Critical Aspects of Church Life - 1 Thess Lesson 43

Critical Aspects of Church Life

1 Thessalonians 5:25-28

 Today we will finish our verse by verse study through the letter to the Thessalonians. This is a journey we began back in September of last year. This will be our 42nd message from this letter of Paul to this good church. It has been an enriching experience for me and I pray that you have benefited from it as well.

 Today we are going to look at the important last words of Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians. Paul has addressed everything he intended to address in this letter so he penned these words as concluding instruction. Paul wrote a second letter, and we are going to go right on into that letter, but I doubt that he knew at the conclusion of this letter that he would be writing the second letter. In his mind he probably thought this might conclude his correspondence with these believers. Last words are important. Last words tend to focus on what really needs to be said.

So in writing these final words, Paul points these dear fellow Christians to four important church life principles. He calls them to focus on four of the fundamental aspects of life together in the body of Christ. These are four essentials. Without them, if you have a church at all, it will inevitably be a weak and ineffective church. Without them, it would be hard to make the case that you have a church at all. But with these four fundamental aspects, the church can and will continue to thrive and impact the world for the Kingdom of her Lord.

 See if you can identify these four essentials as we read these verses. Let’s stand together as we read verses 25-28.

 The health, strength, spiritual vitality and effectiveness of the church are dependent upon prayer, especially for the leadership, loving connections among the membership, the teaching of God’s truth, and the grace of God that makes everything happen. Paul’s instruction to pray for us is a reminder of the importance of prayer, especially prayer for the leadership of the church. Paul’s command to greet all the brethren with a holy kiss is a reminder of the importance of loving connections and true biblical fellowship within the body of believers. Paul strong admonition to have this letter read to all the brethren is a call to share the truth of God’s word. Paul’s proclamation of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you is a reminder that all this works together because of God’s gracious dealings with us as He completes His work of sanctification.

 The church thrives on prayer, fellowship, truth, and grace. Turn to Acts 2:42 for a moment. The early church was born on the Day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit came and Peter preached and God moved and three thousand souls were converted. The early church, under the Holy Spirit empowered leadership of the Apostles, figured out very quickly what was important. Acts 2:42 tells us what those most important things were. “They were continually devoting themselves to the apostle’s teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.” The final words of Paul to the Thessalonians are strongly linked to these same four things. The order is different but the four essentials are the same.

 The church, at its inception, was devoted to the Apostle’s teaching. This is exactly what Paul told the Thessalonians to be doing when he instructed them to have his letter read to all the brethren. The early church was continually devoted to fellowship. This is not just dinner together. If you read the early chapters of Acts you find that fellowship for them was sharing life together in loving connections, with tangible expressions of love for one another. This is at the heart of Paul’s instruction to greet all the brethren with a holy kiss. The early church was continually devoted to the breaking of bread. This was a reference to the Lord’s Table. This may be the most indirect connection but the argument can be made that the Lord’s Table is a consistent reminder of grace, especially the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Finally, the early church was devoted to prayer. Paul calls the Thessalonians to pray for him and his ministry team.

 These four things were the primary focus of the early church. These were to be the primary things of the Thessalonian church. These are the final things in Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians. These are four things the current church must never forget, never neglect, and never abandon. These are things to which the true church of Jesus Christ will always be devoted. The church cannot survive without these things.

 I think it is helpful and important to point out one more observation regarding this passage. We want to follow Paul’s flow of thought. We don’t want to pull these verses out of the context in which they are written. This is a dangerous thing that is often done. Paul has just written his prayer that the God of peace Himself sanctify the Thessalonians entirely, and that their spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of the Lord. He proclaims the faithfulness of God who called them into salvation to bring this sanctification to pass. Paul leaves little room for doubt concerning the certainty of God’s work to sanctify us.

 With those words we might be inclined to simply sit down and wait for this to happen. The previous verses emphasize what God wills to do. I like the sound of God’s plan. I want to be sanctified entirely. So I am just going to kick into neutral and coast and wait and watch for God to do His thing. If that is the conclusion we might be inclined to draw from verses 23-24 we find out as soon as we come to verses 25-28 that this isn’t an option. God will sanctify us entirely. He will preserve us complete, without blame. Faithful is He who calls, and He also will bring it to pass. As God is doing His part, we are not without obligation. As God is doing His sanctifying work in us, we pray, we love one another, we receive instruction from the word of God, and we walk in grace.

