Video Talk
Paul, along with Silvanus (Silas) and Timothy, wrote this
letter to the believers in Jesus Christ in Thessalonica. And as we read this first
chapter together, I would like for us to imagine the letter is being written to
us, and for us to consider how much of this might be applied to our lives
today.
1 Thessalonians 1:2-10 ESV
“We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.”
Now, all this is not going to apply to us specifically, but
I see maybe four or five main points here which describe the kind of character
we should have as followers of Jesus Christ. So, as we read this we should ask
the Lord to show us what applies to our lives and where we need to change.
Labor of Love
We, as followers of Jesus Christ, should be those of strong
faith in our Lord, who have died with him to sin and who are living to him and
to his righteousness, in daily practice. And we should be doing the works of
God which he prepared in advance that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10).
We should be laboring for the Lord, doing the work he has called us to do, and doing
so in steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus. For we should see that we now
belong to Christ and that he is the one directing our lives.
Chosen by God
I love what this says here, how the apostles recognized that
these Christians were chosen by God, because they didn’t just accept the gospel
in word only, but they were those who were putting the faith of the gospel into
practice in their daily lives. They were living what they said they believed,
and they were not just mouthing words of faith in the Lord. But this was not a
casual thing for them, but they were passionately operating in the power of God
and in the Holy Spirit, and with full conviction of truth.
Imitators of Christ
Now, this kind of imitating is not the mocking kind or the
kind that is just pretending to be someone else. This means we are literally
modeling our lives after Jesus Christ and his life which he lived when he was
on the earth. It means we are becoming like him in character via the Lord
conforming us to his likeness, as we cooperate fully with God’s work of grace
in our lives. And if there are truly godly people in your life, you can follow
their example, but be careful, for not many people are surrendered to Jesus
Christ.
Sharing the Gospel
These believers in Jesus Christ received the word of God in
much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit. Now, if you are serious about
your walk with the Lord Jesus, and if you are living holy lives, dedicated to
the Lord and to his service, and if you are sharing the truth of the gospel,
and if you are exposing the lies, you are going to be afflicted, for you are
going to be hated, rejected, and persecuted. But we are to accept that as part
of what it means to follow Jesus, and to do so with joy.
And because of their walks of faith, and their willingness
to suffer for the sake of the gospel, these people became an example to other
believers in Jesus Christ, so they literally modeled what the Christian life
should look like. For, not only were they sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ,
but they were living the gospel. Their lives were surrendered to Christ, they
were dying daily to sin and to self, and they were following the Lord Jesus in
obedience to his commands (New Covenant).
Turn from Idols to Serve God
And here they modeled the message of the gospel of Christ by
how they lived their lives. For they turned away from sin and from idols to
serve the living and true God, to do what he commands, and to follow our Lord
Jesus wherever he led them, and to say whatever he told them to say. They were
not those who were giving lip service only to the Lord, but they were walking
the talk. They were living and they were modeling for others what they
professed with their lips. All glory and praise to our Lord Jesus Christ!
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Full Release
An Original Work / April 15, 2012
Walking daily with
my Savior
brings me joy.
Loving Father;
precious Jesus;
He’s my Savior and
my Lord.
Gently leads me;
follow Him.
I’ve invited Him
within.
Now abiding in His
presence,
oh, what peace.
From my self-life
He has brought me,
By His mercy, full
release.
Hope and comfort,
peace and safety
Jesus brings
When I daily bow
before Him;
Obey freely; do His
will.
Follow Him where’er
He leads.
Listen to Him; His words
heed.
Now obeying his
words fully,
oh, what love
That He gives me
through salvation,
By His Spirit, from
above.
Loving Father;
precious Jesus,
He’s my friend.
With my Savior, by
His Spirit,
I will endure to the
end.
Share the gospel,
tell what’s true.
Witness daily; His
will do.
Tell the world of
how their Savior
bled and died.
On a cruel cross He
suffered
So that we might be
alive.
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