Do we choose God or does he choose us? Both/And! – 1 Thessalonians 1:4–10, Part 3

After assuring the Christians in Thessalonica that they are loved by God (see previous post), Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 1:4, “I know God has chosen you.”  With that word “chosen,” Paul brings up one of the most confounding theological problems that has caused Christians confusion and consternation for centuries.  Do we choose God or does he choose us?  It is a question of free will.  Do we have free will so that we choose to place our faith in God or not? 

Some Christians say, “No.  Just read verse 4.  Paul says it plain as day.  God chooses.”  Yet, it seems to us as we go about life, that we do have free will.  Those who believe God chooses might say free will is a mirage.  Some say free will is real, but God works in tandem with our free will. 

Other Christians say, “Yes, we have real free will, and we can choose God or deny him.  What Paul is saying here is not that free will is nonexistent, but that he knows God was at work.” 

I can’t tell you what side to believe.  But I will say that the theological heritage of my church and denomination is clearly on the free will side.  I agree with that heritage. Let me share a few verses that I think help us understand what it means that God chooses and we choose too.

Paul will write in 1 Timothy 2:3–4, “This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”

Peter writes in 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

Even the Old Testament prophet Isaiah said in Isaiah 45:22, “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.”

Those three verses each say that God wants all people to be saved. Not that all will.  But God chooses that all who believe in Jesus’ life, death and resurrection and follow him are included in his kingdom.  That is the wider group, but the individuals within the wider God still need to choose God. 

In other words, I believe that when we read biblical authors writing about God choosing, we should see God as choosing the corporate group, but those individuals in the group still need to choose God. In the Old Testament, for example, God chooses the whole nation/family of Israel, but each of the individuals must respond by choosing God. Were there Israelites who were part of the wider chosen family of Israel who would not choose God? Yes. Consider the many apostate Israelites in the period of Israel’s judges. Consider the many who rebelled against God during the period of Israel and Judea’s wicked kings and exiles.

It’s a bit of a both/and.  I do not believe God is a random God who says, “I choose that guy over there, but not her sitting next to him; and I choose 80% of that country, but only 1% of that other country.”  Instead, God chooses the wider group in Christ (see Ephesians 1), and then all who reciprocate by choosing Christ are included. Do you see the both/and?

But how do we choose Christ? How did the Thessalonian Christians choose Christ?

In the case of the Thessalonians, Paul’s saw evidence of God’s choosing the Thessalonians, and he saw evidence of the Thessalonians choosing God.  Check back to the next post in which we will hear Paul describe the evidence he saw.

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How God feels and thinks about you – 1 Thessalonians 1:4-10, Part 2

What do you think God thinks about you?

How does God feel about you?

Some of us might think that there is a distance between ourselves and God, like a friend who used to be close, moved away, and though you said you would remain close, now years have gone by and you haven’t talked at all.

Some of us wonder if God is angry at us, because we’ve made some selfish or wasteful or hurtful choices.

As we continue studying the New Testament letter, 1st Thessalonians, we’re going to learn precisely how God feels about us, 

In chapter 1, verse 4, the author of the letter, Paul, writes that Christians are “brothers and sisters loved by God.”  Some Bibles do not include “sisters.” Why?  The word Paul uses is in the masculine gender, “brothers,” and thus some Bibles just print “brothers.”  But we know that Paul, when he writes to churches writes to everyone in the church.  He is not just thinking about males only.  We know this because he frequently refers to women in general and specifically by name.  What Paul is writing here is for everyone in the church, men and women. 

Notice the family language: brothers and sisters.  Why not “men and women” or “people”?  The early church often used family language to refer to themselves.  God adopts us into his family, and thus we are like brothers and sisters.  We are sons and daughters of the King.  There are many other ways to describe the church.  But a primary one is using family language.  How does God feel about us? Like we are his family!  

