2 Thessalonians 1 (NRSV) Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 We must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. 4 Therefore we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith during all your persecutions and the afflictions that you are enduring. 5 This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, and is intended to make you worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering. 6 For it is indeed just of God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to give relief to the afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 These will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, 10 when he comes to be glorified by his saints and to be marveled at on that day among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. 11 To this end we always pray for you, asking that our God will make you worthy of his call and will fulfill by his power every good resolve and work of faith, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
It has been said that the Christian Church has never recovered from the time when it became “legal” under Constantine to be a Christian. Before that, people were put to death for claiming Christ as Lord instead of Caesar. Afterward, some say it became popular and meaningless. Paul writes a second letter to find out if the Gospel “took.” It had! In persecutions, whether official or just heavy “pestering,” they were standing firm. Those who were trying to inhibit faith in a gracious God would be excluded from the presence of the Lord—forever! The first letter taught that the Lord’s return might be delayed. The second would remind them to be faithful and stand firm until His return.
We telegraph to others what is most meaningful. What do we talk about the most? What is most central? In this post-Christian era, the Christian faith and life are under attack. It is easy to live and let live, as if nothing really matters. It is easy to give in to popular wisdom, safe thinking. Worship can be reserved for days when it is convenient or expected or traditional. Jesus means little in daily living for many around us. Others want a private relationship with Jesus. But we can be publicly proud that we are saved and redeemed, to shape our daily lives around attachment to Him forever and in fellowship with others against the onslaughts of the devil, the world, and our old sinful nature.
Let us not be among those who see the organized church and worship as an outmoded relic! Let our old nature not win by setting Christ off to the side, as a private hobby, not a public faith, as if Christ’s death and resurrection no longer makes sense. Let us not justify staying away from the community because of time or worldly pursuits. The body of Christ needs to gather together to thank and praise, to serve and obey, to keep getting wrapped in His love for strength against the world that offers its subtle sneers and persecutions. Let us be with Christian friends here on earth. We will each appear individually in the presence of Jesus Christ on the day of judgment, hopefully to be welcomed in, not excluded forever. Let us not exclude Him from our lives. Let us live now as we will live in all eternity, bringing our children and grandchildren up in the fear and knowledge of the Lord. On Christ the solid rock we stand, all other ground is sinking sand.
Pastor Tom Trapp, Mission Pastor
Walking the Emmaus Road with the Risen Lord!
(Originally published in Emmaus Footprints, Vol. XV, Number 1, August 2013)