The ministry of the gospel, 1 Thessalonians 2:1-20

In the opening chapter of Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians, we saw in his introductory remarks many characterizations of a godly church, as exemplified by the church of Thessalonica. Paul expressed his gratitude for their response to the gospel that he and his missionary team had delivered to them.

Now as we come to the second chapter, Paul gives a defense of his ministry of the gospel to this church.  We can surmise by the tone and content of this letter that some people were critical of Paul and Silas and Timothy’s ministry and sought to undermine the work that they had founded in Thessalonica.  And so in the context of this defense of his ministry, we will see the hallmarks of a godly ministry of the gospel, as exemplified by Paul and his companions.

These hallmarks of his ministry should be a template for effective pastoral ministry in the church today as well.  There are a lot of possible ways in which a pastor can minister to the church.  But it’s much  too common today to see pastors use a variety of methods of ministering to the church, which seem to produce various results, but which have no precedent in the Biblical mandate to preach the gospel and make disciples.  And I would add to that - the test of a minister’s effectiveness, of his adherence to the Biblical standard, should not be judged by the size of the congregation.  You can draw quite a crowd with bread and circuses, but the spiritual maturity of the church is not something that is always synonymous with the size of the church.

So I think it would be helpful for us to consider this defense of Paul’s ministry as a template for a godly ministry of the gospel, and hope that we will tailor our ministry according to Paul’s example.  Now there are 20 verses in this chapter, and about half that many characteristics, so I am going to have to move quickly through the text to cover them all.  But the first attribute we see from Paul’s ministry was the characteristic of giving to the church, and not taking from the church.

Paul says in vs 1, “For you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain.” A lot of translations interpret this word as “vain,” which means, as not without purpose. But there is another possible meaning which I think fits in the context better.  This word translated “vain” may also be translated as “empty handed.” So what Paul might be saying is “far from coming to take something from you, we came to bring you something - our hands were not empty.”  And I think that fits more in keeping with the context of the chapter, as you will see going forward.  The treasure Paul brought to these people was much greater than anything he might have taken from them. And his desire all along was to give them this great gift of salvation.  That’s why he came to Thessalonica.  Not as a poacher, as perhaps some of Paul’s critics had claimed, to see what he could take, but to give them the invaluable gift of the gospel.

And that is, in effect, what he says in vs 2, “but after we had already suffered and been mistreated in Philippi, as you know, we had the boldness in our God to speak to you the gospel of God amid much opposition.”  That  answers the previous assertion that they had not come empty handed, but on the contrary, they delivered to them the good news of God. What they brought was the gospel and they ministered it to them.  Their intention was not to take, but to give.  

In that statement, you should also notice a mention of the beating and imprisonment that Paul and Silas had endured at Philippi.  So even though they had just recently suffered a great ordeal for the sake of the gospel, they wanted to come to share the gospel in Thessalonica as well.  They had a deep concern for the spiritual well being of the Thessalonians, which was the reason for their coming.

That concern for the souls to whom you minister is yet another characteristic of a godly church.  A desire to see people come to a saving knowledge of the Lord, and to grow in their faith, and to equip them to walk in the truth, these things are a hallmark of a godly ministry.  Not simply to grow in attendance, to raise up a great building, a big organization that only serves the ego of the minister, but doesn’t give the people what they really need.

The next characteristic of Paul’s ministry was that the gospel which he preached was not designed to appeal to men, but to please God.  He says in vs 3 and 4, “For our exhortation didn't come from error or impurity or an intent to deceive.  Instead, just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please people, but rather God, who examines our hearts.”

Rather than rely on sermon series mills to see what they should preach, or to look to current events, they looked to God to see what He would have them preach.  Rather than trying to appeal to men, they wanted to be faithful to what God wanted them to present as their message.

