This morning we transition in the book of 1st Thessalonians from our study of the rapture and the day of the Lord and all those End-time events into a very practical section that ends the epistle in chapters 4 and 5. We saw Paul writing comforting words, truth about what is yet to come. The believers there, you remember, had some real concerns about these things, and Paul did not want them to be troubled about the future. 

And so he gives them the truth, teaching about the coming of our Lord to take us to be with him forever and the judgment that will come after that on this world. In the last several verses of chapter 5, Paul moves now into some very practical instruction concerning how we are to be living today and each and every day as we look forward to Jesus' coming. 

We are not to become so consumed with the future that we cease to be faithful today, as was happening in the church in Thessalonica. Like I said before, I think the church today has the opposite problem. They're so consumed with the world today that they're not focused on the future and the hope that we have in his coming. 

So we see a series of short, rapid-fire commands about what the believers are to be doing today to live a fruitful life and to be faithful and accomplish the will and purpose of God. What we're going to focus on today is the role, the function of the pastor and the people in the body of Christ, the local church, so that we may be at peace and that we might be profitable for the kingdom. 

Let's look at 1 Thessalonians 5:12. "And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. Be at peace among yourselves. Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the faint-hearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; 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, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it. Brethren, pray for us. Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss. I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read to all the holy brethren. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen." 

Our message this morning is going to focus in on verses 12 to 13. And again, he says, "We urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, those who are over you in the Lord, those who admonish or teach or correct you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake." And then he says, "Be at peace among yourselves." I've given you four points on your outline: first, we're going to see practical teaching; second, the role of the overseer; third, for their work's sake; and fourth, a common goal. 

Well again, we've spent a great deal of time over the last several months studying, preaching, teaching on some really heavy doctrines concerning the end times and the day of the Lord. These things are important; they teach us about what is to come and what God is doing in the course of his salvation plan. But I want to reiterate that the way that we can be ready for His coming, the way that we can be prepared and ready for Him to come, is to be faithful today and to be faithful tomorrow and to be faithful every day. Our focus should be on living a life worthy of our calling, on living consistency with who we are in Christ by the power of His life in us as we abide in Him. 

We should be seeking to serve one another, to fulfill our roles in the body, the church, to love each other and encourage one another to be witnesses to all those whom God brings into our lives. This is really where the rubber meets the road, day by day, moment by moment, as we at the same time anticipate and look forward to His coming. This is the kind of practical teaching that really dominates the writing of Paul in his epistles: who we are in Christ, what we have in Him, how we should live in light of these truths. 

Generally, in the first half of his epistles, we see doctrine; we see truth teaching about who we are in Christ, what we have in Him. In the latter parts of his letters, we see the application of these truths, how we should live in light of the truths. The imperatives are always built on the indicatives, like we always say. That's what we see, in short, here in the last part of the epistle to the Thessalonians. We start with very practical instruction about the role and function of the pastor-teacher and how the congregation should respond and should view those who oversee and teach and preach in the church. 

Sometimes when I come across these kinds of texts, I think, "Well, this should be uncomfortable for me," but I just try and say what it says. I'm not interested in doing anything in a self-serving manner but just to say what God says. When we come to these kinds of texts, we say what God says. These are intensely practical and important words in verses 12 and 13 of our text, and rejecting or neglecting these instructions are the downfall of many pastors and churches. 

What is God's plan and design and organization for the local body? This is an important question to answer. How should the church function? What are we doing here? Why are you here this morning? What are we trying to accomplish? We're going to look at those things in the scriptures so that we know what we should be doing and what our goal is. 

In Titus 1:5, Paul wrote, "For this reason, I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you." Paul goes to great lengths in Titus and 1st Timothy to give the qualifications for the overseer, the elder in the church, and God's plan is for a plurality of men meeting very specific qualifications to oversee the body of believers. 

Turn over to 1 Timothy 3 with me. We'll look at that extensive section on the qualifications for the bishop or elder overseer. 1 Timothy 3:1, "First he says, this is a faithful saying: if a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous. One who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence, for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the Church of God? Not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride, he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. Moreover, he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil." 

Well, this is a high standard, one that's quite humbling for the man that God calls to this service. The main distinction we see between the qualifications for elders and deacons, which follows in that passage, is that the elder must be able to teach. Paul makes comments specifically about those who are called to preach and teach, what we might call a teaching elder or pastor today. 

