Abounding More and More, Part 1 (The Christian Life)

1 Thessalonians 4:1-12 

Thessalonica, is the second-largest city in Greece, with a population of 1.105 million in 2019. It is the capital of Greek Macedonia, the administrative region of Central Macedonia and the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace. It was founded in 315 BC by Cassander of Macedon, who named it for his wife Thessalonike, half-sister of Alexander the Great. Thessalonica was an important metropolis of the Roman Empire. In the Byzantine Empire, it was a secondary capital alongside Constantinople. It still has a nickname that translates into English as "the co-capital." Thessalonica fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1430 and remained under Turkish control until November 8, 1912, during the First Balkan War, when it became part of the Kingdom of Greece. Today, the city is renowned for its monuments from various cultures, festivals, and events, and is Greece's cultural capital.1

We are interested in this ancient city because Paul wrote a letter to the church there in about 59 A.D.

After establishing the first church in Macedonia in Philippi, Paul visited Thessalonica, the capital city of Macedonia. Persecution forced Paul to go from Philippi to Thessalonica, but this was according to God’s plan. Since Thessalonica was the center of trade and government for the province of Macedonia, the gospel quickly spread from there throughout all of Macedonia. 

Paul wanted to stay and minister in Thessalonica, but persecution forced him to leave the Thessalonians after only a few weeks. This very young church showed exceptional growth and maturity, but it still needed much training and teaching. For this reason, Paul wrote the letter to the Thessalonians, which we are studying today.

This letter is affectionate and full of foundational teachings of the Faith. In the last part of chapter two and through chapter three, Paul repeatedly expresses his great desire to see the Thessalonians face to face. This desire came from the need for them to be established in their faith. When we looked at this last week, we saw that Paul demonstrated the importance of building each other up by his:

1. Effort
2. Action
3. Prayer
4. Passion

Encouraging each other and building each other up is a fundamental part of who we are as believers in Christ.

Throughout the letter, Paul tells the Thessalonians how well they are doing. He praises their testimony and the good reports he hears about them. In chapter four, verses one through twelve, he tells them to continue to abound still more and more.

By emphasizing their need to continue to increase, Paul shows us that we are expected to grow. We are saved by grace. We are saved by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. When we confess our sins and ask for God’s forgiveness, we are forgiven. Nothing is required except faith, believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. However, once we are born to new life in Jesus, we must continue and grow.

This process of growth is called sanctification. It is the process of becoming more like Christ.  Sanctification means the process of being set apart for God. As believers, we must grow and become more like our Savior.

In 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12, Paul commends the Thessalonians for their growth. He recognizes that they are progressing in sanctification and encourages them to continue increasing (or abounding). He names three areas for them to grow in sanctification.

1. Pleasing God
2. Sexual Purity
3. Brotherly Love

Look at 1 Thessalonians 4:1 and consider the emphasis Paul puts on continuing in the process of sanctification.

1 Thessalonians 4:1 (NKJV) ¹Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; 

Notice the words “urge and exhort.” Paul is stressing this as being very important. In the strongest language he can find, Paul says, “DO THIS!”

1 Thessalonians is a letter focusing on the basics. Neglecting any part of what Thessalonians teaches is to miss out on something essential. Paul’s urging and exhorting stress the critical nature of what he is saying.

Now, notice the words “you should” and “you ought.”

These words alert us to the fact that this is not a passive acceptance of something. There is something we must do. Action is required. Our efforts do not save us, but our participation in our sanctification is essential. We cannot grow without work. God is at work in us, and we must participate. We must work out our salvation with fear and trembling.

Philippians 2:12 (NKJV) ¹²Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;

The purpose or goal of working out our salvation is our sanctification. We are saved when we believe in Jesus. However, when we believe we begin the process of sanctification. This process of sanctification is the “should” and “ought” of Paul’s urging.

