Changed Lives Change Lives
Tom Shrader opens his exposition of 1 Thessalonians by establishing the historical setting from Acts 17, where Paul planted the church at Thessalonica before being forced to flee. Working through chapter one, Shrader unpacks Paul's three marks of a converted life — a work of faith, a labor of love, and a steadfastness of hope — arguing that each is an evidence of divine election rather than human effort. The teaching closes with a call for the congregation to imitate the Thessalonian believers, whose changed lives became a trumpet blast of the gospel throughout Macedonia and Achaia.
“You cannot have the peace of God until you establish peace with God, and that peace comes from acknowledging that He's the Creator God of the universe, that your sin has separated you from Him, and that Christ died on the cross so that you would have eternal life.”
— Tom Shrader
Series: 1 Thessalonians
Recorded: 2000 at East Valley Bible Church
Duration: 1 hr 13 min
Themes: changed lives, evangelism, faith, hope, love, election, gospel witness, persecution, new believer, young christian, struggling with doubt, feeling called to share faith, navigating persecution, mentor, church member, seeking assurance of salvation
Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10, 1 Thessalonians 2:19, 1 Thessalonians 3:13, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17, 1 Thessalonians 5:23, 2 Thessalonians 2:13, Acts 17, John 17, Philippians 4:6, 1 Corinthians 11:1
Theological Themes: soteriology, divine election, conversion, sanctification, perseverance, pauline epistles, saving faith, work of the holy spirit
Full Transcript
Introduction: Why Acts Will Take So Long
When we started the Book of Acts, I had several people say, "How long do you think it'll take us to do the Book of Acts?" And I said, "Well, I think it'll take between 8 and 10 years." They said, "Really? That's pretty long." Over the last couple of weeks, though, I've had a bunch of people saying, "Man, there's no way it's going to take 8 or 10 years. You're really flying. We're at chapter 18. We're going to be out of this fast." Well, today you're going to discover why it's going to take so long.
Essentially, what we have now is the life of Paul for the balance of Acts as he works through the church. As Paul goes, for example, in chapter 18 to Corinth, he writes back to the church at Thessalonica. So we'll open our Bibles to 1 Thessalonians chapter 1, and now you see why it's going to take so long. At every one of these points, the best we can tell in the Book of Acts, we're going to go to the book that Paul writes from that perspective. We'll work our way through each of Paul's letters — 13 of them — so that's going to take us some time to navigate.
The Context: Paul at Thessalonica
One of the things I thought would be cool — and it has been — is that the context and setting is so fresh in your mind. We just studied in Acts chapter 17 Paul's time at Thessalonica. He arrives in the city, goes on three consecutive Sabbaths, and gives evidence, proof, and reasons with the Jews that Jesus indeed was the Messiah, risen from the dead. Some began to respond. Others not only rejected the message, they became enemies of Paul and of the movement.
What those opponents did was incite the crowd to come after Paul. They came to the place where he was staying — a house owned by a man named Jason. Paul, Silas, and Timothy were gone, so they took Jason instead and leveled charges against him. They then took a pledge from Jason as collateral, with the assurance that Paul would never come back to Thessalonica.
So what we saw at the end of Acts chapter 17 is Paul leaving town. He leaves by night, goes to Berea, and leaves Silas and Timothy there to begin growing this church. He then goes to Athens and then to Corinth, and from Corinth he writes this letter back to the church — 1 Thessalonians.
Six Purposes for the Letter
Paul's purpose in writing is not singular. There are at least six things we can see. First, it was to encourage this church. These people had not been Christians for very long, and yet what you're going to see today is what we tell you all the time: a changed life will change lives. A life that's changed by a personal relationship with Christ will begin to be changed itself and then change the lives of the people around it.
In the second chapter, Paul deals with some of the false charges being levied against him. He then provides comfort for the church, and after that he rejoices in what he sees in their faith. He also gives them exhortation — a call to godly living — and finally he addresses end-time issues.
One of the things happening in this church, and in the early church in general, was a deep concern about Christ coming again. We celebrate the coming of Christ at Christmas, in the incarnation, but these people were very little concerned about Christmas. They wanted to know: Is He coming again? When is He coming again? What is that going to look like? What was beginning to confuse them was that they were hearing about Christ coming and taking His church, and yet they were seeing Christians dying around them. They were very confused about these end-time matters, and so Paul writes to address those issues.
