Simple Faith

Bill Henry: When we get born again, not only are we born again into being the bride of Christ, not only are we born again into being the body, but we're born again into being the church, the family of God, His children. Take a moment, look around you please.

These are your brothers and sisters in Christ. These are your brothers and sisters—young, old, skinny, fat, tall, short, bad breath, good breath. These are your brothers and sisters in Christ. You're not alone.

Guest (Male): Hello again, and welcome to Simple Faith with Pastor Bill Henry from Simple Faith Calvary Chapel. Find your place in the book of 1 Thessalonians as we concentrate on the first several verses again today. Maybe you're feeling as though your life is falling apart.

You've lost your job, perhaps, or your family life is kind of a mess, or you have an illness, or you're facing tremendous persecution. Whatever's going on in your life, what's going to sustain you and keep you going? Well, that's the place the people of Thessalonica were in, and we'll see what kept them going in just a few moments.

Pastor Bill Henry is taking us through the book of 1 Thessalonians. We've just begun a new series, and we're going to notice some valuable insights about the church of Jesus Christ. Here is Pastor Bill.

Bill Henry: People go to those suicidal thoughts because we feel alone. Maybe we've been hurt, maybe we've been damaged, but usually, it is because we feel alone. Nobody understands that damage, nobody understands that hurt, nobody cares about me, all this stuff. I want to reach out to you and tell you this today: those are all lies straight from the pit of hell.

"I'm not worth anything. It doesn't matter." Oh, maybe because you're not a TikTok star, maybe because you don't have this great voice that you hoped you had, maybe you have a great voice but you can't make it sing. There can be so many different things that can drag us down into that darkness.

But beloved in Christ, remember this: you are never alone. Remember, this is so important. First of all, and most importantly, Jesus Christ said He would never leave us nor forsake us. Ever. Period. Nothing can separate us from His love. Period. Sadly, too many of us don't believe God's word. We believe how we feel over what the Bible says. No, take your feelings and have them follow the word of God.

When we get born again, not only are we born again into being the bride of Christ, not only are we born again into being the body, but we're born again into being the church, the family of God, His children. Take a moment, look around you real quick, please. Look around, everybody. Look around.

These are your brothers and sisters in Christ. These are your brothers and sisters—young, old, skinny, fat, tall, short, bad breath, good breath. These are your brothers and sisters in Christ. You're not alone. Why do so many of us act like we are alone? Because for a lot of us, that's how we live.

Sadly, I think because of the electronic age, that's really facilitated aloneness. We think, "Oh, everybody else has it so much better than me. Look at this on Facebook. They're happy all the time. Look at them. They're even eating this great stuff. Look at that house. Oh, look, they're on vacation again. Wow, this is great. What about me? What about me?"

Die to yourself. Pray for them. "Lord bless them. Praise the Lord you're blessing them." But here's the thing: it can bring this loneliness. If you are a Christian, you are not alone. Again, first we have Jesus, period. That's enough. But secondly, He loves us so much, He said all the way back in the book of Genesis, "It is not good for man to be alone."

He was talking about marriage, but we have each other as the bride, the body of Christ, as the church—those who have all been called out together, called out of the world and called into Jesus Christ together. We are brothers and sisters, part of the body.

Some people say, "Well, the church is too big and I just haven't got to know anybody," or, "The church is too small." Tully and I came out of a church that had 25,000 people come through on Sunday mornings, Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, back in the '90s. The Lord was doing a mighty work. And we never felt alone.

You can be in a big crowd and feel alone. I get that. I've had people come to our church and say, "Oh, we left a big church and we always felt like we never got plugged in." Well, we need to plug ourselves in. When we went to this huge church, we would go to the same service on Sundays.

They had three services that were always jam-packed with thousands of people, and we would always go and sit in the same place every Sunday at the same service. If somebody was sitting in our seat, we'd kick them out. "That's our seat." Just kidding. But we got to know the people around us purposely—before service, after service, going out to lunch or breakfast. It was such a neat thing.