1 Thessalonians 4:2 says,

1 Thessalonians 4:2 (NKJV) ²for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

Notice the word “commandments.” The Lord Jesus gave commandments. For example, in John 13:34, He says, “A new commandment I give to you that you love one another.” Jesus also said,

Matthew 5:17 (ESV) ¹⁷“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

We know from Romans 8:4 that the righteous requirements of the Law are met in those who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the Law, and because of this, we are not under law but grace. This means that we do not need to earn merit with God. We cannot earn merit with God because our flesh is weak, and we are imperfect.  Jesus won all our merit with God at the Cross. 

However, as New Testament believers, we have been given a different set of commands, not a list of do’s and don’ts but a way to walk and to live. We are told to walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit. We are told to love one another.

The commands that Jesus and the Apostles gave are harder than a list of do’s and don’ts, because these commands deal with heart attitudes.  We please God by walking by faith. Hebrews 11:6 explains that without faith, it is impossible to please God. Pleasing God begins with walking by faith. We start by believing in Jesus. We believe that His death, burial, and resurrection was sufficient to save us from our sins and that we have new life in His name. Because of this faith, we obey the rest of His commands, the greatest of which is love. Because of our love for God and our faith in Him, we live life yielding our bodies to His Spirit (check out Romans 6).

Paul tells the Thessalonians to abound more and more. They were living and walking by the Spirit, and Paul is urging them to continue. 

As believers, we must make it our goal to please God in everything. This was Paul’s goal. This was the goal he urged on the Thessalonians and was passed down to us. Pleasing God is the first aspect of the process of sanctification in which we must continue to grow.

The second aspect that we must continue to grow in is sexual purity.

1 Thessalonians 4:3 says,

1 Thessalonians 4:3 (NKJV) ³For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality;

The Scriptures single out sexual immorality. 1 John 2 tells us that the world consists of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life. So, why pick on this one area?

We find the answer in 1 Corinthians 6.

1 Corinthians 6:18 (NKJV) ¹⁸Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. 

“Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but...” this statement points out that there is something unique about sexual sin. That exceptional quality is explained in 1 Corinthians 6:16.

1 Corinthians 6:16 (NKJV) ¹⁶Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For “the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.” 

In the sex act, two are made one. Our culture treats the casual hookup as if it is reasonable and natural. But God created sex for the joining of husband and wife, and we harm ourselves by treating it casually. In 1 Corinthians 6:17, the Scriptures compare this joining to what happens when we are united with Christ. It says, “he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.” 

In addition to the issue of two being joined together uniquely and powerfully, 1 Corinthians says our bodies belong to the Lord as His temple. We no longer belong to ourselves.  We have been bought with a price, the blood of Jesus.

Our culture treats sex casually. We think we are wise and enlightened as we study human sexuality and gender. But we have become fools in ignoring God’s design, and we are paying for it in our own bodies.

In 1 Thessalonians, Paul lists several important aspects of sexual purity.

1. Possessing one’s own body in sanctification and honor.
2. Not wronging a fellow believer.
3. Not rejecting God.

Verse 8 is of particular interest.

1 Thessalonians 4:8 (NKJV) ⁸Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit.

Our culture’s morals reflect our rejection of God. This is evident in our sexuality. Gender is no longer clearly defined, and sex is anything two or more consenting individuals want to do. 

As believers, we are called by God to be different, to be pure. 

Sexual purity is closely related to pleasing God. It is part of presenting our bodies to God as living sacrifices.

1 https://turtledove.fandom.com/wiki/Thessalonica_%28City%29. Accessed July 23, 2020. Population figures updated from Wikipedia.

The Communion of the Saints

1 Thessalonians 2:17 - 3:13

Today, I am returning to our study of the letter of Paul to the Thessalonians. As we said at the start, this letter to the Thessalonians was probably the first letter Paul wrote of which we have a copy. In this letter, Paul teaches the basics of the faith.

In the first chapter, Paul states the first steps of becoming a Christian. The content of these first steps as Christians are: 

1. They turned to God from idols.
2. They served God.
3. They expected Jesus to return.
4. They believed in the resurrection, which would also include Jesus’ death and burial.
5. They expected Jesus to deliver them from the wrath to come.