Who are the brothers and sisters Paul is writing to?  In Acts 17, which I referred to last week here, we learned that Paul was writing to people in the Greco-Roman city of Thessalonica.  They were Jews and Greeks.  Men and women.  This was a diverse church.  It was a network of house churches that was socio-economically diverse, ethnically diverse, culturally diverse, generationally diverse.  Many (maybe even most) of them were previously followers of Judaism.  They were looking for the Messiah, and Paul introduced them to the Messiah.  They excitedly became faithful followers of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

Then Paul reminds them in verse 4 that they are loved by God. That is a key identity marker.  They are loved by God.  The same is true for us.  You and I are right to see ourselves as people loved by God.  Do you sometimes make mistakes and sin?  You are still loved by God.  Do you wonder if you have failed in some way?  Parents often wonder that about their parenting.  You are loved by God.  Do you wonder if you haven’t earned enough money, maybe made bad financial decisions?  You are loved by God.  Do you wonder if your family and friends really like and care for you?  You are loved by God.

It just might be our core identity: We are people loved by God.  We can quickly forget the truth that we are loved by God in the busyness of the life, in the distractions that fill our world.  But let’s be reminded. God loves you.  God’s posture toward you is love.  We can think “God is probably disappointed in me.”  No, God loves you. 

After assuring the people that they are loved by God, Paul says, “I know God has chosen you.”  With that word “chosen,” Paul brings up one of the most confounding theological problems that has caused Christians confusion and consternation for centuries.  Do we choose God or does he choose us?  Do we have free will so that we choose to place our faith in God or not?  Check back tomorrow as I try to bring some perspective to that thorny issue.

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When you forget your guitar, a pillow will work just fine – 1 Thessalonians 1:4–10, Part 1

We got my grandson a child’s guitar for Christmas this year. He will stand in front of the television watching music videos of worship songs, belting out the vocals in a three-year voice, and strumming his guitar, trying to copy the people in the video. My wife watches our grandkids two days per week, one of those days at our house. Last week, my grandson didn’t bring his guitar to our house, but he still wanted to watch music videos. And when he watches music videos, he needs his guitar. So she gave him a rectangular pillow, and he pretended the pillow was his guitar.

Kids love to imitate. But it’s not just kids. Adults, do we imitate others? We do. Yes, we all have unique elements to our lives, but there is quite a bit that we have learned by copying others. The issue, in my opinion, is not imitation. The issue is that there is good imitation and bad imitation. In other words, are you imitating the right things?

Let’s talk about imitation.

Last week we learned that the early Christian missionary, Paul, had started a network of house churches in the city of Thessalonica.  After a short three weeks with them, he was forced to flee the city.  Weeks turned into months, and he became very concerned how these new Christians were doing.  He sent his ministry associate, Timothy, to visit them, and Timothy returned with very good news. The Christians in Thessalonica were standing strong.  Paul is elated and writes a letter to them, about six months after he first met them.  It is likely the first New Testament writing, 1st Thessalonians.

In 1st Thessalonians chapter 1, verses 4-10, which we are studying this week, Paul will describe how the Christians in Thessalonica responded to his preaching during those three weeks, and how they continued living for Christ in the ensuing months.  What we will see is that their response to Paul’s preaching is very instructive to us.  How should we respond to God’s word?

It’s been a while since I blogged through one of Paul’s works, so let’s begin by saying a few words about Paul.  Paul is super smart.  He was well-trained, well-read, articulate, able to process deep ideas and express them intricately.  In fact, Jesus’ disciple Peter writes in 2 Peter 3 that what Paul writes is hard to understand.  I love that Peter mentions that.  Peter is saying what so many people are thinking, “Paul makes my brain hurt.” 

But when we take the time to study what Paul says, we will find that his words are profound.  It means, though, that we need to slow down when we study Paul.  When we studied the life of David, we were almost always reading a very dramatic story.  The life of David is gripping; it holds your attention just because the details of the story are interesting.  Thus we often studied a couple chapters per week.

But now we are studying a very different kind of literature.  Like I mentioned last week, we are reading a letter.  And not just that, the content of the letter is theological.  It’s deep.  So we have to slow down. 

