What Is A Champion Church?

Would you take your Bibles this morning and turn to the book of 1 Thessalonians? 1 Thessalonians. Let's bow together in prayer. God of heaven, we come to you now pleading with you as our Father to teach us your word in the world in which we live we would be lost without the guidance of your word Lord even as believers we need help we need your word and so I pray that today you would again impress it upon our hearts that we might live lives that are pleasing to you, that show that we are your people, that say to the world that we are children of light.

Lord, we're not interested in just learning something more about the Bible. We want to live the truth that the Bible teaches us. So help us to examine ourselves, to repent where necessary, to be encouraged where you see fit, and to help us. Again, we ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen. Do you know what I do every Saturday night and Sunday morning?

Saturday night, I read through my sermon at least once before I go to bed. At least once. So I hope that when I get up in the morning, it's kind of in my brain. and then on Sunday morning I take it and I read it out loud a couple more times unless someone's nearby in the room and I do it under my breath but I still go through it a couple more times and then I try to memorize all the main points so I can just tick off the main points as I go through the sermon why do I do that? because I want it to stick in my brain.

And by the way, even after all that, I'm still very nervous before I get up here and preach. Nevertheless I want to know it I want it to be here I want to be able to speak it to you in a way that would be meaningful to you I want it to stick Now this morning we're going to attempt a review. We're going to attempt a review. It's been a while since we've been in this first epistle of Thessalonians and we need to take some time and review the first three chapters.

I want this epistle to find a place in your brain. I want you to be able to come to this book. When we're done with it, these two books, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, I want you to be able, after we're done with this series, to come to those books and not read them the same ever again. Somehow they'll be in your brain. So when you come to those books, you'll be reminded of the truth that God taught you from that book so that you can change and you can grow.

We're not interested in learning just about the Thessalonians and what the Apostle Paul did. God didn't give us his word to give us history lessons. He gave us his word to change us. He gave us his word so that having learned it, we would now walk in obedience to it. I want this book to stick so that LaRue Baptist Church continues as a champion church like the church in Thessalonica was.

Now remember the purpose of this book. If you've forgotten it, let's review it. God wants to motivate this church to live like champions until Jesus returns. Cheering champions to the finish. This is what I've got written at the top of this book in my Bible, my copy of the scriptures. He wants us to be a champion church.

A church that stands firm in the gospel. A church that excels in the gospel. He wants to cheer the champions to the finish. Now recall that this book falls into two sections. Reflection and direction. Reflection and direction.

Chapters 1-3, the Apostle Paul reflects on the church and the nature of their ministry in that church. Chapters 4 and 5, he directs them with particular directives to obey. In the first part, he wants to encourage them. In the second, to command them. Essentially, he says to them, you've done well, chapters 1 through 3, but there's more to be done, chapters 4 and 5.

You've done well, but there's more to be done. Now let recall again the back story to this book which you will find in Acts chapter 17 and 18 All that happened that brought about this book can be found in Acts chapter 17 and 18 Remember that the team that came to Thessalonica was composed of the Apostle Paul, Silas, and Timothy. They'd arrived from the city of Philippi, just up the roadways from Thessalonica, where they had been humiliated, imprisoned, and treated unjustly because they had brought the good news of Jesus as king and savior.

They preached in Thessalonica. After having been treated poorly, horribly in Philippi, they go down the road and they get to Thessalonica and they preach the same message. They preach the same message of Jesus as king and savior. And again, the same thing happens. A mob forms and there is a riot. and that mob then drags Jason one of the members of the church there drags Jason and some of the brothers before the magistrates there we read that Jason puts up bail for Paul some kind of guarantee some kind of financial guarantee and then that night they secretly spirit him and Silas out of the city.

Timothy evidently follows shortly. Then they go to Berea and they preach the same message of Jesus as king and savior. And guess what? Another riot. And so they have to get out of town again. This time they get to Athens.

They get as far as Athens. and there a little bit later Timothy and Silas join Paul and he shares the gospel you remember with all the intellectual elite there in Athens after that he leaves and he goes to Corinth the three of them go to Corinth and you remember that they go to Corinth they preach the gospel as they're there and Paul is there in Corinth for a year and a half as they are there they they are worried. They still worry about the church in Thessalonica. They've left Thessalonica.

They've been to Berea. They've been to Athens. Now they're in Corinth. They have no idea what's happened to those folks back in Thessalonica As far as they know they in trouble As far as they know they abandoned the faith because they left but the heat falls on them The persecution and the affliction falls on the disciples that they left behind. And they're wondering, have they remained faithful to the gospel that we preach to them?

