1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. 2 We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly 3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake. 6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it. 9 For the people of those regions report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a 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 wrath that is coming.
I like to challenge myself at times to get out of my comfort zone. At other times, I am just happy to stay with what I like. It is one thing to say that I never plan to eat sushi, no matter how great it might be. It is another thing to say that I never evaluate my life to ask whether my thoughts and actions are with or against God, part of the old sinful nature or the new life lived in light of eternity.
This next Church Year I will reflect with you in these articles about Paul’s two letters to the Thessalonians, to a region in northeastern Greece. Paul went there after being beaten in Philippi and had to leave Thessalonica as well, after not too long a time period. It seemed fitting to do these two letters, since they may be the first two documents in what we now call the New Testament. But the “getting started” goes to the heart of the Gospel. I pray that the Lord guides us.
Paul started speaking to Jewish people in synagogues but seems quickly to have moved on to the Gentiles, to people who had a whole different way of life behind them. It is odd, but as fewer Christians bring their children to the church to worship and learn, our country is becoming more like the Gentiles. People are growing up with all sorts of ideas about life and success, unfazed by what salvation and eternal life even mean. It is said that we are always one generation away from unbelief. No longer! We are living in such times now.
Paul starts by celebrating that the people have stayed faithful. They are known as committed Christians. They are living out the Gospel and other people are bragging about their faith in Christ. Paul notes that the Holy Spirit creates that faith. As the Spirit brought life into Mary’s womb for Christ to be God and human, they and we have now been given that same Spirit that was in those first Christians, so that we too might be known for what we are, those who not only hope in Christ but those who are publicly known for it and live it out in public. Leaving aside the old way of life, centered on self, believers now live for loving others with Christ’s salvation and lay everything aside that gets in the way. May we be known everywhere as those who are proud of the gift of life that we pass on to others in this season and throughout our life.
Pastor Tom Trapp, Mission Pastor
Walking the Emmaus Road with the Risen Lord!
(Originally published in Emmaus Footprints, Vol. XIV, Number 5, December 2012)