1 Timothy 5:17 says, "Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine." 

Now, turn over to 1 Timothy 4 with me, at verse 8. 1 Timothy 4:8, Paul says, "For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance. For to this end, we both labor and suffer reproach because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe. These things command and teach. But no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, and purity. Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you." 

It's a pretty clear statement by Paul here: "Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Live a life of example that everyone may see your progress. Be an example, and teach and preach the truth." That's what he used to do. When we studied the pastoral epistles, we saw this command, the central focus again and again from Paul to Timothy and Titus: "Preach the word. Give heed to the doctrine, to teaching, to preaching." This is the role and the function of the pastor-teacher, primarily to teach the Word of God, to exhort, to encourage, to rebuke, to correct, to teach, to build up, and to say what God says in His Word. 

The pastor is to give himself, his life, to the church, to be available to weep with those who weep, to rejoice with those who rejoice, to minister, to comfort, to encourage and build up. But his primary responsibility is to preach and teach the Word of God. Paul often uses the words "labor" and "agonize." The words mean to work to exhaustion over the Word, and we see consistently that this is God's plan. This is His means for growing His church, for producing fruit through us for His glory. 

Turn over to Ephesians 4 with me, please, at verse 11, a passage that is so clear about what the church is designed to do. Ephesians 4:11, "And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastor-teachers for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, until we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." 

"That we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting. But speaking the truth in love may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love." 

You know, I often hear people just making comments in our church. "Oh, I went and saw so-and-so," or "I called so-and-so," or "So-and-so is doing this," or "I'm helping them with that." And I love to hear those kinds of things because we're thinking about each other. We're looking for opportunities to encourage, to minister to one another. 

That's what we should be doing, the whole part, each part doing its share to accomplish growth of the body. Why did Jesus give pastor-teachers to the church according to this? For the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry. 

Why do we meet here on Sunday morning or on Thursday evening? It's for the believers, my friends, for growth and fellowship and encouragement and worship, but primarily through the Word of God sung, preached, heard, believed, affirmed. These are simple, prevalent, vital truths in the Word of God. God has designed and commanded that the local body of believers have a plurality of men to oversee the church, to rule over the affairs of the church. 

The pastor is to be, first and foremost, a teacher of the Word of God. The church is to meet primarily to proclaim and to hear the Word of God for the edification of the believers, to equip them to go out and do the work of ministry, proclaiming the gospel to the world. That's what the local meeting is about. 

If we miss these simple guidelines, this blueprint for God's plan to grow and build His church, then we lose the power and the purpose of the Word of God in the gospel. We see this in the evangelical church today, tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine, taken captive by the wisdom and the ways of the world, no longer concerned with the proclamation, the expository preaching of the Word of God, but into every worldly endeavor, finding itself so often impotent to accomplish the will of God and discern the truth. 

I was stunned last wise; this happens almost every time a missionary comes here. Or we had Andrew Haynes here last week playing music for us, and Andrew said, "You know, it's so good to come to a church where they're preaching the Word of God." He said, "I travel all over to all kinds of different churches, and you never hear anyone preaching the Word, and I'm always like, what? What do you do if you don't preach the Word of God?" 

I mean, when these men sit at their desks, what are they doing? What are they thinking about? This is the central role of the pastor-teacher and if the Word of God is not central, then we're on our own. These are very important things to understand. They're simple. I love the simplicity of our church, our ministry, our purpose. 

We're here as believers in Jesus Christ, as John said in John 17, so that the world may know that He is the Christ, the Son of God, and that men might hear the gospel and believe Jesus unto eternal life. The church, the local gathering of believers, is a place of encouragement. It's a place of truth. It's a place of sanity in this crazy world. It's a place of fellowship. It's a training center. It's primarily a place where we can be equipped and encouraged to go out into this world to do the work of ministry through the proclamation of the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit.

These truths give us an understanding of what Paul writes in verse 12 of our text: "We urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly for their work's sake. Be at peace among yourselves." 

The word translated "recognize" literally means to know the value of. It is perhaps best translated to appreciate. It means to know well enough to know the value of. Appreciate those who labor among you, who work to exhaustion, agonizing over the Word of God, to know it, to love it, to teach it, to preach it to you. The word "admonish" means to gently reprove or correct. 

We see three things that the pastor is to do here: preaching the Word, admonishing, correcting; it has the idea of teaching, guiding, putting to mind literally the words of God, to put to mind the words of God. Notice the next words in verse 13: "Esteem them very highly in love." 

