The Marks of a Good Church

The book of 1 Thessalonians was the first epistle written
by the Apostle Paul, according to every report. The book of
James may be older, but I'm not certain of that, but this is
Paul's first epistle. And the origin of this church
is found here in Acts 17, verse 1. Let's look at it. And when
they had passed through Antipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica,
where there was a synagogue of the Jews. Now Paul had preached
in Philippi, he and Silas and Timothy. They had been driven
out of Philippi by severe persecution. And he came down here to Thessalonica.
And Paul, as his manner was, verse 2, went in unto them, that
is, in the synagogue, and three Sabbath days he reasoned with
them out of the scriptures, the Old Testament scriptures, opening
and alleging that Christ must needs have suffered. and risen
again from the dead, and that this Jesus, whom Paul said, I
preach to you, is the Messiah, he's the Christ. And some of
them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas, and of the
devout Greeks, a great multitude. This city of Thessalonica, it's
the second important city of Turkey now, Turkish rule, And
it was on the Roman road. It was an important city. It
was a city made up mostly of Greeks. It had some Jews. At
one time, one book I read had 70,000 population, 30,000 Jews,
the rest Greeks. But it says here, in the devout
Greeks, a great multitude, and the chief women not a few. How
long Paul was down here in Thessalonica, we don't know. We know that he
preached here three Sabbath days, that's clear. And he seemed to
fail with most of the Jews. Let's read on a little more.
But he did have a lot of the Greeks to hear his message and
believe it. And it says in verse 5, But the
Jews, which believed not, moved with envy. took unto them certain
lewd fellows of the basest sort, and gathered a company, and set
all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason,
and sought to bring them out to the people." They were hunting
Paul and Silas and Timothy. And when they found them not,
they brought Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the
city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down
are come here also. whom Jason hath received." Talk
about Paul, Silas, and Timothy. And these all do contrary to
the decrees of Caesar, saying there's another king, Jesus. And they troubled the people
and the rulers of the city when they heard these things, and
when they'd taken security of Jason and the others, they let
them go. And the brethren immediately
sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea. who coming thither
went into the synagogue of the Jews. As I said, Paul seemed
to pale with most of the Jews, but some of them believed. But
many Gentiles believed, and they left the worship of Jupiter and
Mercury and began to worship the Lord Jesus Christ and believe
on him. And evidently a very strong church
was established here. as we shall see from the first
chapter of 1 Thessalonians. My mission tonight is not to
dwell on the persecution of the church at Thessalonica, nor the
history of it, nor the part that this church played in its day
in the ministry of Paul and Timothy and Silas, but what I want to
do tonight is look at what Paul had to say about this church
in the first chapter. He gives us six marks of a good
church. This was a good church, a sound
and solid church. And Paul gives us six marks of
a good church here in the first chapter of 1 Thessalonians. Now
let's look at verse 1. We'll find the first mark in
verse 1. And I've put them in alliteration
so they'd be easy to remember. First of all, this was an established
church. It was an established church,
fixed, firmly, secure, on the right foundation. Paul and Silas
and Timothy, unto the church of the Thessalonians, which is
in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the
first mark of a good church. Now, churches are being organized
and they're being founded, they're being started on every side.
People are brought together that are either religious or related,
or rebellious, having left some other congregation. They agree
on certain doctrines, they practice the ordinances in a certain fashion,
or they're followers of a certain man, or they're from a certain
denominational pattern, and they're being brought together and organized
into churches. And I'm saying that the one essential,
important characteristic of a true church, in most cases, is missing. And that one important essential
characteristic is given here in the first verse. Paul writes
to the church at Thessalonica, which is in God the Father and
in the Lord Jesus Christ. To be in Christ, that's the life
of the church. Someone wrote years ago, God
breathed into this people at Thessalonica the breath of life
and they became a living body, and this breath of life was Jesus
Christ. The true church is in Christ.
