Good morning! Boker TOV!
1 Thessalonians is generally accepted to be the first of the apostle Paul's letters. It was written somewhere around 48-52 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.
My husband and I have been given a tremendous opportunity to minister in the lives of others. We are laity, not clergy; yet, still, God has brought people into our lives with the desire that we pour our lives into theirs, that we disciple them in the faith. What a blessing and privilege!
In 1 Thessalonians 2, the apostle Paul is talking about his past history with the church at Thessalonica. We can look at his example and learn some principles for effective discipleship.
Yeshua HaMashiach never meant for His followers to hold tight to their salvation, their possessions or their very lives. If He is your Savior then He has given you good gifts which He intends for you to share with others. I'm not talking only about financial blessings, but also about the gifts of your talents, your time, your words, your actions. He truly intended for us to "give our lives away" for the sake of the spread of His gospel. I like to call this process "spiritual reproduction".
Without moving from a G-rating here...when a man and woman create a new human life, they do so by contributing part of their own bodies to conceive a new person. Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom, gave Himself for His Bride, His Church (that body of believers who have trusted or will trust in Him and claim His name - - past, present, future). And, it is through His Holy Spirit, living in the hearts of His Bride, that more believers are created.
Do you have any spiritual children? Are there any people who have made a decision to follow Jesus Christ through your yielding to the Holy Spirit in your life? If you are seeking Him and using your talents to further the gospel, I can almost guarantee that there are people who have come to Him through your sacrifice of time, talent and sharing. We usually are unaware of the extent of the Spirit's work through us. Thank God! I'd rather not know, as pride is my besetting sin.
At any rate, let's look at Paul's example this morning to see some principles for effective discipleship.
1. Outrageous treatment of the Birth Parent (vs. 2-5)
Ok, this does not sound like a good start, does it? Who in the world would sign up for this?! Who would want to spiritually reproduce if it demands sacrifice, if it brings on persecution or slander or pain? Paul was mistreated for the sake of the gospel, most notably in the town of Philippi before coming to Thessalonica to start this church. He tells us why God allows this type of testing: to refine us and prove us fully equipped for this glorious task! The Message version puts it like this:
God tested us thoroughly to make sure we were qualified to be trusted with this Message. Since we’ve been put through that battery of tests, you’re guaranteed that both we and the Message are free of error, mixed motives, or hidden agendas.
God allows us "parents" to be tested, so that our message is the truth of Jesus Christ, not some false teaching - - - so that we reproduce spiritual children who know the truth and who will walk in it, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
2. Confidence in the Calling (vs. 4)
Paul and his team of missionaries were confident in their calling from God. Paul calls their efforts "God-approved". Regardless of the persecution they had experienced, Paul was undeterred. He was focused like a laser beam on his mission: to spread the gospel all across Asia Minor. He did not interpret opposition from men as a signal to quit. He was sure of the truth of the message of the gospel, sure of his Savior, and this gave him the confidence that kept him "on task".
3. Humble (vs. 6)
Often the Lord calls us to minister to those who have very different life circumstances than do we. When Paul came to the people of Thessalonica, he had little in common with them. He was born a Jew, raised in the Jewish faith, and then became a follower of Jesus Christ. He started this church of people who were non-Jews, a bunch of lost-as-a-goose idol worshippers. Yet, although he bore the truth of the gospel, he was not condescending, aloof, self-important or patronizing, as The Message version puts it. No, Paul testifies that
...we cared for you the way a mother cares for her children. We loved you dearly. Not content to just pass on the Message, we wanted to give you our hearts. And we did.
The pastor at a church I attended years ago would write a message to the members every week; it is on the front of the church "bulletin". At the end, he would almost always say, "I love you!", and I believe that as the Chief Shepherd of our church, he DID love his "flock". This is the type of thing that Paul speaks of.
And, listen, LISTEN! This is an area in which we tend to stumble! It is so easy to be "puffed up" with pride when ministering to others. As a result, we come across as patronizing, condescending...do you really think that such attitude is helpful to win others to seek God? to believe the good news of Yeshua HaMashiach?!
Absolutely not!
Always we should pray for opportunities to share this "treasure we bear in earthen vessels"(2 Cor. 4:7), and also pray for the right attitude in which to share it. If we don't pray and ask the Holy Spirit to speak through us, by our words and our actions, we may unwittingly commit spiritual abortion. God forbid!
4. Hard-working (vs. 9)
The Message version puts it "working our fingers to the bone". The HCSB version translates it "working night and day". If anyone thinks that discipleship is easy, then he/she needs to "get a clue". As much as Satan opposed the conversion of sinners to saints, he re-doubles his efforts to oppose the discipleship of new believers. He knows that Christ-followers are Jesus' hands and feet in the spread of the life-changing gospel. We, God's people, are to resist him and his nefarious schemes (James 4:7).
I've not heard it in many years, but we used to sing this gospel song in my little Baptist church growing up: "Work, for the Night is Coming". You can find the lyrics if you search that title online. The song encouraged and exhorted soldiers in the army of Jesus Christ to "keep after it", to be diligent, to labor in the greatest cause ever.
5. Modeling (vs. 10-12)
One of the privileges I had in the work world was to train young teachers. One of the bedrock principles of good teaching is "modelling". In other words, the teacher shows the pupil what the learning looks like by doing it him/herself.
I had just the absolutely best Daddy! He is with Jesus now, but I still miss him every day! I remember how, all those years ago, he taught me how to ride a bike, in the front yard of our home. He told me how to do it, SHOWED me how to do it, and then gradually released the responsibility to me until I was able to do it successfully. At one point, he ran alongside the bike as I pedaled, his hands on the frame, and then his hands were gone. Filled with joy, I was biking!
This is a beautiful picture of discipleship, Christian friends.
We cannot skip that crucial step of the baby watching the elder do it.
Paul spoke of, "how devoutly, righteously, and blamelessly we conducted ourselves with you believers." Paul modeled. He walked "the resplendent, Torah walk".
6. Encouraging, Exhorting, Imploring (vs. 12)
The birth parent prays over his/her baby Christian "offspring", and then by the guidance of the Holy Spirit prods him or her on to a deeper relationship with his/her Savior. At times, the parent encourages. At other times, the parent "exhorts". That is a word that is not used so often anymore, but it means "urging someone to do the right thing". The final word is "imploring", which basically means "begging"... begging the young Christian to follow hard after his Savior. The Holy Spirit will reveal to the parent which mode of operation is needed at the moment, if we are humbly seeking His will through prayer.
I've often said that parenting is the hardest job there is. I've comforted parents with those words as I sat behind my school desk as a principal. I've said those words to myself over the past 28 years, while birthing and raising my two sons. Spiritual parenting is no different. We can effectively disciple only through the power of the Holy Spirit, who lives in each person who has given his/her life to Jesus Christ.
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!" Father... I am astounded that You have chosen us, Your children, to spread the gospel, whether by preaching to a crowd, or in a small discipleship group, or one-on-one. My flesh tells me that I am totally unworthy of this honor. Yet, your Word tells me that we, Your children, are your preferred method of spreading the gospel, of reproducing spiritually. Oh, make us fruitful, Dear Father! May we be poured out as a praise offering to You. May our light, the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ, shine so brightly that the world, the whole world will know that You and only You are the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
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