Then it says "for their work's sake." This is the key to understanding this passage, I think, for their work's sake. Why should we appreciate those who labor in the Word, know the value of such men, esteem them very highly for their work's sake? It's not that we necessarily like their personality. It shouldn't be their entertainment value, their oratory abilities. It's for their work's sake. 

And what is their work? Preaching, teaching, laboring, studying in the Word of God, that they might give the sense of it, that they might say what it says, they might teach it and instruct and build up and equip when they come to this pulpit to fulfill their God-given, God-called role as a pastor, teacher, overseer of the church. 

Turn over to Hebrews 13 with me, please. We see another comment on this in Hebrews 13 at verse 7. "Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the Word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct." 

I look down to verse 17; he says, "Obey those who rule over you and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you." 

And then he says, "Pray for us. Obey those who rule over you, be submissive," it says, "for they watch out for your souls as those who must give account." The role, the function of the elder overseer is to guide in the affairs of the church, to serve, to preach and teach for the edification of the saints, to watch out for your souls. 

And he says, "Let them do it with joy." And we do it with joy here. You come wanting to hear the Word of God, wanting to know the truth, have a heart for the lost, to witness. It's a joy; it's a privilege. 

In 2 Timothy 4, Paul says, "I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom, preach the word." We tend to major on "preach the word," which is good, but notice verse 1: "I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead." 

This is an amazing statement; it's a weighty statement for the pastor-teacher who will give an account to Jesus. So, the role of the overseer is to watch out for your souls, to preach and teach and equip by the words of God. Your role as a congregation of believers is to hear the Word, to listen and to be attentive, to grow and to be built up, to study on your own, and then to be submissive and obedient to the words preached. 

The authority is in the Lord, he says. I have no authority whatsoever over any of you other than in the Lord, in the preaching and teaching of the Word of God, correction, admonition, guidance in that. This is a spirit of submissiveness; it's an attitude, a deep desire to know the truth, to value the truth, and to seek to apply the truth in our lives so that we might be fruitful for God's will and purpose in and through us. That's our goal. 

And this really gets to Paul's words: "Be at peace among yourselves." Be at peace among yourselves. I think these words are directed to the pastor and the people. Fulfill your roles in the body; seek the same common goal. We are to be submissive to those who rule over us, who preach the Word of God to us, because to be divisive, to be combative, to have an attitude of conflict would be unprofitable for you. 

The pastor-teacher, if he is faithful to his calling, is doing all that he does for your sake. Studying, laboring, agonizing, preaching, teaching with the goal of edifying first himself through study. I was thinking about Andrew and I spent a lot of time studying through the day of the Lord stuff a few months, getting together, studying that, trying to sort out the use of the day of the Lord in the scriptures, put all that together. 

I told Andrew at one course in our study, I said, "You know, when I get up there to preach, all those people haven't been here with us for three months. They haven't even thought about the day of the Lord. How do you take that and condense that and make it practical?" But for me, I had the benefit of all that study. You see that? First for me. I study first for me. Your study, prayer, preparation, but ultimately the body is blessed through his ministry, through preaching because what he's doing, he's doing for you. He is for you. 

Turn over to 1 Thess 2:7, back in chapter 2 of 1 Thessalonians. I want you to look at Paul's words. "But we were gentle among you," he says. Listen to the words, how he characterizes their ministry when they came to Thessalonica. "We were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children. So affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us. For you remember, brethren, our labor and toil, for laboring night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you; we preach to you the gospel of God. You are witnesses, and God also, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe, as you know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children, that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into his own kingdom and glory." 

Paul says, "We were well pleased. It was our pleasure, it was our privilege, it was our purpose for living. Well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel but our very lives for the purpose of your growth and edification which God is performing in you." 

Back in our text in verse 12, he says, "We urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. Be at peace among yourselves." 

We see practical teaching; we see the role of the overseer; we see for their work's sake; and finally, we have a common goal. God has designed this wonderful simplicity for the local church: fellowship, worship, teaching and preaching of the Word of God for the equipping of the saints to go out and do the work of ministry. 