These five steps are a part of anyone who calls himself or herself a Christian.

Next, in the first twelve verses of chapter two, Paul teaches what to look for in those who follow Jesus. These marks are: 

1. Sincerity
2. Devotion
3. Affection

To be more like Jesus, we must exhibit these marks in our lives and find these marks in the lives of those we follow.

Two weeks ago, we looked at chapter two, verses thirteen through sixteen. In these verses, Paul teaches the two foundations that allow the Church to stand. These are: 

1. The Word of God
2. The Gathering

If we are to stand in a world of persecution, we must not forsake either of these foundations.

Today, we are moving ahead and will be covering the remainder of chapter two and all of chapter three. I have called this message “The Communion of the Saints” because, in this part of his letter, by his example, Paul teaches us that we must build each other up in our faith. This is a lesson that the Thessalonians learned early, and it is a lesson that we, the Church, must never forget. 

The Scriptures teach this in many ways. In the Old Testament, the Jewish household was to teach the children the principles and precepts of the Word of God. The king was to read the Scriptures daily. The whole society was structured to train each individual in the things of God. In the New Testament, the disciple is called upon to imitate Christ. Galatians 6 instructs us to bear one another’s burdens. 

In 1 Thessalonians 2:17 through 1 Thessalonians 3, Paul demonstrates by his efforts, his actions, his prayers, and his passion his commitment to building up the Thessalonians in the faith.

We see the efforts that Paul made in 1 Thessalonians 2:17-20.

Look at what Paul says in verses 17 and 18.

1 Thessalonians 2:17–18 (NKJV) ¹⁷But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavored more eagerly to see your face with great desire. ¹⁸Therefore we wanted to come to you—even I, Paul, time and again—but Satan hindered us.

From these words, we gather that Paul tried but was unable to go back to Thessalonica. Along with these efforts, Paul expresses the value of the Thessalonians. They are his hope, joy, and crown of rejoicing. They are his glory and joy.

Paul proved these words with his life. He gave his life in his effort to visit the Churches. He was traveling from church to church and place to place preaching, teaching, and building up the Body of Christ until he was imprisoned in 65 or 66 A.D. and then executed in 67 A.D.  

Paul’s words to the Thessalonians that they were his hope, joy, and crown were not empty. He lived it.

We all make time for what is important to us. Many of us are prepared to give our lives for those who are really important to us. When God examines your life and mine, what will He think is important to us? When God examines us as a local church, what will He say was important to us?

Look at verse 18 again. Do you see the words “Satan hindered us?” 

Paul’s business with the Thessalonians was important to Satan also, but not for the same reason. Satan did not like what Paul was doing. He opposed Paul’s work until God the Father allowed him to kill Paul. However, Paul’s work and writings live on, and Satan continues to oppose Paul’s work. He tries to destroy the Bible. He tries to destroy the Church. He does everything he can to hinder us, the same way he worked to stop Paul.  In the face of this opposition, we must continue to pray and seek and endeavor the same way Paul did.

In 1 Thessalonians 2:17, Paul tells the Thessalonians he was anxious to see their faces.  In chapter 3, Paul says why seeing their faces was so important, and it is essential to remember that we are to imitate Paul as he imitates Christ. In other words, this earnest desire to “see” other believers must be a part of who we are as followers of Jesus, and it must be part of who we are as a church. It is necessary, and it is essential.

In 1 Thessalonians 3:1-5, Paul begins to reveal what is so vital by the actions he takes.

In 1Thessalonians 3:1-2, he says,

1 Thessalonians 3:1–2 (NKJV) ¹Therefore, when we could no longer endure it, we thought it good to be left in Athens alone, ²and sent Timothy, our brother and minister of God, and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you and encourage you concerning your faith,

According to this, the action Paul took was to send Timothy. Since he could not go, he sent his trusted associate and disciple. He did this even though it cost him. He mentions this cost when he says, “We thought it good to be left in Athens alone.” Paul did not want to be left alone, but it was better to be left alone than to leave the Thessalonians alone. Verse 2 gives the reason this was necessary. The Thessalonians needed to be established and encouraged. Look at verses 3 and 4.

