Spiritual Leadership

Well, this morning is really kind of a pick-up from last week as we talked about the significance

!

And depending upon your orientation, depending upon where you're coming from, your background,

and maybe even your work experience, there is a sense in which we look to leaders to kind

of be the end-all for us in setting the course and helping to create a healthy environment.

That unless we have good leaders with certain qualities, we can't ever hope to have a healthy

organization or a successful company or, in our case, a healthy church.

And certainly there is a significant factor of having healthy leaders, but today I want

to draw out from our text today the significance of a healthy body that is instrumental in selecting

and choosing out healthy leaders.

And also coming alongside those leaders and allowing the ministry to be effective because

of the work of God in your lives in carrying out the ministry in our midst.

It's clear that healthy leaders are important, but without a healthy church, that leadership

is going to be disruptive and ineffective.

Maybe the telltale example of that is to go back a bit in history and to look at Jonathan Edwards.

And those of you who would know Jonathan Edwards would be familiar with a man who was key in

helping to lead America into two significant revivals.

The first and second great awakening that we enjoyed as a country.

And for 25 years, Jonathan Edwards faithfully preached and proclaimed the word of God in his church,

which happened to be his grandpa's church.

But over the course of 25 years, you would think that a church that is hearing the deep,

living truths of the scripture would be healthy, but in fact, they were not.

And after 25 years of ministry, Jonathan Edwards was fired from his position, expelled from his church,

and only 10% of his members voted for him to stay.

What was the issue?

The issue was a commitment that Jonathan Edwards had to the sanctity of communion

and preserving that holy ordinance for those who were truly saved.

For those who had actually come to faith in Christ,

those are the individuals he wanted to be able to participate.

And to the exclusion of those who did not know Christ,

he wanted to preserve them from the ramifications of that,

taking that in an unholy, ungodly way.

That's what the deal breaker was.

That's what sent him over the edge.

And for all of the ministry and sound leadership that he provided for that church,

it was still insufficient to overcome the unhealthy nature of the body.

So as we come to our text this morning,

I want to point this out that we've kind of fast-forwarded a bit in our study.

Last week we were in chapter 2, now all of a sudden we're in chapter 5.

And for some of you, you're wondering, what in the world happened here?

Did we just forget and leave behind all the other chapters?

The answer is no, but that we wanted to use 1 Thessalonians as a means to address this important topic.

Especially given the fact that here in October,

you're going to be instrumental in nominating leaders

who will serve you as deacons here in this church.

What do you look for?

And what are the qualifications for those leaders?

And what would you expect them to do?

These are all important in our conversation

and things that will come up in our passage today

from 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, beginning in verse 12.

1 Thessalonians 5 · chapter mention

Let me read this for us and we'll begin in our study.

If you're a guest with us today, you can find it on page 988 in the Pew Bible in front of you.

It says,

Be patient with them all.

See that no one repays anyone evil for evil,

but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.

Rejoice always.

Pray without ceasing.

Give thanks in all circumstances,

for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Do not quench the Spirit.

Do not despise prophecies,

but test everything,

hold fast what is good,

abstain from every form of evil.

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely,

and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless

at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

He who calls you is faithful.

He will surely do it.

Brothers, pray for us.

Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.

And I put you under oath before the Lord

to have this letter read to all the brothers.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Now just in reading through that passage this morning,

there should be a couple of things that really stand out to you

in just a cursory reading of that passage.

First, it is loaded with commands.

One after the other,

there are this stream of imperatives that Paul addresses to this church.

Things that he expects them to do,

things that are directed to them specifically

as members of the body of Christ

and as those who are fellowshipping together in community.

He addresses them on at least two occasions.

We see here in verse 12, he says,

we ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor over you.

And then in verse 14, we urge you, brothers.

These commands go not to the leaders themselves,

but we're going to find the significance of our personal contribution

to the health of the body.

If you want to have a healthy church,

you must be a healthy member.

It's all really is as simple as that.

Certainly, it's important to have healthy leaders.

But it begins with having a healthy church.

It begins with being a healthy member.

And Paul begins to understand

and is helping the church to understand

the significance of their contribution

to make this church a church

that not only glorifies God,

but is effectively accomplishing the objectives

in the world around them.