 There is always a balance in Scripture. God will do His part. He calls us to do our part. God’s plan and God’s work to sanctify us entirely does not rule out the things we are called to do. Let’s not overlook something. While God is doing His sanctifying work in each of us individually, the evidence will be seen collectively. We will all be changed, matured, strengthened, and encouraged by God’s work in us. God’s work in us individually will draw us together as brethren. The more we are individually sanctified, the more we are united in the body as brethren. The sanctifying work of God in us will draw us together in unity and in community. We live as part of the body of Christ. Paul brings our focus back on the life we live, and the responsibilities we have regarding one another. We pray for one another. We love one another. We instruct one another. We stand together in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 The first thing Paul writes in his conclusion is, “Brethren, pray for us.” I hope you noticed that Paul uses the term “brethren” three times in this brief passage. The word “brethren” is “adelphos” in the Greek. The word denotes a fellowship of life based on identity of origin. It speaks of a common nature. It came to designate a fellowship of love and a community of life. Christians are brothers because of the common identity we share as the children of God. We are partakers of a common nature by virtue of the new birth in Christ. This creates in us a fellowship of love and a community of life.

 This is important to understand. You are not a member of Grace Bible Church like you might be a member of the country club, or the Boy Scouts. You are a member of a family. You are a member of the family of God. We are brethren. We are friends, but we are much more than friends. We are members of Christ’s body. We are born of God and we are the family of God. These are important elements of family life as God’s children.

 Paul calls the brethren, to “pray for us.” As the spiritual leader, the founder of this church, Paul knew he desperately needed the prayer support of the Thessalonians. It wasn’t just the Thessalonians. This is a common component in many of Paul’s letters to the churches. He wrote to the Romans in Romans 15:30, “Now I urge you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me.” In 2 Cor. 1:11 Paul acknowledged that God had delivered him from death, and that the Corinthians had joined in helping him through their prayers. In Ephesians 6:19 he told the Ephesians to pray on his behalf that utterance may be given in the opening of his mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel. He told the Philippians that he believed his deliverance would be the result of their prayers on his behalf. “Us” would have included Paul and Timothy and Silvanus, as well as any others who may have been along on this missionary journey. 

 It is the duty of the church to pray for its leaders. I know that as a church we are committed to praying for one another, and for those in need. We devote a fairly significant part of our worship time to doing just that. But, as a church, are we doing all we should be doing in praying for the spiritual leadership in the church? If Paul needed the prayers of the Thessalonians, Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians, and other churches, I assure you the other elders and I need the prayers of the people of Grace Bible Church. When you pray for me you are giving me the most valuable assistance that can be given. Listen, when you pray for me, you become a partaker in the rewards that result from the work I do. You contribute to the spiritual growth of the body when you pray for those who are doing the teaching and shepherding of the flock.

 Paul needed the prayers of the churches because he faced opposition. His enemies pursued him relentlessly. He dealt with physical hardships, financial need, and defections of disciples. He carried the burden of the churches. There was always somewhere else he wanted to go to preach the gospel. He needed the prayer support of those churches he had founded.

 Will you pray for me and the leaders of this church? If the great apostle Paul needed prayer, I can assure you my need for prayer support is infinitely greater. I deal with distractions, things that pull me away from the duties of the pastorate. I deal with disappointments. I need wisdom to deal with issues that arise. I have to protect the flock from deception. I battle discouragement sometimes when I see those who just don’t seem to understand the truth. I am fairly isolated in the ministry. There aren’t many like-minded pastors around. I don’t want pity, just prayers. Pray for me that I might be humble, compassionate, bold with the proclamation of truth, protection from temptation, and that I might have wisdom. 

 Whoever wrote the book of Hebrews wrote this in 13:18. “Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a good conscience, desiring to conduct ourselves honorably in all things.” That is a great example of a prayer for a spiritual leader. Then he went on to say in verse 19, “And I urge you all the more to do this, so that I may be restored to you sooner.” It is as if he said, “Pray for us…” then he said “I urge you all the more to do this.” Pray for me, please pray for me. Will you pray for me?

 There was a time many years ago when I was not where I should have been spiritually. I was serving as the pastor of this church, but I was doing little more than just going through the motions as a pastor. I was close to throwing in the towel. There were several families that left, and others that were considering leaving. God began to do a work in my heart that turned me around. Years later, one of the families that considered leaving told me that rather than leave, they felt the need to commit to praying for me. They began to pray for me daily. The timing of God’s work in my life that turned my heart around coincided with the prayers of that family. I am convinced that eternity will reveal that I am still here because of the prayers of that family.

 Prayer for leadership in the church is a vital aspect of a healthy church. Do not underestimate the potential of your prayers for me and the elders of this church. 