In some respects, the early church wasn’t much different from the church landscape today.  There are still wolves in sheep’s clothing plying the church for money, fleecing the sheep, for the sake of building a monument to their own ego.  Paul warned Timothy in another letter that “the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away [their] ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” (2Tim. 4:3)

Let me assure you that if you are really preaching the word of God, then you aren’t tickling anyone’s ears.  And you’re probably not going to win a popularity contest either. Because the gospel is offensive. It’s convicting.  It’s cleansing. It’s sanctifying.  Ephesians 5:25 says, “Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church ]in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.”  The gospel will either cleanse you, sanctify you and make you holy, or it will cause you to turn away.  It will not tickle your ears.

So Paul says that their gospel was not intended to be flattering, nor as a means to gain honor or riches.  Notice vs 5, “For we never came with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed--God is witness--  nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, even though as apostles of Christ we might have asserted our authority.”

Paul appeals to the Thessalonians by saying, “you know that what I am saying is true.” They had been witnesses of the purity of his motives. They knew that Paul and his companions had not come with flattery, to try to take advantage.  Paul and Silas and Timothy were the spiritual fathers of this church.  So these people certainly would have remembered the way in which they came, and the reason why they came.

And even though they had the authority of the apostolic office, they had not asserted their authority as such, but instead they were gentle towards them. He says in vs 7, “But we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing [mother] tenderly cares for her own children.”

You know, the apostles had the authority to establish the church that was given to them by God.  An apostle was a one time position given for the founding of the church.  They were the foundation of the church.  Eph 2:19-20 says, “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household,  having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner [stone,]”  

This authority of the apostles was something that could be quite formidable.  You remember that at the beginning of the church in Jerusalem, Peter had two people in his church, Ananias and Sapphira, who had lied to the church in regards to the money they had received from the sale of some land.  And Peter called them out on it, saying that they had in effect lied to the Holy Spirit.  And as a result of their sin, at Peter’s word, God struck them dead right in the middle of the church.  And Paul also said on one occasion that he delivered a certain person to Satan, for the destruction of his flesh because he had refused to repent of his sin and put a stumbling block in front of the church.

So this authority they had as apostles was formidable, and yet Paul did not wield his authority like a club, but instead was gentle towards them, even as a mother tenderly cares for her children. You should remember that gentleness is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit.  Gentleness is power under control.  It was used to speak of a horse that was trained.  And this gentleness came from a love which they had for the church.

We see that love stated in vs 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.”  As I’ve often said before,  the greatest expression of love is to share the gospel with someone.  If you only share in superficial, physical things, then it’s not the fullest expression of love.  To share the gospel is to show love for another.  And Paul says they not only were desiring to share the gospel with them, but also their own lives.  That is, they were wiling to risk their lives, and even to sacrifice their lives for their sake. 

What a convicting statement, when we think of how the modern church or it’s ministers are willing to sacrifice very little for the sake of the gospel.  Any inconvenience, any degree of difficulty or discomfort or danger, is an excuse to not go to church, or an excuse to avoid evangelizing the lost.  But love is sacrificial, and willing to do whatever it takes, even risking one’s health and safety for the sake of the gospel.

Another hallmark of a godly ministry of the gospel is that the apostles avoided being a burden to the church.  Vs 9, “For you recall, brethren, our labor and hardship, [how] working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.”  Once again, it was Paul’s right as an apostle to receive financial support from the church for his ministry.  Paul speaks in other places in regards to pastoral duties that “The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops.”  He said that those who do the work of preaching should be worthy of double honor.  But in the case of this church, as Paul was desirous of establishing it, he provided for his own financial needs by working in order to not be a burden upon the church.

I think there is an idea in this, of a farmer who plants a fruit tree, and adds supports to hold it up, and fertilizes it, and carefully tends to it until it reaches a stage of maturity by which it is able to support itself and bear fruit. Or as a father or mother who raises a child, provides for the child in every way, until the child reaches maturity where they can stand on their own.  I think that is what Paul and Silas and Timothy had in mind here.  There may be a time - especially in the founding of a church,  when a pastor may want to hold off in receiving the financial support that he rightfully should expect, until such a time when the church becomes established.  But in a broader aspect, I think the principle of not being a burden to the church is the guiding principle here.  Not having your own interests at heart, but the church’s interest as paramount.