We're going to step through this

and we're going to see what does it take then

to be a healthy member.

What does it take to be a person

who is contributing well to the body of Christ

and helping to assist

and helping to come alongside this process

and be used of God

to create a healthy environment,

a church that is glorifying Him

and is working out its purpose in the world.

We find the first purpose,

the first recognition of the quality of this church

in verses 12 and 13.

It begins, Paul begins with this,

affirming your leaders.

That's the first goal.

Recognizing the significance of affirming your leaders.

Now really, right here at the outset,

I want to make it clear

that although I'm a pastor here,

this is really more about the deacon process

and the leadership that we have as a church.

I don't want this to seem self-serving in any way.

And in a sense,

there is a responsibility for me as well

to be robing myself

and adorning myself with the same characteristics.

That as God has permitted us

to have diverse leadership here at this church,

it's important for all the leaders

to be treating one another this way

and it's important for the members of the church

to be doing this for their leaders.

This is something we're all commanded to do.

This is something that we all must

adorn our lives with

and that is beginning with affirming your leaders.

It begins right here at the start.

We ask you, brothers,

to respect those who labor among you.

It really begins by recognizing their labor.

By recognizing their labor.

And so I want to just pull out some observations for you

to help you understand

what does that look like

and how does that happen?

How do we begin to recognize their labor?

Well, first, I think we recognize

that it's our personal responsibility.

That the Apostle Paul is speaking to the members of this church

and he's telling them to take action.

Don't be inactive in this process.

Don't be indifferent about this process.

Be actively engaged in the ministry

so that you can personally recognize those

who are in your church

and those who are taking responsibility.

Those who are leading in this way.

Paul uses an endearing term

to request and to implore

and to encourage them to a certain activity.

He doesn't use his apostolic authority

in this particular verse,

but he is coming as a friend would for a peer.

And he's coming alongside of them

and just making a request

and helping them to recognize

their personal responsibility

in identifying leaders.

The church was already doing so well

in so many areas

and they just needed some encouragement

to step up their game

and to continue to be a church that was healthy.

It began with recognizing

their personal responsibility.

Second, it was important for them

to recognize the efforts of those around them.

To recognize the efforts of those around them.

And although this is not up on the screen,

this is extra, no extra charge.

He says, respect those who labor.

They're diligently laboring.

It's the word in the Greek

that would point to labor

to the point of exhaustion.

Labor to the point of sweat

and even pain

and a sense of suffering

that is taking place in their life.

There is this expending of energy

and a personal investment

in the ministry.

Paul had already set this kind of example.

We saw that last week in chapter 2

when we're reading his example

of spiritual ministry in this church.

He says in chapter 2, verse 11,

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.

Well, how did that all start?

Well, it started as in verse 9,

you remember our labor and our toil.

We work night and day

that we might not be a burden to any of you

while we proclaimed to you

the gospel of God.

The apostle Paul had set the example.

He had helped to condition them

to recognize what true labor looked like.

It was exhausting,

but it was for the sake of the body.

He did whatever he needed to do

to set the precedent for godly leadership.

He did this in Colossae.

He did this in Ephesus.

Wherever the apostle Paul went,

he was committed to labor

at his own expense

for the sake of those

that he was serving.

He tells them to respect

those who labor among them.

This is really an unusual word.

Respect is a translation

of the common New Testament word

to know by experience.

The connotation here is that

these believers would be able

to identify,

would be able to recognize,

they would come to an awareness

of those who were working among them

because they were in community

with these individuals.

They got to see it firsthand.

It wasn't just something

that they heard about,

but it was something they witnessed.

There was no indication

that Paul had actually appointed leaders

in this city.

As we've been working through

this little letter,

we've become familiar with the fact

that Paul's time in Thessalonica

was really pretty small.

Maybe a matter of weeks

or a few months.

And so,

there wasn't any time

for him to identify

leaders among them.

There wasn't time for him

to establish,

well, these are going to be

the pastors

and these are going to be

the deacons of your church.

There just wasn't time

for that to develop.

And so,

what Paul is trying

to help them understand

is here are the cues,

here are the indicators

that you can look for

to identify the people

who are growing

in leadership among you.

