Your Daily Devotional for May 24, 2006

May 24, 2006 

 

A Mighty Church of Faith

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

“We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father.”

 

1 Thessalonians 1:2-3

 

As we delve into God’s Word this morning, let’s take a look at the church of Thessalonica.  The church of Thessalonica was indeed a mighty church. As the Apostle Paul writes to the Thessalonians, he remembers some of the tremendous attributes displayed by this church. Paul does not consider their location, the size of the city or its demographics. Instead, Paul remembers the mighty church of Thessalonica because they followed God by faith.

 

When Paul remembered the church of Thessalonica, he thought of their work of faith. The Bible tells specifically about this tremendous church and their mighty attributes when it says, “remembering without ceasing your work of faith.” Notice that Paul does not just remember their work; he remembers their “work of faith.”

 

Let us remember today, that if we will please God and progress for God in the twenty-first century, we must have the same faith that was demonstrated in the church of Thessalonica. It takes faith to live for God in every generation. It takes faith to leave the familiar, to follow the Saviour, to serve from the heart, to knock on a door, to share the Gospel, to build buildings, and it takes faith to build families. Paul said, “When I think of the church of Thessalonica, I remember their work of faith.”

 

Paul also said that when he remembered this church, he considered their walk. The Bible indicates that the church followed the spiritual leadership in their midst. I believe today one of the reasons that Satan will try so hard to discredit the leadership of the church is because Satan knows that God will often bless a church proportionately to their responsiveness to the leadership in the church. Hebrews 13:7 says, “Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow.”

 

You may not always understand the direction in which the spiritual leadership in your life is headed, but when you are being lead towards the Lord Jesus Christ, the right thing to do is just to walk on with the spiritual leader and to go forward for Him. We realize that spiritual leaders are leaders and not lords, they are servants not saviours, they are guides and not gods but they are God ordained in the church. When the church at Thessalonica saw these leaders, the Bible says that they “became followers of us,” but notice the next phrase, “and of the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 1:6). This mighty church was being directed to a closer walk with the Lord Jesus Christ as they followed God and the leaders He had placed in their lives.

 

Will you notice also the way this church witnessed? Paul recalled the great witness of this church as the Bible says in verse eight that they, “sounded out the word of the Lord.” Paul told the Thessalonican church that not only in “Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad.” What a great testimony this church had! Their faith had become known throughout every region.

 

A mighty church is a church that has faith in God. Paul said, “When I remember that church, I remember their walk and work of faith.” What will somebody remember when they think of you? I want to encourage you to learn a simple lesson from the church at Thessalonica—have faith in God, honor the spiritual leadership He has placed in your life, and then sit back and rejoice in the blessings He pours upon you as you follow Him in obedience.

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