You remember that Paul sends Timothy back to check on them. How are you doing? What's going on? Do you still exist? Right? And Timothy spends a little bit of time there he comes back and he tells Paul that they are doing phenomenally well that they are standing for the gospel they're remaining faithful in all the hardship and the pressure and the persecution Paul then pens this letter in response to that report and this letter then becomes the means by which God teaches us the characteristics of a champion church.

All right? So there's the backstory. Now that's how we got this letter that's now in scripture. The question is now, what should you see in a champion congregation? That is, what should you recognize in a healthy church? First three chapters, we've seen essentially three things.

They are these. recognize the mark of the transforming work of the gospel chapter 1 verses 1 through 10 so a healthy church shows the transforming work of the gospel number two recognize the mark of a proper ministry of the gospel chapter 2 verses 1 through 13 and then finally recognize the mark of a powerful affection that grows out of the gospel. Chapter 2, verse 17 to the end of chapter 3. Those are the three marks that we're going to review today.

The three marks that show a champion church, a healthy church, the transforming work of the gospel, a proper ministry of the gospel, and a powerful affection that grows out of the gospel. Those are three major things. We're going to take those apart, but those are what we have to see are the marks of a champion church. So the first one, recognize the transforming work of the gospel.

What does a healthy church look like? It's going to show that it's been transformed by the gospel. And that's chapter 1, verses 1 through 10, which Jake has already read for us this morning. In these verses, God seeks to encourage us to say, faithful to the gospel by showing us what the gospel has done to us. He's showing that stick with the gospel, be faithful, continue.

He's cheering them on by telling them what's happened to us through the gospel. What's happened. Now, I'm not going to read everything all over again. We're going to read the sections and then we'll talk about them, okay? So you pay attention when we read them. I hope you paid attention when Jake was reading.

I hope you paid attention whenever the scripture is read. Okay, that's another sermon, isn't it? So we'll leave that alone. He says, first of all, look what's happened to you. You're a people who exhibit faith, hope, and love. You're a people who exhibit faith, hope, and love.

Your work for God, he says, flows out of a faith in Jesus and a faith in the promises of God. You continue to work. You continue to work for God because you believe that Jesus is truly the Savior. and you believe the promises of God. When you're faltering in your work, when you're faltering in your work for God, always ask yourself the question, what am I not believing?

I'm believing lies as opposed to the truth of God. What am I not believing? It boils down to faith, folks. What am I not believing? Then he says, you labor for others because of the love born in your heart by the gospel. Your labor of love, he calls it. the gospel comes along and regenerates you and rescues you and you see where you used to be and you look around and you see people where you used to be and you're moved by love for them because of the love born in you by the gospel and finally he says you have this as he as he talks about this steadfastness of hope in our lord jesus christ you remain steadfast he says the reason why you've remained steadfast in all these hardships and trials is because the gospel has transformed you so that your hope is in Jesus when he returns because you know there's coming a day when justice will prevail and peace will reign and you're living in that hope if you live in that hope you won't give up you won't abandon you won't jump ship folks I'm telling you we need to think more about what happens when Jesus returns we need to live in the future not in the present.

Our hope needs to be in the future when Jesus returns and delivers us from all the sin that plagues us delivers us from the sin inside of us delivers us from the sin outside of us delivers us and brings justice for those who hate us and peace to us, finally. He goes on to say, you show signs that you are God's people. You show signs that God has chosen you before the foundation of the earth.

You show the signs that you're God's elect. You know that you belong to God because the gospel came with the power of the Spirit. It transforms you. It gives you new birth. Things are different and you know it. You're different because of what God has done.

It comes with full conviction, he says. A deep inward persuasion of the gospel's truth that's unmovable. When God saves you, when he truly saves you, there's this inner persuasion. you know the gospel is true and you live like it. And then he says in verse 5, you recognize the messengers of the gospel, not as self-promoting charlatans, but as they really are, messengers with a divine message.

Down deep you know, down deep you know that when someone stands up in this pulpit, you know that the message he brings to you is from the word of God and is the words of God. and essentially he says you did not just claim the gospel but the gospel claimed you the gospel claimed you and transformed you the last thing he talks about as we as we come to verses six through the end of the chapter that is a healthy church imitates godly models and itself becomes a model for other congregations. A champion church willingly, purposely recognizes models of Jesus and chooses to follow them. You remember, as we talked about this several weeks ago, don't ever buy into this, never fix your eyes on people, they'll always disappoint you.