A New and Newly Established Church
Paul writes to a newly established church. We don't know the exact number, but the men and women who were Christians at Thessalonica had not been believers for very long. Some would suggest two or three months; some would say as long as four, five, or six months. Whatever number you place on it, they were new Christians.
I'll add a personal note here: this is the first passage I ever taught. It was 1 Thessalonians chapter 1, in 1983 or 1984. I was attending Grace Community Church and was in Les Taylor's Sunday school class. Les was going to be out of town and asked me if I would teach, and I agreed — it was the very first time I ever had the chance to teach. I have no idea where those notes are now. They are somewhere in my office. I am very close to two things right now: one is working out, which feels very close — closer than it's ever been, maybe — and the other is cleaning my office. There's much more of a chance of the first than the second. Somewhere in that office is a file labeled "1 Thessalonians chapter 1," but since I don't have those notes, we approach it in a new and fresh fashion.
Paul's Opening Greeting
Paul identifies himself at the beginning: Paul, Silas, and Timothy. Silas and Timothy had been left behind in Thessalonica, but Paul had asked them to come to him as quickly as they could, and apparently that reunion had taken place by the time he writes. I imagine that was quite a moment to be present for.
He writes to "the church" — a word you don't see constantly in the New Testament. It means literally "those who are called out" — in this case, those called out for a specific purpose.
Grounded in God, Located in the World
Seven times in His prayer in John chapter 17, as He was preparing the disciples before His crucifixion, Jesus prays to the Father for "those you have given me." That is the same concept at work here — those that God has called out, called together, forming this body of believers at Thessalonica.
This leads us to another point. These believers were geographically in Thessalonica, but spiritually in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ. The same is true of you and me. We are geographically the church in Gilbert — that is where we are geographically — but positionally we are in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul uses the full title for Christ: Lord. It is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew term Yahweh in the Old Testament. He attributes to Jesus all the attributes and characteristics of God, speaking clearly that Jesus is God. Jesus — His human name — means Savior. That was His purpose: Jesus came to save His people from their sins. Christ is the Greek word that means Messiah, His official title. He was the mediator between God and man.
You and I are in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ — the God-man who came to save His people from their sin, the Messiah, the mediator between God and man.
Grace Before Peace
Knowing that these people are in Christ, that they believe in Him and rest in Him, Paul writes: "Grace to you and peace." This is a very important and traditional salutation for Paul. Whenever you see these terms linked together, you will always see them in this order — you will never see "peace to you and grace."
The grace Paul is talking about here is not only the saving grace we receive from God, but the sustaining grace. It is the grace that allows us to continue, the grace that flows from a reconciled relationship with God. Because we have the grace of God, we can have peace with God.
The word peace here is not simply the absence of turmoil — it is the presence of God. This is so important to grasp. You may live at a time, and perhaps some of you in this room are there right now, where you do not know Christ. You are trying to have peace in your life. You just want to be happy, you want everything to smooth out. You want what the Bible calls the peace of God, but you want it without establishing peace with God. You want to live your own way, do your own thing, run the world by your own agenda — a deal cut with God where He does not bother you and you do not bother Him — and yet still have peace in your life.
You will never, ever, ever have peace in your life until you have peace with God. You cannot have the peace of God until you establish peace with God. That peace comes from acknowledging that He is the Creator God of the universe, that He created you, that your sin has separated you from Him, and that Christ died on the cross so that you would have eternal life.
A Word for Those Still Searching
We could spend a very long time on that single verse. Let me make this point clearly, because some of you may be here today having given us one more shot after Easter. You are not with us regularly, but you are here, and we are glad to have you. You have come to a place that has answers. We are not like the rest of the world groping around for solutions. You can turn on the radio and in thirty minutes realize that pretty much everybody has identified the problems, but you have come to a place with answers — not because we are so smart, but because God has given us the answers, and we are at least smart enough to look at the answers God has given us.
God is the Creator. God made you. God formed you. And God knows what is missing in your life — and what is missing is a personal relationship with Him. If something is not right in your life, your problem is sin, and the solution for that is Jesus Christ.
