February 1, 2015 – Stewardship
1 Thessalonians 1:2-10 “Let Us Be an Example for Others!”
Pastor Thomas Kneser
Brothers and sisters in Christ,
Last weekend we focused on how we are to work within our families to pass the good
news about Jesus from one generation to the next. The primary way for that to happen is to
have parents and grandparents be role models and examples for our children. Those of you
who are in that position, those whom God has blessed with children and grandchildren, you
know how vital that work is, to bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. We
want to proclaim the mighty acts of the Lord in saving us through his Son, Jesus, to those who
have been placed into our care. We want them to know about and enjoy all the blessings that
God has prepared for us and for them, blessings such as the forgiveness of our sins, the peace
and comfort of knowing God loves us, and having the sure and certain hope of eternal life in
heaven.
So how do we go about that work within a congregation? What kinds of things should
we be doing to pass our faith on to those are here with us, who are fellow members of Woodlawn? The apostle Paul talks about that here as he holds up the church at Thessalonica as an
example for other churches and other Christians. Now, these people weren’t perfect in their
life for God. Paul had to address some matters later in this letter. But he mentions here that as
he went from church to church people would come up to him and tell him about those Thessalonians – the great work they were doing for the Lord. And as he heard those reports, he says
here that it filled him with joy and thankfulness to God, that he kept on remembering them in
his prayers. They were becoming a model congregation in the Christian church. Well, my encouragement for all of us here today is simply this:
LET US BE AN EXAMPLE FOR OTHERS!
There are two areas where we want to be examples to one another and as a congregation.
First, it’s in the way we are stewards of God’s Word and the Spirit’s gifts. And secondly, it’s in
the way we are stewards of our talents and treasures.
The Thessalonians had received the gospel through the ministry of Paul, Silas and Timothy. The events are recorded for us in Acts 17. For three weeks the missionaries had proclaimed Jesus as the promised Messiah. And we are told that both Jews and Gentiles, a large
number of them, had been brought to faith in Jesus as their Savior. Paul reminds them of that
in this letter, Our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, in the Holy Spirit, and with much assurance. You became imitators of us and of the Lord when, in spite of
severe persecution, you welcomed the message with joy from the Holy Spirit. As a result, you
became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.
By the working of the Spirit’s power the Thessalonians now had growing in them a deep conviction that they were children of God.
The gifts of the Spirit were at work in them so that Paul can say that reports about them
were ringing throughout Greece. He mentions their work of faith, their labor of love, and the
endurance of their hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. Thessalonica was a cosmopolitan city in
Macedonia (northern Greece) that was situated on the main east-west road in that territory.
There were people living there from many parts of the Roman Empire, people with all kinds of
pagan beliefs. In addition, Mt. Olympus, the supposed home of the Greek gods and goddesses
was not too far away. But when Paul brought the good news of Jesus Christ as the world’s one
and only Savior, many people turned away from those idols and those pagan beliefs. By the
power of the Spirit working through the gospel they were brought to faith. They now learned
and relished the fact that they were loved by the Lord, that they had a place in his family. And
they had the sure hope of eternal life in heaven, that instead of a miserable existence in Hades,
they had the joys and pleasures of heaven to look forward to. They were secure in the hands of
the Savior, the Savior who had died for them and was raised again. Despite severe persecution
that broke out, forcing Paul to flee for his life, the Thessalonians had remained faithful to Jesus
and to his message of forgiveness, love and hope. They had become a shining star, a ringing
bell among Christian congregations in their devotion to the word of Christ.
Are you as an individual and are we as a congregation, serving as examples of being
good stewards of God’s Word, letting the message continue to ring out here in our lives and in
our ministry? How would you evaluate the ministry at Woodlawn? Using the message that was
presented to the children, how much of the “Living Water” of Jesus are we bringing to bear on
the hearts and lives of our members? Pastor Wessel and I try to present clear and meaningful
sermons and Bible classes. We have all kinds of opportunities to participate in worship services
where God’s word is read and proclaimed, using a variety of worship formats and styles. With
just the two us it would be hard to add to the schedule of classes and services. If you have ideas where we can do better, don’t hesitate to share those with us.
Of course we offer lots of ways to assist our parents and families in teaching the gospel
to our children. That’s been a vital part of Woodlawn’s ministry since our beginning back in
1928. With our elementary school, Sunday School, confirmation classes, VBS, Pioneers and
more, I believe our ministry to children is very good. Overall, I would say that the ministry of
the word here is strong.
But are you as members taking full advantage of all those opportunities? It’s great that
nearly 80 of you are involved in our Bible reading challenge. That can only help those participating to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus as Savior. But what about the other 350 of
you? And why are we averaging less than 40 in our weekly Bible classes, or have only 45% of
our members in worship on an average weekend?