And to that point of a parental perspective on their ministry, Paul says that they acted as fathers to the church, so that they might see spiritual growth in the church.  Vs10  “You are witnesses, and [so is] God, how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers;  just as you know how we [were] exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father [would] his own children,  so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.”

It’s interesting to notice that Paul had said they were like a mother to the church back in vs 7, and now he says they were like fathers to them.  And even as they preached in order to please God and not men, so now they call upon God and them as witnesses that they had indeed acted uprightly towards the church.  Like spiritual fathers, they had implored and encouraged, and exhorted the church to walk in such a way as to please the Lord.  Their ministry was paternal.  It was loving, gentle, and yet firm and encouraging as a good father would encourage their own children.  Their interest was not just in counting attendees, or claiming how many had joined the church, but in discipling the church to walk after the Lord day by day.

Now to that point that the apostles had acted towards them as fathers, on behalf of their heavenly Father, Paul says that they received the word of the apostles as the word of God. Vs 13, “For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted [it] not [as] the word of men, but [for] what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.”

Not only does that give credit to the church, that it had the spiritual discernment to realize that they spoke the word of God, but it also credits the apostles, who spoke the word of God and not the wisdom of man.  A lot of pastor’s think that their primary responsibility is to be social  counselors.  They are full of wisdom and insight and can address many of the social ills and problems of people today without reliance upon the word of God.  But Paul and Silas and Timothy were wise enough to realize that the wisdom of God was greater than any wisdom they could muster up.  So they preached the word.  

Paul said in 1Co 1:18,  “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. ... 20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not [come to] know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. ... 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, ... 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”

Listen, one of the most important hallmarks of a godly ministry is to preach the word of God, and then for the church to receive it as the word of God. A lot of churches today excel in music, they excel in ceremony, they may excel in programs, they may excel in young people’s ministries, but they are delinquent in preaching the word of God.  But the word of God is powerful, sharper than a two edged sword, and able to divide between soul and spirit, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Man’s wisdom is not able to do that.  Paul says the word of God performs it’s work in you who believe.  The power is in the word, not in psychology.

Another hallmark of a godly ministry is that they endured persecution for the sake of the gospel. He says in vs14 “For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you also endured the same sufferings at the hands of your own countrymen, even as they [did] from the Jews,  who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out. They are not pleasing to God, but hostile to all men,  hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved; with the result that they always fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them to the utmost.”  Willingness to suffer for the sake of Christ is evidence of a godly ministry. Not only had Paul and his companions suffered for the gospel, but the church at Thessalonica had suffered persecution as well.

Paul says that in persecution, they had imitated the church in Jerusalem.  In both Jerusalem and in Thessalonica they had suffered persecution at the hands of their own countrymen.  And Paul goes on to speak of the Jews who had persecuted the church in Judea, he says that the wrath of God had come upon them as a result of their persecution of the church.

But whether the persecution comes from Jews or Gentiles, it is the same thing, because it stems from the age old warfare of the devil against Christ, and His church.  But willingness to suffer persecution for the sake of the gospel is yet another characteristic of a godly minister, who considers persecution with Christ to be much more desirable than accommodation by the world.

The last hallmark of a godly ministry of the gospel is a desire for fellowship.  Fellowship is able to be accomplished in the spirit in some measure, but it is best done in person.  Paul and Silas and Timothy desired to see these people face to face that they had given birth to in the spirit, that they considered their children in the faith.

So Paul writes, in vs17 "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.  For we wanted to come to you--I, Paul, more than once--and [yet] Satan hindered us.  For who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming?  For you are our glory and joy.”

In light of what we read in Revelation 20, that Satan has been bound during the church age so that he might not deceive the nations, it raises the question concerning Paul’s statement that Satan had hindered them from coming to see the church in person. Obviously, Satan being bound does not mean that Satan is powerless.  He  still exerts a powerful influence in the affairs of men, especially if they are endeavoring to work for the kingdom of God.  He is still our arch enemy, and we that are ministers and servants of God are especially targets of his hate.