Let me paraphrase verses 4 and 5 in my own words.  Paul is saying, “I know that you Christians in Thessalonica were genuine and true in your decision to become followers of Jesus. How do I know it?  Because I watched how the Holy Spirit was at work with power, and how you responded with deep conviction.” 

Paul is remembering his three weeks with them in Thessalonica, and he is saying, “I know you guys are real-deal followers of Jesus.”  He is affirming them. 

But what does he mean when he says that the Holy Spirit was at work with power, and the Thessalonians responded with deep conviction? Check back tomorrow to the next post, as I try to answer those questions. It has everything to do with imitation.

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What do people say about you behind your back? – 1 Thessalonians 1:4–10, Preview

What do people say about you behind your back?  

You might answer, “I don’t know, because whatever they are saying, they are keeping it hidden from me.  That is the definition of ‘behind your back’.”  

Okay, I’ll grant you that.  But I won’t let you off the hook that easy. I suspect that most of us have at least a sense of what people are saying about us.  I suspect that most of us not only know people are talking behind our backs, but we also know a semblance of what they might be saying.  

Talk behind the back relates to reputation. What do you think your reputation might be?  Is it mostly good?  Is it sometimes negative?  Do people think highly of you?  Or are people frustrated by you?  Our reputation is often mixed, varied, depending on the people in our lives.  Some people might think highly of us. Others might not be fans.

Of course, some people truly do not know their own reputation.  They might be oblivious.  Maybe they don’t care.  Or perhaps they are wrong about their reputation.  They believe their reputation is one way, while most people around them would describe it a very different way. Some people think of themselves far more positively than their reputation.  Conversely, some people are more negative about themselves than others view them.

Facing the truth about ourselves can be scary.  Some of us do not want to know what others think about us.  So we don’t ask, we avoid finding out the truth, and we go on with our lives.  We can turn a blind eye to ourselves.  The people around us can promote that blindness in us, given how difficult it is to tell people the truth about themselves.  Frankly, when people do try to tell us the truth, we are often quite unwilling to receive it, further insulating our perception from reality.  

Disciples of Jesus, however, are people who welcome self-reflection, evaluation, critique, pushback, confrontation, and accountability.  Disciples of Jesus are eager to learn their reputation, so that if there is anything negative in their thinking or behavior, they can strive to correct it.  Therefore, my initial question “What is your reputation?” is putting the cart before the horse.  I should be asking, “Are you the kind of person who is eager to learn your reputation?”

This coming week on the blog I continue studying Paul’s first letter to the Christians in Thessalonica, and he reveals to them their reputation.  Read 1st Thessalonians 1:4–10 and see what Paul says to the Christians.  Do they have a good reputation?  Or a not-so-good reputation?  What Paul tells them is very instructive for us and our reputation.  We’ll talk about it further starting Monday.  

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Why a group of people worked so hard for the mission of Jesus – 1 Thessalonians 1:1–3, Part 5

Take a look at the photo, and what do you see? Pockmarked gloves evidence of hard work? Yet a bright smile. This could very well be a posed photo. After all, the worker’s t-shirt is bright white. Whether posed or candid, the photo communicates a message of joy in the midst of work.

Joy and work are often at odds with each other. How do you feel about work? Perhaps its indicative of our busy culture, but many, me included, long for a break from work. Words like “labor, endurance, and work” sound off-putting. In this post, we conclude this week’s study through 1st Thessalonians 1:1–3, and like the man in the picture, we hear about joy in the midst of work for the mission of Jesus.

After setting the tone of grace and peace, as we studied in the previous post, Paul continues with his greeting in 1 Thessalonians chapter 1, verse 2,

“We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers.”

Paul is a pray-er.  Paul prays a lot it seems.  In his letters, he regularly talks about praying and what he prays for.  In this verse he tells the Christians in Thessalonica two things his prayer includes, and both things are about them.

First, he always thanks God for them.  Second, he continually mentions them. Paul’s prayers include thanking God and making requests of God.  In both of those elements of prayer, Paul uses the descriptor “always” or “continually.”  So we not only learn the content of Paul’s prayers, we learn about the regularity of his prayers. 

