Title The Exemplary Church (1 Thessalonians 1:1-4)
Contents
Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be with you. We always thank God for all of you, and speaking of you in our prayers, we do not cease to remember before our God and Father your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, God. I know that you are chosen, brethren loved by (1 Thessalonians 1:1-4)
According to a joint survey conducted by the Chosun Ilbo and the Gallop Research Institute of Korea, it was reported in the Chosun Ilbo on September 24 that the criticism that President Roh Tae-woo was mistaking his role as president was 55.1%. In addition, 36.2% answered that they do not support any political party, demonstrating public distrust in politics.
I've seen stories in fairy tales where a mother crab teaches her children to walk straight while she walks on her side. I think that today's politicians are probably not much different from their mother crabs. However, I am concerned that such a group of mother crabs may be present in the church as well. There are groups of people who walk sideways to avoid the cross while scolding others to carry the cross upright.
1. The exemplary church shown in the text is a powerful church
1 Thessalonians 1:5, "For our gospel did not come to you by word alone, but by power and the Holy Spirit and with great conviction, as you know what kind of people we became among you for you. You can see that the church is a powerful church, Christianity is a religion of power.
Romans 1:16, "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. 1 Corinthians 4:20, Kingdom of God is not in words, but in power. The words of Jesus Christ changed the lives of those who heard them because they were powerful and authoritative.
The early church also had strength in the words it preached. Acts 17:6 When they could not find it, they took Jason and his brothers and took them before the town mayors, saying, “These men who have disturbed the world have also come here. I'll do it," he said. Because of the powerful message of the early church, many souls were saved and many lives were changed.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away; behold, the new has come. Truly, the members of the early church preached the Word instead of defending it. Instead of trying to prove Jesus, they praised Jesus. Their voice was not just a sound, it was a sound with authority. I decided to boast only of the cross. For them, what was important was in their heart, and what was in their head was their wife. The gospel is not just the word, but it is powerful and is preached through life.
2. The exemplary church shown in the text is the spiritual church.
The gospel was preached not only by power but also by the Holy Spirit. It can be seen that the work of the Holy Spirit is clearly inherent in their evangelism. “The Holy Spirit is the source of strength in the saints. “The Holy Spirit lived and gave strength, taught and anointed them.” They also looked up to the Holy Spirit and valued his strength. Truly, strength from above. When the saints spoke, the Holy Spirit was with them. The power of the Holy Spirit The working of the Holy Spirit is absolutely required in the modern church. You can know that the Holy Spirit is not only immanent but also dominant. is.
Luke 4:6 And he spake unto me, saying, These are the words of the Lord to Zerubbabel, saith the Lord of hosts, Not by might, not by might, but by my spirit. These are the words the Lord spoke to Zerubbabel. How unfortunate it is that this marvelous teaching has been thrown into a confused debate by Satan.
Many Christians do not have the power of the Holy Spirit and are only discussing the Church of the Holy Spirit. The result of many people arguing about the Bible is that they are losing their Bible. Too many people are so engrossed in hard theological theories that they sometimes forget that they are in a state of spiritual exhaustion in their own strength, says R. A. Torrey, "A man's experience of faith is worth much more than a ton of commentary on the Bible. There is,” he said. We do not fully support this statement. I think it's something to think deeply about.
3. An exemplary church is a church full of joy.
Acts 1:6 Or, in your many afflictions, you were helped by the joy of the Holy Spirit and became imitators of us and of the Lord, so the saints have the joy of the Holy Spirit. The joy of the Holy Spirit is the mark of a true Christian. The joyous Christian life is what attracts people.
Peter said in 1 Peter 1:8, "You have not seen Jesus, but you love him. Although you do not see him now, you will believe, and you will rejoice with indescribable and glorious joy."
The apostle Paul exhorts us in Philippians 3:1, "Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same thing to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you."
Not on Sundays or on special occasions, but always to rejoice in the Lord. When they rejoice, the faces of the saints look beautiful. It was a time when Alaska was prosperous without gold mining. There were three young men who went out looking for gold. However, all their tools were taken from them by the wicked, and they went home in despair.
On the way, they noticed something sparkling in a small stream. It was gold. It was a lot of gold. They hurried back to the village and prepared shovels and other tools. And, we promised each other not to tell anyone about this. However, as they began to mine gold, many people flocked to it. He did not say anything, because this good news appeared on the faces of the three men. Their bright and clear faces speak of their success.
Jesus said in Matthew 5:16, "Let this way let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." If you are filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit in your heart, it will be revealed on your face.
4. An exemplary church is an evangelizing church.
1 Thessalonians 1:8 says, “The word of the Lord is not only heard from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but also because the word of your faith in God has spread throughout every place, we have nothing to say.” Evangelism is something Satan hates. When the church is dormant in self-satisfaction and loses its illusions, the road of depravity begins when it is satisfied with the small things that failed. It can be seen that the early church was very militant in this work, not just evangelism. And, daily, in the temple and in their homes, they taught and preached without ceasing that Jesus was the Christ.
Also, in Acts 8:4, "the scattered people went about preaching the word of the gospel." He went around preaching the gospel. There is no one who lives in Asia, neither Jew nor Greek, who does not listen to the word of the Lord. In Acts 19:10 it is said that during these two years, all who lived in Asia, both Jews and Greeks, listened to the word of the Lord.
It is true that too many of us are content with the chilled, formal, comfortable Christianity of the fiery, fiery militant Christianity of the first century. However, the church must be an evangelizing church with dynamic power.
In Luke 3:16, John the Baptist said, "John answered all of them, saying, I baptize you with water, but one who is mightier than I is coming, and I am not worthy to untie his sandals. will baptize you.” Also, the Bible says in Revelation 3:16, "Because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of my mouth.
Indeed, as the apostle Paul said, we must preach the word whether the opportunity is good or bad. In 2 Timothy 4:2, "Preach your word. Be persistent in season and out of season. Rebuke, rebuke and exhort with all patience and teaching."
Is our church really a strong church?
Is our church a spiritual Christian?
Is our church an evangelistic Christian?
Is our church a Christian saint full of joy?
We all strive to be exemplary saints and do our best to build exemplary churches. We pray to make our church the most exemplary church in the world in terms of function, and I hope that you will become a saint who is full of joy through the life of the word and the preaching of the word.