Today we turn to one of my favorite passages in Scripture. Our text is I Thessalonians 1. Have you ever wondered what a model church would look like. Do you know what the marks of a model church would look like if you found one? With all the controversy we find in churches today it does us well to go back to I Thessalonians 1. The Apostle Paul writes that the church in Thessalonica is a model church. Read below:
4 For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. 6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. 7 And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, 9 for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell 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 rescues us from the coming wrath. (I Thessalonians 1:4-10 [NIV])
Do you see it in verse seven? Paul writes that this church was a model church. Why? There are several reasons. Let’s list them below:
- The gospel came to them not only in words, but in power and with deep conviction from the Holy Spirit.
- These new believers became imitators of Paul and his cohort.
- They welcomed the gospel even in the midst of severe suffering.
Lots of people may hear the gospel and receive it, but soon after lose the conviction they had in the first place. They become carnal Christians. That’s the term we used when I was growing up. People you couldn’t tell apart from those who do not follow God wholeheartedly.
Is there someone you imitate or learn from in the Christian faith? Paul wrote that these people were imitating him and his fellow apostles and servants. It behooves us all to find people further along in their walk with God and start learning from them. In so doing don’t be surprised if people start asking you about your walk with Jesus.
The world has suffered more than us. Do you think the early Christians who followed Jesus knew they would face lions? It could happen to us too. Are you prepared for that? I know I need to work on that.
What is the outcome of these three actions of a model church? Paul writes that the Lord’s message rang out everywhere. The Greek used there paints the picture of a summer evening thunderstorm when the thunder rumbles across the sky. That’s the way the message rang out from Thessalonica.
Is your church a model church? Does your church exhibit these characteristics of being a model? If yes, then well done. Thank Jesus for your church. If not, what are some actions you can take this week by the power of the Holy Spirit to help your church become a group that the Apostle Paul would call a model?
Sixty-six books in a year 