Fix your eyes on Jesus. It's not what he says here. He says you became imitators. That's a good thing. He became imitators of us. Right?

Five times in the New Testament, Paul says, imitate somebody. We are to imitate godly examples. And so he says a champion church willingly purposely recognizes models of Jesus and chooses to imitate them especially those who exhibit joy in the midst of affliction Those are the ones you want to look to. Those are the ones you want to follow. Listen, there's nothing wrong with saying there is a godly person.

How does he do it? I'm going to ask. I'm going to watch. I'm going to figure this out. I because here's a person who takes the truth of God and makes it live why wouldn't I want to know that person imitate so you purposely consciously choose to imitate those who are like Jesus especially those who show joy in affliction and then you become models for others to follow or the church becomes a model this is the kind of congregations whose reputation enhances the gospel we found.

Remember what he said. He said, you've been transformed. You used to follow idols. You've given it up. Now, you know, we look at that and say, yeah, wow, that's cool. Listen, to turn away from idols in that culture is to turn your back on everything that matters in a culture, is to become utterly, entirely different than the culture around you. idols ruled their lives their guilds where they earned their living right to become to earn a living you had to be part of a guild to be part of a guild you had your own guild god and you had to worship that god you don't worship that god you're out of the guild you're out of the guild what are you out of a job all the state functions were connected to a god everything is connected to false gods and you've turned away from everything your culture says is important you see what he's saying you've been utterly completely you people have been transformed by the gospel what is going on is what people are going to say and that enhances the gospel so he says we don't have to say anything which isn't to say he's not saying we don't have to we just go around and say jesus and everyone believes he's saying we don't have to start from scratch already the message has echoed because your reputation has become so powerful people are saying what is going on with those folks and all we have to do is say let us tell you you see this is the kind of congregation that enhances the ministry of the gospel and it doesn put its hope in what everyone around them does It puts its hope in a returning king who will deliver them the very end of chapter 1 Your hope is in this king who will deliver you.

So the question is, are we, in this congregation, characterized by faith, hope, and love? Are we characterized by faith, hope, and love? are we not ones merely claiming the gospel, but are we ones who have been actually claimed by the gospel? Can people say the gospel has claimed this group? Do we follow the example of Jesus, and do we become a model to imitate?

That's what a healthy champion congregation is like. That's the first one. We've been transformed by the gospel. Here's the second. Recognize the proper ministry of the gospel. The first 16 verses of chapter 2.

You follow along as I read them. For you yourselves know, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain. But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict. For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive.

But just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor were the pretexts for greed God's witness. Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ.

But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God, but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us. For you, remember, brothers, our labor and toil, we work night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you while we proclaim to you the gospel of God.

You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. For you know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God who calls you into his own kingdom. And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it, not as the word of men, but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.

For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews, who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets and drove us out and displeased God and opposed all mankind by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved, so as always to fill up the measure of their sins. But God's wrath has come upon them at last.

So recognize now the proper ministry of the gospel. What does that mean? Well, first of all, we need to recognize and reproduce a proper ministry of the gospel. Paul describes how his team ministered to them. And he says, you remember, notice, he says it a number of times. Verse 1, for you remember.

Verse 5, as you know. Verse 9, for you remember, brothers. Verse 10, you are witnesses. Verse 11, for you know. He keeps telling them, you know these things are true about us. You know these things are true about us as we ministered the gospel.

And so a healthy church will recognize that kind of ministry and will seek to reproduce it. The ministry that Paul and the team had in that church needs to be the same ministry that that church carries on. So we need to recognize and reproduce this kind of ministry. If we want to be a champion congregation, then we have to minister the gospel, first of all, with boldness.

We'll minister the gospel with boldness. You do not minister the gospel for the purpose of gaining a following for yourself. We do not minister the gospel so that we might have a particular reputation. We do not minister the gospel so that we get to be a big church and get to do all kinds of things that we can't do as a small church. Our goal should not to become big.

It doesn't mean that we're not interested in disciples. It means we're not all about numbers. We're not about reputation. We're not about wealth. We're not about all these things. We're in the purpose of gathering disciples of Jesus.

That's what it's all about. We minister with boldness. And you minister no matter what Regardless of poor treatment or persecution we do not give up we minister the gospel We have to minister the gospel with fidelity verses 3 and 4 A winning congregation is one that refuses to minister a false gospel. By the way, there's lots of false gospels out there.

