1. A Lesson from the Church at Thessalonica
Have you ever been really proud of someone and you had to share it with others?
In 1 Thessalonians, we find a church that makes Paul proud. In the first part of chapter 1, Paul is thankful for them remembering their work of faith, labor of love and patience of hope. In 2:13, Paul is thankful for how they received the word---not as words of men, but as words of God.
Didn’t men write this down? Yes, but they were inspired of God. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All scripture is given by the inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”
The Word causes us to take action! We find a group of Christians that received the word, obeyed it and listen to verse 6-9.
They had an active faith. They were teaching others about Jesus.
Paul reminds them in Ch. 2 how they labored among them. He knew the kind of men who were among them…the kind that in verse 14…..”for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen………-vs 16”
No wonder in Ch. 3, we find Paul concerned over the faithfulness of his brothers and sisters in Christ, so he sends Timothy to check on them.

2. Timothy’s Findings 1 Thessalonians 3:6
“6 But now when Timothy came from you unto us, and brought us good tidings of your faith and charity, and that ye have good remembrance of us always, desiring greatly to see us, as we also to see you:
Paul knew the afflictions and tribulations he endured while preaching there. In Acts 17, we find Paul preaching, explaining and demonstrating to the Thessalonians for 3 Sabbath days that Christ had to suffer—how he had to be crucified—how he arose from the dead! He preached to them that Jesus is the Christ. Some believed, but some didn’t. In 17:5, . They set the city in an uproar.
Paul didn’t want the Thessalonian brethren’s faith to be moved or shaken. He wants to know if they were still faithful in their efforts for God. He wants to know what is their spiritual condition.
So what did Timothy find?
1 Thess. 3:6
The findings comfort Paul. He is thankful to God for them and he wants to visit them again….look in verse 10…so he can perfect what is lacking in their faith. He only had had 3 Sabbath days with them.

3. Paul’s Prayer 1 Thessalonians 3:12
12 And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:
At the end of ch.3, we see Paul’s prayer for the church.
3:12-13

4. Paul’s Exhortation 1 Thessalonians 4:1
Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.
Paul exhorts the brethren in Ch. 4. He urges them, inspires them, encourages them to walk after the Lord and please Him---IF you do, you will abound more and more. You will excel still more.

5. Paul’s Exhortation 1 Thessalonians 4:10
10 And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more;
Paul encourages the brethren in
v.3 Abstain from fornication
v. 4 Possess your body to sanctification and honor
v. 6 Don’t take advantage of your brother
v. 7 Called to be holy
v. 8 Don’t despise God
v. 11 Walk honestly by leading a quiet life, minding your own business, and working with your hands
v. 9 Love one another---they didn’t have a problem in this area, but look what they are told in verse 10

6. This letter is addressed to
a strong and faithful
Church of Christ.
This letter is addressed to a strong and faithful Church of Christ.
This letter encouraged them to “keep on keeping on”.
He urges them to take their faith to the next level.
a. Never slow down
b. Never just settle
c. Never stop growing ... Increase and Abound!

7. Increase & Abound
These three words should be part of a mission statement for all faithful children of God.
If these three words are incorporated into your life and abound, there is no limit to what you can accomplish for God during your life.
2. No limit to how strong you, your family, and this church can become.
So how do we increase and abound in the Lord?

8. Build on your strength. Not troubled – a model congregation
They were an evangelistic Congregation.
Build on your strength.
The church in Thessalonica was a model of faith and good works. (not troubled) They were an evangelistic congregation.
You’ve done a lot, but you must keep on progressing. ( Don’t become satisfied )
Build on your strength.
1Thess. 3: 12 – May the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you;
Could this letter have been written to O’Neal? Are we where we want to be as a congregation of God’s people? Are we satisfied with how we are?

9. Need for Growth Philippians 3:12–14
12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
As Paul urged others to grow, he realized his own need for ongoing growth. Look at Phil. 3:12-14
We all must keep striving.
You are not Thessalonica and I am not Paul.
None of us are yet what we need to be.
We must help each other grow in the Lord.
Christian maturity is a lifelong process ... NOT an accomplishment.

10. We all want to grow spiritually.
- We could list many things in which we want to improve.
- More importantly is HOW can we increase and abound?
- Three qualities=no limit.
Do you want to grow spiritually?
We all want to grow spiritually.
We could quickly list many things in which we want to improve.
More import is HOW can we increase and abound? (How do I get off that plateau?)
Three qualities ... Three words ... If we have them and abound = no limit.

11. The first quality is URGENCY
Excellence and excelling begins right now.
We must move beyond the desiring stage. (I would really like to…)
Must get past the planning. One of these days I’m gonna ...

12. Parable of the Talents Matthew 25:14–18 16 Immediately
17 In the same manner
The parable of the talents teaches us a very valuable lesson about this.
Matt. 25:14–18
New American Standard version reads:
14 “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. 15 To one he gave five [a]talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. 16 Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. 17 In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. 18 But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his [b]master’s money.
Success in anything comes to those who eagerly pursue it. Immediately the one and in the same manner…..
The difference between those who were praised and the one condemned was not
results; it was attitude and the process. The winners pressed on eagerly. They started NOW!