For Paul, then, his practice of conversation with God is consistent, regular, continual.  How does that compare to your practice of prayer?  That can be a challenge to me, I will tell you.  Consistent prayer.  I went on a prayer retreat recently. It was a Friday 9am-1pm, and it was excellent. Sometimes we need accountability, like an actual date and time and place.  Like that retreat.

Finally, Paul says that when he prays, he not only mentions the Thessalonians, but he remembers the way they have practiced their faith, their discipleship, the mission of Jesus.  He mentions three things about their practice of the faith.  Here’s what he says in verse 3:

“We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Notice the three ways they have practiced their faith?

Work produced by faith, labor prompted by love, and endurance inspired by hope. 

The first words in each of those three phrases are synonymous: work, labor, endurance.  When he uses those words, Paul is not referring to their career or employment.  He is referring to the Thessalonians’ practice of following Jesus.

The words “work, labor and endurance” indicate that they were not lazy, they were not passive.  They were actively involved in the mission of the Kingdom of God.  They served God, and they would have done so in addition to their income-earning activities.  Paul is referring to their voluntary participation.  Their participation in the mission of Jesus was so active, Paul could use words like “work, labor and endurance” to describe their level of participation, their energy, their passion for serving Jesus, and their commitment to it. 

By using words like “work, labor, and endurance,” Paul is conveying the idea that the Thessalonian Christians placed the mission of Jesus at a priority.   They sacrificed for Jesus.  Jesus got more than what was easy for them, Jesus got more than their leftover time.  Jesus’ mission wasn’t just a side hobby.  Jesus got their work, their labor, their endurance.  And they were not paid for it.  Paul is not talking about professional ministers. 

Let me clarify what I am talking about.  We can think that participating in Jesus’ mission sounds like this: “I just served at a church event for four hours in addition to my work day.” Or “I serve on numerous church committees and go to various Bible studies.”  Or “I give so much money and time.” Those are all very good things. But those activities can be like items on a checklist that we accomplish, so that the other parts of our lives become unrelated to the mission of Jesus.

What Paul is describing is that the Thessalonians lived a lifestyle of mission.  They sought to have a heart like Jesus, an attitude like Jesus, deep care like Jesus, love like Jesus, for other people, such that it was the defining mark of their lives.  The mission of Jesus was their regular life. The mission of Jesus and their regular lives were indistinguishable.

And why?  What motivated them?  Why would a group of people give so much to the mission of the Kingdom?

Paul says it was their faith, love and hope that motivated the Thessalonian Christians to a passionate, sacrificial commitment to the mission of the Kingdom. 

Many people say they have faith in God, that they love him and the people around them, and that they have placed their hope in Jesus.  Many people say a lot of good things.  But saying it is different from allowing faith, love, and hope to produce in us a particularly active kind of life, an active missional life for Jesus, one that we are laboring for in a way that is marked by endurance.

That brings me back to the three week time-frame that Paul was with them.  They were on fire for Jesus.  How about you?  Have you allowed your relationship with Jesus to get in a rut?  Do you need to be reignited by faith, love and hope?

If Paul were to hear about your life, would he say, “We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”?

Do your life habits and heart demonstrate that kind of sacrificial commitment to labor for Jesus?  If not, or if you’re not sure, let’s talk about that.  Let’s talk about what your next step could be.  Comment below, I’d love to chat.

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Christian, what are the top two principles that define your life? – 1 Thessalonians 1:1–3, Part 4

If you are a Christian reading this, what are you known for? Imagine that people evaluate your life to answer the question, “What are two of the most important Christian principles for living?” What principles would they land on?

What principles should define Christians? There are many good possibilities. In this post I share two that should be at or near the top of every list.

Paul had only spent about three weeks with them, when he launched the new Christian house church network in the ancient Greco-Roman city of Thessalonica. Six months has gone by since he left them. His ministry associate, Timothy, visited the Christians and discovered they were doing quite well. Now Paul, elated about their faithfulness, and yet missing them deeply, writes them a letter.  What will he say to them to encourage them? 

