Pursuing Church Family Partnership and Worship
As a church family, we ought to be pursuing:
Family Partnership
1 Thessalonians 5:14-16 says:
14 And we exhort you, brothers and sisters: warn those who are idle, comfort the discouraged, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 See to it that no one repays evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good for one another and for all. 16 Rejoice always,
Paul uses the word “exhort” here in verse 14. Your translation might say “urge.” But it’s stronger than, “I’ve got a suggestion for you,” or “Here’s my recommendation…” Paul’s saying, “These things are not optional. The church is a partnership. We’re in this together. So, let’s do all we can to minister to one another.”
And then Paul lists certain people in the church who need special attention.
He talks about those who are idle. “Idle” can also mean disruptive or out of line. In fact, it’s a military term, and the idea is being out of step with the rest of the unit. So, imagine soldiers who are marching in unison, but one soldier is out of line. It’s very noticeable. In fact, he’s disrupting his unit. Everybody is impacted because one person is being disruptive or idle. He’s messing with the unit’s mission. Paul tells us to warn those who are out of line or disruptive. You can’t try to deal with disruptive people by trying to make them happy or giving in to their wishes and demands. They’re just gonna keep doing it. And you definitely can’t ignore people who are disruptive and hope the problem or person goes away. He says we ought to warn them. God has given us a mission to seek and save the lost. There’s no time for disruptiveness. There’s no time for idleness. The mission is too important.
Next, he talks about the discouraged. These are the ones who are tired, worn out, burned out, and have lost all courage to keep going. These are the ones who always see the dark side of things and give up when the going gets tough. Maybe it’s because of life events, the season they’re in, or they’re just struggling. Our role, as brothers and sisters, is to identify, encourage, and help those who are disheartened and tired.
We visit them when they end up in the hospital.
We comfort the lonely in the nursing homes.
We write an encouraging note to someone who lost a loved one.
We take groceries to the home where a parent just lost his job.
Paul says, “This should be happening in the church.” And it’s not just up to the elders or the trained professionals to take care of them. We’re all called to reach out and minister to those in our church family who really need it.
Then Paul talks about the weak. He’s not talking about being physically tired. This is a spiritual weakness where they feel like they can’t go on. They might stop coming to church… They might stop attending your Bible study… They might drop out of serving… Paul challenges us to not give up on them. The word for “help” here can be translated as “to hold firmly” or “don’t let them fall.” They may have lost their grip on you, but you’re not going to lose your grip on them. You’re not gonna give up on them. In fact, you’re gonna do all you can to get them back.
How we should minister to those with special needs:
Be patient
Watch your motives
Be joyful
He says, “Always pursue what is good for others.” He’s not saying, “Just give it your best shot.” He’s saying, “Strive for this. Get after it. Make it your mission to do what is good for everyone.”
Now, I don’t know if you know this or not, but verse 16 is the shortest verse in the Bible. Some of you are like, “I thought John 11:35 was the shortest verse in the Bible – Jesus wept.” It is in the English. But the shortest verse in the Bible in the original Greek is right here, 1 Thessalonians 5:16, “Rejoice always.”
But what does this mean – Rejoice always? Does it mean I always have to be upbeat, always have a smile on my face, and always have a spring in my step? That would get pretty exhausting.
I think the contrast between this verse, rejoice always, and John 11:35, Jesus wept, is important here. Can you weep and rejoice? Can you grieve and still have joy? Can you cry while rejoicing always? The answer is, “Yes!” Rejoice always isn’t this constant, annoying, giddy laughter, or fake smile where you go around pretending to be somebody you’re not.
Maybe you grew up in a church where you were kind of taught to always feel great no matter what was going on. You’re out in the lobby, and maybe the conversation goes like this:
“Hey! How are you doing?”
“Great! How are you?”
“Great! How’s your marriage?”
“Oh, so great! How’s yours?”
“Great! How’s your family?”
“Great! How’s yours?”
“Great!”
And we go back and forth as if we don’t have any challenges or struggles, thinking that’s what it means to rejoice always.
Part of our vision here at The Hill is to become a church of real people. We’re allowed to have struggles and challenges and troubles in our lives. To rejoice always means that despite those struggles, we’ve got peace and hope that gives us joy – a real hope that comes only in knowing Jesus. We may not always be happy, but we can always be joyful knowing we’re living our lives every moment for the Lord.
2. Family Worship
1 Thessalonians 5:17-23 says:
17 pray constantly, 18 give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 19 Don’t stifle the Spirit. 20 Don’t despise prophecies, 21 but test all things. Hold on to what is good. 22 Stay away from every kind of evil. 23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. And may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Let me give you a few key phrases here. If we’re gonna be a worshipful family, then we must be…
A praying church
For the second time, Paul says, “This is God’s will for you.” Maybe for you, when you think of God’s will, you think of answering questions like: Whom does God want me to marry? Where does God want me to go to college? Does God want me to start on this certain project? Which direction does God want me to go?
It’s as if we’re at an intersection, and we’re not sure what to do. Should I turn left? Should I turn right? Or should I just keep going straight? And we’re asking God, “Okay, Lord, which way do you want me to go? What’s your will for me?”
But I think most times God’s right there with you saying, “It doesn’t really matter which way you go. It’s your decision. No matter which path you choose, I will go with you. I just want you to honor me.” God’s will is more about who you are on the path than which path you should take.
And this area of prayer that’s God’s will for us is a topic we’ve been discussing among our leaders here at The Hill. Our goal is to be more than just a church that prays. We want to be a praying church. This is God’s will for us. So, we’re looking at ways to become a praying church.
The next key phrase is…
A praising church
Again, this is God’s will for you – to always be thankful and praising no matter the circumstances.
I want you to see this story of Paul and Silas from Acts chapter 16. They’re dragged into the marketplace because the people are upset with their Christian ways. Look what happens…
22 The crowd joined in the attack against them, and the chief magistrates stripped off their clothes and ordered them to be beaten with rods. 23 After they had severely flogged them, they threw them in jail, ordering the jailer to guard them carefully. 24 Receiving such an order, he put them into the inner prison and secured their feet in the stocks.
So, Paul and Silas have just been beaten, dragged off to jail, and chained by their feet. Look what happens next…
25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God…
They’re beaten, bruised, and bloodied up. Instead of wallowing in their pain and sorrow, they’re praying, singing, and praising God. And if you’ve read the story, then you know they end up leading the jailer and his entire family to Jesus. May our praise of Jesus Christ, our Savior, be so bold even in times of pain and suffering that someone comes to know Jesus.
The last phrase is:
A Godly church
Paul says, “Don’t stifle the Spirit.” The NIV says, “Do not quench the Spirit.”
That’s a scary thought. There’s a relational dynamic between the church and the Holy Spirit where we can throw water on the Holy Spirit’s fire; that somehow through our fear, pride, or lack of faith, we can quench the work the Spirit wants to accomplish. May we never do that.
May we never bind the Holy Spirit by the red tape of organization.
May we never restrict the Holy Spirit to the boundaries that we call our comfort zone or our personal preferences.
May we never tie up the Holy Spirit with our traditions.
May we never inhibit the Holy Spirit by our inhibitions in worship.
May we never constrain him by the constraints we call planning and programming.
May we never confine him to a building we call the church.
May we fuel the fire of the Holy Spirit through Godly living; that he will find us blameless when he returns.
“Blameless when he returns.” How? 1 Thessalonians 5:24 says…
24 He who calls you is faithful; he will do it.
After all these challenges, Paul doesn’t say, “You can do it.” He says, “God will make this happen.”
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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.