13. What do we learn from the one talent man?
We learn that hanging on to what we have is just not good enough.
Too many Christians are just hanging on ... hoping not to lose.
They are not interesting in talking about excelling or what they need to change.
As long as they don’t lose ground, certainly that will be good enough for God.
( Same amount of study, prayer, attendance, visiting, reading, etc. as last year )

14. What I am in Christ today is good enough for my Savior,
BUT ... what I am in Christ today is NOT good enough for my Savior tomorrow!

15. Having an attitude of urgency, I (WE) can increase and abound.
Do you want to do a better job of spreading the Gospel, teachings others about Christ?
There is no guarantee of tomorrow.
There is a need for urgency ... do it today.
Move from “I’ll do it sometime” to “I need to teach today.”

16. The second
quality is
MATURITY

17. Maturity comes from knowledge and understanding of spiritual things.
The second quality to help us increase and abound is MATURITY.
Maturity comes from knowledge and understanding of spiritual things.
Someone may say: I’ve been a Christian for years and nothing seems to be happening for me.
They can’t do anything because they don’t know anything because they haven’t increased their maturity in the Scriptures.
Someone may say: Sometimes I want to do more but I don’t know how to do more.
If you missed last week, these papers are in the back of different areas where that the men of this church can increase and abound.

18. Romans 10:17
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
2 Peter 3:18
But grow in the grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ….
We know our faith comes by hearing…..
We need our faith to GROW!

19. Remember Hebrews 5
The lack of maturity has been a problem from the early years of the church.
Remember Hebrews 5
The Hebrew writer writes in Hebrews 5:11-12
11 Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.
12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
The lack of maturity has been a problem from the early years of the church.
Bro. Charlie told me once that one of the biggest problems of all churches is lack of knowledge.
What did Hosea say about Israel about their lack of knowledge?
Hosea 4:6 6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge:
The lack of spiritual maturity prevents many Christians from increasing and abounding.
They want to teach a class, but fear they don’t know enough.
Some want to ask a neighbor to study the bible, but fear they will say yes.
See a brother or Sister who is hurting, but you don’t know what to say to them.
Put urgency with your learning and there is no limit to what you can do.

20. DEPENDANCY The third quality is
The third and last quality is dependency.
This runs counter to our culture.
We Americans are brought up to be independent.
It’s not really success unless I accomplish it myself.
If other people help me, I may not get the credit.
That’s not pride in doing something, most often it’s JUST PRIDE.

21. Let Us Hebrews 10:21-25 Let us draw near… Let us hold fast…
And let us consider one another…
WE are joined in the SAME body with the SAME family in the SAME army working the SAME mission for the SAME Master!
TEAMWORK!
I call your attention to a familiar passage about teamwork.
Heb. 10:21-25
21 And having an high priest over the house of God;
22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
The words “let us” appear 12 times in the book of Hebrews.
Christianity is a community lifestyle ... it is teamwork ... interdependence
We are joined in same body ... same family ... same army ... working same mission.

22. Teamwork multiplies results.
One draft horse
Can pull 8,000 lbs
How much can two horses pull? 24,000 lbs
Two trained together?
32,000 lbs
Horse Sense ... By Jim Stovall
Recently, I was reading about draft horses which are very large, muscular S#34. animals that, throughout history, have been used for pulling great loads and moving very heavy objects. A single draft horse can pull a load up to 8,000 pounds. The strength involved in this is hard to imagine. So then we can speculate what would happen if we hooked up two draft horses to a load. If you instantly thought two draft horses could pull 16,000 pounds if one draft horse can pull 8,000 pounds, you would be wrong. Two draft horses pulling together cannot pull twice as much as one. They can actually pull three times as much. The two draft horses that can each pull 8,000 pounds alone can pull 24,000 S#35. pounds working together.
The horses are teaching us a very clear lesson in teamwork, but they still have more to teach us. If the two horses that are pulling together have trained with one another and have worked together before, they can’t just pull three times as much working together as they can by themselves. The two trained horses in tandem can actually pull 32,000 pounds,S#36. which is a load four times as heavy as either of the horses could pull by themselves.

23. This principle applies to all cooperative efforts, including spiritual things.
God never intended for us to try to function as islands.

24. Everything we do for God is easier when we do it with someone else.
Teaching and Evangelism are many times easier with even one other person. Start now. Make it urgent on your priority list. You will mature as a Christian as you team up with others to get it done.
If you haven’t signed up to teach, you can do this!

25. Increase & Abound Remember Paul’s prayer to …..
Will you be committed as the Thessalonians to Increase and Abound?

26. Will we be found worthy of the kingdom?
2 Thess. 1:3-5
The rest of the story:
2nd Letter to Thessalonians
How were they found?
Will we be found worthy of the kingdom?
Well…what about the Thessalonians? Look at 2 Thessalonians 1:3-5