But the fact is, though he may hinder us,  he cannot defeat us.  He may impede the progress of the gospel, but he cannot stop it.  He is limited, hobbled, even bound by the surpassing power of God towards us.  Though he may have hindered Paul and his friends from coming at that time, yet he was not able to stop this letter from being written, which undoubtedly benefited that church much more than even Paul himself visiting in person could have done.  And we cannot even comprehend the benefit to the spread of the gospel that this letter has accomplished for thousands of churches in the ages since.  Satan may have won that skirmish, in preventing Paul from visiting in person, but the kingdom of God has won the war.  

One last point I want to make in closing.  In every chapter, usually at the end of the chapter, Paul speaks about the second coming of the Lord.  In chapter four Paul will go to great lengths to speak about the second coming of Christ, and how that assurance should give the church great comfort.  I really think that is the main point of this letter, to give hope and encouragement to the church concerning the second coming of Christ.  And so he mentions it again and again at the end of each chapter before devoting one whole passage to it’s details. 

But it’s interesting that Paul considers the church of Thessalonica as his hope and joy and glory at the coming of Christ.  And that is because as John said there can be no greater joy than to see one’s children walking in the truth.  When Jesus comes again, and rewards His faithful stewards, Paul will realize great joy to see that the church that he planted in Thessalonica as the fruit of his labors.  These saints of God that he helped to bring to the Lord, will be his glory, his crown of his achievement on earth.  

That should be our hope and joy and glory as well. That at the second coming, we might see those whom we brought to Christ.  There can be no greater reward than to know that you played a part in the salvation of some soul that now has eternal life with God. In that respect, we should all be ministers of the gospel.  Let us be effective ministers, by employing these characteristics in our ministry to one another and to those that are lost. Let us be faithful stewards of the gospel, ministering to those who are in need of salvation, and discipling those who are fellow saints.

Characterizations of a godly church, 1Thessalonians 1:1-10

After finishing up our study of the book of Colossians last week, we are beginning a new study in the first letter to the church at Thessalonica.  I felt led to look at this book primarily because of it’s heavy emphasis on eschatology.  As we finished up our study of Daniel in our bonfire Bible studies on Wednesday nights, I have referred to 1 Thessalonians a number of times. And so I wanted to study this book to get a more in depth look at Paul’s perspective on the second coming of Christ as some of our people expressed a desire for further study on that subject.

But since I don’t do topical preaching here at the Beach Fellowship, we are going to look at the whole letter by way of exposition, and not just the eschatological part.  Because it’s important to look at scripture in context, and not just cherry pick texts that would seem to support a particular topic that a pastor might want to deal with.

That being said, let’s first consider the deeper background of this book as a means of understanding the context before we get into some of the opening remarks Paul makes. The historical background of this church in Thessalonica is found in Acts 17.  In that account, Luke gives the details of how Paul and Silas and Timothy came to the city on Paul’s second missionary journey.

Thessalonica was a large, major city in Greece that had a large port on the Aegean sea. At that time it had a Jewish community which had a synagogue there.  As was customary with the apostles, they began their missionary work at the synagogue.  A few of the Jews were converted as a result of Paul’s preaching for three consecutive weeks, as well as a large number of prominent Greeks who had been regular attendees at the synagogue.

But the Jews weren’t happy over the fact that Paul and his fellow workers had converted many of the people there, and so they started a riot, and arrested one of the converts, and basically were trying to shut down the spread of Christianity in that city.  And so it seemed best for Paul and his fellow workers to leave town.  Paul ended up eventually in Corinth which is where he wrote this letter from.  

In the time between his visit and his letter, Paul had sent Timothy back to the church, to see how they were doing and to encourage them and strengthen them.  Timothy returned to Paul and gave a good report about the church, and perhaps conveyed some concerns and questions that they had, and thus we have the basis for this letter.  And by the way, this letter is thought by many scholars to be the first of the Pauline epistles.  Though it’s possible that Galatians may be.  But in any respect, it’s fairly certain that the date of the letter is around 51AD.  So it’s a very early letter to a fledgling church in Greece.

