The Power of the Gospel

Good morning!  My name is David Sorn, and I’m the Lead Pastor of Renovation Church. 

It’s been an exciting week at our church.  

Construction has started where our future East Bethel location will be! 

House Church sign-ups are pouring in…

And we are in WEEK TWO of our 1 Thessalonians series. 

If you’re new this week, or were out of town last Sunday…

…1 Thessalonians was written by one of the early church leaders, the Apostle Paul. 

Paul spent 3 weeks in Thessalonica (a city in modern day Greece), leading a sizable group of people to Christ, but then had to flee when a literal riot broke out in opposition to his message.  

Then, one year after that, Paul hears from his mentee, Timothy, how things are going at the Thessalonian Church, and Paul writes them this letter.  

And that context is really important, not just as a reminder from last week, but as a reminder of what God can do. 

Keep in mind these new Thessalonian Christians, prior to Paul’s coming, had perhaps never ever HEARD of the name Jesus.  

Some of them were Jews that lived in the city, while others were Gentiles…non-Jews who worshipped idols. 

And yet God moved, mightily & miraculously, and many of them became Christians. 

And so, when you look at your friends & family that don’t know Christ, and you think, “How in the world would God ever get through to them?  Is that even possible?” 

I want you to know that if God can get through to people bowing down to statues in Thessalonica that haven’t even heard the name of Jesus, He can get through to your lost friends & family.  

But how?  

Let’s go to the Word of God. 

1 Thessalonians 1:4-10  

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Last Sunday we saw Paul’s short introduction to the Thessalonians. 

And he talked about why he remembers their faith in front of God

And now we’re going to get a little history on how they were saved, and what God has done since.  

Let’s read 

(1 Thessalonians 1:4-10) – NIV 

4 For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. 6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. 7 And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, 9 for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.  

THE GOSPEL ITSELF (WHEN SAID RIGHTLY) IS POWERFUL! 

(The Power of the Gospel) 

Okay, there is a lot in this section, but I want to laser in as much as possible on verse 5 

Look at verse 5 again.  

Paul says, “Because our gospel came to you.” 

What’s the gospel? 

If you’re new to church or just checking it out, this is maybe the most important thing I can tell you. 

Gospel means Good News. 

And the Gospel is basically the summary of what Christianity is all about 

It’s the fact that we all sin against God and deserve justice for our sins. 

But God is not only just, but loving, so He sent His one and only Son, Jesus, to earth to die for our sins…in our place.  

And Jesus took the righteous justice of God, so we could be saved from the coming wrath as verse 10 says

And if we believe in that, and give our lives to Him, we can be forgiven, know God, and have eternal life in heaven. 

That’s the Gospel.  

So Paul says, verse 5, “our gospel came to you” (that message of how to be saved), not simply with words, but also with power! 

I want to talk a lot about the POWER of the Gospel today, but we must not too quickly pass over the words of the gospel 

It isn’t just that the gospel came in some powerful manifestation and that was it. 

Paul didn’t just get up on a platform perform a miracle 

The words themselves are powerful. 

Not that they have some sort of magical power, but the message of the gospel…that one can be set free from sin, set free from shame, know peace, know life…

….that message is the most powerful message in the world!  

And it’s why churches and individual Christians must get back to sharing the gospel again…and sharing it often. 

Unfortunately, I think churches in America have been largely afraid of sharing the gospel over the last 50 years.  

That wasn’t as much the case if you go back to the late 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, even a bit into the 80’s. 

And you had the Jesus people movement of the late 60’s and early 70’s 

The incredibly effective college movements of the Navigators, Campus Crusade, Intervarsity…all in their heyday. 

Of course Billy Graham crusades and more

Millions were coming to Christ through all of these evangelistic endeavors every year where people were sharing the gospel 

But, along with that, there were some bad examples of sharing the gospel too

Christians often shared the gospel impersonally, or just to get another number, there was the rise of the cringy televangelist…

and so in light of that, by the time we got to the 90’s and 00’s, a lot of American Christians overreacted, and threw the baby out with the bathwater. 

And now, half a century later, it’s almost shocking to hear a gospel invitation in a church. 

And maybe even more shocking to hear about someone who goes out and shares the gospel with their friends. 

Although, I think Gen Z, which to me is one of the greatest spiritual generations we’ve had in a long time, is reviving that some 

But we’ve largely forgotten, as American Christians, just how powerful the gospel is when we boldly proclaim it. 

When we teach that people are lost and condemned without salvation in Christ. 

That hell and heaven are real. 

But that Jesus can save you!

The Gospel is POWERFUL!

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 2 that the gospel smells like death to some who hear it (they hate it), and thus we get so nervous to say it. 

But, Paul says, to many others, the Gospel is the very aroma that brings life! 

Therefore, we must recover this, and recover it quickly, as American Christians.  