See, Paul,

as we saw in chapter 1,

was committed

to the understanding

that the Holy Spirit

was actively at work

in this church.

And because the Spirit

was at work in this church,

he had regenerated

this group of believers,

he had indwelt

this group of believers,

he had gifted

this group of believers,

and he had allowed them

to experience

a measure of spiritual fruit.

So, as Paul was committed

to the work of the Spirit

in the lives

of these people,

he knew that what was

going to happen over time

is there would be people

that the Holy Spirit

would gift for leadership

and for teaching,

and they would just begin

to rise to the top.

They would begin

to recognize

the call of God

in their life,

and they would begin

to put that call

to work in the church.

They would begin

to commit themselves

to ministry

and to service

among the people

within the body.

And I believe

that's what's happening here.

Similar to what we find

in Acts chapter 6,

Acts 6 · chapter mention

and so I just encourage you

to keep your finger

in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5

1 Thessalonians 5 · chapter mention

and turn with me briefly

to Acts chapter 6.

Acts 6 · chapter mention

Now, what's taking place

in Acts chapter 6

Acts 6 · chapter mention

is the church

is beginning to explode.

There are growing numbers

of individuals

who are coming to faith

in Jesus Christ.

And Peter

and the rest of the apostles

have come to the point

where they recognize

that everything

is important,

but not everything

is possible

for them to do.

And so that the only way

they can meet the needs

of this growing group

of believers

is to allocate the ministry

to faithful individuals

who will be able

to carry it out.

And so we find

in verse 2 of chapter 6,

and the 12

summoned the full number

of disciples and said,

it's not right

that we should give up

preaching the word of God

into served tables.

Therefore, brothers,

pick out from among you

seven men of good repute,

full of the Holy Spirit

and wisdom,

whom we will appoint

to this duty.

But we will devote

ourselves to prayer

into the ministry

of the word.

And so that's what they do.

They recognize

seven faithful men

who have a good reputation

and are full

of the Holy Spirit.

How do you suppose

they're able

to identify those men?

And how do you suppose

they're able

as a massive group

of believers

to all agree?

Now that's probably

the biggest miracle

of all.

It's possible

only because

these men

were already

committed to ministry.

These men

were already

actively

serving

and laboring

in the church.

And so as

these individuals,

these Hellenistic

converts

were recognizing

the ministry

of these faithful men,

they said,

well that is easy.

That's really easy.

These are the men

we need to pick.

These are the men

who clearly demonstrate

not only a commitment

to the Holy Spirit,

not only a good reputation

among the group,

but a faithful,

serving attitude.

A ministry to us.

A ministry

that is devoted.

A ministry

that is faithful.

So the takeaway

for us

as we look

at this passage

this morning

is to recognize

that leaders

lead.

to recognize

that those

who have

the gifts

of service,

those who have

the gifts

of teaching,

those who have

been called

to serve

in this way

will serve

because that's

what God

has called them

to do.

They're going

to take initiative.

They're going

to look for opportunities.

And maybe it's not

in the most

favored places

of ministry,

but they're going

to find ways

to fill the gap

so they can

exercise their

spiritual gift

and benefit

the body of Christ.

Now that all

happens of course

within the context

of the leadership

structure

that's already

in place.

It happens

as they

faithfully

submit themselves

to the leaders

who are already

there.

Like these

seven men

in Jerusalem

who were

actively serving

this church

without having

been given

any instruction

all underneath

the leadership

and authority

of the apostles

but now

that there's

some assistance

in leadership

that's required

they are happy

to carry out

the objectives.

I would just

like for a moment

if it's not

awkward

can I just

encourage

the deacon team

to stand

with your wives

please?

Can you do

that for me?

I want to

call out

the faithful

leaders

of this

congregation.

Now there are

some who are here

there are probably

many others

who are serving.

This team

has demonstrated

a commitment

to ministry

this way.

They have

demonstrated

relentless

labor

to the point

of exhaustion.

congregation

in areas

that are

public

in areas

that are

private

there is

a desire

for them

to serve

this congregation

but more

importantly

to serve

the Lord

because

of the

giftedness

that God

has given

to them

the call

of God

on their

life

and they

have

demonstrated

even without

having to

have

the title

of deacon

that they

have a heart

to serve.