They were harassed, they were under attack, they were persecuted, and, according to verse 5, Paul was afraid “lest by some means the tempter had tempted you.” Just as Satan hindered Paul, Satan opposed the Thessalonians. Satan opposes anything the Son of God is accomplishing through His people. For this reason, believers must be established and encouraged. This establishing and encouraging requires our action. Establishing and encouraging other believers must be a part of who we are as believers. Establishing and encouraging believers is a vital part of who we must be as a church. 

Satan will do everything within his power to hinder this. He will kill us if God allows it. In some parts of the world, God is allowing Satan to kill believers, and He may yet allow it in America. Paul told the Thessalonians to expect afflictions, and we should expect afflictions as well. Jesus said, In the world, you will have tribulation.”

1 Thessalonians 3:6-10 informs us that Timothy returned from Thessalonica with an excellent report. Paul was so comforted by this that he said,

1 Thessalonians 3:8 (NKJV) ⁸For now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord.

I do not know how Paul’s life was tied to the Thessalonians’ standing. I think the best explanation is that the joy of hearing the good news of the Thessalonians’ faith and standing infused new life and energy into the life and work of the Apostle. We see this in what he says about his prayers. Look at 1 Thessalonians 3:10. 

1 Thessalonians 3:10 (NKJV) ¹⁰night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face and perfect what is lacking in your faith?

“Praying exceedingly” means that he increased his earnest petition and prayer way beyond what it had been. 

To my knowledge, Paul never returned to Thessalonica. God had other plans, and because of this, we have the letters of first and second Thessalonians. Paul constantly carried this weight of prayer and longing for all the churches and all the believers he had seen along the way. His burden and prayer were centered on what he tells us in this verse. He desired to “perfect what is lacking in your faith.”

Paul showed the value of building each other up by his efforts, his actions, his prayers, and finally, by his passion.

As we look at 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13, let’s first consider verse 12.

1 Thessalonians 3:12 (NKJV) ¹²And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you,

Increasing and abounding in love is required of us. The Lord commands us to love one another. Paul is pronouncing a benediction. He starts chapter four with, “Finally then, brethren.” In this benediction, he desires that they overflow with love for one another and then continue to increase in that love. Then, he uses himself as an example. He is telling them that he overflows with love for them.

Throughout the whole passage we have looked at today, Paul repeatedly expresses his great desire to see the Thessalonians. In verse 11, he starts by asking that the Lord direct his way to Thessalonica. He expresses his great love in a great yearning to see them face to face. And once again, the reason he is praying in this way is seen in verse 13.

1 Thessalonians 3:13 (NKJV) ¹³so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.

Another consistent theme throughout today’s passage is this desire that the Thessalonians be established and encouraged. Paul invested his life in seeing that the Thessalonians stood firm.

His passion was the people. Seeing them face to face implies that they were not just a gathering, a church, or a flock to Paul. They were precious individuals that he loved very much. 

This is the way Jesus is. He tried to tell us that in the parable of the Good Shepherd. Jesus said that the shepherd made sure 99 sheep were safe in the sheepfold and then went out looking for one lost sheep. With this illustration, Jesus taught that each person is precious, each person is to be loved, and each person is to be cared for. To say this another way, you are Jesus’ passion. You individually, not just as a member of a body, but you individually are Jesus’ passion. He died for you, He pursued you, and He brought you to this place. He desires that you stand and that you be established and encouraged.

Paul was an example of this. He showed by his effort, his action, his prayer, and his passion that the establishing and encouraging of the saints was of utmost importance.

Jesus said:

John 13:35 (NKJV) ³⁵By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.

Can we call ourselves His disciples if we do not have love for each other?

Do we show our love by our effort, our action, our prayer, and our passion?

How important to us is it that our brothers and sisters in Christ are established and built up?