 In the next verse Paul writes, “Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss.” This is another common instruction in the New Testament. Paul wrote the identical instruction to the Romans in 16:16, and twice to the Corinthians, 1 Cor. 16:20 and 2 Cor. 13:12. Peter also wrote to the scattered Christians in 1 Peter 5:14 saying, “Greet one another with a kiss of love.” The word “kiss” is “philema.” (file-ay-ma) It is a noun form of the verb “phileo” which means “to love.” The root word that is translated “greet” means “embrace.” The kiss is a token of love and friendship. It was the cultural equivalent to our own hug and handshake.

 It was the practice of the early church to greet one another with a kiss on the cheek or the forehead. It is still a common practice in many cultures today. Eventually, people began to abuse the practice of the holy kiss and the Western church abandoned the custom. We replaced the practice with the handshake or an embrace that is not quite as intimate.

But listen, we are not obeying what Paul intended with this instruction just because we shake each other’s hands or give a hug when we come into the church. Paul doesn’t give this command so that everyone who comes into the church feels welcomed. Paul gave this command because the important thing that is to be expressed in the church is genuine, heartfelt, love of the brethren. Paul says that we are to greet “all” the brethren, even those who are hard to love.

The holy kiss was an expression of a loving brotherhood of believers. The early church father Turtullian wrote, “By the kiss the early church expressed the intimate fellowship of the reconciled community.” This kiss was an outward expression of a deep commitment to the fellowship of those who are reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. As I pointed out in the emphasis on our brotherhood, we are partakers of a common life in Christ. The fellowship into which we enter is a life of communion, sharing, bearing one another’s burdens, caring for one another, and loving and living in community. The holy kiss was a visible expression of mutual love among those who had become brothers and sisters in Christ. As we all know, it isn’t the outward expression that is important. It is the attitude of the heart. Nor is it just the words that prove our love for one another, it is the tangible expressions.

The point of this command is that we make sure that every person in this church knows they are loved by the others who are here. Jesus made it clear that the defining characteristic of His people is that they will be known by the love they demonstrate one for another. 

How important is it that we love one another in this church? How important is it that we not just say we love one another, but that the evidence of this love is obvious. Paul answers that question for us in 1 Cor. 13. Read verses 1-3. We can do all the churchy stuff we want, but if we do not genuinely love one another, it is of no real value.

I think we should understand this instruction as a call to come together in the family of God and to be the family God intends for His children to be. God ordained the circumstances in the early church so that there really wasn’t an option. At Pentecost there were people in Jerusalem from all over the known world. They had traveled to Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost. Most had likely come for Passover and stayed the 40 days until Pentecost. The extended stay meant their resources were likely exhausted. Then the Holy Spirit came. Peter preached. Three thousand were converted to Christ. The church was born. These new believers didn’t want to go home until they had learned enough about what had happened to them that they could stand firm in the faith. They stayed in Jerusalem to be taught by the Apostles. This created a great need for resources. The Jewish Christians who were from the area sold their possessions and brought them and laid them at the feet of the Apostles. This was a tangible expression of love that united the early church. The early church lived in fellowship of loving connections.

The command to greet one another with a holy kiss is an emphasis on the need to live in that connected, loving, caring community. The longer the Lord tarries, and the more hostile the world grows to God’s word, and the more committed we remain to that truth, the more we are going to need one another. We don’t have to start kissing each other, but we must make sure we are known by our love for one another. You don’t need my lips coming in contact with your face, but we all need our hearts to be knit together in love.

The priorities of the church are prayer, especially for the leaders, love for one another, and thirdly the sharing of the truth of God’s word. This comes from verse 27. Paul writes, “I adjure you by the Lord to have this letter read to all the brethren.” Paul knew this wasn’t just a nice letter. He knew he was writing the very word of God to the Thessalonians. He understood that as an Apostle of Jesus Christ he was delivering the essentials of the faith. He knew how important it was for every person in the church to be instructed from his letter.

The word “adjure” means “to swear an oath.” He is requiring a solemn promise. Paul appeals to the authority of the Lord Himself. “I adjure you by the Lord” is a strong statement. They were to take this as seriously as something the Lord Himself would have them do. This is a clear indication of Paul’s understanding of just how important this was. He had written God’s message to them and he wanted every member of the church to hear God’s truth.

You might ask, “Did Paul really believe he was writing God’s truth?” I will remind you of what he wrote back in chapter 2, verse 13. Paul said, “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 man, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.” Peter, writing about the things that Paul wrote to the churches in 2 Peter 3:15-16, says that Paul’s writings were being distorted by false teachers, “just as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.” Peter understood that what Paul wrote was the truth of Scripture.

Paul instructed the Thessalonians to have the letter read to all the brethren because every Christian needs the instruction of God’s word. We learned last time that God will sanctify us entirely, and that He sanctifies us in the truth, and Jesus said that God’s word is truth. The instruction of God’s word is to be given to all the brethren. There is no greater need in the church than for the teaching of the word of God. The early church was continually devoted to the apostle’s doctrine, or teaching. The contemporary church needs it as well.