It's not in a building, it's not in a denomination, it's not
in an association, it's not just in agreement on certain doctrines
and certain practices and certain ordinances. The church which
is a true church is in Christ. The life of that Church is His
life. The holiness of that Church is
His holiness. The strength of that Church is
His strength. The glory of that Church is His
glory. Paul said, I am crucified with
Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth
in me. And the life which I now live
in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved
me and gave himself for me. Outward organization and membership
in a church avails nothing unless we abide in a living, vital,
personal union with Jesus Christ our Lord. As the body without
the spirit is dead and fit only for burial, so a church is dead
without Christ. It might have the right doctrines
and the right practices and the right ordinances, but it cannot
have life without Christ. Let me show you several things
now. Let's just take the Bible and turn first of all to the
book of 2 John. When we talk about doctrine,
our doctrine is a person. Our doctrine is Christ. Now watch
2 John verse 9. Whosoever transgresseth and abideth
not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God. Our doctrine is
Christ, whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine
of Christ. He is our doctrine. I've said
so many times from this pulpit, you can't arrive at Christ through
doctrine. You don't learn doctrine and
so learn Christ. You learn Christ, then you learn
doctrine. If we try to approach Christ
through the memorization of doctrine, And the learning of doctrine,
it'll be ever learning and never coming the knowledge of the truth.
We learn doctrine through Christ. You see what I'm saying? Because
He is our doctrine. And doctrine apart from Christ
is dead letter. That's what the Pharisees had.
They had dead letter orthodoxy. Turn to 1 John 4. 1 John 4. Our love is the love of Christ. In 1 John 4 verse 12, look at
this, no man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another,
God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. It's the
love of God that enables you to love him and love us. We love
him because he first loved us. And we love others because his
love is perfected in us. And his love is shed abroad in
us. So our love is Christ. You can't
love without Christ. You can love those that love
you. You can give to those from whom you hope to receive something
in return. But Christ said sinners do the
same. What thanks have ye? I say unto
you, love your enemy. Bless them that curse you, pray
for them that despitefully use you. The only way that a man
can genuinely, enthusiastically, and sincerely love, is for God
to dwell in him. Our doctrine is Christ, our love
is Christ, our righteousness is Christ. No need to turn to
this, you know this scripture so well. Paul said, to win Christ
and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which
is of the law, but the righteousness which is of God, which is by
the faith of the Son of God." Christ is our righteousness.
We'll be quick to admit we have no holiness of our own, we have
no merit of our own, we have no righteousness of our own.
Christ is our righteousness. Christ is our boldness. Look
at 1 John 2 verse 28. We talk about not fearing death,
not fearing judgment, not fearing hell. Why? 1 John 2.28, Now, little children,
abide in him, abide in him, that when he shall appear we may have
confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming. I won't
be ashamed if I abide in him. Christ is our unity. Our Lord
prayed, I in them, and thou in me, that they may be one. Christ
is our ultimate perfection, that they may behold my glory, which
I had revealed before the world was. I'll tell you the realization
of this truth right here. Paul and Silas and Timothy writing
to the church at Thessalonica, which is in God, and which is
in Christ. not in the right order, not in
the right practice, not in the right name, not in the right
association, not in the right this, that, and the other, but
in Christ. And the realization of that one blessed truth will
turn us away from what is called church today and will govern
our methods, our message, and our Because this is the first
mark of a good church in Christ. Christ is our life. Our doctrine
is Christ, our love is Christ, our righteousness is Christ,
our unity is Christ, our hope is Christ, our ultimate perfection
is Christ, our confidence is Christ, everything. All right? The second mark of this good
church now, in Christ. And people might call on the
phone or write a letter and say, Brother Mann, come down here
and bring your deacons and elders and help us organize a church.