We’ve gotten too sidetracked these last few decades with making Christianity into a social movement, or a political protest, or a performance on Sunday morning, or perhaps a TED talk on relationships or money.  

But the essence of Christianity is none of those things.  It’s the gospel.  

Now, does Christianity have things to say on politics or social or moral issues? 

Yes, absolutely. 

But when we reduce Christianity to such things, we rob it of its power. 

The power is in the gospel. 

This is one of the main reasons we are doing our massive Family Fun Days outreach next weekend 

(Family Fun Days Service Times Slide). 

If you’re new to this concept, or you’re still a little hazy on what Family Fun Days is…here is how it works. 

Every person who comes to the service, or a kids’ classroom, on the way out will get tickets for a…. 

(start playing silent family Fun day video) 

…free food truck item, drink, kids will get wristbands to the inflatable zone (and also on Saturday, the Ninja Course zone) 

And that all takes place over at Sunrise Elementary after the service.  

And it’s huge, and awesome, and incredible!  

(When video is over….back to Family Fun Days Service Times slide) 

But before we do any of that over there, people come here (to our service), and we share the gospel. 

And you might think, “People will do that?” 

They do.  Hundreds of them for the very first time 

Listen, I’ve been doing this a long time, and one of the things I’ve learned is that it’s really hard & humbling for people to say, “I’ve gotta get back to church…or try church.” 

But it’s not that hard to say, “I’m just doing this for my kids.” 😊 

So they come for their kids, but in their hearts, they’re here to give God another shot…or their first shot.  

We’re expecting A LOT of people, so if you can come on Saturday (or 8am on Sunday), that helps a TON to open up seats. 

It’s an amazing thing, and we still need you to be a part of making this happen.  

(Family Fun Days Volunteer Slide)

We still need almost ____ volunteers, and we are 6 days away from this starting. 

I was thinking this week, when we were just a few hundred people in the school, we’d often do just as many services (as we do now) for family fun days because we had a tiny gym.  

And we’d fill every volunteer role, with about 20% as many people as we have now. 

And I think the way we did it, is we just said, “Hey this is not just life and death stuff, this is the stuff of eternity,” and so we all just gave our day to it. 

Listen, I know you’re already serving in Renovation Kids one hour, or at the Café, or you’re greeting, and so you’ve said, “No, I can’t help.  I’m already serving.” 

But the only way we’re going to see a lot of people meet Jesus, is if we all say, “I’m giving my Saturday to the Lord that day.  I’ll serve in Kids, and then out at the field.” 

“I’ll give my Sunday to the Lord that day” 

Trust me, it’s worth it. 

Please open your church app, sign up right now, or before you leave this morning. 

We do really need you 

THE HOLY SPIRIT BRINGS POWER 

Okay, so we see that the Gospel itself, in its words is powerful, but look again at verse 5: 

1 Thessalonians 1:5a 

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(1 Thessalonians 1:5a) – NIV 

5 because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. 

(The Power of the Gospel) 

So it’s not just that Paul came to Thessalonica and said these powerful words that people needed to hear, it’s that the Holy Spirit (who is God) moved too! 

When God moves, God moves…and there is nothing you can to do stop Him. 

Many of you have heard the testimonies on Baptism Sunday over the years where people drove by this building when it was under construction, and shook their fist, and said, “Just what we need…another dumb church.” 

And then 6 months later, they were in here, walking forward, giving their lives to Christ.!” 

That’s the power of the Holy Spirit! 

Listen, I’ve read a ton of books on revival: From the Great Awakenings in America, to the Welsh revival, to the Hebrides revival.  

And the thing with every revival is they are always bathed in prayer first. 

Yes, the gospel needs to be boldly proclaimed in word…and there is power in that. 

But Paul is also saying in verse 5 that the exponential power is in the Holy Spirit!  

He’s saying that the gospel came to you in word, in power, and through the Holy Spirit!

And we need to do PRAY (for the Holy Spirit to move)…even if this week 

So I want to call our church to prayer this week. 

(Family Fun Days Prayer Slide) 

I’m going to personally host two evening prayer meetings this week, right in this room, where we’re going to pray for your friends & family members to get saved at Family Fun Days this weekend. 

Tuesday night at 6:30, and Thursday at 6:30pm

Would you take a picture of this slide, or write this down quick? 

I’d love to see you at even just one of these. 

We have childcare for kids 5 and under

If your kids are old enough and can pray…especially if there in middle school and up…bring them to pray. 

I want you to come and pray heavily (and let us pray deeply) about who you want to see sitting next to you next weekend when the gospel is preached

Next weekend, I’m going to be taking a one week break from 1 Thessalonians to preach on the Prodigal Son in Luke 15

Who do you know that needs to hear that word of grace? 

Start praying deeply for them that they will accept your invitation to come and accept Christ.  