There's lots of false gospels out there. There's a lot of churches that are huge because they're not preaching the gospel. They're preaching to people what they want to hear. Right? Hey, follow Jesus. He's got, he'll make your life better.

Right? He does, but not in the way that you think. That's me saying that, not the false guys. Okay. Right? This fascinates me.

This fascinates me. Here's the gospel. Believe in Jesus and people are going to hate you. So Jesus said, follow me and they'll hate you. They hated me, they'll hate you. So follow me.

Are you kidding? Are you serious, Jesus? Hey, listen, if you want a good life, here's what you do. You deny anything you want to do for yourself. Just absolutely deny all your desires and you do only what I tell you to do. you're going okay good life you can't do anything you want to do anymore you got to do everything jesus wants you to do how's that work right that's what it that's what the gospel says and he says we're not we're not in the business of a false gospel we're in the business of telling you what jesus said and we do it with that with pure motives and we don't use deceptive tricks in order to gain a following or to gain wealth or to gain a reputation.

We give you the gospel and instead of hustling you, what we did was we were faithful to the commission God gave us as servants of God. We're faithful to what he did. We minister the gospel with fidelity. We need to minister the gospel with selfless love, verses 5 through 9. We should not minister the gospel for fame, for fortune, or even the honor that is due us because we're doing what God says.

Remember, he says, we didn't even demand of you. As apostles, we had the right to demand certain things of you. And what he's saying there is, even though we had a right to demand them, we didn't. Why? We did not want anything to impede our ministry of the gospel among you. So no one could possibly make the accusation we in it for the money rather he says we minister God Word as gentle generous self servants We're gentle like a mother who's caring for her children.

We're generous with our lives. We didn't just share the Gospel. We shared our lives. That's the kind of people we need to be, folks. Now look at me. Every one of us, if we're going to minister the Gospel, We need to say, we're going to be sharing our lives.

You willing to do that? You willing to do that? Rosario Butterfield is a great Christian writer. Former lesbian, major university leader of a women's department who was marvelously converted by the Gospels, married to a pastor now. She wrote a book recently that says this. the title of it if I remember right is the gospel comes with a key and the key is to your house the gospel comes with a key that is if we're going to minister the gospel we have to be willing to share our lives to give up the things we want to do to love people we're going to be those kind of people that are generous with our lives invest our lives in people now i could go on and on about this but i'm not going to keep going all right and we're going to be self-denying what's even rightfully ours we don't demand because we want to minister the gospel we minister with selfless love and the last thing he says in verses 10 through 12 is we minister with fatherly concern.

We're people of integrity, blamelessness, and we're like a father, all of us here, like a father who are going to encourage and rebuke people and help. So that's how we minister the gospel, but we don't just minister the gospel. The mark of a champion congregation is not only that it ministers the gospel in a particular way, but it also embraces the gospel.

It has the marks of faith in it, verses 13 through 16. Although mere men may bring the message, we recognize it as words from God. The gospel is words from God. It isn just something we make up or use It the very word of God The message of salvation in Jesus is the very Word of God But he goes on to say we not only believe the message not only believe it but we remain faithful to it True faith is not simply believing the truth, but remaining faithful to the truth.

Continuing to believe it, no matter what. and then at the very end of that in verses 14 through 16 he describes unbelief so rather than opposing jesus and his messengers we believe and we're delivered from the wrath of god and so we minister the gospel in a certain way and we embrace the gospel in a certain way can others see this in us can it be said that we minister the gospel with boldness, fidelity, selfless love, and fatherly concern. Can others see that in this congregation? It should.

Is it true that we are not satisfied with merely proclaiming the gospel, but this is the kind of congregation that embraces the good news, believing it and remaining true to it. Okay? There's the last thing then he tells us in these chapters. We're starting in chapter 2, verse 17 to the end of chapter 3. Recognize the powerful affection that the gospel produces.

Chapter 2, verse 17. But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, in person not in heart we endeavored the more sincerely the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face because we wanted to come to you I Paul again and again but Satan hindered us for what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus that is coming is it not you for you our glory and joy therefore when we could bear it no longer we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone and we sent Timothy our brother and God's co-worker in the gospel of Christ to establish and exhort you in your faith that no one be moved by these afflictions for you yourselves know that we are destined for this for when we were with you we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction just as it has come to pass and just as you know for this reason when I could bear it no longer I sent to learn about your faith for fear that Now the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain. But now that Timothy has come to us from you and has brought us the good news of your faith and love and reported that you always remember us kindly and long to see us as we long to see you.

