1 Thessalonians 1.1— “Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Some people make a deeper mark on you than others. It seems this is the case for the Thessalonians on the Apostle Paul. The Thessalonians have long been transported to their eternal home, but their faith continues to inspire and encourage us. You and I stand on their shoulders, and some will come behind us to stand on ours. The verse is in presence tense; this is who they were, as it says: ‘the church…which is.’ Because of that, we are going to look into this letter’s introduction and see exactly who they were, to get a glimpse of who we should be.
I want you to focus on the word CENTRIC. Which means: in or at the center of; to be central to. Each piece of this verse shows us what was centric to them and therefore what is central to our success in our walk of faith.
Others-Centric
‘Silvanus, and Timotheus,’
Even in his greeting Paul was thinking of others and not himself.
Paul is referring to Silas and Timothy, yet he used the Greek proper names because he is writing primarily to Greeks. These are the two who were with Paul while in Thessalonica and one was sent back to visit the young church (Timothy). These are the two they had grown to love and respect. These are the names they would have called them, so Paul chose to use those names to bring familiarity and connection with them. It always takes time and thoughtfulness to write a letter, especially a handwritten one whether dictated or done by his own hand. It takes even more thoughtfulness for Paul to personalize it in the way he has. He was others-centric. But man-o-man… we live in a culture that is not only self driven, people are the center of their own universe! People in this culture come pre-programmed with certain demands. These demands are obvious to this culture, in their own mind that is. We as believers should be in the world but not of it. Yet, it seems we too are caught up in the age of endless menu options. A smorgasbord-christianity culture has occurred in our minds, then our churches due to our own self-centric behavior.
Like the church you want to attend: in case you don’t like ‘these type’ of people, go to ‘that service’ where ‘your-type’ worship. In case you prefer a particular style then there is another service tailor-made to your personal desires. No sacrifice necessary, no putting away of one’s own demands or insecurities, no need to change your heart; make others blend to yours. This is the present self-centric culture we have grown custom to…even in church! We have a churchanity culture. Jesus was specific that the church He authors is one of servants. His churches are not only willing to, but see it as an act of love, to put away their own desires and needs for others. They are churches that understand the second command is a fresh commandment and life giving commandment (love others Matthew 22.39). They were, as we should be, churches that are others-centric. I believe they were so because they were…
God-Centric
in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ
When one picks something up, it inevitably requires them to put something else down. When you come out of one thing, inevitably you enter into another. The Thessalonians, like us, came out-from the things and places they were, in-to something entirely different. When a person comes to know Jesus they will know change. Out-of and In-to.
God called some of them out of legalistic Jewdiasm, some from pagan idol worship, some from animism or even atheism. All of it was religious ritualism — all of it bankrupt in spirituality. All of them out of the world and in to a church; out of death in to a relationship with a living Christ, just as 1 Thessalonians 1.9 records— For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; their standing changed. Now they have a heavenly Father AND Jesus. They were: once condemned, now justified; once unforgiven, now forgiven; once were chained, now set free; once Dead, now alive; once had no eternal hope, now have an eternal home; once lost, now saved; once reprobate, now a child of the King! Regardless of their circumstances, their true identity is in God AND in Christ. Did you notice Father AND Christ are used both together 2 times in this one verse? Talk about double security! Safe in the hands of both Christ and the Father, and to make it more clear Paul repeated himself.
There are benefits to this relationship. There are benefits to being in God. To be in God affects our standing before God. As Paul said, ‘Grace be unto you.’ Sin, like a thick fog, blinds our eyes from seeing God for who He is. Even our best efforts to cut through the fog will not work. Religion can’t do it; Love for fellow man cannot do it; Our best of intentions cannot do it. Many try to ignore it and press on recklessly, but there is a cliff coming closer and closer. The cliff in the distance is called ‘death‘ and ‘judgment‘. The fog handicaps man’s ability to see the imminent danger ahead. Before we can have a relationship with God something has to be done about the fog. He and only He can do something about the fog. God did not create the fog; we did. Yet because of His love for us, He provides a way out. God offers Jesus as the way. His substitutionary death clears the fog for us. 2 Corinthians 5.21 says, ‘For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.’ This is grace. We do not deserve for Him to clear the fog and lift us out of it. More still, we do not deserve for Him to put us in Him, but He did anyways.
To be in God affects our relationship with God. This is why Paul went on to say, ‘Grace be unto you, and peace.’ Peace. Sin not only destroys our standing before God, it also destroys our peace with God. Sin means war! By nature you and I are at war with each other and God. When we are at war there can be no peace. The sobering reality is, that Jesus is the only one who offers lasting peace— peace with one another; peace with yourself; and most importantly, peace with God.
In Thessalonica, an angry mob had stirred up the city, disrupted their fellowship, threatened their well-being and chased away their friendships. This is a recipe for sleepless nights and wasted anxiety, right? Nope. If God’s grace is real, then His peace is not only possible, it is guaranteed! Notice with me the identifying word chosen by the Holy Spirit was ‘Lord Jesus Christ.’ Lord— Kurios: supreme authority; Sovereign. Since God is more than capable to keep watch over your life, there is no good reason why any follower of Jesus should not be able to rest no matter how difficult the circumstances. After all He has given you abundant grace and peace! They were not alone. They were in God and in Christ… together. So they were…
Church-Centric
‘Church of the Thessalonians’
The word church is 2 greek words; ek—kaleo; together they are ekklesia or ‘called out’. As we see in Acts 17, this church was consorting together also. So…they were a ‘called out assembly‘. Called out of the world and it’s way, in-to God and His way… together.
The together part is what is centric in this point. The definition of ekklesia is not just called out, but also defined as an assembly. As we looked at, if you are called out of one thing then you are inadvertently called in to something else. Greek interlinear states— τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ Θεσσαλονικέων tē ekklēsia Thessalonikeōn— the assembly of the Thessalonians. In 1 Thessalonians 2.14 Paul distinguishes the many different and independent assemblies, ‘For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus…’ In fact, there is nothing else in the New Testament except the concept of a local, visible, assembly. By it’s own definition ‘an assembly’ is one which is…well… assembled together. In Acts 2.41-42 we see the example that is set— ‘Then they that gladly received his word (those who received Christ) were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. (once baptized they were ‘added’ to the assembly). Then in verse 42 we see what to do next— ‘And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.’ Those who became members of the assembly were committed to continue steadfastly, together!
It is God’s will then, that when a person through faith trusts Christ as their savior, they should seek to be assembled with an assembly through the covenant of baptism. Although we won’t take time today, if a believer is scripturally baptized in an assembly of like faith then they should seek to assemble through a statement of some kind from their last assembly to the one they have moved to. (as evidenced throughout the New Testament.) It is abnormal then, in the New Testament, to be in God and not to be in a local assembly. The local church is centric. It is at the center of the letters of the New Testament, and it is at the center of God’s strategy to reach this lost world. He places the responsibility of the gospel, the truth, and empowers it to complete this age of the gospel squarely in the lap of the local churches. An assembly of Jesus is both: Others-Centric and God-Centric. Being one of the assembly AND assembling is essential if one wants to be in the center of God’s will.
Is God centric to your walk of faith? Is His burden for people centric to your walk of faith? Is your membership and assembling with a church centric to your walk of faith? Personally as a Pastor of one of the Lord’s churches, I want every member to be like the Thessalonian church members — To be in the center of God’s will and central to His work in our world. To do so we must first make Him the center of our lives. Centric.