How to Be a Gospel Church

As Paul closes his letter with some final instructions and exhortations, he turns to every member of the local church and puts the responsibility for church health and church peace and church unity and church growth squarely on the shoulders of each member.

A Gospel Church is one in which:

1. The Leadership Takes Their Calling Seriously – 5:12-13

“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.” 

The church at Thessalonica is very young community of brand new believers. Very little has been done in terms of formal structure. Even those in leadership have been in the faith only a short while. So Paul instructs them in some basics of leaders and followers.

A. The Three Responsibilities of Church Leaderhip - 5:12-13

The work of church leadership – the five-fold ministry as stated in Eph. 4:11 - is summarized in a threefold description which includes:

1. Laboring - 5:12a, “who labor among you” - Leaders are recognized not by their title but by their service. Laboring is a strong word, used for manual labor that works to the point of fatigue. Pastoral ministry is often stressful, time consuming, emotionally draining, involving service and sacrifice.

2. Overseeing - 5:12b, “and are over you in the Lord” – The second function of leadership designates some measure of authority. The Greek word literally means "to take the lead." It is the same word used in Rom 12:8 and translated there "he who leads." Too often, authority is seen as power rather than responsibility.

3. Admonishing – 5:12c, “and admonish you” – Admonish is from nouthetēs and this from nous (mind) and tithēmi, to put. Putting sense into the heads of people. Pastor A. J. Gordon (1836-95) half-way joking classified some church members as figureheads, soreheads, and deadheads. I think I would add some more to his list, hotheads, meatheads, knuckleheads!

B. The Three Requirements of Church Members Toward the Leadership - 5:12-13

1. Recognize the Leader’s Calling – “And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you,” (NKJV). This does not mean simple face recognition, but that the people are to literally know their pastors well enough to have an intimate appreciation for them and to respect them because of their value.
2. Respect the Leader’s Work – 5:13b, “and to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake.” Congregations are to think rightly and lovingly of their pastors, not because of their charm or personality, but because of the fact that they work for the Chief Shepherd as His special servants.
3. Relay Your Love for Them and Their Work - 5:13, “and to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. Be at peace among yourselves.”

The result of the church family following the spiritual leaders will be peace and harmony in the church: “And be at peace among yourselves” (1Th_5:13). Whenever you find division and dissension in a local church, it is usually because of selfishness and sin on the part of the leaders, or the members, or both. James 4:1-3 makes it clear that selfishness on the inside leads to strife on the outside. It is only as we submit to one another in the Lord that we can enjoy His blessing, and peace in the family.

2. The Fellowship Does Their Ministry Lovingly – 5:14-15

“And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.”

A Gospel Church is a people of ministry and not just religious activity. The church's ministry is three-fold - Upward to God in Exaltation; Inward to Herself in Edification; and Outward to the World in Evangelization!  Upreach to God in adoring worship; Inreach to one another in loving works; and Outreach to others in redeeming witness. 

Paul lists 3 types of persons in the church at Thessalonica that needed ministry.

1. The Disorderly – 5:14a, “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly…”(NKJV).

Dr. A.T. Robertson says the word, unruly, or disorderly or idle, means to “put sense into the unruly mob who break ranks (“Ataktos” – the a privative and taktos, verbal adjective of tassō, to keep military order).

So the word mean those who are “careless, out of line”, like a soldier who would not keep rank but insisted on marching to the beat of his own drum.

2. The Discouraged – 5:14b, “…encourage the fainthearted…” The literal translation of the Greek word is “little-souled, fainthearted.” These are the quitters in the church family. They always look on the dark side of things and give up when the going is tough. In families where there are three or more children, usually one of them is a quitter. Every church family has its share of quitters too.

These people need to be encouraged, which is the meaning of the word translated “comfort” in the King James Version. It is also found in 1Thess 2:11.

3. The Disenfranchised – 5:14c, “ help the weak,” (By disenfranchised I mean those that are “marginalized”, those who feel they never belong because of various reasons.) Who are these weak believers? The reference is to moral and spiritual weakness. Paul didn’t mean people who were weak physically, since he was dealing with the spiritual ministry in the church. No, he was referring to those who were “weak in the faith” and had not grown strong in the Lord (Rom. 14:1-15:3).

The NKJV uses the word “uphold” the weak. The word to "uphold" the weak paints a beautiful picture. It comes from a word meaning "to hold before or against." It is the picture of a person keeping oneself face to face with someone, holding on to them. Instead of rejecting or belittling the weak, the Christian fellowship should be the place where a "buddy system" can be developed for them. By that I mean, “a cooperative arrangement whereby individuals are paired or teamed up and assume responsibility for one another's instruction, productivity, welfare, or safety.”

They key to dealing with these different type persons is found in 5:14c, “be patient with all.” 

Finally, don’t seek revenge for wrongs experienced. 1Thess. 5:15, “See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.”

3. Their Worship Exalts Their Heavenly Father Passionately and Perpetually – 5:16-22

Paul moves his thoughts from the issues of the Thessalonians' interpersonal relationships with one another to their spiritual relationship with God. He gives a series of seven imperatives, all of which are stated in the present tense, calling for continuous action. Because they are in the imperative, they are clearly meant to be commands and not suggestions.

What is the priority of the church? It isn't just reaching people with the gospel, doing ministry, providing programs for education and entertainment, or providing a good environment for socializing with other good people. Almighty God, alone, and ministry to him, i.e. worship, must occupy the place of ultimate and absolute priority by the church.

What will this look like?  We will just let the Scriptures tell us the practical appearance of daily worship of our Father without comment:

1. Rejoice always – 5:16
2. Pray without ceasing – 5:17
3. Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. – 5:18
4. Do not quench the Spirit. – 5:19 
5. Do not despise prophecies, - 5:20
6. Test everything; hold fast what is good. – 5:21
7. Abstain from every form of evil. – 5:22

The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever beginning right now! Our reason for being is to glorify the God who made us by experiencing His life through the Lord Jesus Christ, and enjoying Him, by the power of the Holy Spirit, in a love relationship that will last forever!

How do we do this? We glorify God, or place supreme worth and value in Him, by putting His goodness, truth, beauty, love, and wisdom on display through our loving Him, worshipping Him, trusting Him, and being thankful to Him in all things.

Lord, help us to be a gospel church!