One can never underestimate the importance of the local church. It is through local churches all around the world that God carries out His purposes in the world today. The church is the vehicle through which God’s Kingdom purposes are advanced. As Paul expresses his love for the church at Thessalonica we learn how Paul sent Timothy to establish and strengthen the church. The Bible Guide says, “Paul has been anxious about the Christians at Thessalonica, in case persecution and temptation have snatched away their faith. As he has been unable to visit them himself, he has sent Timothy on his behalf. Timothy has returned with the wonderful news that they are well, faithful—and longing to see him! Paul wishes all the more that he could go back to teach and encourage them.”[1] The Bible Knowledge Commentary gives further information on Paul’s travels in connection with the church at Thessalonica. “Circumstances prohibited Paul from returning to Thessalonica personally, so he and Silas decided to send Timothy back to encourage the saints. Evidently Paul traveled from Berea to Athens without the companionship of Timothy and Silas. When he reached Athens he sent word back to Berea (by the Berean Christians who had accompanied him) for Timothy and Silas to join him in Athens as soon as possible (Acts 17:15). Apparently Timothy and Silas did so. Their mutual concern for the Thessalonian church led Paul and Silas to dispatch Timothy to Thessalonica (1 Thes. 3:1–2). Silas also returned to Macedonia shortly after Timothy’s departure, probably to check on the Philippian church. Silas and Timothy both returned to Macedonia to rejoin Paul in Corinth, Paul’s next port of call after Athens (Acts 18:1, 5).”[2] As Paul sent Timothy to establish the church, there are four basic applications we see for the church today.
The Man (v. 1-2). Every local church needs a man. Paul sends Timothy to be that man to establish and comfort the church at Thessalonica. Warren Wiersbe wrote, “Not every believer is equipped to establish other Christians in the faith. Ideally, every Christian should be mature enough to help other Christians grow in the Lord and learn to stand on their own two feet.”[3] The church needs mature spiritual leaders to help them grow in their faith. Wiersbe goes on to say, “Timothy was the ideal man to send to the church to help them stand firm. Timothy and Titus were Paul’s “special agents” whom he used as troubleshooters whenever the churches had problems. Paul sent Timothy to Corinth to help straighten out the problems there (1 Cor. 16:10–11). He also planned to send Timothy to help the saints in Philippi (Phil. 2:19–23).”[4] A church cannot function and cannot fulfill its God-given purpose and mission without a God-called and God-ordained man to lead them. There are three basic characteristics of the man who leads the church. (1) He knows the Lord. It goes without saying the man who leads the local church must be a believer. Sadly, some churches are led by lost men who are in it for personal gain or fame. It does a church well to carefully examine the life of the man who leads them to make sure that his life is consistent with that of a true believer. (2) He loves the Lord. One who loves the Lord is one who is growing in the Lord. A man who thinks he has arrived and has no need for personal growth should never be allowed to stand in the pulpit. Men of God are those who are constantly growing. (3) He follows the Lord. The man who leads the church cannot be a people pleaser. A people pleaser is a prideful man, who does only what will cause others to praise him. He will compromise his convictions in order to attain the praise of man. A true man of God is one who does what he believes is the right thing and is focused only on pleasing God and not man. He follows the Lord and does not ride the wind of popularity. Such a man who follows the Lord is one that can be trusted as he has the best interest of the church and the kingdom in mind. When God gives a church a man who knows the Lord, loves the Lord, and follows the Lord, the church should respect and follow that man as he leads them down the path that God has revealed to him.
The Word (v. 3-4). An established church is one who has a man and also has the Word. The church at Thessalonica needed to be reminded that persecution befalls all who follow the Lord. Timothy was sent to preach the Word that would bring them comfort. As Wiersbe states, “Timothy’s task was to establish these believers and encourage (comfort) them in their faith. It is faith in God that keeps our feet on the ground when the enemy attacks. Without faith in God, we are defeated. “This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith” (1 John 5:4)”[5] Believers must be encouraged and challenged to stand strong in the face of persecution. The preaching of the Word by the man of God gives such encouragement and such a challenge. You cannot survive the storms and battles of life as a believer apart from the Word of God. The Word of God is our armor to protect us from the attacks of Satan. The Word of God is our energy source that pushes us to fight on. The Word of God is our sword that engages the opposing forces of darkness with truth. The Word of God is our confidence that never changes and cannot be altered. A church cannot be fully established and stand the test of time facing persecution without the preaching of the Word.
The Prayer (v. 5-13). Paul was concerned for the church at Thessalonica. He was worried that they may have given in to the temptations of the pagan world around them. The Bible Knowledge Commentary points out, “Paul saw Satan as using the persecution the Thessalonians were undergoing in order to lure them away from what they knew to be God’s will, namely, perseverance in the midst of trials. He was concerned that Satan might snatch away the seed Paul had sown before it had a chance to put down stabilizing, fructifying roots.”[6] Thankfully Paul received a good report from Timothy and rejoiced that the believers in Thessalonica stood firm. Such wonderful news increased the desire of Paul to return to Thessalonica to fellowship with the believers that he had grown to love so dearly. Paul and his companions prayed for the church day and night that they would grow in their faith and that they would see each other again. A church cannot be established without a man, the Word, and prayer. Prayer is essential to the survival of the church. We cannot faithfully endure and persevere in this wicked world apart from prayer. A church must not only have a pastor who preaches the Word, but the church must also be fueled by prayer. There are two basic areas that Paul prayed for the church to abound in. (1) Love. Paul prayed that the love they had for each other and for the world would increase and abound. Jesus taught us that the greatest command is to love. This is not a mushy ‘kum ba ya’ love. It is a genuine engaging love. It is not just an accepting and tolerating love. It is a love that says I care enough about you that I will stand in the gap for you. I will not allow you to fall. I will not stand idly by while you continue down a road of worldliness and sin. I love you enough to tell you the truth even if that truth hurts you. This is what Jesus did for us. He did not just accept us. He engaged us. He came down to us. He left Heaven and became one of us and gave His life for us. As a church, we should have a genuine unconditional love that is engaging and not just accepting. It is this kind of love that we should abound in. (2) Holiness. Paul prayed that the church would also abound in holiness. The saddest reality of the church today is its lack of holiness. We have allowed too much of the world in our lives. Things that we would never tolerate we now readily accept. There has been a lowering of the bar over the years. As the standards of the world has dropped so has the standards of the church. Yet, the Word of God has never changed. If the church is to be established, it must abound in true biblical love and holiness.
The local church is the vehicle through which God carries out His purposes in the world today. To establish itself to have maximum impact, the church must have a man, the Word, and prayer. These key elements will establish the church to be all that God has called it to be.
[1] Knowles, A. (2001). The Bible guide (1st Augsburg books ed., p. 641). Augsburg.
[2] Constable, T. L. (1985). 1 Thessalonians. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, pp. 697–698). Victor Books.
[3] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 171). Victor Books.
[4] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 171). Victor Books.
[5] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 172). Victor Books.
[6] Constable, T. L. (1985). 1 Thessalonians. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 698). Victor Books.
Pastor Chris Noland 