1 Thessalonians Day 2
1 Thessalonians 2 | Marks of a Model Church
What makes a model church? For a project at work, I’ve been compiling a list of local “churches.” Sadly, the majority of the 250 organizations I found do not fit the biblical definition of a church, and so many of those that do have fallen prey to some questionable modern trends.
There are dozens of how-to books — with new and different ones appearing every year — hawking the best programs for building the foolproof model church. What makes the model church? Is it large screens, Internet ministries, kickin’ praise bands, organs with more pipes than the municipal water system, celebrity conversions, multiple campuses, cafés, seeker-friendly services, etc.? One wonders how the early church ever survived without all these accouterments.
The entire answer is, of course, found in the Scriptures, part of which resides in our passage. In Chapter 2 of Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonian church, we see the evidence of a model clergy and a corresponding model church.
A church, like any organization, is generally a reflection of its leadership. In Chapter 1, Verse 6, Paul commends the Thessalonians for their sincere imitation of their pastoral team and their Head. In doing so, this congregation stood as an example to other churches near and far (Verse 7). The Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy team exhibited their Gospel sincerity in three ways.
First, the PST team could point to the fruit of their work; it was not in vain (Verse 1). They had labored long and hard in new territory — And this was in spite of the persecution they endured (Verse 2). Suffering could not stop or deter them. They believed in their calling and mission, and when the going got tough, the tough got going.
Their motives were above suspicion (Verse 3 – 6). They were confident that their message was from God, and they knew it contained no error. Consequently, their motive was not to deceive, but to remain faithful to the Gospel message. If the PST team wanted to avoid persecution and make a killing from the Gospel, they could have easily tickled the ears of their listeners with what they wanted to hear, but that was not their style (2 Timothy 4:3). As apostles of Christ, these men could have made all kinds of demands on the congregation, but they treated the Thessalonians as beloved children.
These church leaders conducted themselves as model parents in the church. They took the role of a tender mother, with gentleness, bonding, and yearning, at the same time, like a model father, exercising loving but firm authority over them.
In response to strong leadership, the church earned its status as a genuine “celebrity” church in three notable ways.
They believed the Word. As sincerely as Paul and friends preached the Word, the congregation believed and accepted the Word (Verse 13). They believed so strongly in what they heard that they bore persecution, and were willing and able to suffer the same persecution as their leaders (Verses 14 – 16). They had the same hope, that God would recompense their persecutors at last (Verse 16).
Finally, this church was worthy of being boasted about. The PST team loved the Thessalonian church, longed for them, and lauded them as a crown of glory and joy (Verse 19). It took model individual church members to build a model church upon the foundation of the model apostles (Ephesians 2:20).
In this era of Google reviews and instant worldwide communication, when it comes to building a model church, how many stars would you rate as a church member?
Alan Allegra