Mount Isa Baptist Church

What God Wants the Church to Be

1 Thessalonians 1:1-9 & 3:6-9

All the basic ingredients that our Lord wants in a church were in the Thessalonian congregation. The epistle that Paul wrote to them shows us the kind of church that Christ builds. It contains no reference to the number of members. It doesn’t tell us about their goals and objectives, their programming, the kind of sermons that were preached, or the music that they sang. It doesn’t tell us about their Sunday school, their worship services, or their church camps. However, it does tell us about several spiritual elements. I trust that as we look at some of the basic principles in this epistle that the Lord will help us see what He desires from us, and how our church can be the church He wants it to be, and the Thessalonians gives a pattern for the ideal church. Not a perfect church, but an ideal church.

1. We see that they were a Saved Church

This should be the priority of the church. The church at Thessalonica was a saved church, and that is significant because there are many churches in existence today which do not know the meaning of salvation. Paul could thank God for the Thessalonians because they were all “in the Lord Jesus Christ” (vs. 1). They gave evidence of personally knowing Jesus as their Saviour. And therein lies the beginning of an effective church. Notice from 1 Thessalonians 1:1 the phrases “in God, the Father, and in the Lord Jesus Christ.” Again in vs. 3 and vs. 5: “in our Lord Jesus Christ” and “in the Holy Spirit”. Paul uses the phrase “in Christ” in his epistles 132 times. It identifies the relationship that believers have with the Living God. We don’t just follow the teachings of Christ – we are in Christ. The Christian experience is not simply following the moral precepts of a man or believing in a historical figure; believers experience union with the Living God through Jesus Christ. But what are the results of being in Christ? So, we saw that they were a saved church and that this should be the priority of the church. But we also see:

B. The Purity of the Church

The purity of the church is a prerequisite to effectively serving God. Since God blesses a church that is saved, we know that Satan wants to infiltrate it. John 10:10: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full. The key to the success of the Thessalonian church was its purity.

2. A Surrendered Church

1 Thessalonians 1:6 says, “You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.”

The genuine character of their salvation is apparent in that statement. The Greek word translated “imitators/followers” is where we get our English word “mimic”. The Thessalonian Christians weren’t just talkers; they were imitators. They didn’t merely talk about their Christian experiences; they actually modelled their lives after Paul and his companions. It may seem bold for Paul to tell people to pattern their lives after his, but not when we consider the Christ likeness of his life. He told the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 11:1: “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” In Ephesians 5:1, Paul says, “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children.” Paul exhorted Christians to be followers of God, Christ, and himself. That is precisely what was happening in the Thessalonian assembly. They were committed to being like Jesus. Christians are not only a collective representation of Christ on earth, but also individual representations, as each of us as Christians strives to be like Jesus. The purpose of the Christian is to be like Christ. That’s the key to unity in the Church. If all of us are like Christ, we will have no problem getting along with each other. Unfortunately, we are not always in tune with one another because we are not all following Christ. The Thessalonian Church was surrendered to Christ's likeness, which had been demonstrated in the lives of Paul, Silas, and Timothy.

Next week, we will continue with the theme of “What God Wants the Church to Be