A CHURCH YOU CAN BE PROUD OF (1 OF 6)
by Jim Perdue
Scripture: 2 Thessalonians 1:1-10
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A Church You Can Be Proud Of (1 of 6)
Series: 2 Thessalonians
Jim Perdue
2 Thessalonians 1:1-10
Intro/Attention
We finished a study in 1 Thessalonians at the end of last year. Tonight, we're going to continue the study entitled, The Church of Irresistible Influence and we're going to study 2 Thessalonians. Tonight, we begin with the first ten verses in a sermon I'm calling, A Church You Can Be Proud Of. READ TEXT - PRAY
*Churches take pride in many things: their large membership roll or attendance, the size of their campus, the design of their buildings, their wealth, their music, the social status of their members, the prominence of their pastor, their political clout, their influence in the community, or their zeal for a particular theological cause. Others celebrate their creativity and freedom from traditional modes of worship, and replacing sermons with skits, musicals, and other forms of entertainment in an effort to create an inoffensive, nonthreatening atmosphere for the unbelievers and nominal Christians in their congregations. They have become the model churches many seek to emulate.*
Judged by the superficial standards of many modern day churches, the Thessalonian church certainly had little to be proud of. It had no buildings (the earliest known church building dates from the third century a.d.), programs, performers, or publications. It was not a large or wealthy church (most of the early Christians were from the lower social classes); the congregation lacked social and political influence (Christians were despised outcasts in Roman society); nor did they have a famous pastor (the names of the elders are not even mentioned). They could not offer prospective converts the comfortable, entertaining, nonthreatening environment of a modern ''user-friendly'' church but merely ''persecutions and afflictions'' (1:4). Yet they were a church to which the apostle Paul could write, READ 3-4 The opening verses of this epistle list several reasons ...
Series: 2 Thessalonians
Jim Perdue
2 Thessalonians 1:1-10
Intro/Attention
We finished a study in 1 Thessalonians at the end of last year. Tonight, we're going to continue the study entitled, The Church of Irresistible Influence and we're going to study 2 Thessalonians. Tonight, we begin with the first ten verses in a sermon I'm calling, A Church You Can Be Proud Of. READ TEXT - PRAY
*Churches take pride in many things: their large membership roll or attendance, the size of their campus, the design of their buildings, their wealth, their music, the social status of their members, the prominence of their pastor, their political clout, their influence in the community, or their zeal for a particular theological cause. Others celebrate their creativity and freedom from traditional modes of worship, and replacing sermons with skits, musicals, and other forms of entertainment in an effort to create an inoffensive, nonthreatening atmosphere for the unbelievers and nominal Christians in their congregations. They have become the model churches many seek to emulate.*
Judged by the superficial standards of many modern day churches, the Thessalonian church certainly had little to be proud of. It had no buildings (the earliest known church building dates from the third century a.d.), programs, performers, or publications. It was not a large or wealthy church (most of the early Christians were from the lower social classes); the congregation lacked social and political influence (Christians were despised outcasts in Roman society); nor did they have a famous pastor (the names of the elders are not even mentioned). They could not offer prospective converts the comfortable, entertaining, nonthreatening environment of a modern ''user-friendly'' church but merely ''persecutions and afflictions'' (1:4). Yet they were a church to which the apostle Paul could write, READ 3-4 The opening verses of this epistle list several reasons ...
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