Well, this morning is really kind of a pick-up from last week as we talked about the significance
!
And depending upon your orientation, depending upon where you're coming from, your background,
and maybe even your work experience, there is a sense in which we look to leaders to kind
of be the end-all for us in setting the course and helping to create a healthy environment.
That unless we have good leaders with certain qualities, we can't ever hope to have a healthy
organization or a successful company or, in our case, a healthy church.
And certainly there is a significant factor of having healthy leaders, but today I want
to draw out from our text today the significance of a healthy body that is instrumental in selecting
and choosing out healthy leaders.
And also coming alongside those leaders and allowing the ministry to be effective because
of the work of God in your lives in carrying out the ministry in our midst.
It's clear that healthy leaders are important, but without a healthy church, that leadership
is going to be disruptive and ineffective.
Maybe the telltale example of that is to go back a bit in history and to look at Jonathan Edwards.
And those of you who would know Jonathan Edwards would be familiar with a man who was key in
helping to lead America into two significant revivals.
The first and second great awakening that we enjoyed as a country.
And for 25 years, Jonathan Edwards faithfully preached and proclaimed the word of God in his church,
which happened to be his grandpa's church.
But over the course of 25 years, you would think that a church that is hearing the deep,
living truths of the scripture would be healthy, but in fact, they were not.
And after 25 years of ministry, Jonathan Edwards was fired from his position, expelled from his church,
and only 10% of his members voted for him to stay.
What was the issue?
The issue was a commitment that Jonathan Edwards had to the sanctity of communion
and preserving that holy ordinance for those who were truly saved.
For those who had actually come to faith in Christ,
those are the individuals he wanted to be able to participate.
And to the exclusion of those who did not know Christ,
he wanted to preserve them from the ramifications of that,
taking that in an unholy, ungodly way.
That's what the deal breaker was.
That's what sent him over the edge.
And for all of the ministry and sound leadership that he provided for that church,
it was still insufficient to overcome the unhealthy nature of the body.
So as we come to our text this morning,
I want to point this out that we've kind of fast-forwarded a bit in our study.
Last week we were in chapter 2, now all of a sudden we're in chapter 5.
And for some of you, you're wondering, what in the world happened here?
Did we just forget and leave behind all the other chapters?
The answer is no, but that we wanted to use 1 Thessalonians as a means to address this important topic.
Especially given the fact that here in October,
you're going to be instrumental in nominating leaders
who will serve you as deacons here in this church.
What do you look for?
And what are the qualifications for those leaders?
And what would you expect them to do?
These are all important in our conversation
and things that will come up in our passage today
from 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, beginning in verse 12.
Let me read this for us and we'll begin in our study.
If you're a guest with us today, you can find it on page 988 in the Pew Bible in front of you.
It says,
Be patient with them all.
See that no one repays anyone evil for evil,
but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.
Rejoice always.
Pray without ceasing.
Give thanks in all circumstances,
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Do not quench the Spirit.
Do not despise prophecies,
but test everything,
hold fast what is good,
abstain from every form of evil.
Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely,
and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless
at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He who calls you is faithful.
He will surely do it.
Brothers, pray for us.
Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.
And I put you under oath before the Lord
to have this letter read to all the brothers.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
Now just in reading through that passage this morning,
there should be a couple of things that really stand out to you
in just a cursory reading of that passage.
First, it is loaded with commands.
One after the other,
there are this stream of imperatives that Paul addresses to this church.
Things that he expects them to do,
things that are directed to them specifically
as members of the body of Christ
and as those who are fellowshipping together in community.
He addresses them on at least two occasions.
We see here in verse 12, he says,
we ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor over you.
And then in verse 14, we urge you, brothers.
These commands go not to the leaders themselves,
but we're going to find the significance of our personal contribution
to the health of the body.
If you want to have a healthy church,
you must be a healthy member.
It's all really is as simple as that.
Certainly, it's important to have healthy leaders.
But it begins with having a healthy church.
It begins with being a healthy member.
And Paul begins to understand
and is helping the church to understand
the significance of their contribution
to make this church a church
that not only glorifies God,
but is effectively accomplishing the objectives
in the world around them.
We're going to step through this
and we're going to see what does it take then
to be a healthy member.
What does it take to be a person
who is contributing well to the body of Christ
and helping to assist
and helping to come alongside this process
and be used of God
to create a healthy environment,
a church that is glorifying Him
and is working out its purpose in the world.
We find the first purpose,
the first recognition of the quality of this church
in verses 12 and 13.
It begins, Paul begins with this,
affirming your leaders.
That's the first goal.
Recognizing the significance of affirming your leaders.
Now really, right here at the outset,
I want to make it clear
that although I'm a pastor here,
this is really more about the deacon process
and the leadership that we have as a church.
I don't want this to seem self-serving in any way.
And in a sense,
there is a responsibility for me as well
to be robing myself
and adorning myself with the same characteristics.
That as God has permitted us
to have diverse leadership here at this church,
it's important for all the leaders
to be treating one another this way
and it's important for the members of the church
to be doing this for their leaders.
This is something we're all commanded to do.
This is something that we all must
adorn our lives with
and that is beginning with affirming your leaders.
It begins right here at the start.
We ask you, brothers,
to respect those who labor among you.
It really begins by recognizing their labor.
By recognizing their labor.
And so I want to just pull out some observations for you
to help you understand
what does that look like
and how does that happen?
How do we begin to recognize their labor?
Well, first, I think we recognize
that it's our personal responsibility.
That the Apostle Paul is speaking to the members of this church
and he's telling them to take action.
Don't be inactive in this process.
Don't be indifferent about this process.
Be actively engaged in the ministry
so that you can personally recognize those
who are in your church
and those who are taking responsibility.
Those who are leading in this way.
Paul uses an endearing term
to request and to implore
and to encourage them to a certain activity.
He doesn't use his apostolic authority
in this particular verse,
but he is coming as a friend would for a peer.
And he's coming alongside of them
and just making a request
and helping them to recognize
their personal responsibility
in identifying leaders.
The church was already doing so well
in so many areas
and they just needed some encouragement
to step up their game
and to continue to be a church that was healthy.
It began with recognizing
their personal responsibility.
Second, it was important for them
to recognize the efforts of those around them.
To recognize the efforts of those around them.
And although this is not up on the screen,
this is extra, no extra charge.
He says, respect those who labor.
They're diligently laboring.
It's the word in the Greek
that would point to labor
to the point of exhaustion.
Labor to the point of sweat
and even pain
and a sense of suffering
that is taking place in their life.
There is this expending of energy
and a personal investment
in the ministry.
Paul had already set this kind of example.
We saw that last week in chapter 2
when we're reading his example
of spiritual ministry in this church.
He says in chapter 2, verse 11,
for you know how like a father
with his children,
we exhorted each one of you
and encouraged you
and charged you to walk
in a manner worthy of God.
Well, how did that all start?
Well, it started as in verse 9,
you remember our labor and our toil.
We work night and day
that we might not be a burden to any of you
while we proclaimed to you
the gospel of God.
The apostle Paul had set the example.
He had helped to condition them
to recognize what true labor looked like.
It was exhausting,
but it was for the sake of the body.
He did whatever he needed to do
to set the precedent for godly leadership.
He did this in Colossae.
He did this in Ephesus.
Wherever the apostle Paul went,
he was committed to labor
at his own expense
for the sake of those
that he was serving.
He tells them to respect
those who labor among them.
This is really an unusual word.
Respect is a translation
of the common New Testament word
to know by experience.
The connotation here is that
these believers would be able
to identify,
would be able to recognize,
they would come to an awareness
of those who were working among them
because they were in community
with these individuals.
They got to see it firsthand.
It wasn't just something
that they heard about,
but it was something they witnessed.
There was no indication
that Paul had actually appointed leaders
in this city.
As we've been working through
this little letter,
we've become familiar with the fact
that Paul's time in Thessalonica
was really pretty small.
Maybe a matter of weeks
or a few months.
And so,
there wasn't any time
for him to identify
leaders among them.
There wasn't time for him
to establish,
well, these are going to be
the pastors
and these are going to be
the deacons of your church.
There just wasn't time
for that to develop.
And so,
what Paul is trying
to help them understand
is here are the cues,
here are the indicators
that you can look for
to identify the people
who are growing
in leadership among you.
See, Paul,
as we saw in chapter 1,
was committed
to the understanding
that the Holy Spirit
was actively at work
in this church.
And because the Spirit
was at work in this church,
he had regenerated
this group of believers,
he had indwelt
this group of believers,
he had gifted
this group of believers,
and he had allowed them
to experience
a measure of spiritual fruit.
So, as Paul was committed
to the work of the Spirit
in the lives
of these people,
he knew that what was
going to happen over time
is there would be people
that the Holy Spirit
would gift for leadership
and for teaching,
and they would just begin
to rise to the top.
They would begin
to recognize
the call of God
in their life,
and they would begin
to put that call
to work in the church.
They would begin
to commit themselves
to ministry
and to service
among the people
within the body.
And I believe
that's what's happening here.
Similar to what we find
in Acts chapter 6,
and so I just encourage you
to keep your finger
in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5
and turn with me briefly
to Acts chapter 6.
Now, what's taking place
in Acts chapter 6
is the church
is beginning to explode.
There are growing numbers
of individuals
who are coming to faith
in Jesus Christ.
And Peter
and the rest of the apostles
have come to the point
where they recognize
that everything
is important,
but not everything
is possible
for them to do.
And so that the only way
they can meet the needs
of this growing group
of believers
is to allocate the ministry
to faithful individuals
who will be able
to carry it out.
And so we find
in verse 2 of chapter 6,
and the 12
summoned the full number
of disciples and said,
it's not right
that we should give up
preaching the word of God
into served tables.
Therefore, brothers,
pick out from among you
seven men of good repute,
full of the Holy Spirit
and wisdom,
whom we will appoint
to this duty.
But we will devote
ourselves to prayer
into the ministry
of the word.
And so that's what they do.
They recognize
seven faithful men
who have a good reputation
and are full
of the Holy Spirit.
How do you suppose
they're able
to identify those men?
And how do you suppose
they're able
as a massive group
of believers
to all agree?
Now that's probably
the biggest miracle
of all.
It's possible
only because
these men
were already
committed to ministry.
These men
were already
actively
serving
and laboring
in the church.
And so as
these individuals,
these Hellenistic
converts
were recognizing
the ministry
of these faithful men,
they said,
well that is easy.
That's really easy.
These are the men
we need to pick.
These are the men
who clearly demonstrate
not only a commitment
to the Holy Spirit,
not only a good reputation
among the group,
but a faithful,
serving attitude.
A ministry to us.
A ministry
that is devoted.
A ministry
that is faithful.
So the takeaway
for us
as we look
at this passage
this morning
is to recognize
that leaders
lead.
to recognize
that those
who have
the gifts
of service,
those who have
the gifts
of teaching,
those who have
been called
to serve
in this way
will serve
because that's
what God
has called them
to do.
They're going
to take initiative.
They're going
to look for opportunities.
And maybe it's not
in the most
favored places
of ministry,
but they're going
to find ways
to fill the gap
so they can
exercise their
spiritual gift
and benefit
the body of Christ.
Now that all
happens of course
within the context
of the leadership
structure
that's already
in place.
It happens
as they
faithfully
submit themselves
to the leaders
who are already
there.
Like these
seven men
in Jerusalem
who were
actively serving
this church
without having
been given
any instruction
all underneath
the leadership
and authority
of the apostles
but now
that there's
some assistance
in leadership
that's required
they are happy
to carry out
the objectives.
I would just
like for a moment
if it's not
awkward
can I just
encourage
the deacon team
to stand
with your wives
please?
Can you do
that for me?
I want to
call out
the faithful
leaders
of this
congregation.
Now there are
some who are here
there are probably
many others
who are serving.
This team
has demonstrated
a commitment
to ministry
this way.
They have
demonstrated
relentless
labor
to the point
of exhaustion.
congregation
in areas
that are
public
in areas
that are
private
there is
a desire
for them
to serve
this congregation
but more
importantly
to serve
the Lord
because
of the
giftedness
that God
has given
to them
the call
of God
on their
life
and they
have
demonstrated
even without
having to
have
the title
of deacon
that they
have a heart
to serve.
Thank you
for standing.
As we're
talking
as a deacon
team
it continues
to astound
me
of all
the areas
that this
faithful
servant
team
ministers
to this
body.
There's
teaching
and visitation
counseling
Maranatha
movers
security
teams
greeters
and ushers
there are
small groups
and hosting
families
in their
homes
there's
discipleship
that's
taking place
one-on-one
there are
marathon
meetings
on
Saturdays
there are
serving
families
in various
ways
children's
ministry
Awana
and youth
group
there are
mowing
lawns
and setting
up tables
overseeing
the budget
and serving
to the point
of exhaustion
these men
and their
wives
should be
commended
and identified
and esteemed
and respected
because of
their labors
for Christ
on behalf
of this
church
what a
blessing
it's also
important for us
to understand
that
that they
are
we need to
recognize
the authority
with which
they serve
notice
the phrase
here
who labor
among you
and are
over you
in the
Lord
over you
in the
Lord
their
ministry
is
to
the
Lord
their
ministry
is
for
the
Lord
and
their
ministry
is
commissioned
by
the
Lord
they
are
serving
under
the
authority
of
him
and
thus
they
demand
as
God
demands
respect
and
esteem
as
representatives
of
him
they
command
and
demand
our
respect
so
they
won't
speak
on
their
own
authority
but
they
will
admonish
you
with
the
authority
of
Christ
and
that's
what
we
find
here
next
they're
over
you
in
the
Lord
and
admonish
you
that's
an
important
word
it's
the
word
which
is
the
word
we
get
new
counseling
from
it
is
the
idea
of
instructing
or
teaching
it's
identifying
behaviors
and leading
them
to
the
scriptures
and
seeking
to
call
them
to
righteous
living
and
then
we
find
in
verse
13
our
responsibility
to
esteem
them
highly
in
love
because
of
their
work
not
because
of
their
title
not
because
of
their
gifting
but
interestingly
because
of
their
work
because
again
of
recognizing
the
labors
that
they
have
and
the
way
that
they're
serving
the
Lord
in
your
midst
that
is
our
responsibility
to
leaders
but
then
the
apostle
Paul
moves
on
he
moves
to
the
next
thing
but
I'm
getting
ahead
of
myself
aren't
I
we
need
to
I
said
recognize
their
labor
but
we
also
need
to
choose
them
based
upon
their
character
sorry
choose
them
based
upon
their
character
if
we
had
time
this
morning
we
would
look
at
this
passage
and
we
could
begin
to
fill
out
the
qualifications
that God
lays
forth
for
deacons
but
there
are
several
different
observations
I would
like
to
make
first
I
would
like
to
identify
the
fact
that
these
relate
to
their
duties
excuse
me
these
do
not
relate
to
their
duties
or
their
spiritual
gifts
and if
you
would
turn
just
for a
moment
to
1st
Timothy
chapter
3
the
only way
we're
going to
be
really
able to
appreciate
this
is to
see it
1st
Timothy
chapter
3
beginning
in
verse
8
it
says
deacons
likewise
must
be
dignified
not
double
tongued
not
addicted
to
much
wine
not
greedy
for
dishonest
gain
they
must
hold
the
mystery
of
the
faith
with
a
clear
conscience
and
let
them
also
be
tested
first
and
then
let
them
serve
as
deacon
if
they
prove
themselves
blameless
their
wives
likewise
must
be
dignified
not
slanders
not
sober
minded
But sober-minded.
Faithful in all things.
That could be a problem, huh?
It's okay for the husband not to be drunk,
but the wife, she can get a little tipsy.
Wow.
I guess I'll be looking for a job this week.
Shoo!
Verse 12.
Let deacons each be the husband of one wife,
managing their children and their own households well.
For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing
for themselves and also great confidence in faith
that is in Christ Jesus.
Do you see the concentration, the focus on character
and not on performance?
Not on their duties or even their giftedness,
but the quality of life?
The significance of an individual who has been tested and proven
and has demonstrated a commitment to Christ first?