We’ll give you invite cards at the door, take a yard sign in the lobby…

But ultimately text someone, talk to someone, and invite someone. 

But above all things…PRAY!

The Holy Spirit is powerful. 

Listen, I meet 4, 5, or 6 new believers EVERY SINGLE WEEK…when we do follow-up up front here. 

And I hear testimonies ALL THE TIME where people say, “I don’t even know what was happening to me, it’s like you said, “Raise your hand, and it was just like my hand went in the air” 

People tell us ALL THE TIME, “I came to church for the first time with a friend, and as soon as the worship music started, I couldn’t stop crying.” 

What is that?  

That’s the HOLY SPIRIT! 

We need to pray for God to move like that! 

THE POWER THAT CHANGES LIVES 

(The Power of the Gospel) 

There is POWER in the Gospel! 

And it’s a power that changes lives. 

That’s all throughout the text. 

Look at verse 6. 

 Paul says, “You became imitators of us and the Lord” 

The Gospel has the power to change their lives. 

Verse 7: 

And so you became a model to all the believers 

Middle of Verse 9:

They tell how you turned to God from idols 

People were saying, “What happened to these Thessalonians?  They used to be drunk all the time, sleeping around, dishonest.  And now, here they are, sober, right-minded, and totally different people” 

What can do that but the power of God!

This is why, when we built this building, we put our baptismal right in the middle of our stage…and didn’t just do baptisms out at lake somewhere, where 5% of our church would come. 

I wanted 100% of you to hear about the POWER OF THE GOSPEL. 

I want you to know what our God can do!!

He’s still in the business of changing lives. 

But we must share the gospel! 

We must be on our knees asking for the Holy Spirit to move. 

THE POWER THAT RINGS OUT 

And the Power of the Gospel is so strong that Paul says it rings out 

Look at verse 8 again  

“The Lord’s message rang out (everybody say “Rang out”) from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere” 

The Gospel is going out from Thessalonica, like a ripple in a pond.  Ringing out. 

That’s the power of the gospel!

…this is what happens when churches & Christians share the gospel again. 

People ask all the time about why our church is growing like this, and yes, I think the fact that we preach the Bible is a factor, certainly our House Churches are a factor (people get connected in community) 

But the biggest X-Factors are the fact that we preach the gospel…every week…and then disciple those new believers. 

I know some of you know this already, but many of you maybe don’t know this yet. 

The reason we always ask new believers to come up front to see me, or to see our follow-up team, or wherever we direct them, is not only so we can get them a Bible and a Bible reading plan, it’s so we can connect them with a discipler…

…who will then disciple them, 1-on-1 in how to follow Jesus over the next 8 weeks. 

And that’s why we’re seeing the Gospel ring out like verse 8 says it can!  

Let me share with you an example of how the gospel can ring out when we trust in its power again:  

About a year and a half ago, there was a young man who radically came to Christ as a senior in high school in our youth group. 

And he was discipled personally by Will our High School Pastor at that time in how to follow Jesus 

And then this young man went to the gym, and he shared his faith with a young adult woman there, and invited her to come to his baptism at our church, and she did. 

And at that baptism service, I shared the gospel, and she got saved. 

And began to be discipled 1-on-1

As she grew in Christ, she then got very excited about God, went to her 12-step group and started talking about Jesus, and invited a friend from that group to come here

After a number of weeks of attending, he then accepted Christ and began to be discipled in our 1-on-1 discipleship program.

This third new Christian then reached out to one of his childhood friends whom he knew was at a really low spot. 

So much so that this friend had decided he was going to take his life. 

But because he had seen such a dramatic change in his friend who had become a Christian here, he said “yes, he’d try church”

And that first Sunday he came, he stood up and gave his life to Christ. 

By the way, you want to know what day that was? 

It was on Family Fun Day, last year!

He said he walked out to that field over at Sunrise Elementary later that morning and felt a peace he had never known in his life. 

And he too has now been discipled (by his friend who just came to Christ before him & another Christian), 

That’s disciples who make disciples who makes disciples who make disciples who make disciples. 

That’s 4 generations of new Christians in less than 9 months! 

That’s the gospel RINGING out

This is what the American Church needs to get back to again. 

May God wake us up out of our slumber. 

We will not impress, educate, or entertain the American public into a relationship with Christ. 

The POWER IS IN THE GOSPEL 

And may, not just the American Church wake up again, but the American Christian. 

May God lead us back to a faith that believes in His power again.  

If Paul can walk into Thessalonica, an idol-crazed city, and start leading people who didn’t even know the name of Jesus to Christ, 

Then surely God’s same power in the Gospel can work here in MN. 

So, may we believe again that the Power of the Gospel, and our God, can raise our friends and family to eternal life! 

Amen. 

Let’s pray