For this reason, brothers, in all our distress and affliction, we have been comforted about you through your faith. For now we live if you're standing fast in the Lord. for what thanksgiving can we return to God for you for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all as we do for you so that he may establish your hearts blameless and holiness before our God and Father the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints. Here is affection born of the gospel.

Now, when you read that, and I've underlined every, my column in my Bible has just got all kinds of blue lines where I underlined every little phrase that talks about how he feels about them or that reveals how he feels about them. It's like, covered, right? this section beats with wholehearted deep affection him for them and them for him you see that affection for paul for these folks and this is true gospel affection an affection that grows not out of the fact that we all are pretty much the same and we have the same interests and we like each other this is affection that's born out of the gospel the gospel forms in us bonds bonds of love that go deeper deeper than the bonds that we have as with our natural family we love one another more than we do even those folks in our family who have never embraced the gospel we love each other more than that even it's born out of the gospel it's born as the gospel presents to us a Savior who rescues us from the ruthless, self-serving power of sin. And that affection grows as we labor together in the gospel.

You want to see affection grow for the people in this congregation Get involved Get involved Start laboring alongside someone else don sit on the sidelines get involved and you will see that that affection will grow and grow and grow can i tell you this okay thank you and i remember i mentioned this as i was preaching through this but you know there are times where you know, I just would like to have some adventure. And I will say, wouldn't it be great to go minister like in Vancouver or something? And we'll talk about that.

Beck and I will think about that. And then we'll say, let's do it. But we've got to convince everybody else to come with us. You all got to quit your jobs and move with us or we're not going. Why do you think that is? I'm not fooling with you here. after 33 years of ministry to a people what do you think happens to your heart I do not understand pastors I can understand they only stick around for 4 years and then they split I can understand that they don't know anybody yet but boy when you have sat with others as their husband dies right and when you have wept together and when you've had a brother alongside of you as you went to regain a stray sheep watch what happens to your heart it grows fast you labor in the gospel with someone else and watch what happens to your heart you see that's what he's saying here it grows as we labor together grows as we face difficulties and hardships and afflictions with the promises and the commands of Scripture.

As we walk with one another through deep waters and our only hope is the gospel. Watch what happens to your heart. You see? But then he goes on to say, the affection growing in the congregation proves to be a powerful force in producing these distinctive characteristics. Which ones Well verses 17 through 20 It produces a godly delight in one another Here Paul brags about the Thessalonians He not saying I going to point at you at judgment day and say look how great I did He going to point at them and say you know what The fact that you doing so good man it just brings joy to my heart I love it Right?

You know what that's like with your kids. I love it when they do well. Oh, you got that A. It's not, it's not, wow, I look good. Boy, people are going to think highly of me. It's like, no, you triumphed.

You made it. You did it. Yeah. Love you, man. That's great. You're happy for him.

That's what he's talking about here. You have a godly delight. Your growth is my delight. You walk with somebody and you see him grown. You don't walk around saying, I did a good job with that guy. You go saying, yes, I love it when you're doing good.

He produces a godly concern for one another. Chapter 3, verses 1-5. Gospel affection doesn't remain indifferent to the struggles of brothers and sisters. It's a concern that's going to move into help. It fears the danger that comes with inevitable affliction. It fears what's going to happen.

And it moves to establish others in the faith so that they're strengthened to stand in the midst of the hardship. It produces mutual encouragement. Verses 6 through 10. You see, Paul says, you know what, we were really down. But then we heard the news about you. and man, it just gave us joy and delight and comfort and all these other things, right? There's mutual encouragement there.

He still wants to come and move them to maturity. But it should move us to encourage one another. It should move us to encourage each other by helping each other to greater maturity so it produces mutual encouragement. And the last thing that affection does when your hearts are beginning to be welded together, it produces love for one another that prepares you for the last day.

That's what he says in verses 11 through 13. Gospel affection causes a concern that you'll give a good account of yourself when you stand before Jesus. Now, he's not talking about whether you're going to be accepted into heaven or whether you're going to make glory or whether you're going to be saved or not. It's about whether you're going to be able to give a good account.