Then we also got plugged into serving. I remember the first thing I started doing there was vacuuming and setting up chairs. I didn't care. Guess what? I started meeting other people who were setting up chairs too. "Hey, what are you doing after service? You want to go grab some breakfast or some lunch or dinner? Let's pray. How can I be praying for you?"

As you're serving, all of a sudden you start to meet people—people I still know today, still friends with in Christ from 30, 40 years ago. Some even longer now. I'm getting old. But if we don't do that, then why would we expect to be plugged in?

In the Pacific Northwest, we're kind of the wild bunch. We like to think, "I'm good, I'm on my own." That's not church. If you've been born again into the kingdom of God, you are now born again into His church. And going to church isn't going to be like some people tell me, "My church is the golf course. I go there every week."

Some people say, "My church is going on a walk around the lake and in nature. That's my church." You know what I say now? "You're right. That is your church. It's not the church." The same as a lot of people worship Jesus, but they say, "My Jesus would never do that." That's right. That's your Jesus. That's not the Jesus of the Bible.

If you're a Christian, you're going to want to be around other Christians. Now, will some of them drive you nuts? Of course. People don't like to say that from the pulpit. Sometimes you won't like some of your brothers and sisters in Christ. It's okay. Pray about it. Still be nice to them. But other people you're going to become deep friends with. God will do it. That's normal.

I remember years ago, Tully and I sat down to dinner with a couple we invited. We were talking to them, and they said, "Well, we've been coming for a few months now, but we're going to leave the church." I asked, "Oh, that's a bummer. What's going on?" They said, "Well, we've been coming for three months and people have been nice to us, they've talked to us and said hello, but nobody's ever asked us out for lunch or for dinner just to get to know us better."

I said, "Wow, that is a bummer. I'm really sorry that happened. Can you just tell me how many of our people told you no? In other words, how many people did you guys ask out to lunch or dinner?" And there was dead silence. They'd never done that. They said, "Oh, we've never done that either."

The Lord convicted them in a good way. They were open to that, and it was beautiful because I wasn't being a smart aleck. I was trying to point out that we need to reach out to each other. We need to be the body of Christ. We need to be those who are unafraid about getting to know people. It can be scary, but remember that you're part of the body of Christ.

That's so important. You're part of the church, and that means you're part of a family. I remember years ago, there was nothing like going to a foreign country and going into a Christian church. Even just visiting on vacation. You go into a church, and there's nothing like meeting other Christians who love Jesus. There's an instant camaraderie.

When you go to another country and they don't even speak the language... I lived in Australia for six months and you'd meet the Aussies in church, and it was just instant fellowship. I remember on a missions trip back in the early '90s when Russia had just opened up.

We had an interpreter there, and there was a guy we were witnessing to. He ended up inviting us all over to his grandma's house because she's a Christian. "Come meet my grandma. She's a Christian." So we were blessed to go. His grandma came to the door, a little old lady, a babushka. She opens the door, looks at us, and starts to weep.

She starts to weep because we're the first Christians she's ever met from outside of her country, and she is so blessed. The Holy Spirit was just there awesomely. That's because she's part of the church. We're part of the church. She's part of the body of Christ. We're part of the body of Christ.

Why do we come to church? Not because we have to to get saved, but because we get to because we are saved. This is where we come to fellowship. This isn't even where we come to get people saved. That's why we don't do the smoke and the mirrors and all the other junk. This is a time for Christians to come together and use the gifts that they've been given.

Start serving if you're not serving. I'm encouraging you because if you're not, you're ripping yourself off. If you physically can work, and some physically can't, I get that, but most can. If you're not serving, you're part of the body, remember. If you're not serving, then we're missing part of our bodies.

You might think, "Oh, it doesn't matter. I'm just an armpit in the body of Christ. I'm a stinky toe on the body of Christ. I don't really have any big gifts." Really? Anybody here ever bumped a toe or broke a toe? You know how important toes are? You can't walk properly without your toes. You can't run really without toes.

