The heart is a working marvel! It can keep on beating automatically even if all other nerves were severed. It beats 75 times a minute, 40 million times a year, 2 1/2 billion by age 70. That means that at each beat it discharges 4 oz. of blood, 3,000 gal. a day, 650,000 a year which is enough to fill more than 81 tank cars of 8,000 gal. each. A healthy heart = a healthy person.
The church of Thessalonica was a healthy church because it had a strong heart. It had a strong heart because it had a strong love for Christ. Their love became contagious because they modeled authentic Christianity. If God were to put His stethescope upon our churches today, how healthy do you think He would find us? Paul gives us 2 vital signs of a healthy church.
I.
It Is A Church Of Praying People - (vs.1-2)
Having experience God's "grace and peace" as a church (v.1), Paul "thanks God" for all of them and continually "remembers them in prayer." True thanksgiving come from the overflow of a Spirit-filled life and a Spirit-filled life is the result of a prayer-filled life! Someone put it this way: "much prayer, much power. Little prayer, little power." One of the reasons for a spiritually luke-warming Church is that the "prayer-room" and "prayer-closet" are too often left empty. We organize but do not agonize in prayer! Prayer clarifies our focus, enlarges our vision, depens our concern, and produces Kingdom results. Paul will later close his Epistle with God's command to :"Be joyful always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances."
II. It Is A Church Of Caring People - (V.3)
People will not care how much we know until they know how much we care! The Church that prays is a Church that will develop caring people. Paul "continually remembered before the Lord" three characteristics reulting from this Spirit-filed Church:
1. They had a faith that worked - "your work produced by faith"
It was not a belief that was dead, barren or inaffective. It was a work that sprang from faith. Faith begins at spiritual birth (I Pet.2:2). The power of faith strengthens our walk (Col.2:6-7). The result of faith reproduces life (John 12:24; 15:16).
2. They had God's love to share - "your labor prompted by love"
"Labor" (kapos) means "painful exertion, toil, work beyond the call of duty." Love does not replace faith: it expresses it. It does not count the cost: it surpasses it. Love (agape) is not some sacrin, sentimental thing! God demonstrated His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us and that took God's only Son. While reading I Corinthians 13 try to match your love to God's standard and see where you stand. I sure come short by comparrison.
3. They had a hope that endured - "your endurance inspired by hope"
Someone expressed it this way: "hope climbs up the latter of love; looks out the window of faith and moves forward in the light of tomorrow." The Thessalonian Church was a healthy Church because their lives were built on prayer, faith, love and hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
These are things we need to rediscover and model personally and colectively as Kingdom saint.