We are a body. We are growing together in progress. We are in progress. We are not what we will be, but we are not who we once were by the grace of God. We are growing together in love to become mature and fruitful and functional as a body. We have a common goal as believers in Jesus Christ, as members of the body of Christ, to glorify God and further the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

This is why we're here. This is the reason we live. This is our deep desire, our passion, our purpose. The means that God has given for accomplishing His will in the church is the message preached. I just get...I understand so many men have a great desire to reach the lost or have a great desire to have an effect on their community. But why go outside what God has said? 

Why go outside what He has prescribed in order to accomplish that goal? It's clear what He said. It's clear what the local church is to be doing. And it's clear to me that that's where real fruit comes from. To say, "I have a better way." I sat in a meeting years ago and the elders of the church said, "We're not reaching the community in the numbers that we deem sufficient." 

What is that? Since when is it my role to reach the community in numbers that I deem sufficient? It's my role to be faithful to what God has called me to do and allow Him to work out the details. I don't dictate the numbers through the foolishness of the message preached. 

1 Corinthians 1:18, you know that passage: "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe." 

For Jews request a sign, Greeks seek after wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified. To the Jews, a stumbling block, to the Greeks, foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. See your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called, but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty and the base things of the world. 

God has chosen. The things which are not to bring to nothing the things that are. The purpose is that no flesh should glory in His presence. He says, "But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, that as it is written, he who glories, let him glory in the Lord." Paul says, "It's through the foolishness of the message preached." 

The gospel is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes. We have a common goal: to bring men to Christ through the preaching of the gospel. Faith comes by hearing, hearing a message about Jesus, and the church is called to go out into all the world and preach that gospel to every creature. The local body is a place for training, equipping, encouraging, preparing for this work of ministry. 

And God's means for this is His Word, His Spirit working through the preaching of the Word to equip and edify. Paul says in our text, "Appreciate those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you." Why? For their work's sake, to work together to accomplish this goal. Be at peace among yourselves. 

I always think the only thing that really can infiltrate our church—I don't think, not that it isn't possible, but I don't think false doctrine...someone asked me, "What if you, you know, what if you kind of got off on a limb here?" I said, "I think I'd be called to task about right now." But what could be a problem in our church, I'm not saying it is, it's not, and it's a joy that it's not, is drama, right? 

We don't need any drama. Simplicity; we need simplicity. Be at peace among yourselves. You leaders, pastors, teachers, and all the people of God, you be at peace, seeking to work together to do the will of God. How can we be at peace among ourselves? With an attitude of submission, with a desire to obey the Word of God, to hear, to learn, to grow, to be changed by God and His Word. 

We're in progress, right? It means we need to be changed. Being changed is sometimes uncomfortable and painful, but I recognize that I have not arrived and I need to be changed, I need to be conformed to the likeness of Christ, and I need to be sanctified. Jesus said, "Sanctify them by your truth; your Word is truth." 

I have observed and heard many times from Christians about church troubles, church splits. I have even been involved in turmoil in a local body; it's heartbreaking, it's a heart-wrenching affair. In many cases, this division and trouble center around the relationship between the leaders and the people of the congregation, or it's because of a dislike of the pastor himself personally, or because of style or preference. Sometimes there's almost an attitude of animosity toward the teacher. 

I told you about my friend in Indiana, a pastor I knew, who…there was a group in his church who kind of formed against him, and toward the end of his situation of conflict, when he'd finished preaching one Sunday morning, he was sitting in his office. He had a big window in his office, and the men were beating on his window and yelling at him. This is not what Paul means by "be at peace among yourselves." 

Sometimes there's a serious doctrinal issue that needs to be dealt with, right? That's true. Sometimes there's serious sin issues that need to be dealt with; that's not what we're talking about and church discipline should be a part of every local body if necessary. 

But I think conflict comes, division that destroys comes when we lose sight of our common goal. When we forget that we are all in this together, that we are all flawed, we are all a work in progress, and that we all need a lot of grace. We cannot sweat the small stuff; we cannot be easily offended, but we must, as Christ forgave us, forgive one another. 

And if there's an issue, we must quickly address it, communicate, go to the person, resolve whatever it is so that we might have unity in the spirit of love. If you have questions for me about doctrine, about practice, if something is bugging you, don't stew on it; don't let it cause a spirit of division, but come to me, talk to me, let's work through it so that we might be taken out of the way and not inhibit our common goal and our need for each other. 

This should be the case for all of us as a body, as a family, seeking to function together for the will of God. I'm so thankful for this place, this body of believers, Living Hope Church, where our focus and desire is for the Word of God. I can preach the Word freely. I can simply say what it says, and I believe this is primarily what God has called me to do. 

