It is a beautiful, rainy, Monday morning here, very mild for winter in the South. In fact, I wanted to hear the sound of the rain and so opened the door to the deck, listening as I am studying/writing, coffee by my side. Bliss! Grab your Bible (print or electronic) and read the first chapter of 1 Thessalonians.
Last night, the Grammy awards were on TV here. Gracious goodness and sakes alive!! The whole idea of the Grammys is to commend popular performers for their accomplishments as musicians. Granted, the theme of all pop music is the glorification, the worship, of man. So, I don't know why I was in the least bit surprised by what I saw. When I first began to watch, AC/DC was performing their "classic" rock-and-roll anthem, "Highway to Hell". The audience had put little, red horns on their heads as they sang along. I watched as one might gape at a car wreck, driving by. It was appalling. I watched about 30 minutes before turning it off. Paganism on display - - - idol worship under the guise of commendation.
1 Thessalonians is generally accepted to be the first of the apostle Paul's letters. It was written somewhere around 50-52 A.D., while Paul was on his first missionary journey. Paul mentions Silas and Timothy in his greeting, because this church would have known these two men from their previous visits there. The overall tone of this letter is to encourage this infant church and to correct some errors in doctrine which had crept in, since Paul and the other missionaries left them.
In large part, the Thessalonian church was comprised of converted Gentiles, as opposed to being a church of primarily converted Jews. There did appear to be some Jewish believers, but not the majority. My basis for this assertion is found in verse 9, which states these believers "turned to God from idols". Jews could not have been accused of "worshipping idols", and so, this church was primarily a church of Gentile believers. These folks were a beautiful picture of repentance - - turning from the dead gods they formerly served, to embrace the true, living God revealed through His Son, Jesus Christ.
This first chapter, after the greetings, contains commendations for this young church. For what does Paul commend them? (I am taking the language from both The Message version as well as the Holman Christian Standard Bible.)
- work of faith, labor of love, patience in hope (vs. 3)
Like many of the early Christians, the Thessalonians were certain that Jesus' return would be within their lifetimes. In fact, some of the error that had crept into their assembly was related to this belief. It was a reasonable thing to believe, actually, and this belief helped to fuel the spread of the gospel. Early believers were told by Jesus to expect His return; He just did not specify when that would be. So, these Gentile believers were working faithfully as they anticipated meeting Jesus face-to-face. (vs. 10)
- God had touched this church in a special way, consecrating them for a special purpose. (vs. 4)
What caused Paul to say this? The answer is revealed in verses 5-6. The Holy Spirit came upon these people with power, causing them to embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ with joy, even in the face of severe persecution (mainly from the local Jewish leaders).
- convictions of steel (vs. 5)
How did the Thessalonians develop such stalwart, firmly-grounded beliefs? They imitated those from whom they heard the gospel, Paul and Co. Paul states (vs. 6) that, in imitating them, they imitated their Lord Jesus. The baby Christians in Thessalonica paid careful attention to how Paul and his missionaries lived. The Christian life and lifestyle was totally foreign to the way they had formerly lived, as pagans. So, in order to learn to follow Jesus, they imitated those who had introduced them to Jesus Christ. This is a beautiful picture of discipleship! It was through this imitation that the Thessalonians' "convictions of steel" were forged.
- shining examples of Jesus (vs. 7)
Some speculate that Paul wrote this letter from Corinth, others from Athens. But, regardless, many people had brought reports to him about the testimony of the Thessalonians. He is here commending them for living such godly lives that their testimony as a church had been broadcast far and wide - - - throughout Macedonia, Achaia and even beyond! Oh my - - - this should be the aim of every Christian church - - - that people far and wide would exclaim over how the members are serving the true and living God! This is the ultimate commendation from men and women.
Many of you reading this are, like me, Gentiles by birth who came to know Jesus as Lord and Savior. We live our lives, surrounded by pagan, anti-Christ culture. In this respect we are much like the Thessalonians. "Oh, but, we were not idol worshippers before..." Truly? Before coming to know Jesus, we did indeed worship some sort of "idol", because anything that people worship, other than God, revealed through His Son Jesus Christ, is an idol. All people worship something or Someone, whether they will admit it or not. We can look at the testimony of the Thessalonians and emulate their example. Yes, God did set them apart, consecrate them for a special purpose - - - then and now. Even now, we can admire their faith and seek to be commended by God similarly.
May our local churches be "famous" because we, the believers, have convictions of steel, because we are known for our faith and love for others, because we seek to imitate and reflect Jesus Christ to this lost, hostile world in which we live, a world barreling down a "highway to Hell" at full-speed. May this be true even if, even when, we face persecution for bearing the name of our Savior.
Don't be fooled. Our mission is not to seek the approval of mankind, even from the likes of great Christian leaders. It is to seek the approval of our Savior. Only His "pats on the back" last forever.
Oh Father, I can't even imagine what it will be like when I get to see you utterly clearly, without the "flesh" by which I'm bound and which blurs my vision. On that day, whether it be the day You return in the person of Your Son, Jesus, to catch up Your Bride to meet You in the air, or whether it be the day I leave this flesh behind and step across the threshold into Glory, I hope to hear Your commendation, "Well done, faithful servant!" In Jesus' name, amen.
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