So even if you think you're a toe, we're missing you. In this church and other churches, we're limping around because the saints aren't using their gifts that God has given them to bless the body of Christ. When we come together, we come together to stir each other up and then go out and do the work of the ministry—to go out and love the lost and be the light and salt that we are in Jesus Christ.

We need to understand that being part of the body of Christ means that we are called out and we are to be separate from the things of the world. Second Corinthians 6:14-18 describes us. Let me read this out of the New Living Translation.

"Don't team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? And what union can there be between God's temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God."

Stop there for just a moment. We are those who are called out. We're not to stay where we were when we got saved. I remember when I got saved, all my friends that I used to get high with, all the guys I used to surf with, all the guys I used to get drunk with and chase after girls with, they were freaking out. It was like I was the vampire and they're like, "Back, bro. Don't share Jesus with us. We don't want to hear about this Jesus."

I didn't come back and get saved and act mean to them, but I just wouldn't partake anymore because I'd been called out. At first, I'll be honest, I was lonely for a while. But I was sad for them. I still pray for them today. They didn't want to have anything to do with me anymore. Why? Because I didn't want to get high or drunk anymore. I didn't want to chase after girls anymore. I wanted to chase after Jesus.

I would tell them that all the time. "Come to church. Come to Bible study. Let's check out Jesus, man." They'd just say, "I don't want to be around you anymore." That is what happens when we really live for Jesus. People are going to hate us and they're going to persecute us. That is what Jesus promised us.

But remember what He says here: how can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? It doesn't mean we don't try. It doesn't mean we are not with them as far as trying to love our family and friends and share the gospel. But it's really them that aren't going to want to be around us. But we also need to be careful.

There used to be a thing we called missionary dating. You're a Christian, and you're going to go "missionary dating." You're going to go find a girl or a guy and bring them to Christ. I can't tell you how many guys over the years I've talked to, or girls that will say, "Oh, I found this guy. I just love him. He's so wonderful."

I'll say, "Well, tell me about him." "Oh, he's so awesome. He's great-looking and just makes me laugh. He's so nice." I'll say, "Well, that's cool, but is he a Christian? Does he love Jesus?" "Well, I don't know, we haven't really talked about that yet." "Does he go to church? What church does he go to?" "Well, I don't know yet because we haven't really got there." "Does he pray with you? Does he talk to you about Jesus?" No.

You know what I say? Run. Get out of there. If a man is not going to be the spiritual leader, you don't want him. Guys, if a girl is out living after the world and not after Christ, you don't want her. I always wondered what they see if they profess to be a Christian. What do you see in this unbeliever? "Oh, she's hot, man. Makes me laugh." So it's all the physical stuff. What about the spiritual?

It should be Jesus attracting you first and foremost. Now, that doesn't mean you marry somebody ugly to you, but at the same time, that should be the first thing. If they don't have Jesus, I'm not going to let my heart go there. I'll be praying for them, but no.

Then a lot of people ask about business. "Should I go into business with an unbeliever?" If you're already there, pray for a way to get out if you can. But no, don't do that. He's saying here we're to come out of the things of the world. That "come out" is like: stop seeing the same movies all the world is seeing. Stop listening to all the same music, watching all the same TikTok videos. Separate yourself.

It's called sanctification. He goes on to say, "And God said, 'I will live among them and walk among them. I will be their God. They will be my people.' Therefore, come out from among them." That's who we are—the ecclesia—those who have come out from among unbelievers. Separate yourselves, says the Lord.

He's not saying go live in a monastery up on a mountain and never be around unbelievers. He's saying be careful not to have close fellowship with them. Be careful. "I'm going to go hang out at the bar because that's where all my friends are. I'm not going to drink, I'm just going to..." If you used to be a drunk, that is a bad decision.