Notice the authors of this letter.  Paul, Silvanus and Timothy.  Paul of course we know.  He is more than likely the actual author inspired by the Holy Spirit.  Silvanus or Timothy might have taken dictation from him and did the actual writing.  This missionary team was the result of a breakup that Paul had earlier with Barnabas and John Mark.  Barnabas went his way with John Mark, and Paul took Silas, who was also known by  the Latin version of his name which is Silvanus.  And then somewhere along the way Paul took along Timothy, his young apprentice.  It’s also apparent from Acts that Luke the physician is part of the group as well.

So as is typical of such letters, it begins by stating who it’s from and then who it’s addressed to.  It says, to the church of the Thessalonians.  The word church there in the Greek is eklesia. It means a gathering of people called out from their homes to a public assembly. It’s clear from the account in Acts 17 that these are people that have been converted.  Paul is addressing the congregation of converted people who make up the church.  It’s not a reference to a building, nor an denomination, nor a particular race, but a people called out of the world by God to be the people of God.  Notice he says, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. That speaks of the equal divinity of Christ to the Father, and their belonging to God.

Now in this first chapter, Paul reveals several godly characteristics of the church which I think should be an example for us today.  This church Paul says in vs 7 that they were an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.  They were an exemplary church.  We will find out as we go along that doesn’t mean that they were perfect.  There were some areas of sin in the lives of some of them that needed to be done away with.  But for the most part, I believe we can learn from these characteristics in which they were exemplary, as a template for what constitutes a godly, healthy church.

The first characteristic that is fundamental to a church is it’s made up of the saved, the converted.  These people are the church, a called out, converted assembly of believers.  Notice in vs 10 Paul says that they had “turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God.” That’s a characteristic of a person who is saved.  They are converted, turned, changed.  It’s a change from worshipping the idols of the world to worshipping the true God.

Also notice that Paul says they were called, and chosen. Vs 4, “knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you.”  The scripture says that salvation is of the Lord.  It should not be a surprise that salvation is initiated by the Lord.  That is the doctrine of election.  God sovereignly chooses people to be saved.  That doesn’t mean that you don’t have a choice, that you don’t have to believe, to have faith in Christ, but it means that God has given spiritual sight to your eyes, God has convicted your heart of your need for salvation, and He has loved you with an effectual love, called you to Himself, and He has provided all the means by which you are saved.

Furthermore, a distinction of this church is that they were recipients of God’s grace and peace. In Paul’s greeting in vs 1 he says, “Grace to you and peace.”  Notice that peace comes after grace. God reaches out to us in grace, that we might have peace with God. We who were formerly enemies have been brought near to God, have been given peace with God, which results in the peace of God which guards our hearts and minds.  Many people seek the peace of God as a antidote for tribulation.  But you will never have the peace of God until you make peace with God, and you cannot have peace with God until you have known the grace of God which is the atonement provided through Jesus Christ on your behalf.

For those who have been converted, who are the living church of God, Paul gives thanks in vs 2. “We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention [of you] in our prayers.”  Notice Paul gives thanks for all of them.  That takes a pretty special pastor to be able to do that.  It’s easy to give thanks for those who are strong in the faith, who are pillars of the church, who are faithful and true.  It’s another thing to give thanks for everyone else.  But that is the ministry of the pastor, to pray constantly for the church.  And prayer must always be accompanied by thankfulness.  We can be thankful that they have believed unto salvation.  We can be thankful that they have been delivered from captivity to the dominion of darkness and transferred to the kingdom of Jesus Christ.  They may not be the most faithful of His servants, but they belong to Christ, and we should be thankful for that.

When the apostles sought to establish deacons in the first church in Jerusalem, they said as for themselves, they would devote themselves to prayer and the ministry of the word.  If you take that literally, then half of the pastor’s job description is being devoted to prayer.  That’s a pretty convicting statement for me to consider.

Paul continues on that subject of praying for the church in vs 3, “constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father.”  In this verse we find three other characteristics of a godly church. Faith, love and hope.  These attributes are common to all believers.  They should be common for all churches.