The motivation behind the movement called the Reformation was the issue of making access of God’s word to the people so they could learn from it themselves. The Catholic Church believed that the clergy were the only ones who were capable of interpreting God’s word. Martin Luther believed otherwise. The Reformation was the movement that led to the word of God being put into the hands of the people. All the brethren need God’s word.

It is sad, but the tactics of the Catholic Church in the dark ages is the same tactic being employed by the contemporary church today. The thoughtful reading and careful exposition of the Scriptures has been removed from so much of the church. The reading and teaching of the word of God has been replaced with funny jokes, cute stories, anecdotes, motivational speeches, and attempts to entertain the masses. I am very out of touch with what is going on in most churches. Obviously I don’t get around much. I’m here every Sunday with few exceptions. But I recently heard about a trend in the modern church. They are showing modern movies, then trying to find biblical principles embedded somewhere in the content of the movie.

I guess this is pretty popular. But it is sad. Listen please. There are no Holy Spirit inspired movies being made today. There never has been a Holy Spirit inspired movie. Movies are made for one primary purpose – to make money. They serve a secondary purpose – to entertain. Not even a movie like “The Passion of the Christ” can claim to be inspired of God. I remember how excited the “church” got about that movie, believing it might lead to a great harvest for the kingdom. It came and went.

Why would we take something that isn’t inspired by God and put it on a giant screen in our worship service and show it? Why would we do that when we have in the palm of our hands that which is unquestionably inspired of God? This Bible is God’s holy, inspired, infallible, inerrant, authoritative word. All we need to do is read it thoughtfully, exegete it carefully, apply it appropriately, practice it faithfully, and we will be sanctified entirely by God Himself. What is wrong with that approach? What could be better than that? I will take the Scriptures over Star Wars, and Luke’s gospel over Luke Skywalker every day. We will read the Scriptures to all the brethren.

Finally, the thing that makes the prayers effectual, the love to abound, and the truth to transform is the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. The final verse says, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” This is the benediction to this letter. Paul closes it with common words. Yet these words are pregnant with uncommon truth. Grace was such a prominent theme in the New Testament that virtually every letter begins with and ends with the mention of divine grace. Grace is at the heart of the church. 

When we speak of grace, we are speaking of a favor done without expectation of anything in return. We speak of the absolutely free expression of the loving kindness of God to men, finding its only motive in the bounty and benevolence of the Giver. We speak of the unearned and unmerited favor of a holy and just God to undeserving and helpless sinners. Grace brings God’s salvation to man, works a transformation that man cannot do for himself, and changes the individual into a new creation, without destroying his individuality.

Grace transforms man and causes him to love and seek the righteousness of God. Quoting Spiros Zodhaites, “Grace is initially regeneration, the work of the Holy Spirit in which spiritual life is given to man and by which his nature is brought under the dominion of righteousness. The maintenance of this condition requires an unbroken and immense supply of grace. Grace remains constant in, and basic to, a believer’s fight without against the devil and his struggle within against sin. Renewal is stimulated and impelled by God’s illuminating and strengthening of the soul, and will continue and increase so long as the soul perseveres. God’s grace insures that those who have been truly regenerated will persevere until the end of life. This entire work is called sanctification, a work of God, “whereby we are renewed in the whole man and are enabled more and more to die daily unto sin and to live unto righteousness.””

We could study the doctrine of grace for months. We are called Grace Bible Church for good reason. Grace is at the heart of who we are and all that we hope to be. Unless the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is with us, we are nothing, we can do nothing, we have no hope. We chose the name “Grace” for a reason. 

Paul began the letter with an appeal to “grace and peace.” It is fitting that he conclude with a reference to grace in this final benediction. It is not a mere wish expressed, but a declaration of what is a certain reality for all who have been redeemed in Christ Jesus. The greatest expression of grace came through Jesus Christ. He was full of grace and truth.

We do well to consider often and to contemplate deeply the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. He set aside the glory He enjoyed in the eternal presence of His Father. He came into the world as a man, the God-Man. He lived a sinless life that we could not have possibly lived. He died a cruel death He did not deserve to die. He provides a forgiveness for which we do not have to pay. He offers the gift of eternal life which we do not deserve. All this was provided at His expense and it is freely given to all who will simply trust in Him.

Everything Paul has addressed in this letter must be understood in light of God’s glorious grace.

Pray for one another, especially the leadership of the church. Love one another. Receive the instruction of God’s word. Walk in grace. These are the things which make for a church that glorifies its Lord.

Let’s pray.