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“Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
“We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.” (2 Thessalonians 1:1-4 ESV)
Now, back when this was written, “the church” was not regarded as a building called “church,” or as place that you go to. It did not fall underneath the headship of any church denomination, and it was not incorporated (merged, combined, united) under the state. And it was not being run like a business to be marketed to the people of the world in order to “draw in large crowds of people from the world” into their gatherings. But this is what it has largely been turned into, here in America, anyway. This is not of God!
[Matthew 21:12-13; John 2:13-17; Acts 5:27-32; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Philippians 3:18-19; Revelation 13:5-8; Revelation 18:1-5]
The church then was the collective body of believers in Jesus Christ throughout the entire city of Thessalonica, and they generally met together from house to house. So, unless their numbers were very small, I am almost certain that they did not all meet together in the same exact place all the time, for I am almost certain that their houses were not very large and probably could not fit many people in them. And the Scriptures talk about how the early Christians met together daily, not just once or twice a week.
And what was the purpose of their gatherings? To devote themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. To minister to one another via the use of their spiritual gifts and callings of God (i.e. their body parts). To speak the truth in love to one another so that none would be led astray by false teachings, and so they all could grow together to maturity in Christ. And to teach and to exhort one another daily so that none would be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
[Acts 2:42-47; Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; 1 Corinthians 14:1-5; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:1-16; Ephesians 5:15-21; Ephesians 6:10-20; Philippians 2:1-8; Colossians 3:12-16; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:23-25; James 5:19-20]
That doesn’t sound much at all like most gatherings of what are called “churches” here in America today. So much of what are called “churches” today are businesses of human origin being marketed to the ungodly of the world in order to add numbers of people to their gatherings. And so they have a few select people who do all the “ministering” while the rest sit in chairs or pews largely as just spectators who can sing along with the songs if they want to. But the body is not functioning as the biblical body of Christ.
Now, the faith in Jesus Christ that they were taught, and the early church was taught “across the board,” was a faith that originated with God, which is gifted to us by God, and which is persuaded of God as to his holiness and righteousness, and of our sinfulness, and of our need to turn from our sins and to now follow Jesus Christ in walks of obedience to his commands. So, by faith, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin, and we are raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin.
[Hebrews 12:1-2; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; Romans 6:1-23; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Peter 2:24; Acts 26:18]
So this was the kind of faith that they had that was growing abundantly and increasing. And the love that they had for one another was the love of God which ministers to one another within the body of Christ in the ways described above, which includes speaking the truth in love to one another and exhorting one another so that we aren’t being led astray by false teachers and false teachings, and so that we are not hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For love is not tolerant of nor approving of sin.
And the steadfastness of their faith, in all their persecutions and in all the afflictions that they were enduring, would have been shown by their walks of obedience to the Lord and to his commands, and by their refusal to continue living in sin, and by them speaking the truth of the gospel to other people for their salvation from sin. For this is what would have gotten them hated and persecuted, just as it is today. If you live the life God has called you to live and you speak the truth of God’s word to the people, you will be hated.
Songs in the Night
An Original Work / December 18, 2013
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25 NIV ‘84
Lord, I praise You forevermore.
You, my Savior, I now adore.
Hope in heaven awaiting me,
Because You died at Calvary.
I have been forgiven,
And I’m bound for heaven.
Jesus set me free from
All my sin, I say.
I will praise Him always!
Lord, I love You for all You’ve done:
Overcame death, my vict’ry won!
Jesus saved me, and now I’m free!
I rejoice in His love for me.
I will walk in vict’ry!
My sin is but hist’ry!
I am free to please Him
With my life today.
I will love Him always!
Lord, I thank You for giving me
A new life bought at Calvary.
Loving Jesus, I meet with Him.
Tender mercies now flow within.
Lord, I am so thankful;
Through my Lord, I’m able
To sit at His table;
Fellowship with Him.
I will thank Him always!
Because Your Faith is Growing
An Original Work / February 9, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love