Just a Thought! - 18 February 2013

"...knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you; for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia." (1 Thessalonians 1:4-7)

Last time we learned how the behaviour of the people in the church in Thessalonica had been transformed and were challenged to look at our own lives to see if we too had been transformed. But Paul's praise of their transformation does not end there. Let us explore further.

Transformation Based on God's Word

In verse 4 we see the cause of their transformation, God Himself. It was not a change based on any works that they had performed. In the same way that God chose Israel to be His people, He chose the believers in the church of Thessalonica to be His. This is a stark reminder that our salvation is entirely God's initiative. We who are believers are not His as a result of anything we have done, our human heritage or status before man, but is solely based on God and His decision to draw us to Him.

And how did He draw us to Him? Well, as Paul points out above, through the Gospel that comes in power, in the Holy Spirit. It is not merely through men preaching the Word itself, for even an Atheist can present the Gospel to you but not bring about change. Rather it comes through a conviction that what the Word says is true, evidenced through what the Holy Spirit does, and Him working in our hearts to bring about true conviction.

Imitators of Christ

The church in Thessalonica became imitators of Paul, and as a result, imitators of Christ Himself. The Christ that they followed, was the same one that Paul followed.

As a result, Paul points out that they then began to suffer for the same Gospel and reasons that Paul suffered. They faced similar persecutions and trials to Paul, simply because of their faith. And like Paul, they endured it with joy. Though the temptation to abandon the faith was probably about them on a daily basis, through the joy that only the Holy Spirit can give, they endured.

Suffering is not fun, but knowing that we are not alone in our suffering, that we share in the persecution with other believers, and that our suffering is a testimony to others, as Paul points out in verse 7, reminds us that our suffering is not meaningless or random. It is serving a purpose, even if it is for others and never for ourselves.

Our Transformation

The questions we now need to ask ourselves are these: though we may be transformed as a result of our involvement in the church, what is that transformation based on? Is it merely because we answered an altar call or because we wanted some "fire-insurance" or a "get out of hell free card"? Is it because we felt guilty and decided that we needed to change? Or is it because God's Word impacted us in such a way that we were convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that God alone can change us, and needs to change us, in order for us to be reconciled to him?

And has that change brought about any suffering in our lives? We tend to avoid suffering don't we? But Jesus promised us that we would suffer for His name sake (see Matthew 5:11). It is not a maybe, or that He will help us to avoid it, but that we will go through it. Are we trusting Him to pull us through with the joy that the Holy Spirit provides? And are we trusting Him that our suffering will be an encouragement and a testimony to others? That it will be a catalyst for others to see the power of God in our lives that will ultimately lead the lost to Christ? I pray that this is so.

Just a Thought!

© 2013

Just a Thought! - 11 February 2013

"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.

Just a Thought!
© 2013

Just a Thought! - 8 October 2012

"But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14)

Death and funerals are often heartbreaking experiences. Especially when it is the death of a loved one or if it comes unexpectedly. We go through the often negative stages of mourning; anger, depression, bargaining, guilt, for what seems like a lifetime before we come the final stage of acceptance. For some the journey is short, but for others it can take years.

But Paul gives us hope in the verses above.

The Thessalonian Believers

The first thing to realise is that the believers in Thessalonica to who Paul wrote this letter, were still very young believers. They had probably only been saved a few months earlier. It also appears that they were people who deeply cared for their loved ones and were worried about what would happen to them when Jesus returned.

It is also important to remember, that despite what is often taught from this passage, it is not meant to be a theological treatise about what will happen when believers die, but rather it is a passage that is meant to give hope to the upset, confused, worried, and fearful Thessalonian believers.

Paul does indeed indicate what will happen to the believers who had died - that they would rise first when Jesus returns - but we must not lose sight of the hope that is contained in these verses.

True Hope

In this life we so often tend to think of death being absolutely final. As if there is nothing beyond it. Many philosophies and religions have tried in one way or another to give answers as to what happens after we die. From reincarnation to heaven, all religions have some sort of response to this question. But none of them, except for Biblical Christianity, give us any real hope. In fact, even the verses above give little hope when the person who has died is not a believer. After all, none of us wants to go into eternity without the possibility of seeing our loved ones again.

However, when we and our loved ones have both accepted the gift of God's forgiveness through Christ's death and resurrection, and received eternal life, we can experience the true and incomparable hope of that eternal life, today. Though we may not fully understand why things happen, why our loved ones are taken away so early, or why we are left behind without them, but if we have faith in the person of Jesus Christ, we can rest assured that the person who has been taken from us is safe in His arms. That they will be with Jesus before we are, and that we will join them upon Christ's return.

God's promises will always come to pass. The Bible is full of evidence for that. Though His timing is different to ours, we can rest assured that this promise in 1 Thessalonians will also come to pass according to His perfect plan. For at the end of the day, it is not about how much we know, how much we own, or what we have accomplished in terms of how the world defines accomplishment, but rather it is about who we trust, and if we truly trust Jesus and believe that He is the "resurrection and the life" (John 11:25) then we can and will have true hope that is unlike any hope the world can offer us.

The promise to us then is this: God, who raised Jesus from the dead, will do the same for those who love Him when Christ returns.

Have you lost a loved one recently? Then rest assured in this promise.

Just a Thought!

© 2012