You know what? When I stand before Jesus, I want him to say, good and faithful servant. Boy, I tell you, my heart will start racing if I think I'm going to stand before Jesus and he says Tim I'm telling you you spent you wasted 33 years I mean you did some good things I want to commend you for that But overall a little disappointing I certainly don want to hear that Okay?

And so we ought to be concerned for one another. You know, when I get up here to preach, one of the reasons I want to preach is so that you'll be able to give a good account when you stand before Jesus. That's why I preach. But that's why we minister. That's why we let our lives intersect. that's why we love one another why do you notice what he says here i love this he says the same thing in philippians but he says that um verse 12 may the lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all as we do for you so that he may establish your hearts blameless and holiness before our god and father at the coming of our lord jesus with all his saints you know what he's saying there?

He is saying that as you grow in love, that kind of love makes you grow. As your love reaches out to other people, they grow. Love makes growth happen. You see, unless love grows, selfish desire increases and we'll turn our love towards ourselves and not God, which results in an ungodly character and lifestyle. Love is the ground which holiness grows. And as we love, why?

Because I love you enough to tell you the truth. Right? And I love you enough to come alongside and say, yeah, you failed. You did. But you know what? Go to God.

He'll forgive you. And let's move on. Let's keep going. That's what love does, you see. So the question is, do we possess these characteristics? Do we have an affection for one another that only the gospel can produce?

And that affection then works powerfully among us to produce godly delight in one another, godly concern to one another, a willingness to encourage one another, and love for one another that prepares us to stand before Jesus. That's what should characterize us as we move as a congregation. all right so paul has finished his reflection we have finished our review what do we need to look for what do we need to strive for in order to be champs as a congregation the transforming work of the gospel proper ministry of the gospel and infection that grows out of the gospel now god The apostle has told us these things so that we'll be ready for the commands that follow. Because beginning in chapter 4, he starts getting down to business and he says, all that's true, but there's more to be done.

But he has to tell us these things before we're ready. There's still more to do. We need to mature. But you need to know what God has already done. But some of you are not ready to move on to the next section. Some of you have never embraced Jesus as King and Savior.

You've never been transformed by the gospel. Your heart is cold to the things of God. You're maybe only here because you think it's a religious thing to do. Maybe you're here because your mom and dad make you come. For whatever reason, you're still cold toward the gospel. You have not embraced Jesus in faith.

You're not ready to move on. Why? Because you're not reconciled to God. You haven't been saved from your sin, and you haven't been rescued from the wrath of God. you have an experience of transforming power of the gospel as we go on i want you to be here don't get me wrong i don't say so don't even bother to come anymore i'm not saying that but i am saying this it gonna bounce unless god uses it to change your heart so i want you to keep coming But you need to understand you have to embrace Jesus in faith Some of you aren't ready for what follows because you're on the fringes of the congregation.

You've not labored in this gospel ministry. And you are strangers to deep gospel affection. You would fully admit, I don't love these people like you're describing. It's not that you're not a believer. It's just that you've never invested. You've not invested.

Fellowship with God's people does not seem that important to you. So, you've not entered into the life of the congregation. Some of you are starting to drift. Some of you have never really, you're still standing there putting your toe in the water. You're not jumping in. you're a stranger to this kind of affection to this kind of life loving others and investing in their lives is rare for you and you're not ready to stand before Jesus yet I want to appeal to you I want to appeal to you get involved don abandon the fellowship of God people Jump in Come to flock Come to church.

Come to Sunday school. Get to know people. Get involved in their lives. If you don't know how or who, I can think of three elders, and I forget how many deacons now, five guys? Five. Eight people who can tell you. and our deaconesses, they could also help.

We've got plenty. There's plenty for you to do. Stop drifting. Stop staying on the fringes. Jump. Get in the pool.

Now some of you are ready to move on. You have entered into congregational life. You contribute to faith, hope, and love here. you know joy and affliction you're growing and contributing to a championship team God bless you keep at it just like the Apostle Paul does with these folks yeah you're doing good now there's some more we got to do you're doing well let do more may God help us to be that kind of a congregation the kindness described here in these first three chapters God help us to be that way God help us Father help us Lord you've spoken to some hearts today you've called on them to repent you've spoken to some hearts and said to them by your spirit through your word, stop holding Jesus at arm lengths and embrace Him in faith and find joy.

Some you've encouraged today. Oh God, do your work. We don't want to be just a church that does its thing. We want to be a vibrant, alive champion congregation help us because we cannot do it without your grace and without your spirit take the words of this text and drive them home for your glory I pray in Jesus name Amen