Thank you

for standing.

As we're

talking

as a deacon

team

it continues

to astound

me

of all

the areas

that this

faithful

servant

team

ministers

to this

body.

There's

teaching

and visitation

counseling

Maranatha

movers

security

teams

greeters

and ushers

there are

small groups

and hosting

families

in their

homes

there's

discipleship

that's

taking place

one-on-one

there are

marathon

meetings

on

Saturdays

there are

serving

families

in various

ways

children's

ministry

Awana

and youth

group

there are

mowing

lawns

and setting

up tables

overseeing

the budget

and serving

to the point

of exhaustion

these men

and their

wives

should be

commended

and identified

and esteemed

and respected

because of

their labors

for Christ

on behalf

of this

church

what a

blessing

it's also

important for us

to understand

that

that they

are

we need to

recognize

the authority

with which

they serve

notice

the phrase

here

who labor

among you

and are

over you

in the

Lord

over you

in the

Lord

their

ministry

is

to

the

Lord

their

ministry

is

for

the

Lord

and

their

ministry

is

commissioned

by

the

Lord

they

are

serving

under

the

authority

of

him

and

thus

they

demand

as

God

demands

respect

and

esteem

as

representatives

of

him

they

command

and

demand

our

respect

so

they

won't

speak

on

their

own

authority

but

they

will

admonish

you

with

the

authority

of

Christ

and

that's

what

we

find

here

next

they're

over

you

in

the

Lord

and

admonish

you

that's

an

important

word

it's

it's

the

word

which

is

the

word

we

get

new

counseling

from

it

is

the

idea

of

instructing

or

teaching

it's

identifying

behaviors

and leading

them

to

the

scriptures

and

seeking

to

call

them

to

righteous

living

and

then

we

find

in

verse

13

our

responsibility

to

esteem

them

highly

in

love

because

of

their

work

not

because

of

their

title

not

because

of

their

gifting

but

interestingly

because

of

their

work

because

again

of

recognizing

the

labors

that

they

have

and

the

way

that

they're

serving

the

Lord

in

your

midst

that

is

our

responsibility

to

leaders

but

then

the

apostle

Paul

moves

on

he

moves

to

the

next

thing

but

I'm

getting

ahead

of

myself

aren't

I

we

need

to

I

said

recognize

their

labor

but

we

also

need

to

choose

them

based

upon

their

character

sorry

choose

them

based

upon

their

character

if

we

had

time

this

morning

we

would

look

at

this

passage

and

we

could

begin

to

fill

out

the

qualifications

that God

lays

forth

for

deacons

but

there

are

several

different

observations

I would

like

to

make

first

I

would

like

to

identify

the

fact

that

these

relate

to

their

duties

excuse

me

these

do

not

relate

to

their

duties

or

their

spiritual

gifts

and if

you

would

turn

just

for a

moment

to

1st

Timothy

chapter

3

the

only way

we're

going to

be

really

able to

appreciate

this

is to

see it

1st

Timothy

chapter

3

beginning

in

verse

8

it

says

deacons

likewise

must

be

dignified

not

double

tongued

not

addicted

to

much

wine

not

greedy

for

dishonest

gain

they

must

hold

the

mystery

of

the

faith

with

a

clear

conscience

and

let

them

also

be

tested

first

and

then

let

them

serve

as

deacon

if

they

prove

themselves

blameless

their

wives

likewise

must

be

dignified

not

slanders

not

sober

minded

But sober-minded.

Faithful in all things.

That could be a problem, huh?

It's okay for the husband not to be drunk,

but the wife, she can get a little tipsy.

Wow.

I guess I'll be looking for a job this week.

Shoo!

Verse 12.

Let deacons each be the husband of one wife,

managing their children and their own households well.

For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing

for themselves and also great confidence in faith

that is in Christ Jesus.

Do you see the concentration, the focus on character

and not on performance?

Not on their duties or even their giftedness,

but the quality of life?

The significance of an individual who has been tested and proven

and has demonstrated a commitment to Christ first?