Paul gives thanks for their work of faith.  This reminds us of what we read in James.  That faith without works is dead. Faith is not a feeling. I don’t think that Paul is talking about their faith so much as he is the works that come as a result of faith.  Saving faith produces action.  It’s not just an intellectual assent to the truth, but deeds that are in keeping with a new nature, a new heart, a desire to serve the Lord. It’s a new way of living, working for the kingdom of God.

Paul said in Eph. 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” The faith of the church in Thessalonica produced good works, a work of faith.

Then he is thankful for their labor of love.  Once again, Paul takes a concept that implies on the surface a feeling, an attraction, and puts work to it.  It’s a labor of love.  It doesn’t mean that you don’t have feelings about the church, about the Lord, but it means that you realize that you aren’t always going to feel it.  I think of my mother who loved her family, and worked very hard to keep us fed and clothed and clean, day after day, year after year.  She didn’t always feel like it.  She might not have always acted all lovey dovey.  But she did what she did because she loved us.  And if the truth is known, my brother and I made her life miserable more than she deserved. But she still did her best for us, whether we always deserved it or not.  That’s a labor of love.  When we love one another in the church, it’s not always going to be because we feel like it, or because they deserve it.  But because Christ loved us when we were sinners. So sacrificial love that worked was another characteristic of the church.

And then Paul is thankful for their steadfastness of hope.  The word hope on it’s own has a transitory sense to it, doesn’t it?  Hope rises and falls on a whim sometimes.  But Paul is thankful for their steadfastness of hope.  That means that their hope doesn’t waver from day to day.  Their hope doesn’t wane when things don’t happen when they wanted it to happen.  

What is that hope, by the way?  What are they supposed to be hoping for?  I’ll tell you what it is in Paul’s own words found in Titus 2:13 “looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.”  Hope is speaking of the second coming of Jesus Christ.  And as we learned in the prophesies of Daniel, there are a number of corresponding elements that are tied to the second coming of Christ.  Not the least of which is the resurrection.  Paul is going to speak considerably about the resurrection  towards the end of this letter, but for now he is alluding to it, by the phrase steadfastness of hope.

Peter speaks of this hope in the resurrection as a living hope, in 1Peter 1:3-5 saying, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  to [obtain] an inheritance [which is] imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,  who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” So hope is not nebulous, wishful thinking, but a firm expectation of something that has not yet been realized, but which you firmly expect to happen.

Listen, our hope is rooted in the second coming of Jesus Christ.  Our hope is not found in the things of this world.  Our hope is not in politics, or in science, or in financial freedom, or in finding true love.  Our hope is in Christ and that hope will be fulfilled when He appears for the second time to claim His church, His bride.

Paul said in 1Cor. 15:19 “If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.”  And then he goes on in that passage to talk about the resurrection and the promise of Christ’s return being a certain hope that gives us assurance and takes away fear of death.

The next important characteristic of this godly church is that they are a church that preached the gospel. There are a lot of churches today that have all the outward trappings of a church, they have a building that looks like a church, they have people who claim to belong to the church, but they don’t preach the gospel.  

But the church at Thessalonica was a true church because they preached the gospel. Notice three things about the gospel they preached.  First it is a gospel that is powerful. Secondly it is a gospel that was imitated by the church.  And thirdly it is a gospel that they have proclaimed throughout the region.

First a gospel that is powerful.  Paul says in vs 5, “for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.”  Paul would say later in Romans what that power of the gospel does.  He said, in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”  The gospel is powerful unto salvation.  It’s not a social gospel which we preach.  It’s not a feel good gospel that tells you what you want to hear.  It’s not a prosperity gospel that promises you heath, wealth and prosperity. It’s the good news that Jesus Christ the Son of God came to earth to die on the cross as a sacrifice for sinners, and as their substitute to satisfy the wrath of God, so that they might be saved from eternal death, and by His power be given new life, even everlasting life. That is the gospel.  Paul preached it, and the apostles lived it. He says you know what manner of men we proved to be.  That means they lived what they preached. 

