shows them the love of Christ.
You can love one another and all people and not necessarily be best friends. It doesn’t mean that you have to hang out together. But it does mean that you are compassionate, that you forgive what they might have done against you, even if they persecute you. You love them enough to share the gospel with them.
Finally, the last characteristic Paul gives us of fellowship is holiness. Vs13 “so that He may establish your hearts without blame in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.” Notice that once again Paul manages to mention the second coming of the Lord in this chapter. He strategically does so in each chapter, and in the next one, chapter 4, he will spend the entire passage talking in detail about it.
But also notice that abounding in love for one another and all people results in holiness before God. Jesus said that if you love God and love your neighbor then all the commandments are fulfilled in those two. Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Love triumphs over all. Love is the fulfillment of the law. So when we are given a new heart by the Lord in salvation, it gives us the capacity to love as God defines love. And when we love in the way God tells us to love, we can not transgress the law. Our hearts are without blame, says Paul. And when we are without blame, we shall not shrink away in fear before the Lord when He comes again. We can be confident at the coming of Christ.
I will close with this exhortation for fellowship from Hebrews 10:19-25 “Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since [we have] a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled [clean] from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging [one another;] and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”
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