Worship Is A Family Matter - 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28 Worship encourages us to become like Christ in character and conduct! Paul’s saw the local church as a family. Each person was born again by the Spirit of God and possessed God’s nature (1 Pet. 1:22-25; 2 Pet. 1:3-4). They all were part of God’s family. In fact, his favorite name for believers was brethren. He used this phrase 60 times in his epistles; twenty seven times in the two Thessalonians. In this section, Paul discusses how to make our church more spiritual to the glory of God. The child of God needs the church family if he is to grow, develop his gifts and serve God. It is tragic if a child of God neglects or ignores the local church. In this section, Paul discusses how to make our church more spiritual to the glory of God. Family Leadership (1 Thes. 5:12-13) Without leadership, a family falls apart. God’s order in the house is • Father is the head of the home • Mother stands with him in love and cooperation • Children are to obey their parents Unfortunately, in our society, counselors have gradually replaced the leadership and guidance that only parents can give. Counseling is good but it should never be a substitute for the nurture that a home supplies. It is true that we are “all one in Christ” (Gal. 3:28); but it is also true that the Head of the church has given gifts to people, and then given these people to the churches to exercise His will (Eph. 4:7-16). Just as the family needs a leader, so does the flock needs a shepherd (1 Pet. 5:1-5). What responsibilities do the brethren have toward their spiritual leaders? • Accept them as God’s servants. • Appreciate them: “know them who labor among you.” Pray for them, work for them and encourage them. • Love them: As brothers, the leaders are among us in the Lord; as leaders, they are above us in the Lord. “Among” and “Over” us relationship demands grace and power. If he becomes a buddy as some members want, his authority is weakened. On the other hand, if he emphasizes only his authority, he could become a selfish dictator. If he gets out of balance, his ministry will be weakened and possibly destroyed. • Obey them: “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves” (Heb. 13:17). The result of the church family following the spiritual leaders will be at peace and harmony in the church (1 Thes. 5:13). Submission to one another in the Lord brings peace and blessing while the contrary leads to dissension (Jam. 4:1-3). Family Partnership (1 Thes. 5:14-16) • Family members must learn to minister to each other. • The older members should teach & encourage the younger members (Tit. 2:3-5). • Spiritual leaders must equip members to do the work of the ministry. Spiritual leaders in the church should equip the members to do work of the ministry. Some pay the preacher to do all the works. So, the vision gradually becomes weak and dies. Family members who needed help • The Unruly (v. 14a): “careless, out of line.” This is a description applicable to a soldier who would not keep his rank but insisted on marching his own way. Family love atmosphere encourages development and growth, but there are some things that we must all do in the same way (2 Thes. 3:6, 11). Without rules and standards, there will be chaos. • The Feebleminded (v. 14b): “Little-souled fainthearted.” These are the quitters in the church family. They always look at the dark side of things and give up when the going is tough. They need to be comforted (encouraged). The phrase “comfort” (KJV) is made up of two words “para” (near) & “muthos” (speech). Instead of scolding them from afar, we must move closer and speak tenderly. • The Weak (v. 14c). The literal expression here is “Hold fast to the weak!” “Don’t let them fall!” He was referring to those weak in the faith that had not grown strong in the Lord (Rom. 14:1-15:3). Weak Christians are afraid of the liberty in Christ; in the Roman assemblies, they lived by rules and regulations and were still bound to Jewish holidays. They must be handled with patience and reassuring love! In other words, take hold of weaker believers and help them stand and walk in the Lord. Encouragement for Personal Ministry • Be Patient (v. 14d). It takes patience to raise a family. • Watch your motives (v. 15; Rom. 12:17-21). Due to repeated rejection, criticism and disappointments, there is a tendency to develop the propensity that gravitates towards vengeance and bitterness. But you must keep serving in love. Actually, your motive should not be to be to be appreciated because you will be disappointed, but “ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Cor. 4:5). • Be Joyful (v. 16). Why? Joy takes burden out of service. • Fruit of the Spirit: Love (1 Thes. 5:13; Joy (1 Thes. 5:16); Peace (1 Thes. 5:13), and Long-suffering (1 Thes. 5:14). They come as we yield ourselves to the Spirit and allow Him to control us. Are you bearing your share of the burdens, or are you merely a spectator who watches the others do the job? Family Worship (1 Thes. 5:17-28) Ministry must flow out of worship or else it becomes activities without power and without heart. There may be results but they will not glorify the Father or readily last. Many churches have activities that cater to members’ appetites only. • Prayer (v. 17). A vital component of early church (1 Cor. 11:1-6; Acts 1:13-14; 4:23). “Pray without ceasing” means “constantly reoccurring,” not continuously occurring. It should be a long conversation that cannot be broken with God. • Praise (v. 18). We employ “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” (Eph. 5:19) to express our love and gratitude to the Lord. As we grow in our application of the Word of God, we must also grow in our expression of praise, simultaneously (Col. 3:16). • The Word of God (vv. 19-21). Unless there is spiritual truth, the Holy Spirit is not at work. The early church did not have the complete Bible as we do right now. Early church preached the truth immediately (prophecy, tongues and knowledge) as moved by the Holy Spirit. The spiritual knowledge was given to them by the Spirit, and often they spoke in tongues. But we preach “mediately” by means of the Bible. “Quench” Do not grieve the Spirit or quench the fire of the Spirit in your heart by cultivating the sins of attitude: “Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Eph. 4:25-32). Paul pictured the Spirit of God as fire (Acts 2:3; Rev. 4:5; Isa. 4:5). Fire speaks of purity, power, light, warmth, and if necessary destruction. When Holy Spirit is at work in our lives and churches, we have warmth of love in our hearts, lights for our minds, and energy of love for our wills. He melts us together so that there is harmony and cooperation; and He purifies us that we may put away sin. The fire must not go out on the altar of our hearts; we must maintain that devotion to Christ that motivates and energizes our lives. We must avoid extremes as the legalist and formalist would put the fire out, while the fanatic would permit the fire to burn everything up. Godly living (vv. 22-24) What is worship? “For to worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open up the heart to the love of God, to devote the will to the purpose of God.” William Temple, late Archbishop of Canterbury Worship encourages us to become like Christ in character and conduct. A balanced Christian life “abstain from all appearance of evil” (1 Thes. 5:22) by walking in holiness and genuine sanctification. Paul said, “And the very God of peace sanctify you” (1 Thes. 5:23). Sanctify means “set apart for God’s exclusive use.” Some like to divide this aspect of sanctification into personal sanctification (Heb. 10:10), practical sanctification (2 Cor. 7:1) & perfect sanctification (1 Jn. 3:2). Christian Fellowship (vv. 25-28) After the corporate worship is ended, the saints minister one to another. They greet one another and seek to encourage one another. Fellowship is a part of worship. Finally, read the Word personally and hear the Word in the fellowship of the local assembly for broader experience that produces stability and inner strength. Worship encourages us to become like Christ in character and conduct.
Posted on: Thu, 20 Jun 2013 05:05:10 +0000
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