And then notice Paul says the church imitated them.  “You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit.”  Listen, that’s discipleship.  It’s living in such a way that you can say, imitate me.  Because I am imitating the Lord Jesus. And so we imitate Jesus.  That is growing in faith.  That’s spiritual maturity.  LIke the child that walks in his father’s footsteps imitates his father and grows up to become like his father.  So we imitate Jesus Christ and we grow up to be like Jesus. Peter speaking  about imitation, 1Peter 2:21 “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps.”  

And Paul says that this church in Thessalonica also suffered tribulation as a result of the gospel.  A hallmark of genuine Christianity is tribulation.  The world is not going to love you.  You will be persecuted for the sake of the gospel.  In the case of this church, persecution came from the resident Jewish community who were angry that the church was making converts from among them.  If you never proclaim the gospel to anyone, then you probably won’t face much persecution.  But the world finds the gospel offensive, and so if you proclaim it, then you should expect them to attack you and try to shut you down.

But the result of their imitation of Christ and their suffering was an example to other Christians throughout the region.  Paul says in vs  7 “so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.”  Listen, the most effective sermon you will ever preach is not necessarily one that is heard, but that is seen.  How you live out the gospel, how your life reveals that it is different, it’s changed, is the best testimony to the power of the gospel.  A life that doesn’t look any different than what it was before salvation is likely not saved at all.

So the church was a living testimony to the power of the gospel. They lived what they believed. That’s the work of faith, to live in a manner in keeping with what you profess.  But not only did they imitate Jesus Christ, and live as an example of Christ followers, they also acted in love to bring the gospel to the world around them.  They were evangelistic.  Having been the beneficiary of missionaries, they became missionaries.   Notice Paul commends them in vs 8 “For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything.”

In other words, they took the great commission seriously.  But I also love the way Paul puts it.  He says the word of the Lord sounded forth from you.  They preached the word.  Not a social gospel.  They weren’t solely focused on doing good deeds for neighboring communities without presenting the gospel to them.  A lot of churches are all about having soup kitchens but delinquent in preaching the word of God.  They are professionals at producing Christian entertainment, but absent when it comes to presenting the cross of Christ.  Once again, as Paul said, we should not be ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation, to the Jew first and also the Greek.  The word of God which is able to convert souls must be the priority of the church’s ministry.

And the testimony of those people in foreign lands that had heard their gospel, who had received their message, got back to Paul and Silas and Timothy.  And that report was that those people in Thessalonica really been changed.  It was evident that they were truly saved, truly living out the gospel.  The contrast between their old ways of worshipping idols, and the way that they now lived as ambassadors of the gospel was evidence of their conversion.  Once again, an essential characteristic of the church is that they are changed, converted.  They turned from idol worship to serving God.  A dramatic change that was evident to a watching world.  

Listen, your life should be a living billboard to the power of the gospel to convert, to change.  Unfortunately, the only thing a lot of neighbors see different about most people who claim to be Christians is that they go to church occasionally.  Their life isn’t much different otherwise.  I’m not suggesting that we be different just to be different.  To be weird, so that we cut our hair differently, or wear clothing that is different from the rest of the world.  Not those type of external things, but a change inwardly will be evident on the outside by what you do, what you say, and how you live.

Finally, as I mentioned earlier, the last characteristic of a godly church is that they have a living hope, looking for and hastening the day of the Lord, when Christ will return for His bride.  Paul said about the Thessalonians in vs 10 that they were waiting  “for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, [that is] Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.”  When we have an expectancy of Christ’s return, then we will live differently.  When we are looking forward to the life to come then we will not be enamored with the lusts of this world. When we are looking forward to Christ’s return, then we will be working that we might be found faithful when He comes.  

And also notice in the gospel of hope, there is a warning of judgment.  The gospel that is preached that does not include the wrath of God against sin is not the full gospel.  The gospel that doesn’t warn that when Christ returns He will come in judgment is not the full gospel.  The word of God that doesn’t preach about sin is not the full gospel.  But the good news is God has offered Jesus Christ as the atonement for our sin, that we might escape the wrath of God.  And that is our blessed hope by which we look forward to the day when Christ will come again to claim His church and to live with us forever.  

As the apostle John said, 1John 2:28 “Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming.” Let us be found faithful when He comes.  Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus.