Our Sunday Message

Marks of an Encouraging Church:1 Thessalonians 5:12-28
Dr. David Dockery (Guest Preacher)
July 22, 2007
Eighth Sunday of Kingdomtide

  History books are filled with examples of people who struggled until someone came along to encourage them.
  Albert Einstein was 4 years old before he could speak and over 7 before he even began the basics of spelling and reading. Isaac   Newton did very poorly in grade school.
  A newspaper editor once fired Walt Disney for having no good ideas, a lack of creativity.
  Leo Tolstoy flunked out of college.
  Wehmer von Braun, father of the space industry, failed high school algebra.
  Beethoven’s teacher gave up on him characterizing him as slow and plodding with little talent.
  You have heard of these before.
  But obviously, something happened in the lives of these individuals because today we can talk about them with little commentary as to their identity or accomplishments. Someone, somewhere along the line with these and thousands more brought a helpful, encouraging word. The flip side, unfortunately, is that many other capable and talented people were set back and discouraged by wrong use of words. Prov. 12:18 says that words can pierce like a sword or bring healing and health. I pray that God will use me somehow as an encourager—to you today. Just as Paul sent Timothy to encourage the Church at Thessalonica in his absence (1 Thes. 3:2), so today in the absence of a pastor I want to be an encourager to you.
  But the truth is for any group—it takes many encouragers to press on with the work. Today – please think with me about how you can provide the gift of encouragement to others!!
  We sometimes become discouraged by the sheer magnitude of the task that Christ has given to his church that we fail to focus on making a difference right where we are impacting one life at a time. We read scripture and we hear Jesus say “make disciples of all nations”– “Go to all the world” – and it seems overwhelming. The masses seems so great – and our modern technology adds to our burden. We know more about the world – and its billions of people and their needs than at any other time in history.
  Yet I believe a call similar to the first man and woman is still primarily our responsibility. They were told to take care of their garden. The early disciples were told to take care of Jerusalem and then move out from there.
  We are to disciplize and reach the world. But God has given the responsibility to each of us—by impacting one person at a time—beginning here at First Baptist Church. This morning we want to think about seven marks of an encouraging church.
  At the end of 1 Thessalonians Paul gives us some specific marks of what it means to love others – marks of an encouraging church. Let’s look at these 7 marks and more than that let’s pray and think about ways we can apply these marks here at FBC – in your life individually – and in the church as a whole.
  Paul always balances belief with ethics, doctrine with lifestyle, creed with conduct. Certainly Doctrine matters!! – but so often it is the practice of these beliefs where people see if our beliefs have importance for our lives. Otherwise we can shrink into hypocritical pharisaism. So let’s begin:
   I. The first mark is found in vv. 12-13.
   Encouraging communities of faith
  Respect their Leaders
  Leaders are not different from other members of the church except in 1) calling and 2) giftedness.
  Leaders are not perfect people. They are not sinless people. They are people who struggle with similar temptations and demons. (James 4:17 – Elijah the great prophet was a man just like us). The reality is that leaders are so much like others here that it would probably scare you to know how much leaders do struggle. Believe me – I know—because I know them and I know my own sinful heart.
  Sometimes we put leaders on pedestals — I do too. But usually the best thing we can do with pedestals is to put them away. I’ve never known a leader that didn’t have feet of clay—and leaders sometimes fall off of these pedestal. Still Paul says “Hold them in High Regard.” Because leaders do have a unique calling, special giftedness, and most importantly special responsibility. (1Tim. 5:17 says to give double honor to those who teach and lead.) We are called to respect them, not just because position but hard work)
  Respect those who work hard. Respect those who shoulder the responsibility.
  Paul also said: “Live in peace with each other.” I don’t know if there was conflict there or if this is just a general statement. Conflict does come—but we are to do our part to live in peace with each other.
  I have a lot of respect for people who lead and I tend to give them the benefit of the doubt. I think that is what Paul is asking for in vv. 12-13. When your new pastor comes things will be different than they are now. Things will change.
  But it will be imperative for this church.
   1. to respect your pastor,
   2. to hold your pastor in high regard,
   3. and to love and encourage all of your leaders so they can preach, administer and to minister to you.
  It’s an awesome responsibility. So the first mark of an encouraging congregation is the respect and encouragement given to leaders.
   II. Encouraging congregations show compassion for people who struggle (v.14)
  Everyone struggles somewhere along the way. Hold on to them. Cling to them. Encourage the timid —Put your arm around them. Help the weak. Be patient – even when fellow church members are difficult and disappointing!
  III. Encouraging congregations are kind and gracious to those who offend you (v. 15). The third mark continues the emphasis of the second. They go hand-in-hand with each other.
  Can you hear echoes of Jesus words from the Sermon on the Mount? Personal revenge and retaliation are forbidden for the followers of Christ.
  - always try to be kind
  - always try to do good
  - every church has “problem children”
  We have to cultivate patience, renounce retaliation, and pursue kindness.
  What do we do with these problem children?
  Pray for those who misuse you.
  We need to not only comfort but show forbearance and patience as well. That’s also an important part of encouragement.
   IV. Encouraging Communities live consistently with others (vv. 16-18)
  I would like to focus on this idea of consistency for a few minutes.
  Rejoice always; be joyful.
  He doesn’t just say be happy it is more than that. He is warning against gloominess; we are to celebrate God’s goodness. We have confused Thomas Jefferson’s – “pursuit of happiness” with the NT’s call for “pursuit of holiness.” Paul says – Be joyful always. That would be a picture of consistency wouldn’t it?
