"Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers; constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father" (1 Thessalonians 1:1-4)
Do you remember the first PCs of the 1980's? Though at the time they were quite advanced compared to a typewriter, those dreary green or amber pixelated screens did not show exactly how your document would look. Today, with WYSIWYG (What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get) technology, what one sees on the screen is what the printer will spew out when you click "Print" - or at least it should according to the manual.
Today's verse is just like modern PCs - it shows us the what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of faith of the Church in Thessalonica, the kind of faith that should be evident in our lives too. Let us look closer.
A Transformed Relationship
The fact that Paul writes a letter to a church that is "in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" tells us that he was not writing to a group of non-believers, or even to the Jewish community, but rather to a group of people who believed in Jesus Christ. They were a group whose relationship with God had been changed from being the subjects of God's wrath due to their sin, to objects of His love and care due to their faith.
To Paul, this change in relationship was so important, that he prayed regularly for them, and gave thanks to God for them. They were not just people he only heard of, but people he had met, interacted with, and whose lives he was intimately interested in.
A Transformed Lifestyle
As Paul begins to describe what he thanks God for in the Thessalonian believers, his focus in verse 3 is on how their lives are visibly different and emphasises that they are active and vibrant in living out what they believe.
He first comments that their works are produced by faith. As Paul had said in his letter to the Ephesians, works are not the root, but rather the fruit of one's salvation (Ephesians 2:8-10). A person who believes Jesus is Lord will always be active within the body. They will tend to gravitate towards doing something for others or the church community as a whole. Sacrificing their time, money, and many other things in the process.
This leads to Paul's next emphasis that these are works prompted by love. God gave us the perfect example of this when He gave us His son to die for us. That same love is present in the hearts of believers and it prompts us to do things not just because we should, or for any gain or recognition for ourselves, but simply out of love.
Paul then points out their "steadfastness of hope." This is not hope that the world has that is based on what can be physically observed, but rather a hope based on the certainty of Christ Himself (Hebrews 11:1). It is this hope that is the foundation of their endurance to live in an often difficult and trying world.
Our Transformed Lives
As believers our lives are to have visible changes too. Changes based on the hidden reality of our changed relationship with God. What people see in our lifestyles should be true reflections of the real us.
How does your life measure up? Do people see the changes for the better in you as a result of your relationship with God? And are you being motivated for the right reasons? If Paul had to write a letter to you would he be able to commend you in the same way he did the Thessalonians?
Paul had more things to commend the church in Thessalonica for, but more on that next time.
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