Come out from among them, separate yourself, says the Lord. Don't touch their filthy things and I will welcome you. I'll be your Father, you'll be my sons and daughters, says the Lord God Almighty. Notice how these things are to be done because we love God, because He's now our Father. It's not, "Oh, man, I can't go get drunk anymore. I'm not allowed to cuss anymore."

It's like, "Oh, thank you, Jesus, for delivering me from all those sins. Father, You're now my Father. Praise You, Lord." There's nothing that compares to God and His love. We are no longer our own because we are now part of the church. We've been saved from the world and saved into the body of Christ.

As part of the church, we're going to be in fellowship with the rest of the body because this is now who we are in Christ. Remember this. We are now in Christ. We need to be in fellowship. We need others to pick us up when we're feeling down. Amen? We need others to help pick up when they're feeling down.

If we fall into sin, what a blessing it is to have a brother or a sister that is honest enough with you to go to those who have fallen in sin and seek to restore such a one. But that is not going to happen if we're not in the body of Christ. That's why a lot of churches have membership—so we can kick you out because that is our way of church discipline. I actually understand it to a point.

We need to be those who come to church and fellowship for the rest of the bride. We live in a culture that says, "No, church is all about me." There is a video we used to show called "Me Church," and it's all about me. No, we are to be in fellowship with each other.

We are to be befriending each other, serving each other, stirring each other up, sacrificing for each other, caring for, praying for, ministering to, and loving one another with the love of Jesus Christ by the spirit of God—to love our brothers and sisters and then go out and love the lost.

When we're having a hard time, we have people to call, people to email, people to text, and people to come and pray for us. Hebrews 10:24 and 25 says, "And let us consider and give attentive, continuous care to watching over one another."

Did you come this morning to give attentive, continuous care to watching over your brothers and sisters here today? We should be studying how we may stir up and incite to love and helpful deeds and noble activities, not neglecting to assemble together as believers, but admonishing, warning, urging, and encouraging one another.

Do we do that? Do we know people here well enough? This is what we're to be doing: warning, urging, and encouraging each other all the more faithfully as you see the day approaching. Anybody see the day approaching, Jesus Christ coming back? You've got to be blind to the signs of the times.

We are almost 2,000 years closer than any other Christians who have lived to the return of Jesus Christ and to the rapture. I want to encourage us, especially as we see this day approaching. Remember whose you are and who you are. You are part of the church if you've been born again of the spirit of God.

I just pray that as we see this and we understand who we are and whose we are, that it'll bring comfort, strength, and some challenging to us to step out of our comfort zones and start to love each other more and more so we can equip each other to go out and be the body of Christ.

Guest (Male): This has been Simple Faith with Pastor Bill Henry from Simple Faith Calvary Chapel in Vancouver, Washington. Today, we brought you a message from Pastor Bill from his series in the book of 1 Thessalonians. It's our sincere hope and prayer that you've been blessed by the word you heard from Pastor Bill today.

If you'd like to share today's message with someone, it's available at our website to either watch or listen, and you can even download an audio MP3 version. We have a large number of Pastor Bill's messages archived, and you can find them all at simplefaith.org. Click the media tab and if you'd like to contact us, just click the contact tab on our website. There's a tab at the top of our homepage where you can also send us a prayer request.

You can also call us at the church at 833-BY-GRACE. That's 833-294-7223. And if you'd like to write to us, our mailing address is Post Office Box 55, Battle Ground, Washington 98604. At Simple Faith Calvary Chapel, we have two services on Sunday morning at 9:00 and 10:45, and a great time of studying in God's word Wednesday night at 7:00 PM.

We'd love to have you come visit us and make sure you say hi to Pastor Bill and let him know you listen to Simple Faith. For more information and directions, go to simplefaith.org. You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Thanks for joining us today, and be sure to join us next time as our series in 1 Thessalonians continues here on Simple Faith with Pastor Bill Henry. Be sure to join us for the Sunday edition of Simple Faith and a series in the book of Job. This program is brought to you by Simple Faith Calvary Chapel in Vancouver, Washington.