The Apostle Paul’s Ecclesial Guidelines

Paul urges us to stay committed to our faith and remain hopeful by constantly remembering Christ's victory and praying unceasingly.

By ALAN SMITH

Read Time: 8 minutes

Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5

An exhortation based on one of Apostle Paul’s letters to the Mediterranean region readily invites an introduction. His moment of epiphany while on his way to Damascus wrenched his heart from hate and vengeance to be changed into a selfless, sacrificing, humble, and dedicated servant in Christ. His healed heart and unwavering zeal for preaching the Gospel accredited his ministry while establishing and nurturing the Mediterranean churches. The “nurturing” aspect of keeping an early ecclesia engaged and focused in its faith had to be practiced explicitly. It was a credit to the church elders for their efforts to stay in touch with Paul about issues, threatening to misguide the ecclesia from its devoted faith and service. When personal visits were impossible, Paul remained dedicated to the churches even when he wrote from the dreadful prison. For Paul, it was a labor of love to do whatever he could to encourage the churches to follow the Light represented in the Son of God. 

In our reading this morning, we are divinely gifted to receive a list of ecclesial guidelines Paul typically expressed in his letters. God’s gift of the Holy Scriptures, specifically the record of Paul’s letters, also serves as a guiding light for us. Let us consider some of Paul’s wisdom in his first letter to the Church at Thessalonica.

Paul begins chapter five with these words:

The Apostle Paul refers to speculations attempting to extrapolate the hour of Christ’s second return from various celestial and terrestrial events. Prominent figures in theology share places in history for their failed attempts at predicting the hour of Christ’s arrival. John Wesley speculated Christ would return by 1836. The Protestant Reformers Luther, Wycliffe, Knox, and Calvin were all responsible for failed predictions. Luther’s prediction in 1540 placed Christ’s return no later than 1840. Augustine of Hippo generally believed Christ would return by AD 650.

A Christian radio broadcaster and evangelist, Harold Camping, who passed away in 2013, attempted to predict the Messiah’s return on five dates. His last prediction, widely reported through a successful evangelical broadcast center in California, was May 21, 2011. The consequence of these failed predictions ruined the lives of countless people who had fanatically followed the voices of those fanatically confident in their predictions of the time of Christ’s return. Paul had addressed this concern earlier in his second letter to the church at Thessalonica:

Our Christadelphian community has made similar mistakes in predicting the Lord’s return.  Scripture advises us repeatedly about the vanity of attempting to calculate that day. In Acts chapter 1:7-8, the apostles had asked their master about when he would restore Israel, 

He said to them,

And in Matthew’s gospel,

Why did Jesus declare “the Father only?” Because God, alone, knows the ways of the human heart. For it is the ways of humankind that shape the outcome of history. When Jesus’ disciples asked him when the end times would occur, their Master answered by describing the destruction of Judea. 

I consider Jesus’ stipulation that the end-times of the Gentiles speaks to a specific moment known only to our heavenly Creator. Human history has proved to be a halting, stuttering course of events marking terrible times and jubilant celebrations. Therefore, divining the course of history to determine the return of the Messiah is a vanity and, certainly, a risky vanity. If we are not to know the hour of our beloved Master’s return, what are we exhorted to do while we wait? Jesus teaches us in Matthew 24:44, “Therefore you also must be ready.” That is, to be prepared for that great day.

Apostle Paul explained to the Church at Thessalonica that preparation for the day of Christ’s return starts with turning away from the “darkness of the world” by becoming “children of the light.”

Paul uses a handful of metaphors distilled into meanings used by Jesus and the apostles to represent a believer’s readiness in their hope of salvation. Paul reminds the believer that it is not enough to be personally familiar with interpretations of Christ as “the light,” a representation of salvation. We must adopt the principles and commandments of Christ to shield us from the worldly influences that threaten to burrow under the faithful “armor.” We pledge to wear that armor to protect our dedication and love for our Savior.

The tenor of his letters sums up the Apostle Paul’s efforts in encouraging the churches surrounding the Mediterranean Sea with the principles of the hope of salvation through Christ. Jewish exiles were encouraged to hear Paul’s words of that hope, which promised to supersede the condemnation left by the Law of Moses. 

In our reading, verses nine through eleven, Paul stated, 

To what was the Apostle Paul referring when he penned, “For God has not destined us for wrath.”? When I first read this passage, I thought Paul’s use of the word “wrath” alluded to the curses of the Law, which are superseded by the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. However, the relevant cross-references associated with verses nine through eleven point to a more imminent threat: the increasing affliction of believers in God and His Son. Considering the deterioration of contemporary societal values, Paul’s appeal to “encourage one another and build each other up” suggests “faithful strength in numbers!” which lovingly encourages “Faithful strength in ourselves!” 

Therefore, we are to avoid raising any judgmental stumbling blocks that would discourage a frail heart. Instead, we are encouraged to build up our strengths and use them. It is a solemn service to promote the light that shines in others who have elected to put on the body of Christ.

The Apostle Paul continues in his appeal to the Thessalonian Church’s responsibility in preserving unity:

As was the case in the early churches, elders were appointed to assume offices of management. It was, and still is, the human approach to elect leaders to manage tasks in an institution of faith. History records such appointments gave rise to ministers, bishops, presbyters, priests, and deacons. Regardless of the human need for strong leadership roles, Paul’s concern was for a church to remain peacefully and respectfully assembled in a unified pursuit that continued steadfastly in the spirit of oneness in Christ. We pray together for the day when our own households will be unified in the one body, Jesus Christ, as Paul had exhorted repeatedly to the Mediterranean churches. 

He wrote these words to the church at Ephesus:

We now come to the remaining verses in our reading this morning. I envision Paul’s concluding remarks as gathering the church members close into a loving embrace to touch their hearts with the desires Jesus Christ had voiced for all that love him. “Rejoice Always!” Be encouraging in everything we do. Thank God for all His blessings. “Pray without ceasing!” Devote time to give thanks through prayer during our daily labors. “Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good!”

Paul repeats this especially important appeal in all his letters. “Holding fast to what is good” not only reminds the church that their faith must continually seek the Truth as clearly defined in the principles of the gospels and the commandments of Christ but to abstain “from every form of evil” that threatens to jeopardize the church’s labors in Christ. 

Paul sums up his exhortation in 1 Thessalonians 5:23:

Paul’s words, “to ready ourselves for our beloved Master’s return,” require us to remain steadfast in our pledge to our Savior by remembering his victory over sin and death. It is what the Apostle Paul meant when he implored the churches to “pray without ceasing.” May our minds rise above the tangled web of dust that defines our daily lives during our temporal existence and thank our heavenly Father for sending His Son in whom we place our Hope.  

Alan Smith,
Ann Arbor Ecclesia, MI