That's what qualifies them to serve.
There's also the perspective of understanding that Paul's expectations
use a present tense.
We understand that we're flawed as individuals.
There are moments of life where God has taken us through learning processes.
And that by God's grace,
he can not only redeem, but he can also restore.
So Timothy is supposed to look at the current quality and pattern of life.
All of these adjectives and all of these verbs are given in the present tense
and describe the quality of life from this point on.
The significance of an individual who has demonstrated a commitment to faithfulness
and a commitment to the Lord.
Although broken, although sinful in the past,
has been able to move by God's grace into purity,
into faithfulness, and into obedience.
I want you to notice, third of all, that this encompasses all of life.
We see a character in the private sector.
There in verses 8 and 9.
They're dignified.
They're not double-tongued.
They're not addicted to much wine.
They're not greedy for dishonest gain.
They hold fast the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.
There is this private commitment to God.
God that is visible not only privately but publicly.
There's also a commitment to family.
They're the husband of one wife.
They're a one-woman man.
There's a sense of loyalty about them and devotion at home.
And he manages his children and household well.
There is this indication that God has affirmed his leadership
through the way he's been able to lead his family.
And also affects his impact or presence in the community.
Verse 10 says,
Let them be tested first and then let them serve as deacons
if they prove themselves blameless.
There is a sense of their character that has shown up,
even in the community, as those who love the Lord.
We choose them based upon their character.
Now moving to the second responsibility of the church
and the brothers to one another.
There is a command to assist your leaders.
Not only to affirm them, but also now to assist them.
And we find four rapid-fire commands here in verse 14.
Back in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 now.
We urge you, brothers, admonish the idle,
encourage the faint-hearted,
help the weak, be patient with them all.
Now, what's truly remarkable about these commands
is that almost all of them show up in 1 Thessalonians
and they're all related to what you would expect of your leaders.
This word, to admonish, is used in verse 12.
It's used of the leaders themselves
in the ministry that they have for the church.
They're involved in this newthetic ministry
of counseling and encouraging and instructing the people.
But it doesn't end with the leaders.
It is a part of a healthy body as well
as we're learning to stir one another up
to love and good deeds.
There is a connection to the body of Christ.
There is a commitment to the people
that God has put in community with us
and also a commitment to serve them
in lots of different ways.
Some of these aren't terribly fun to do.
Like how many of us really enjoy to admonish?
How many of us really like to confront sin
that we see in a brother or sister?
That's not something that we want to do.
It's something we prefer for our leaders to do.
And yet, if we're going to be a healthy church,
it's something that Paul tells the church of Thessalonica
they must be committed to do.
Because truth be told, there are things that are totally unaware
that your leaders are totally unaware of.
And for us to be a healthy community,
we all need to be doing this for one another.
Admonishing the idle.
Now, some of you may have the translation,
admonishing the unruly.
And that's probably a better translation of this word.
Those who were idle or unruly,
it was a military term.
It referred to a soldier who was out of rank
and behaved in a disorderly and insubordinate manner.
It came to refer to anyone who did not perform his duty
or follow through on his responsibility.
So, in a sense, they were inactive or idle.
It wasn't that they were lazy.
It was just that they were plain defiant.
And there is no place for that in the church.
And for us as believers,
we need to do the ministry of love,
of admonishing in love those who we see are out of step.
The second is a little bit more endearing to us
to encourage the faint-hearted.
There were those in the church of Thessalonica
who were experiencing any number of difficulties.
Those who were faced with tremendous persecution and pressure.
As we find in chapter 4 and chapter 5,
those who were grieving over the loss of a loved one
who they thought had missed the opportunity to be with Christ.
Paul was trying to help them understand
and bring fullness to their doctrine and theology,
but in the same time encourage the church to come alongside
and embrace and comfort those who were feeling discouraged.
Paul uses this of himself in his dad-like ministry that we saw last week.
It's this ministry of drawing individuals to yourself,
of walking together in fellowship,
of walking towards a goal in community.
And that's what we need to do with those who are feeling discouraged.
To help the weak.
It's the word to hold them firmly,
to cling to them, to support them,
and to hold them up.