Here’s his opening line, 1 Thessalonians chapter 1, verse 1,

“Paul, Silas and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: grace and peace to you.

Does his greeting seem odd to you? Why does he write his name and his associates’ names first?  Why doesn’t he say, “Dear church family in Thessalonica” or something like that?

Paul is using the common letter-writing format for his culture.  Archaeologist have discovered numerous ancient Greco-Roman letters from the same era, and those letter start by naming the letter writer.

In the modern era, we are accustomed to beginning our letters and emails by greeting the recipient of the letter. We then place our name at the conclusion of our letter. It’s simply a different custom.

Also standard for Paul is his initial greeting of “grace and peace.”  He says “grace and peace” in just about all of his letters.  Was “grace and peace” a throw-away greeting Paul doesn’t really mean?  Is he saying something similar as to when we say, “Good morning”?  

No. It seems Paul chooses grace and peace on purpose because they are two massive theological concepts.  He really wants the Christians in Thessalonica to deeply live in both grace and peace. Let’s look at each of those words more closely.

Grace is one of the most important ideas for Christians, and it is a word that Paul will teach about extensively in his later writings.  God is gracious to us, most clearly so through Jesus Christ. How?  We encounter God’s grace in Christ, as we think about how Jesus became God in human skin, and defeated sin, death and the devil for us.  We encounter God’s grace in Christ as we think about how Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.  Our relationship with God, in which desires to adopt us into his family, is saturated with his grace toward us.  It’s why the hymn “Amazing Grace” is so powerfully emotional to us. 

Then there is peace.  If grace is one of the most important words for Christians, peace is one of the most important words for Jews.  In the Hebrew Bible, what we Christians call the Old Testament, the word peace is the Hebrew word shalom.  Shalom is an expansive holistic idea of peace.  Peace between ourselves and God, between ourselves and others, between ourselves and the world around us.  Shalom peace is when things are rightly ordered, when there is flourishing.  Furthermore, a person can experience the flourishing of shalom, even though the world around them might be in shambles.  God is not only the bringer of grace, he is also the bringer of shalom through Christ.  One of most ancient Christian symbols is the Chi-Rho, which stands for “peace in Christ.”

So in those two words, Paul has communicated a rich greeting to the people.  He wants them to experience grace and peace.  Before he says anything else in the letter, he wants to remind them of these foundational truths.  In Paul, you and I have a powerful example to follow.   Christians are people who by their words, by their actions, their tone of voice, their body language, share grace and peace with the people around us. 

By sharing grace and peace, we offer people a taste of the Kingdom of God, a Kingdom which is flowing like a gusher with grace and peace.  We ought to be known for being people who communicate grace and peace in word and deed.  We ought to be known as people of gracious reconciliation. 

When people think of my church family, for example, I hope they think, “That group of people is so gracious, so peace-making.”  When people think of us, I hope they think, “Faith Church is a group of people who are bring reconciliation where there is division.  Faith Church is a group of people who are bringing justice where there is injustice. Faith Church is responsible for flourishing in our community, and here are the ways.”  Then I hope that person would be able to list the specific ways we bring grace and truth. 

Christians are people, therefore, who not only believe in grace and peace, but actively live lives of grace and peace.

After setting the tone of grace and peace, Paul continues with his greeting in verses 2–3, and we’ll discover what he says in the next post.

Cover Photo by Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash

Chi-Rho Photo by David Bumgardner on Unsplash

What a Christmas card taught me about ancient communication technology – 1 Thessalonians 1:1–3, Part 3

A few years ago during the Christmas season, I got the mail from our mailbox, and as is so typical at Christmas, the mail that day included numerous Christmas cards.  I opened them one by one, glancing at the pictures.  As I looked one card’s picture, I thought “I have no idea who this is.”  I wondered if maybe my wife knew them from her work.  I looked at the envelope just to see where they lived, and I noticed the delivery address.  The envelope was not addressed to Michelle and me; it was addressed to our neighbors! 