Building the Body

1 Thessalonians 2:13-16

Paul and Silas enjoyed great success in Thessalonica, even though they were there for only a short time. In the first part of 1 Thessalonians 2, Paul expresses how affectionately they treated the Thessalonians, how hard they labored among the Thessalonians, and the appeal they made while in Thessalonica.

For Paul and Silas, their work in Thessalonica was a labor of love. The Apostle explains their labor in 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12.

 ...as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children, that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory. (I Thessalonians 2:11-12 NKJV)

The Apostle and his companion, Silas, exhorted, comforted, and charged the people of Thessalonica. They did this because they loved the people of Thessalonica. Paul expresses this great affection in the words “as a father does his own children.” 

From describing their labor and affection, the Apostle transitions to expressing gratitude for the fruit of their labor. In 1 Thessalonians 2:13-16, the Apostle Paul says, “For this reason we also thank God without ceasing.” The reason they are thanking God is for the results of their work. These results are seen in the statement:

 ...because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe. (I Thessalonians 2:13 NKJV)

The reason for their thanksgiving was the way the Thessalonians received the Word of God. In chapter one, the letter expresses the Apostle’s great gratitude for the evidence of the Thessalonians’ election by God. Next, in the first part of chapter two, Paul reminds the Thessalonians how the truth was communicated to them with great sincerity and affection. Now, as he continues, Paul gets down to the foundation of their faith. At this point, he speaks to the basis of faith rather than the content. He explains how the Thessalonians’ attitude toward the word of God and the Church became the foundation of a triumphant Church. He also speaks of how viciously the world opposed the work of the Lord and how courageously the Thessalonians stood against that persecution. 

There is a direct connection between the foundation the Thessalonians built their faith upon and their ability to stand in the face of opposition. Today, we are considering the foundation that enabled them to stand. As our world opposes the Church more and more, we need to stand, and to stand, we need a firm foundation. We need what the Thessalonians had, and we have the same foundation if we hold onto it. 

The first part of the foundation the Thessalonians built on was the word of God.

1 Thessalonians 2:13 says:

For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe. (I Thessalonians 2:13 NKJV)

The Thessalonians received the word of God, which they heard from Paul and Silas. There are several examples in the New Testament, where people received the word of God.

When Jesus walked with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, the book of Luke tells us:

“And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. (Luke 24:27 NKJV)

Jesus, the Son of God, used the Scriptures to expound the things concerning Himself. Every word spoken by Jesus was the word of God, and yet He used references to Moses and the Prophets.

When Philip met the Ethiopian eunuch on the road in the wilderness, Acts tells us:

Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. (Acts 8:35 NKJV)

The Scripture referenced here is Isaiah 53, which is one of the most explicit passages in the Old Testament telling us about Jesus.

Jesus and the Apostles used the Old Testament Scriptures to teach and to preach. When Paul says they received the word of God as the word of God, He is referring to the Thessalonians receiving the message of Scripture. This is consistent with the way Paul and Silas presented the gospel.

Acts 17 tells us:

Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures... (Acts 17:1-2 NKJV)

The people Paul and Silas went to were in the synagogue, and so they were familiar with the Scriptures and considered the Scriptures to be the word of God. Thus, it was natural that Paul and Silas reasoned with them from the Scriptures.

Acts 17:4 tells us that a great multitude of the Greeks who were in the synagogue were persuaded along with a good number of the leading women. However, the Jews who were not persuaded were the ones who stirred up trouble and forced Paul and Silas to leave Thessalonica. From Thessalonica, Paul and Silas traveled to Berea, where Acts tells us:

These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. (Acts 17:11 NKJV)

The teaching of the Apostles and even of Jesus was based on the Scriptures. Basing their teaching on the Scriptures gave those they taught an objective source that they could examine for themselves to check the truth of what they were being told. This is what the Bereans did. They searched the Scriptures to see if the things taught were so.

At the time of Moses, those who were at Mount Sinai had no question as to whether or not God was speaking because they could see the presence of God. Even so, some of them rebelled and died for it. So, when they received the Scriptures, they accepted them for being the word of God.