And then to be patient with all.
If those previous words didn't cover it,
then this will.
And certainly it's a good word for all of us
to learn to be patient with the people that God has put us in community with.
To have this sense of enduring,
this enduring quality of love,
this spiritual quality,
fruit of the Spirit,
as God is helping us to grow in love,
and joy,
and peace,
and patience,
and kindness towards one another.
Finally, in verses 16 to 24,
Paul addresses the issue of the heart.
He addresses the issue of the heart.
Any healthy church
has a healthy relationship with their God.
Now this morning,
I was drinking from my favorite coffee cup,
and it is very functionally,
it's very sound functionally.
The lid screws on,
it doesn't leak,
which is great.
It keeps the coffee,
the liquid inside hot.
The button works,
so that when you press it,
the coffee comes out.
But for some reason,
what I was tasting,
was bitter and sour.
Now I put,
I put fresh coffee in there.
I put fresh cream in there,
but for whatever reason,
I just kept tasting sour coffee.
And so this morning,
I looked in the side of,
inside of my lid,
and I think you know where this is going,
it was full of curdled milk.
And so it had been there for a while.
There's no wonder why I thought I was drinking sour cream,
instead of...
This is really where it comes to a head for us,
this last component.
Because we can have the right leaders,
and we can have right ministry,
but if we don't have the right heart,
we're not going to be a healthy church.
So Paul wants to commend a healthy ministry
to these people.
He wants to get rid of the residue,
the spoiled milk,
that's the buildup that can be there,
and he wants to help them recognize
the significance of a ministry
that is holy and sanctified
and effective
for what God has called them to do.
He begins here with the attitudes of thanksgiving.
Because, to be honest with you,
it all kind of comes to a pinnacle here
in this orientation.
To recognize the significance of rejoicing always
and praying without ceasing
and giving thanks in all circumstances.
Why?
Because this is the will of God for you.
I'm astounded at how Paul puts it in Romans 1.
When he is describing the condition
of the unregenerate heart,
and he says,
although they knew God,
they did not serve Him as God,
nor were they thankful.
Thankful.
Does that seem serious to you?
And then when Paul is describing
the fruit of the Spirit,
he says,
the fruit of the Spirit is love,
joy,
and peace.
So when Paul puts it that way,
the unregenerate heart is not thankful,
and the Spirit-filled heart is thankful
and full of joy,
it begins to help us recognize
the significance of this kind of attitude.
And maybe,
the best,
the best litmus test to know
if there's true holiness taking place in our life.
What is our posture in relationship to Thanksgiving?
What is our orientation or attitude
when hard things come?
Do we have an attitude of rejoicing evermore
and praying without ceasing?
He moves in verses 19 to 21
to their tenderness to the truth.
He describes it in several ways.
He says,
don't quench the Spirit.
Don't despise prophecy.
Test everything.
Hold fast what is good.
Abstain what is evil.
Know the truth.
Love the truth.
Test the truth.
And apply the truth.
There must be a tenderness to the truth
in your life,
which will flow then
into a separation from sin.
A desire to put sin away from you
and to live the holy life
that represents your holy God.
And we begin to wipe away the residue of our life
and to seek to let God do a work in our heart.
Then we'll begin to have other things in order in our life.
And the promise that Paul ends with
in verses 23 and 24.
Because this is a work,
the sanctifying work is beyond you.
The cleansing work is not possible without the power of God.
And so he says here,
Now may the God of peace himself
sanctify you completely.
Not just partially,
but completely.
And may your whole spirit
and soul
and body
be kept blameless
at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He who calls you
is faithful.
He will do it.
Don't you love that?
God cares
about your sanctification.
God cares
about your holiness.
Because God cares
about his glory.
And how he's being represented
in the world.
And he cares about
your effectiveness
and fruitfulness
in ministry.
And he cares about
the leaders
that you are going to be appointing.
And he cares about
the ministry
that you're going to be having
amongst yourselves.
He cares about
his gospel
showing up
among us.
And
having
extensions
into
the community
around us.
So that we can bring
other worshipers
along with us
to celebrate
the wonder of our God.
Let's pray.
Thank you.