  I hear people say I just want us all to be happy – and that’s a good thing. I want that too – but that’s not as high of a calling as holiness and joy—so rejoice in the Lord always!
  Joy comes from an ongoing relationship with God—that flows from God’s right hand. There are three aspects of consistency in this text.    The first is:
    1. Rejoice Always
   The second is:
    2. Praying continually (especially now, we should pray for the world) – praying constantly. Prayers are what keep us open to God so that we know what He wants us to do in a specific situation. We can pray quietly in every situation – whether alone or with people – on a peaceful day or one filled with pressure. Henry David Thoreau said “Most men lead lives of quite desperation,” but for those who pray continually that is not necessarily the case.
   3. The third aspect of consistency is to give thanks in all circumstances.
  A lot of people misread this passage. Paul didn’t say give thanks for all circumstances because certainly there are some tragedies you can’t be thankful for.
  But even in them you can be thankful, because it is God’s will for Christ followers to be people of gratitude. It is my experience, however, that that is not normally the case. For the most part we are people of presumption rather than people of gratitude.
  It’s often more like the ten lepers that Jesus healed and one came back to offer thanks. I believe the mark of a person who lives in grace, one who recognizes the goodness of God in all things, is gratitude, gratitude to God and to his instruments – his agents of grace in the lives of others.
  We do not do so just to be mannerly, as important as that is for us in the South, but to be truly grateful! Ambrose of Milan said “No duty is more urgent than returning thanks.”
  When our life is one constant Thank you Lord we are liberated from selfish ingratitude and a life of debilitating self interest.
  Paul says in these three short verses:
  Show consistency in :
   Your joy,
   Your prayers, and
   Your gratitude.
  Consistency may be the most important mark to those who see you day in and day out!!
   V. Encouraging Communities are Wise (vv. 19-22)
  I believe Paul calls for balance in spiritual matters: Listen to the Spirit in the Word of God.
  Don’t be gullible or naive on one side.
  Don’t be overly analytical or cerebral on the other. Perhaps the Thessalonians, who Paul visits right before he went to Berea, did not respond as the Bereans did (Acts 17:11), and now he wants that kind of response from the Thessalonians as God does from us.
  I don’t know all the differences between the Bereans and Thessalonians, but I think the response of the Bereans is a good guide for us today.
  Somehow the Spirit’s fire was being quenched as they were neglecting the Word.
  How do you know when the Spirit is really at work in the life of the Church? It is not just subjective. Spirit of God works hand and hand with the Word of God.
  So test the Scriptures to see if these things are so! God undoubtedly gives to some a remarkable degree of insight into the meaning of Scripture or its appropriation in the contemporary world.
I’ve known great warm hearted people over the last 30 years who, however, are naïve and gullible.
  The Spirit is grieved by our sin (Eph. 4:30) but the Spirit is quenched by our naiveté on one side and our rationalism on the other (1 Thes. 5:19-22).
   VI. The sixth mark encourages us to “Make Progress in this Pilgrimage” (vv. 23-24).
  We make progress as we are sanctified through and through. Every aspect of our being is to demonstrate progress in the Christian life, but particularly progress in holiness and obedience.
  Not too long ago after giving lectures at Azusa Pacific University I received a letter from Ted Engstrom shortly before his death. He was 89 years old and still learning. Dr. Engstrom was one of the great leaders of the Evangelical world in 20th century, having served as President of Youth for Christ and World Vision International. In the letter, he thanked me for what he had had learned. I was overwhelmed. I have admired this man for decades and here he was at 89, still making progress, still wanting to learn and grow. That is what Paul is saying: “Keep on making progress,” and this 160 year old congregation must likewise keep making progress in Christlikeness.
Lloyd John Olgivie, former chaplain of the U.S. Senate, who was the speaker for Union’s spring graduation a few years ago, has taken the exhortations in vv. 16-22 and prepared them for us as modern readers:
  1. Accept the gift of enthusiasm
  2. Welcome life expectantly
  3. Dare to be an open person
  4. Thank God for all He will do
  5. Consider the Future as a Friend
  6. Set Courageous Goals
  7. Overcome negative by doing a specific positive good.
   VII. Paul concludes these marks by calling us To Enhance Authentic Fellowship.
  He asked for reciprocal prayers going both ways. We pray for each other. The word of greeting probably needs a cultural application, a warm handshake or hug we might say. Show affection appropriately. You are on your own if you take it literally, but I will leave that up to you! We are to have a loving fellowship, which means embodying the gospel in a community life of mutual love.
  Nothing but the grace of God can accomplish this!
When we show respect for leaders, compassion for struggles, grace toward offenders, manifest wisdom, and demonstrate spiritual consistency, when we are making progress and experiencing authentic fellowship – the influence of this church will be untold – and person by person, family by family, the Gospel will advance.
We all (all of us here) have a need for this kind of community, a need to be loved, a need to be encouraged – a place where we can love and encourage others. A place where we can celebrate and be celebrated. I am confident people will be drawn to that kind of church.
  That’s what First Baptist can be.
  I want to urge you today to pray with me that God will make this church an encouraging community.
  A place where people can come with their struggles and we’ll say to them.
  Come in – we accept you as you are, but we love you too much to leave you just as you are
  For as a Christ follower, (v. 23) we must be making progress toward that goal, all of us moving toward Christlikeness.
  This will not just happen.
  We have to become intentional, purposeful
  We have to decide that we are going to impact the lives of other people. We have to ask God to work in this church.
  I’m not calling for a new program. This is not a one time act or decision. What Paul is talking about is a life style.
  But a lifestyle manifested among and with other Christ followers, creating an authentic encouraging community of faith.