Why? Well, we all agree on adult immersion. We all agree on the premillennial
return. We all agree on the virgin birth. We all agree on the verbal inspiration
of the Bible. We all agree. And you know, you
folks starting a church, I bet you're used to the work. You
won't have anything in the world but a social organization. The
first mark of a good church is to be livingly, vitally, personally
joined in a living union with the Son of God. Christ in us. Christ is our doctrine. Christ
is the reason for our being brought together. Secondly, verse 2 now,
Paul said, we give thanks to God always for you all. making
mention of you in our prayers. These three great men, Paul,
Silas, and Timothy, are together giving thanks to God. For what? You know, our prayers, mine especially,
are so poor and so materialistic, we give thanks
for health, We give thanks for God providing our needs. We give
thanks for a place to live, a place to sleep. We give thanks for
prosperity. We give thanks... You know what
Paul and Silas and Timothy are giving thanks for here? We give
thanks to God always, continually, for all of you, making mention
of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing three things. Someone says the three chief
Christian graces. The prosperity of this church
was not measured by its bank balance. It wasn't measured by
its large enrollment. The spiritual prosperity of this
church was not measured by its record attendance, nor its beautiful
sanctuary. But Paul is giving thanks for
this enriched church. And that's the second mark of
a good church. It is an enriched church. E-N-R-I-C-H-E-D. Enriched. What'd they have? They had faith, love, and hope. That's what they had. And that's
what Paul says, I give thanks The three of us, we give thanks.
Paul, Silas, and Timothy give thanks to God continually. For you all remember without
ceasing your work of faith, your labor of love, your patience
of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in Christ Jesus. I don't have anything if I don't
have these three things, faith, love, and hope. And if I have
these things, these three things, I have everything. Because the
scripture says, these are the eternal graces. And now abide
it. Faith, hope, and love. And now
abide it, continually. Faith, hope, and love. First of all, he says, I give
thanks for your work of faith. Now, faith is a working grace. That's right. This is what the
book of James is all about. True faith produces obedience. It puts the blood on the door.
True faith does. It drops the scarlet thread from
the window. True faith does. It builds an
ark. True faith does. It withholds
not an only son. It leaves Egypt to suffer the
afflictions of God's people. That's a work of faith. That's
the reason he calls it your work of faith. It's a faith which
works. And then secondly, he gives thanks
for their labor of love. Love to God will cause a man
to engage in worship, prayer, praise, study. Yes it will. Love to man will
cause a person to forgive, to show mercy, to relieve suffering,
Love to the loss will cause a man to go and preach, to support
those who do, to send missionaries, to witness and to teach, and
therefore love is called a labor, a labor of love. And then the
third thing, he says, I give thanks for your faith which worketh,
for your love which laboreth, and for your hope which is revealed
in your patience. Patience, later on he says, even
under great affliction. Patience is perseverance. And
persevering in faith and worship and godliness is our hope. It will persevere. All right,
here's the third mark now of this good church. First of all,
It was a church that was in Christ Jesus, established, fixed firmly
in Christ. Secondly, it is an enriched church,
enriched in faith, love, and hope. Now thirdly, verse four,
knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God. It was an elect church. Now Paul
was neither afraid of the word election, nor was he ashamed
of it. He freely used it in nearly all of his epistles. Paul knew
that our election was of the Father. Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath chosen. He knew that
our election was eternal, who chose you in Christ before the
foundation of the world. He knew that our election was
in Christ, in whom we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated
by him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own
will. He knew that our election was not by works. For he said,
The children being not yet born, neither having done any good
or evil, that the purpose of God might stand, not of works,
but of him that calleth. It was said to her, The elder
shall serve the younger. Not by works of righteousness
which we have done, but according to his mercy he hath saved us.
He knew our election was not of human will, for he said, It
is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God
that showeth mercy. He knew that our election was
not to position, but to salvation, for he said, God hath from the
beginning chosen you unto salvation. And the evidence of this election
is given in the next verse, verse 5, look at it. For our gospel
Somebody said one time, you'll never, you'll never make the
gospel anybody else's gospel until it becomes your gospel.