And I know that your desire is for the truth. It's to know and hear the Word of God that you and I might be built up together to accomplish this work of ministry. As I studied these words before us, I couldn't help but think about how privileged we are as believers in Jesus Christ in this world, as a local body in this beautiful place with so many opportunities to fulfill our purpose. 

You know, there's no greater institution on earth, no more noble purpose, no greater cause than the church and the gospel of Jesus Christ for the salvation of lost souls. I was talking to some people at the farmer's market the other day. They live out on Crab Lake, and I was remembering when I lived out on Crab Lake and did some caretaking there, and they told me that the people where we were there had sold that place for $1.8 million. It was a nice place. 

We got to do caretaking there for a year. But the good part was that my buddy Guy Folsom was coming to church here, and he gave me these tapes. "Listen to this. This is Pastor Krenz." I was a religious guy—pretty much irreligious at that point, but had been religious all my life—and I listened to these messages, and I thought, "What? What is he saying?" 

I had all winter out there by myself on South Crab Lake Road in the middle of nowhere listening to these cassette tapes. And I'd never heard the gospel before. Twenty-six years old, I'd never heard the gospel. Through those messages, I heard the gospel, every single message, right? And through Guy's witness and some other faithful men, I came to Christ, was born again, experienced salvation. 

Is there anything else that really matters, people? What a great work we have. What a great privilege it is to be a believer in Jesus Christ. We get to be the instruments of God to accomplish His will of building His church to see the fruit that He produces through us for His glory. 

Turn over to 2 Corinthians 5. Let's look at a tremendous passage there. 2 Corinthians 5:14. "For the love of Christ compels us because we judge thus, that if one died for all, then all died. And He died for all that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh, even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God, for He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." 

What amazing words. The love of Christ compels us, constrains us. What is our motive? Our motive is love. This is why we're so anxious and willing to give ourselves, our lives, our money, our time, whatever is necessary to edify our brothers and sisters in Christ, to minister to each other and to the lost for their salvation. 

This is our great and common goal. This is our noble work. Paul says that we are ambassadors for Christ. We are representatives of the King, of the Lord of all, the Creator, the Sustainer. Ambassadors for Christ. Listen to this: "As though God were pleading through us, we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God." 

This is an uncertain world. Evil certainly seems to be prospering, and hard times are coming on this world and the people of this world, and perhaps the church right here in America. But can you think of any greater time than this to be a witness for Christ? Sometimes we get caught up in the affairs of the world and the business of life. We do a lot of things. 

But, my friends, nothing we do in this world, nothing that goes on in this world or concerns the cares of this world, can compare with the work that God has for us as the church, as His ambassadors in this world for the cause of Christ. We are doing the work of God in this world, bringing the gospel, the light into the darkness. We are a holy people, Peter says, set apart with good news. Good news. Good news in the midst of all the bad in this world, with hope in the midst of despair, with a sure promise among all the lies. 

My brothers and sisters, as I thought about these things, as I studied on them, as I rolled them over in my mind, the conclusion I came to is this: thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Lord, for our salvation, for the local body You have given us here in this little place in the midst of Your creation, and thank you for the work. My heart is filled with thankfulness as I consider the role that I have here and the role that you have here in this body and the potential that we have by the power of God to affect the people of our communities and the people of the world through our supportive missions of the gospel, for their salvation, for the edification of the body. God is so good. He is so gracious to use us, like the loaves and fishes, as we present our bodies a living sacrifice to Him for His purposes. 

We urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you and to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. Be at peace among yourselves. The promises that we find in the Word of God concerning the mighty men, the powerful institutions of our world, are only for corruption and doom. But we have this promise concerning the church from Jesus Himself: "I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." 

Be encouraged, my brethren, sister, for your labor is not in vain. Let's close in prayer. 

Father, we're so thankful for your words, your truth. We’re thankful for everyone that you've brought here and is part of this fellowship. We’re so thankful for our salvation, for the good news that we have, the word of reconciliation, the gospel. I just pray that you would help us to keep a focus on Jesus, to look unto Him, to abide in Him, to trust His Word, one day at a time, as He lives His life through us in this new covenant time, to accomplish Your will, to make us like Him, and to bring men to Him through faith. Thank you for the simplicity. In Jesus' name, Amen.