That's what qualifies them to serve.

There's also the perspective of understanding that Paul's expectations

use a present tense.

We understand that we're flawed as individuals.

There are moments of life where God has taken us through learning processes.

And that by God's grace,

he can not only redeem, but he can also restore.

So Timothy is supposed to look at the current quality and pattern of life.

All of these adjectives and all of these verbs are given in the present tense

and describe the quality of life from this point on.

The significance of an individual who has demonstrated a commitment to faithfulness

and a commitment to the Lord.

Although broken, although sinful in the past,

has been able to move by God's grace into purity,

into faithfulness, and into obedience.

I want you to notice, third of all, that this encompasses all of life.

We see a character in the private sector.

There in verses 8 and 9.

They're dignified.

They're not double-tongued.

They're not addicted to much wine.

They're not greedy for dishonest gain.

They hold fast the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.

There is this private commitment to God.

God that is visible not only privately but publicly.

There's also a commitment to family.

They're the husband of one wife.

They're a one-woman man.

There's a sense of loyalty about them and devotion at home.

And he manages his children and household well.

There is this indication that God has affirmed his leadership

through the way he's been able to lead his family.

And also affects his impact or presence in the community.

Verse 10 says,

Let them be tested first and then let them serve as deacons

if they prove themselves blameless.

There is a sense of their character that has shown up,

even in the community, as those who love the Lord.

We choose them based upon their character.

Now moving to the second responsibility of the church

and the brothers to one another.

There is a command to assist your leaders.

Not only to affirm them, but also now to assist them.

And we find four rapid-fire commands here in verse 14.

Back in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 now.

1 Thessalonians 5 · chapter mention

We urge you, brothers, admonish the idle,

encourage the faint-hearted,

help the weak, be patient with them all.

Now, what's truly remarkable about these commands

is that almost all of them show up in 1 Thessalonians

and they're all related to what you would expect of your leaders.

This word, to admonish, is used in verse 12.

It's used of the leaders themselves

in the ministry that they have for the church.

They're involved in this newthetic ministry

of counseling and encouraging and instructing the people.

But it doesn't end with the leaders.

It is a part of a healthy body as well

as we're learning to stir one another up

to love and good deeds.

There is a connection to the body of Christ.

There is a commitment to the people

that God has put in community with us

and also a commitment to serve them

in lots of different ways.

Some of these aren't terribly fun to do.

Like how many of us really enjoy to admonish?

How many of us really like to confront sin

that we see in a brother or sister?

That's not something that we want to do.

It's something we prefer for our leaders to do.

And yet, if we're going to be a healthy church,

it's something that Paul tells the church of Thessalonica

they must be committed to do.

Because truth be told, there are things that are totally unaware

that your leaders are totally unaware of.

And for us to be a healthy community,

we all need to be doing this for one another.

Admonishing the idle.

Now, some of you may have the translation,

admonishing the unruly.

And that's probably a better translation of this word.

Those who were idle or unruly,

it was a military term.

It referred to a soldier who was out of rank

and behaved in a disorderly and insubordinate manner.

It came to refer to anyone who did not perform his duty

or follow through on his responsibility.

So, in a sense, they were inactive or idle.

It wasn't that they were lazy.

It was just that they were plain defiant.

And there is no place for that in the church.

And for us as believers,

we need to do the ministry of love,

of admonishing in love those who we see are out of step.

The second is a little bit more endearing to us

to encourage the faint-hearted.

There were those in the church of Thessalonica

who were experiencing any number of difficulties.

Those who were faced with tremendous persecution and pressure.

As we find in chapter 4 and chapter 5,

those who were grieving over the loss of a loved one

who they thought had missed the opportunity to be with Christ.

Paul was trying to help them understand

and bring fullness to their doctrine and theology,

but in the same time encourage the church to come alongside

and embrace and comfort those who were feeling discouraged.

Paul uses this of himself in his dad-like ministry that we saw last week.

It's this ministry of drawing individuals to yourself,

of walking together in fellowship,

of walking towards a goal in community.

And that's what we need to do with those who are feeling discouraged.

To help the weak.

It's the word to hold them firmly,

to cling to them, to support them,

and to hold them up.