For our gospel came not unto you in word only, it did come
that way, it has to come that way. But not only that way, it
came to you in power. Now brethren, you're not going
to argue anybody into the kingdom of God. Men are going to be regenerated
and begotten and born again by the power of God. The power of
God, Paul said, our gospel came to you in the power of God, power
to arouse the sinner, power to trouble the sinner, power to
disturb the sinner, power to awaken him out of indifference,
power to convince him of sin, power to destroy his traditions
and customs, Power to destroy his false concept of God. Power
to do what men can't do. Our gospel came to you not in
word only, but in power. And then it came to you in the
Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost to quicken you,
to awaken you, to bring you forth from a spiritually dead state,
to illuminate you. in revealing Christ as the Prophet,
Priest, and King, as the Righteousness, as the Substitute, as the Sacrifice,
as the Savior, came to you in the Holy Ghost to comfort you.
For he said, I'll send you another Comforter, and he'll not speak
of himself, but he'll take the things of mine and show them
to you, he'll And then Paul said, our gospel came to you in much
assurance, so that you were able to say with the apostle, I know
whom I have believed. I know whom I have believed.
And I am persuaded that he's able to keep that which I've
committed to him. This was a good church, because
it was an established church in Christ. It was an enriched
church, a church of faith and love and hope. It was an elect
church, chosen by the Father in Christ. And they heard the
gospel because it was revealed to them in the power of the Holy
Spirit and came to them with much assurance. Now, fourthly,
it was an exemplary church. He says down here in verse 6,
and you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received
the word in much affliction with joy of the Holy Ghost, so that
you were examples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. Now these believers in Thessalonica
became such followers of Christ that they became an example to
other churches. They were an example in their
doctrine, they preached the gospel. They were an example in their
unity, they were free from division. You don't find here the division
you find in Corinth. They were an example in their
love for one another. They were an example in their
generosity. They were an example in missions,
in evangelism, in witnessing. They were an example to other
churches. Other churches visited them,
and they visited other churches. And Paul said, you became an
example, not where you are, but throughout Macedonia and Achaia. But this must begin with each
member, each person. Pastors cannot bring it to pass,
nor can a few. Someone wrote one time this little
two-line poem. What kind of church would my
church be if every member were just like me? What kind of church would my
church be if every member were just like me? This is where it begins. If we are an exemplary church,
if we are an example to other congregations and to other believers,
it begins with the individual. I got to thinking to myself about
this. If every member of the Thirteenth
Street Baptist Church What kind of church would it be if they
were all just like me, or just like you? Well, if they were
just like some of our members, we wouldn't have any Sunday night
services, would we? No, we wouldn't. And if they
were just like two-thirds of our members, we wouldn't have
a Wednesday night service. In fact, there would just be
Sunday morning services here if every member of the church
were just like most of our members. There would just be Sunday morning
services. If the folks didn't feel just
right, or company didn't come, or we didn't have some other
place to go, we wouldn't have any Sunday morning services either.
And if every member were just like some of our members, we
wouldn't have a pastor. Or we'd change every month or
two, because if one fell out with a pastor, they'd all fall
out with him, see? And you'd have to change about
every, at least every six months. He might last that long. without
offending somebody. There would be no mission program. There would certainly be no enlargement
program here. And if every member were just
like me, would there be any fellowship? Would there be any unity of the
Spirit, or would there be pouting all the time, or hurt If every
member were just like me, would there be any youth of honor getting
up here announcing numbers? Many folks don't even say no.
If every member were just like me, how many permanent divisions
into certain groups would there be in this church? You see what
I'm saying? This church here at Thessalonica
was an exemplary church. He said, you became such followers
of the Lord that you were an example to everybody else. Clear
down there in Achaia and all throughout Macedonia, you were
an example. I could say to people, he said,
you be like the church at Thessalonica. And then the fifth thing about
this church, it was an evangelical church. Look at verse 8. From
you, from you, Sounded out the word of the Lord. Sounded out,
not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place, the word
was made known from you. Now, if this church at Thessalonica
were here in Ashland, first of all, they'd have a strong gospel
ministry right here in their local building. And they'd have
programs on television, they'd have a program on the radio.
