More Marks of a Healthy Church

I ask you to turn in your Bibles to Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. As we are very close to wrapping up our not nearly in-depth enough series in Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, we’re in chapter 5. And we’ll pick up at verse 12.

Children, here are your questions for this evening. First, find out from your parents who your family elder and deacon are, and ask them to help you think of a way to encourage them. Two, Sunday school starts next Sunday. Take some time to pray for your teacher this week. Three, you are young now, but as you grow, you will find ways to help with the work of the church. What kinds of things do you think you would like to do?

1 Thessalonians 5, beginning in verse 12, this is the word of God. We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves, and we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the faint-hearted, help the weak, be patient with them all, See that no one repays 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. And there ends the reading of God’s word. Let’s pray together.

Lord, our God, we do thank you for your word and we thank you for the instruction that you give to your church and to the people of your church. And so, Lord, we ask that as you have spoken through this letter and you still speak, Lord, that we would hear you. And we know that this does pertain to us, and so give us ears to hear and hearts to receive. We pray that you would send your Holy Spirit in a special way to accomplish just that. Minister to us, we ask, as we come to you in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Well, the message to Thessalonians, the church at Thessalonica, is a message for the community of Christ in a fallen world. That’s what all the letters in scripture are about, to the community of Christ in a fallen world, to Christians then, and certainly things that apply to Christians throughout the ages, down to this day, things that apply to us in this church. I understand the community of saints to be that collection of believers who share a common father, who have Jesus Christ as Lord and are filled with the Holy Spirit. That’s what the community of Christ is made up of.

And as we look at the elements that Paul lays out here towards the end of this letter, we have to recognize that none of these things are possible unless we understand the fact that we are united by God as his church and we exist for his glory. We have many things to do as a church. We are to worship Him. We’re to be an atmosphere of worship, a place of worship. We’re to be a place where God’s people are equipped for service. We’re to be a community in which sinners are called to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and to be saved. But we have to remember that it’s all about the fact that we are God’s church. We are God’s church.

Another aspect of the church is that the church in this fallen, broken, troubled world, that we are to be a refuge of peace for God’s people. Life of the church can in fact be ugly, but nonetheless, we’re to be a community where God’s people can be at peace and built up in the faith that we have. As we look at the church at Thessalonica, we recognize that we can learn a lot from them. They were, in many ways, an exemplary church, but they were also a church, just like ours, made up of sinners, redeemed sinners, but sinners nonetheless. And as a church, they were prone to things that all churches are prone to. They’re prone to temptation. They’re prone to strife. They’re prone to division.

And Paul wants to make sure that that is not going to take place for that body of Christ. When he writes the letter, it’s very clear that each individual that is a part of the body of Christ has a part in this. That none of this is going to work if you have people who are not willing to, as it were, look at this checklist and see how they can contribute to the life and health of the church.

I tried to summarize the things as best as possible. You can see that this is quite the checklist here. I don’t want to overwhelm us, especially on the last beautiful night of our summer here. Picture perfect night to overwhelm you, but there’s a lot here. I can’t develop everything, but as I said when I began this series, that I did not intend to go into the kind of depth that I would like to.

And Lord willing, maybe I’ll preach this this letter again in more depth. But we need to consider these things that are part of the making of a healthy church. We want to remain as a healthy church. Again, the Church of Thessalonica had a lot going for it, but they needed to be very cautious and they needed to make sure that these things are in place. There are many other things as well, but Paul gives a fairly thorough list here.

Sadly, In some churches, even in Paul’s day, there was division, there was strife. Sadly, we know that throughout history, there’s been much trouble in the church. Sadly, we all know churches that have been ripped apart by strife and division. We don’t want anything like that at Covenant. Obviously, in areas of error and immorality and unrepentance in a church may warrant division. But for the most part, God-centered, Christ-exalting, spirit-filled churches should not experience division or strife.

Here are too many sad stories of thriving churches ripped apart by strife and division. They open the door to trouble, petty grievances. The devil gets a foothold because they’re not doing what God tells them to do. They’re not doing these positive things, and they’re doing just the opposite in many cases. I’ve seen it too often myself. I’ve seen it up close.

When I was first called to my last church, I was not told that there was a fault line of division. that I was about to step into, and when I took the call, and it didn’t have anything to do with me in particular, the church split before my very eyes.

I can very thankfully say that when I came to Covenant, while some were concerned that there might be an exodus from the body of Christ here, that did not happen. I’m very thankful for that. 20 years later, I’m thankful for that. It’s not to say the covenant hasn’t had its issues, hasn’t had its problems over the years. It’s not to say that we haven’t had some disgruntled people leave us. That’s all very true. But I do believe, thank the Lord, that we have a real sense of unity, a real sense of stability for which we can be very thankful. And we need to maintain that. I’m not alone in being concerned about that for our church, just like every other pastor is concerned. Very concerned about stability and unity and harmony in the body.