This is a distinguishing mark of all Scripture. To be included in the Bible, one of the tests a book has to have passed is that it had to be accepted and recognized as the word of God from the moment it was written. For every book of the Bible, we have historical evidence of its acceptance as Scripture dating back to ancient times. The historical evidence for the reliability of the Scriptures is overwhelming. No other book in the world can make the historical claims that the Bible can make. 

However, the historical evidence is not the only evidence the Thessalonians had. 1 Thessalonians 2:13 also says:

  which also effectively works in you who believe.

The word of God changes lives. Reading “Moby Dick” or “Gone with the Wind” may be entertaining, but it will not change a person’s life like the word of God. Hebrews 4:12 tells us:

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12 NKJV)

Other books claim to be life-changing. For example, the “Book of Mormon” and the “Koran” claim to be life-changing.  And they may be life-changing. However, they do not have the historical backing of their veracity. Quite the opposite, they contradict recorded history. So, although they have subjective evidence, they lack objective evidence. 

The Bible is the only book of its kind. No other books claiming to come from God are supported by evidence in the same way.

The Scriptures are the first foundation mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 2. 1 Thessalonians 2:14 gives the next foundation.

For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus. For you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, just as they did from the Judeans, (I Thessalonians 2:14 NKJV)

Saying that the foundation of the Church is the Church, but underlying the imitation of the churches of God is the principle of gathering together. The word used in the New Testament for “Church” means “the gathering.” The strength of the Church is found in this gathering together. We know that there is strength in numbers, but many who claim to be believers do not gather with other believers. Hebrews 10:24-25 tells us to gather together to strengthen each other. Then it tells us not to forsake the gathering as some do. Here is exactly what it says:

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24-25 NKJV)

Even in the earliest days of the Church, for whatever reason, some stopped gathering with other believers, and Scripture explicitly says DO NOT DO THIS!

Not every gathering is good. Even in the earliest days of the Church, the New Testament warned of those who preach the gospel for gain and those who seek to lead others astray for one reason or another.

Some gatherings do not preach the gospel and thus lead people astray. The way to distinguish which gatherings are good and which are bad, we need to be like the Bereans and search the Scriptures to make sure that the teaching is true.

There is only one Church, but there are many denominations. Generally speaking, the denomination does not determine if a gathering is good or bad. Denominations exist mainly because, as humans, we have differences. 

For example, I like bacon. Now, I am not sure whether or not to believe it, but I have heard that people exist who do not like bacon. So naturally, I attend a church that does not forbid bacon. 

All joking aside, it should be evident to us why a person who only speaks Spanish would find it difficult to attend this church every Sunday. Language and culture influence our choice of which gathering to attend. However, differences in language and culture do not have anything to do with whether a group is good or bad. A church, or gathering, is measured by its faithfulness to the word of God and the gospel.

Language and culture are not the only ways in which we differ. Some churches have a liturgy, and some do not. Some churches have loud celebrations on Sunday mornings, and others have quiet celebrations. Some of these differences are based on doctrinal issues. We may interpret Scriptures differently in places than our brothers and sisters. However, they are our brothers and sisters. As long as they preach the death, burial, resurrection, and return of our Lord Jesus, and salvation through Jesus alone, they are our brothers and sisters. 

And we all share this in common, we gather.

When the Thessalonians believed, they gathered together. That is what we do. It happens all over the world. It happens in secret when governments forbid it. It has happened throughout history. It started with Jesus gathering His disciples and continued through Acts to this very day.

Some stop gathering because of bad experiences. If you are one who has stopped gathering with other believers, may I address you directly? Find a different place, but do not stop gathering. I am going to say something judgmental and harsh. I know it is judgmental and harsh. For two thousand years, believers have found a way to gather even under the severest persecution. So, if you cannot find a body with which to gather, you need to seriously examine where you are in your relationship with God.

The word of God and gathering together served as foundations for the Thessalonians and enabled them to stand despite persecution. The word of God and gathering together still serve as foundations that allow us to stand despite persecution. 

We must hold on to both if we are to stand.