They'd have Bible conferences, they'd invite other Christians
to share their fellowship. They'd have missionaries on the
field, supported and prayed for and encouraged by their church.
They'd give money to orphanages and preacher schools and other
congregations. They'd use the printed page to
make Christ known. An evangelical church. And God
always meets the need of a warm-hearted, generous, evangelical people. We found that out right here.
God will meet our needs as those needs are governed by an evangelistic
and generous spirit. The more generous we are, the
more God will be generous with us. We have many marks of this
church. The last mark is given in verse
10. It was an expectant church. He
says in verse 9, they themselves show of us what manner of entering
in we had unto you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve
the living and true God, and to do what? And to wait for his
Son from heaven. These people believed in the
Lord's return. They believed Christ was coming
back, and they looked for him. No, they didn't sell their homes
and move off up somewhere on a hill and all live together
in a community waiting on the Lord's return. But they went
about their work of faith and their labor of love. They went
about their evangelical preaching and mission work, but they preached
with one eye to the sky. And they worked with one eye
to the sky knowing that their Lord was coming back. They were
waiting for his son. the marks of a good church established,
not on foundations of flesh, established on Christ. Christ
in you, the hope of glory. Christ in you. An enriched church. A church rich in faith, and rich
in love, and rich in hope. An elect church. Chosen by the
Father, chosen in the Son, chosen to salvation. To whom the gospel
came in power, and the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance. An exemplary
church. Their faithfulness, their doctrine,
their love, their unity, This was all an example to those about
them, an evangelical church, one that's heartbeat for the
lost people everywhere, with a universal spirit that reached
beyond their own circle and reached out to others. They were known
all over that place as being a church that cared for the souls
of men and the glory of Christ, and they were an expectant church.
They looked for the Lord from that. They preached, and they
labored, and they worked. They went about the business
God called them to do, but they knew he was coming back. Nineteen
hundred years ago, they were looking for him to come, as we
look for him to come today. Let's bow together and pray. Our Heavenly Father, we pray
for ourselves We're living in a day of spiritual
famine, famine not of bread, not of meat, not of the luxuries
of life nor even its necessities, but a famine of the Word of God,
famine of power. When men say we're rich and increased
with goods and have need of nothing, well, they know not, they're
naked, miserable, poor and blind. We are living in a religious
day, but a day of spiritual deadness. We know the condition of our
day and of our generation. We feel that the cry ought to
be that which Peter uttered at Pentecost, Save yourselves from
this perverse generation. O God, that we may be delivered,
that we may be saved. that we may be brought into a
living, vital union with Christ Jesus, our Lord and our Savior,
that we might know Him, whom to know is life eternal, be found
in Him, not having our own righteousness, that we may know Christ and the
power of the resurrected life, that He might come to mean more
to us than just the putting away of sin, an inheritance of glory,
that He might become even the beat of our hearts and the thoughts
of our minds. Christ who is our life and our
hope and our confidence, our refuge, our strength. We ask
that He be revealed to us more precious than ever before. Use this message to awaken us
and to arouse us and to make us to examine ourselves. Use
it here and wherever it may please be. But, O Lord, leave us not
to ourselves. God, speak to us in some way. By the power of thy Spirit, speak
to us. Give us a message. Give us a
word. We ask it in the name of our Lord and Savior, and for
his glory. Amen. Let's sing 118. 118. Let's stand,
please. When I surveyed the wondrous
cross, and with the Prince of Glory
died. My richest gain I count but now,
and borthen him of all my pride. All the vain things that tried
me most, I sacrificed them to His blood.

The Marks of a Good Church

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The Marks of a Good Church

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