Tragically, sometimes it’s the pastor who causes the trouble. And I vow to myself, and I don’t think I’ve ever said this to anybody else, so keep it a secret. But I vowed that if I were ever the cause of a division in the church, not only would I leave the church, not to abandon the body of Christ, but to preserve the body of Christ and not try to cause any more strife in a troubled church. But again, God forbid that any of that would happen here at Covenant.

Well, let’s look at the issues that Paul addresses here under five headings. And again, I’m not going to go into every one in detail, but a good church, a healthy church is well-led. It is a congenial atmosphere. It’s worshipful, it’s teachable, and my own word, it’s sanctifiable. First of all, it’s well-led. It’s well-led.

By design, God appoints leaders for his church, shepherd leaders. It includes mostly elders, at least as the focus is here, I believe, but also deacons as well. But God appoints elders as under-shepherds under Christ, and they’re to reflect the character of Christ, to be servant leaders.

And we know what their character is to look like. We know what their qualifications are, because Paul writes about that in Timothy and in Titus. And every elder, I believe, is doing the best they can to do what they’re called to do, well aware that we’re very flawed and that we fail often. I’ve never met an elder yet, at least a good elder, who has thought that they attained the level of eldership, of undershepherding that they wanted to. But they’ve been called by God, ordained by God to serve. And they’re to be great loving undershepherds of Christ to the congregation.

And I can tell you that over the years I’ve seen good pastors and I’ve seen bad pastors and I’ve seen good elders and I’ve seen bad elders. And if you look at the history of the church, the Old Testament as well as the New Testament, bad leadership can really spoil a church. And so we want to make sure that our leaders are focused on what it means to be humble before God, humble servant leaders of the church. But then the congregation, how does the congregation look at the leadership? A better word for the way the congregation is to look at leaders here would be grateful. to be grateful for those who serve as elders, and again, as deacons, and any other leaders in the church, that they would be grateful, recognizing that there will be shortcomings, but maintaining proper respect for the office, but also for the person, also for the person. Honestly, I’m part of the congregation.

While I’ve seen bad leaders over 35 years in the ministry, I’ve also seen brutal treatment and criticism of elders and deacons who are called to serve God, who are ordained to serve God, who are certainly flawed, but I’ve even seen good elders and deacons Picked apart by congregants. What a sad tragedy. Someone who’s called by God, ordained by God, very aware that they’re falling short of even their own standards. Volunteers, you might say, and picked apart.

People, be grateful for your elders and for your deacons, but don’t overdo it. Don’t ever do it for your pastor. Don’t do the old Dutch reform thing of the dominy who’s put up on a pedestal. Don’t hold the elders in higher esteem, putting them in the position where they can’t function because they’re so nervous about what the congregation might think about them.

But instead, encourage them. and what they’ve been called to do.

Well-led, congenial. The collection of God’s people should be, for lack of a better term, a friendly atmosphere, a friendly place where people are striving to get along, where people are striving to make each other welcome, to be that body of Christ where people are striving to get along. It is such a sad thing to hear when someone goes to a church, and I don’t want to ever hear it said about Covenant, that they’re just not a friendly church. That seems like such a basic thing, but a congenial place where we get along with one another. Under that heading, peaceful, edifying, and compassionate. making every effort to get along with one another. And when there are times of tension, and when there are times of offense, that we strive to be reconciled, strive to be at peace with one another. And taking it even further, not just being at peace, because I suppose we could simply tolerate each other and be at peace, but that we’re to edify one another. that we’re to build each other up in the Lord, that we’re to strengthen one another in the faith, that we’re to encourage one another according to the gifts that he’s given to us and the service that he’s given, and then compassionate, sensitive to one another’s needs, and striving where we can, helping in any way we can, well-led, congenial, and worshipful, and worshipful, I’m always struck by the way that Jesus describes things to the Samaritan woman regarding the proper people of God. What do they look like?

Who is God calling into his kingdom? Who is he calling in to build the body of Christ? Here’s what he says in the context of them talking about whose worship is right, where they’re going to worship. Jesus says, the hour is coming and is now here when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God’s people are a worshiping people. And so one of the main things that we do as a church is gather together to worship. But what is evidence of a truly worshipful congregation? Well, there’s going to be evidence, as Paul writes here, of joy, rejoicing in the Lord, rejoicing in the grace of God. rejoicing in all the good gifts that God has given us, rejoicing in the grace that He’s given us.

Do you want to know what Paul says about robbing yourself of joy? You know what will rob yourself of joy if you make your life about the law. That’s what he says to the church of Galatia, who robbed you of your joy. And it’s because they’re trying, they’re striving by the law to please God.

When Jesus says that in Christ we’re set free, it doesn’t mean we abandon morality, it’s just the opposite. But if you’re laboring under the law and if a church is constantly pushing you down under the law and under this weight of a morality that you can never attain and that you can never reach Jesus and you can never know grace, there’s going to be no joy in that body of Christ.