And then to be patient with all.

If those previous words didn't cover it,

then this will.

And certainly it's a good word for all of us

to learn to be patient with the people that God has put us in community with.

To have this sense of enduring,

this enduring quality of love,

this spiritual quality,

fruit of the Spirit,

as God is helping us to grow in love,

and joy,

and peace,

and patience,

and kindness towards one another.

Finally, in verses 16 to 24,

Paul addresses the issue of the heart.

He addresses the issue of the heart.

Any healthy church

has a healthy relationship with their God.

Now this morning,

I was drinking from my favorite coffee cup,

and it is very functionally,

it's very sound functionally.

The lid screws on,

it doesn't leak,

which is great.

It keeps the coffee,

the liquid inside hot.

The button works,

so that when you press it,

the coffee comes out.

But for some reason,

what I was tasting,

was bitter and sour.

Now I put,

I put fresh coffee in there.

I put fresh cream in there,

but for whatever reason,

I just kept tasting sour coffee.

And so this morning,

I looked in the side of,

inside of my lid,

and I think you know where this is going,

it was full of curdled milk.

And so it had been there for a while.

There's no wonder why I thought I was drinking sour cream,

instead of...

This is really where it comes to a head for us,

this last component.

Because we can have the right leaders,

and we can have right ministry,

but if we don't have the right heart,

we're not going to be a healthy church.

So Paul wants to commend a healthy ministry

to these people.

He wants to get rid of the residue,

the spoiled milk,

that's the buildup that can be there,

and he wants to help them recognize

the significance of a ministry

that is holy and sanctified

and effective

for what God has called them to do.

He begins here with the attitudes of thanksgiving.

Because, to be honest with you,

it all kind of comes to a pinnacle here

in this orientation.

To recognize the significance of rejoicing always

and praying without ceasing

and giving thanks in all circumstances.

Why?

Because this is the will of God for you.

I'm astounded at how Paul puts it in Romans 1.

When he is describing the condition

of the unregenerate heart,

and he says,

although they knew God,

they did not serve Him as God,

nor were they thankful.

Thankful.

Does that seem serious to you?

And then when Paul is describing

the fruit of the Spirit,

he says,

the fruit of the Spirit is love,

joy,

and peace.

So when Paul puts it that way,

the unregenerate heart is not thankful,

and the Spirit-filled heart is thankful

and full of joy,

it begins to help us recognize

the significance of this kind of attitude.

And maybe,

the best,

the best litmus test to know

if there's true holiness taking place in our life.

What is our posture in relationship to Thanksgiving?

What is our orientation or attitude

when hard things come?

Do we have an attitude of rejoicing evermore

and praying without ceasing?

He moves in verses 19 to 21

to their tenderness to the truth.

He describes it in several ways.

He says,

don't quench the Spirit.

Don't despise prophecy.

Test everything.

Hold fast what is good.

Abstain what is evil.

Know the truth.

Love the truth.

Test the truth.

And apply the truth.

There must be a tenderness to the truth

in your life,

which will flow then

into a separation from sin.

A desire to put sin away from you

and to live the holy life

that represents your holy God.

And we begin to wipe away the residue of our life

and to seek to let God do a work in our heart.

Then we'll begin to have other things in order in our life.

And the promise that Paul ends with

in verses 23 and 24.

Because this is a work,

the sanctifying work is beyond you.

The cleansing work is not possible without the power of God.

And so he says here,

Now may the God of peace himself

sanctify you completely.

Not just partially,

but completely.

And may your whole spirit

and soul

and body

be kept blameless

at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

He who calls you

is faithful.

He will do it.

Don't you love that?

God cares

about your sanctification.

God cares

about your holiness.

Because God cares

about his glory.

And how he's being represented

in the world.

And he cares about

your effectiveness

and fruitfulness

in ministry.

And he cares about

the leaders

that you are going to be appointing.

And he cares about

the ministry

that you're going to be having

amongst yourselves.

He cares about

his gospel

showing up

among us.

And

having

extensions

into

the community

around us.

So that we can bring

other worshipers

along with us

to celebrate

the wonder of our God.

Let's pray.

Thank you.