I had just opened my neighbors’ mail!  It felt a little scandalous.  I was looking at and reading something that wasn’t meant for me!  I was embarrassed, told my neighbor, and they laughed. Honest mistake.  As we begin this blog series studying the New Testament book of 1st Thessalonians, we’re reading mail meant for other people.

As we learned in the previous posts here and here, Paul hasn’t seen his friends in about six months. He’s heard good news about how they are doing, but he misses them. He wishes he could be with them in person. He wants to tell them how he is feeling about them, so he decides to use technology.  It is a very ancient form of technology, but it is technology, nonetheless.  Paul decides to use an ancient form of email.  It’s called writing a letter. 

In that letter, 1st Thessalonians, chapter 5, verse 27, Paul writes,

“I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers and sisters.”

That letter is what you and I call 1st Thessalonians.  It is First Thessalonians, because there is also a Second Thessalonians.  This winter and spring our sermon series will study the First letter to the Thessalonians.  I blogged through 2 Thessalonians in Advent 2021, starting here.

Some scholars believe 1st Thessalonians was the very first New Testament document written.  If it wasn’t first (Galatians is also in the running for that title), 1 Thessalonians is likely written second.  

Paul’s custom when he wrote letters was primarily to dictate.  He would speak while a ministry associate would serve as a scribe.  Once the letter was finished, Paul would send it with someone on what could be a long journey to get the letter to its destination.  There was no postal service.  No stamps.  You had to hire a letter carrier.  Or like Paul, a friend could take it.  And the trip from point A to point B could be a long one. 

We believe Paul writes the letter of 1st Thessalonians from Corinth.  A trip from Corinth to Thessalonica could take days.  About 360 miles on today’s roads.  How far can you walk in a day?  If you are in good shape, pushing hard, and taking hardly any break time, 30 miles.  If you could keep that pace, you could travel on foot from Corinth to Thessalonica in 12 days.  There is a sea route, which could be a lot faster, and more expensive. 

When my wife and I were in college, in the summer between my junior and senior year, I did a 13-week missionary internship in Guyana, South America.  Internet, cell phones, and even regular landline phones were not an option in that area at that time. So we relied on handwritten letters and the postal system. It took 10-14 days for our letters to get to one another.  Same for Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians.

When the letter would arrive, they would gather up the Christians in a house church, find someone who could read, because many people could not read, and they would together, publicly listen to the letter as it was read to them.  Likely, it was the letter-carrier who did the reading, and because that person was often one of Paul’s ministry associates, the ministry associate would not only be able to read the letter but also do some Q & A.  What did Paul mean by this or that?  The ministry associate could help answer their questions because that person spent a lot of time with Paul and knew his thinking.

Then the letter was sent to the next house church in the city and that house church would gather, hear the letter and do Q & A with the reader.  And on and on the letter would go, making its rounds to the various house churches in the city.

Therefore, as we study 1 Thessalonians, we are reading other people’s mail. The letter was not originally written for us.  If we want to properly interpret the message of Paul’s first letter to the Christians in Thessalonica, it is important that we keep in mind the letter was originally meant for a group a Jewish and Greek men and women who lived in that Greco-Roman city right around the year 50. 

These people were very new Christians.  They had spent only a short time with Paul.  What will he say to them to encourage them?  Tomorrow we begin to study what Paul writes in his greeting.

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Is three weeks enough time to start a church? – 1 Thessalonians 1:1–3, Part 2

Paul is very troubled about the Christians in Thessalonica.  Why?

Two reasons: too little time and too much pressure.

First, time.  He was only with them for about three weeks.  That is such a short amount of time.  How could they possibly learn to be followers of Jesus in three weeks?  I’ll grant you that Paul was intelligent and motivated.  I’ll grant you that the Thessalonian Christians were godly Jews and Greeks, likely already pious and seeking the Messiah. But so were Jesus’ disciples, and after three years of discipleship with his crew, when Jesus was arrested, all but one of his disciples ran away, one betrayed him, and another denied him three times.  That was Jesus.  Not Paul.  There’s just no way you can disciple a group of new Christians in three weeks, to get them to the point where they are solid in their faith. Right? Paul is thinking he didn’t have enough time with them.