So a joyful congregation, he says, and pray. Be a people of prayer. All kinds of prayer. Pray for your church. Pray with the people in your church. Pray prayers of praise. Pray prayers of thanksgiving. Confess your sins before God. Confess your sins to one another. And pray for one another. Intercede for one another. Petition the Lord as we do pray. And do so with gratitude. With gratitude. For again, for all the riches and all the blessings we have in Christ. You know, we should have a wonderful atmosphere, not just on the Lord’s Day when we gather, but when we gather together.

This is a celebration of joy. And in the warp and woof of worship and the way things go in life and in the community and in our nation and in the world and even the way scripture guides us, there will be Sundays when it is a lot more sobering and it should always be sober and reverent worship. But there are some times when there’s going to be absolute jubilation. The joy of the Lord is my strength. We’re called to worship so often to jubilantly praise God. But even in those Sundays when we might come in a much more mournful, sedated atmosphere, which is also appropriate at times, there’s still joy. Because our joy is in the Lord. And so joyful, prayerful, and grateful. And so we’ll need to maintain a well-led church, a congenial atmosphere, a worshipful atmosphere, and we need to be teachable. As a church, we’re learning, we’re growing together.

Paul says, don’t quench the spirit, and certainly strife will quench the spirit, but we also want to be very much aware that the Holy Spirit really is at work in the body of Christ. And I thoroughly believe that none of these things that we’re called to do will be able to attain if the Holy Spirit doesn’t work within the body of Christ here. Any more than we can attain to any kind of pursuit of holiness, pursuit of righteousness, without the work of the Holy Spirit. Willingly letting the Holy Spirit work.

Not resisting the Holy Spirit, not quenching the Holy Spirit. or putting aside promptings of the Holy Spirit, but note always in accord with the Word of God. Paul says here, don’t neglect, don’t disregard prophecy. We should not expect the kind of prophecy that they had in their day. We have the full counsel of God in Scripture.

And so the way it works is that we are to understand things in light of Scripture and understand that it will be the Holy Spirit who helps us to apply the things of God according to the Scriptures. And here’s the way I understand it. If we’re going to test prophecies, test, to translate to today, the preaching of God’s Word, here’s the way I understand it.

The teaching elder or the preacher is accountable to the elders. our presbytery, that collection of elders, the elders of this church, the pastor preacher is accountable. They’re to hold him to make sure he’s preaching the word. The elders are to be accountable to the congregation, who make sure that the elders are guarding the word of God.

What does that mean? It means we all have the Bible open. and that we will never tolerate anything other than the authority of God’s word in our church, and then be ready and willing to have the Holy Spirit apply. And then the fifth point, well-led, congenial, worshipful, teachable, and sanctifiable. What do I mean by that?

That’s not a word, but what I mean is that we’re willing and ready to undergo change when and where it’s needed. We have not arrived at as a church any more than any one of us has arrived. We’re sanctifiable. We understand that we are a holy, sacred community of Christ, a people set aside as holy people, a holy priesthood.

But if we really believe that God is working in our midst, we have to remember that we’re to be in pursuit of holiness and we need the work of the Holy Spirit. That’s why when we pray as a congregation, we can pray that confessions of sin as a body of Christ, that if there’s anything we’re doing as a body of Christ that isn’t pleasing to the Lord, that we would become aware of it and repent. And that if there are things that we are called to do that we’re not doing, that we would seek the Lord’s help in doing the things that we’re called to do. Sanctifiable, ready to change, willing to change, sensitive to the work of the Holy Spirit.

Ready to pursue all the things that we’re called to do as a church of Jesus Christ. We are a living community of Christ. We are the people of God in a fallen world. We, as a body, share a common Father through our Savior Jesus Christ, and we are bound together by the Holy Spirit.

And my prayer, and I believe God’s will, is that we would stay unified, and that we would stay healthy, and that we would prosper and grow as a church, and the Lord would stretch us and use us and pour out his blessing upon us in every way that he sees fit. But people, we’ve all got to do our part. And you have a checklist. And I’ve given you a lot, and Paul’s given you a lot. But ask yourself, how am I contributing or detracting from any of these things that are marks of a healthy church? Again, it’s not comprehensive. It’s not exhaustive. but it should help us as a body of Christ. May God continue to grant his grace to this body of Christ that he would be glorified through Covenant Church. Let’s pray.

Father in heaven, we thank you that even when we are healthy by your grace, that we can be reminded of things that need to be in place regularly to remain healthy and to be that church that’s pleasing in your sight. We’re humbled before you as a body of Christ. You are our God. You are gracious to us. You have built this church. You have guided and protected this church in so many ways. Lord, we want to be your faithful church. You have been faithful. You are faithful. We know that you will be faithful to your people.

And may we be one of those local bodies of Christ that’s used to glorify you and serve you and honor you, be a refuge for sinners, to be a great blessing and encouragement to all the saints. Please, Lord, we pray, continue to grant us your grace to that