Are you part of those who are progressing in their faith, those who are active in the ministry of the word? Be an example to your fellow members, by faithfully being here in the Lord’s
house, week in and week out. Try out one of our Bible classes, whether it’s the regular Sunday
or Thursday class, our Basic Bible Christianity class currently meeting on Thursday or the Financial Peace University class starting next Sunday. By being a member here you are indicating
that you have faith in Jesus, that love for the Lord and his word is living in your heart, that the
hope of eternal life is something that you cling to and are looking forward to. Keep on displaying to one another a positive example of what an active member of the congregation is like, in
making worship and the study of God’s Word a top priority in your life. Don’t be afraid to speak
to those of your fellow members who maybe aren’t here for worship as often as they should
be. Bring yourself and fellow member to Bible class. You can’t help but grow in your faith.
When you do those things the Spirit will go to work in your heart and life, deepening the
conviction and faith you have. And in doing so you will become better equipped and more willing to participate in the areas of service and ministry that are open to you here at Woodlawn.
Rather than just being a taker, someone who is fed with the word and sacrament, as important
as that is, we want and need as many of you as possible to promote and work for and support
the spiritual growth of your fellow members. That’s what the writer of the letter to the He-
brews emphasized, Let us be concerned about one another in order to promote love and good
works, 25 not staying away from our worship meetings, as some habitually do, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day drawing near. (Heb. 10:24-25) Let us be
examples for each other in the way we are stewards of our talents and treasures.
The Thessalonians just didn’t sit on the word and its blessings – they lived them! Paul
doesn’t list here any specific examples of how they were doing that. But he does say that the
message was ringing out from them, that their faith in God had become known everywhere. He
says that they were working, laboring and enduring for the Lord and for his kingdom. They
were letting their light shine before men. They were being examples to one another, both inside and outside their congregation.
They also put their money where their mouth was. In his letter to the Christians in Corinth, Paul held up these Thessalonians as an example of what Christian financial stewardship
was all about. Paul was going to be gathering an offering for the believers in Jerusalem who
were suffering in the midst of a famine. He writes in 2 Corinthians 5, During a severe testing by
affliction, their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed into the wealth of their
generosity. 3 I testify that, on their own, according to their ability and beyond their ability, 4 they begged us insistently for the privilege of sharing in the ministry to the saints. Did
you catch all that? They were in the middle of persecution. They weren’t wealthy people, in
fact he says they were living in poverty. Yet how did they put their faith into action? With an
abundance of joy, begging with Paul for the chance to help, they gave generously, beyond what
he would have expected. They put their hearts and souls into it because they wanted to put
their faith to work. And now Paul was holding them up as an example of that too. They got involved in the ministry of the word and they generously supported the work of the gospel.
Could someone point to you in that way, as an example for others? How much work
are you putting into living your faith as part of the work and ministry of our church and school?
Again, feeding your faith is of vital importance, whether you give a dollar to church or not,
whether you spend time here as a volunteer or not. And I know that living for Christ in the
world is difficult. While we may not have to deal with active persecution right now we do face
the temptation of materialism. We are surrounded by ungodly lifestyles and philosophies. The
demands on our time at work and at home are many.
But, praise the Lord, many of you ARE involved. I did a quick count the other day and
found that about 215 communicant members are involved in some sort of volunteer work. And
I know that some of you who have been active for many years are no longer able to. And that
work ranges from being an usher, singing in a choir, serving as a member of Ladies Aid, an officer or committee member, cleaning the church and school, working in the library or in the office. But think of how much more we could do if we had 250, 300 or 350 people working, so
that we could grow our evangelism committee, have more people helping with our youth programs and school, using their musical gifts in worship! Especially you younger members, parents of our school children, are you stepping up to fill the shoes of those who have gone before
you?
Or when it comes to your financial offerings, do you always realize how vitally important
they are? In compiling the statistics for 2014 I learned that about $570K given last year! A little
more than $100K was for our Rich Blessings, Generous Thanks program which is taking care of
vital improvements to our facilities. But we are lagging way behind in support for the ongoing
ministry of church and school. Right now there cannot be any increase in wages for the near
future for our pastors and teachers. We’ve had to slash our support for WELS missions and our
commitment to Wisconsin Lutheran High School. Even with those we anticipate a $70K shortfall this fiscal year.
In light of all that we need every one of our members to renew themselves to the ministry of the gospel here at Woodlawn and Lamb of God. As you make out your commitment
forms that we want you to return in two weeks, consider again how God has blessed us so richly. Yes we face financial challenges. But will your ongoing gifts and offerings, the use of your
time and talents, will those be a positive example to fellow members? Will they be an abundant reflection of our faith and love and hope? Will you be working and giving to the Lord generously, sacrificially, cheerfully?
Let us become a model congregation to others. Let it be said of us that we are bringing
as much “Living Water” to the work as possible in order to have our faith and that of our children grow and flourish. It can only happen as more and more of you become model Christians
– in your work of faith, labor of love and endurance of hope in Christ Jesus. Pass that kind of an
example on to your fellow Christians and to those who come after us, as we continue to serve
the living and true God and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead—
Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath. AMEN.