And that relates to the second factor that I believe led Paul to be super concerned about those brand new Christians in Thessalonica.  Pressure.  In the previous post we studied the story of how the church in Thessalonica began. We read that Thessalonian Jews tried to capture Paul. Paul escaped, but what would stop those anti-Christian Jews from trying to convince the Christians remaining in Thessalonica that Paul was a heretic, a liar, and that he had just abandoned them?  Nothing.  Those Jews were passionate about stopping what they believed was a cult, this Christian movement. There was pressure.

Paul would be right to be concerned that the church in Thessalonica which got off to such a wonderful start could fall apart in no time.

So he has to know.  He has to find out how they are doing.  And what he really wants to do is to go back there himself.  But that would be extremely unwise.  You don’t just show up where you are a wanted man, especially considering the importance of the mission of the Kingdom and how many other towns need to hear about Jesus.

What will Paul do?  In 1 Thessalonians chapter 2, verses 17-18, Paul writes,

“But, brothers and sisters, when we were orphaned by being separated from you for a short time (in person, not in thought), out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you. For we wanted to come to you—certainly I, Paul, did, again and again—but Satan blocked our way.”

I suspect that his comment there “Satan blocked our way” is a metaphorical reference to the Jews who opposed him.  He could not go to Thessalonica in person. 

Going there in person, though, is not the only option.  Paul comes up with a Plan B.  Look at chapter 3, verses 1-3.

“So when we could stand it no longer, we thought it best to be left by ourselves in Athens. We sent Timothy, who is our brother and co-worker in God’s service in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, so that no one would be unsettled by these trials.”

Paul sends his missionary associate Timothy to check on the Christians in Thessalonica.  And what does Timothy find out?  Look at verse 6,

“But Timothy has just now come to us from you and has brought good news about your faith and love.”

The Christians in Thessalonica are standing strong in the faith!!!  Paul is elated.  Though he was only with them for two to three weeks, they are still following Jesus months later!  What a huge relief Paul must have felt.  But even with that super encouraging news, it is not as if Paul can now say, “Great, I don’t need to worry about them anymore.  They’re good to go.”  No.  He still wants to connect with them.  In this we see Paul’s sacrificial heart of love.  He wants to tell them how he is feeling about them, and he wants to encourage them further, so he comes up with a Plan C.

In tomorrow’s post, we learn about Paul’s Plan C.

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A new house church network begins, and right away there is trouble – 1 Thessalonians 1:1–3, Part 1

Today we start a study through the New Testament book titled 1st Thessalonians.  What is 1st Thessalonians? 

Turn to Acts 17, because there’s a back story we need to hear if we want to answer the question “What is 1st Thessalonians?” 

In Acts 17, the Christian church is only about 20 years old.  What Jesus and the Holy Spirit started in Jerusalem is now spreading across the Roman Empire, primarily through the work of missionaries.  One of those missionaries is a man named Paul.  Paul started his career as a Jewish Pharisee, totally opposed to the Christian movement, including rounding Christians up and throwing them in jail and murdering them.  Then Jesus appeared to Paul, and Paul was radically transformed.  As passionately as Paul had been opposing Jesus, he now threw his formidable knowledge and personality completely behind the mission of Jesus. 

Paul and his ministry associates went on mission trips around the Roman Empire, inviting as many people as possible to become followers of Jesus.  When those people became followers of Jesus, Paul would group these new followers into church families.  When I say “church families,” do not think “church buildings.”  There were no church buildings at this time.  The Christians instead met in small groups in homes.  In a given town or city there would have been a network of house churches. 

One of the towns in which Paul started a network of house churches was the city of Thessalonica.  You can visit this city still today in Greece, and its name is almost the same, Thessaloniki.  The photo above is modern-day Thessaloniki including ruins of the Roman Forum. 

When I visit Philadelphia, I walk by Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, filled with a sense of awe, considering the events that happened there over 250 years ago.  250 years is a long time.  But Thessaloniki?  It goes back over 2050 years. 

It was just about 2000 years ago that Paul visited the city which was called Thessalonica in the first century.  Thessalonica was not only the capital city of the region, it was the region’s largest city.  In Paul’s day, if you wanted to reach people for Jesus, Thessalonica was a must visit.

We pick up the story in Acts 17, verse 1, where Paul preaches in the synagogue in Thessalonica. He declares that Jesus is the Messiah the people have been looking for. Jews, Greeks, men and women, become followers of Jesus. God is at work, and a new house church movement launches. 

Think about that timeframe.  Three Sabbath days.  That’s three Saturdays in a row.  Paul was in Thessalonica only about three weeks.  In that short time, through Paul and his friends’ ministry, God starts a new house church movement. It’s quite amazing. 

Just then trouble strikes.  Anti-Christian Jews start a riot, forcing Paul and his friends to leave Thessalonica, fleeing for the lives under cover of night.

Paul could be thinking, “Whew…that was a close one.  Thank you Lord for keeping us safe.  I guess we need to preach in a different town.”  We know Paul does think that, because if you scan through the rest of Acts chapter 17 and then through all of chapter 18, Paul keeps preaching in Berea and Athens and Corinth.  But though Paul now has loads of ministry opportunities in new places, he doesn’t forget the Christians in Thessalonica. 

Actually, Paul is very troubled about the Christians in Thessalonica.  Why? We find out in the next post.

Maybe all Christians need to attend a pastoral assessment center – 1 Thessalonians 1:1–3, Preview

My denomination, the Evangelical Congregational Church (ECC), has something I love called the Pastoral Assessment Center (PAC).  The PAC is one of the early steps a pastoral couple or single attends on the road to becoming a licensed pastor in the ECC. 

When my wife and I started at Faith Church in October 2002, I was hired as Youth/Associate Pastor.  But I was not yet a pastor in the ECC.  I was solely a Faith Church employee.  

A few months later, January 2003, Michelle and I attended PAC, hoping we could move forward in the process to become an EC pastor.  At PAC, current EC pastors and leaders serve as assessors.  In 2003, we were assessees, and the assessors were assessing us, to see if we were pastoral material.  Many years later, Michelle and I would serve as assessors for a few years at PAC.  

The PAC environment is quite fascinating, as assessees know their every move is being watched and evaluated.  And not just in the formal interview sessions.  Assessors observe assessees when they are eating, relaxing, and talking in the hallway.  Assessors only have a few days, so they want to glean as much information as they can about the assessees.  Assessors have a big decision to make.  Will this person be given the green light to move forward in the process of becoming an EC pastor, or not?

As you can imagine, then, PAC is an intense environment.  When you know you are being watched, it feels heavy, emotional, like you can’t let down.  What if you say the wrong thing?  Will you not be allowed to become a pastor?  Your mind is racing.  That high stakes environment can be exhausting. 

Maybe it is because we got a good result from PAC, but when Michelle and I were being assessed in 2003, we came away from the event feeling cared for.  I know that is not always the case, especially when a person doesn’t get the result they want.

I tell you about PAC to ask you how you might feel if you were being assessed.  Not to become a pastor, though.  Instead, how would you feel if your pattern of discipleship to Jesus was being assessed?  What result would you get in your discipleship evaluation?

This coming week on the blog, we’ll all be assessed, kind of.  How so? I’m starting a new preaching series through the New Testament book of 1stThessalonians.  In chapter 1, verses 1 through 3, Paul gives the Christians in the town of Thessalonica the result of a discipleship assessment.  Is it good news?  Bad news?  How are the Thessalonian Christians doing as disciples of Jesus?  Check it out ahead of time and see for yourself.  Then join me back here on Monday, as Paul’s words will help us have an evaluation of our practice of discipleship to Jesus.

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