A Life of Continual Prayer
So Paul writes to these believers, and he begins by praising them. Verse 2: "We give thanks to God always for you, making mention of you in our prayers."
As we have studied through the book of Acts, one of the things we note about Paul's life is that he is continually on the move. You never see him say he went somewhere for a week off, or that he was taking August off. This man is always going, always moving, always busy — and yet here is what he says: "We give thanks to God always." In the midst of his busyness, there is a sense that he is continually in an attitude of prayer.
Philippians 4:6 says, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God." There is a sense in which Paul is continually in prayer — sometimes with his mouth and his mind, and sometimes simply with a heart that understands he is a dependent creature. He is dependent upon God. If God is his Lord and his Savior, his act of rebellion against Him is over. He now submits to the Creator God of the universe, and that is why he prays.
Does he pray to change things? No — he prays so that he is acknowledging that God has the power to change anything, and most importantly, to change his own heart and mind so that he understands what God is doing in his life.
Three Things Worth Thanking God For
Paul says he prays continually, and what he prays for and thanks God for is these believers. There are three specific things Paul has in mind: their work of faith, their labor of love, and their steadfastness in hope. Paul looks at these believers and thanks God for what he sees in them.
A Work of Faith, a Labor of Love, a Steadfastness of Hope
As Paul begins to think of the Thessalonians, three things come to mind. These are the same three things I would hope would come to mind when he thinks of you and me. They are what happens in a converted life: there is a work of faith, there is a labor of love, and there is a steadfastness of hope. If you run ahead to verse 9, you will see Paul define and expand on this. First, there is a work of faith — you turn to God from the idols. There is a labor of love — you serve the living God. And there is a steadfastness of hope as you wait for His Son Jesus to return.
Take a moment with this, because it is so important. This should be present in your life, and this is a great time to take inventory. First is a saving work, a work of faith. In that work of faith, I turn to God from the idols in my life. The word we would use is repent — to change mind, to change direction.
That repentance starts when I turn from anything that is taking the place of God and turn to the living, true God. When we think of worship and idols, we think of ancient shrines and statues. But you have idols too. Anything in your life that takes the place of God is an idol. Anything that occupies your time, your energy, your effort, and your money at the expense of your relationship with God is an idol.
I came in early today and there were a bunch of cars in the lot. I noticed one little idol parked way out by itself so nobody would ding it. I was just waiting for two people to pull right up next to it with a whole bunch of kids — ding, ding, ding, ding — and say, let's just get it over with. But that car is an idol. Some of you have work as an idol. Conversion is that work of faith.
If I have faith, there will be work in my life. If I am a person of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, there will be work. That work takes the form of a labor of love.
The Labor of Love and a Life of Service
The word "labor" means to work to the point of weariness or exhaustion. That work takes form in many ways, but primarily through obedience and service. What is the labor of love? It is to serve the living God.
Jesus said, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." One of the hallmarks of a Christian is that they are obedient — not perfect, but obedient. They are concerned with what God says and what God would have them do. As we work through this letter, we will look at what Paul writes about sexuality — what an appropriate relationship looks like for Christians, what we do and what we do not do, and what the world says in contrast.
That service — and the word means to minister — should be directed toward everyone in this body, toward believers around the valley, and in a sense around the world. It may look like leading a small group or a growth group. We just ran the numbers the other day: we need one hundred and ninety teachers, birth through fifth grade, for the summer. That is a lot. Some of you are going to have to serve in that capacity. They are three-year-olds — you are smarter than they are, you can do that.
Service takes place at a variety of different levels. It is serving within the body, meeting one another's needs, coming alongside people in times of hurt and pain, encouraging and supporting, training, and rebuking where need be. It is also serving the lost world. The best way to serve a non-believer is to tell them what it means to know Christ — to proclaim the truth to them.
The Steadfastness of Hope
Paul says that when he thinks of the Thessalonians, he thinks of a work of faith and a labor of love, but he thinks of them in the context of a steadfastness of hope. They are immovable. There is a hope, an anticipation — but not an anticipation filled with dread. It is an eager anticipation.
When I think of eager anticipation mixed with a certain kind of dread, I think of when I was a little kid. My mom had a way, as most moms do, of distributing physical punishment to her children. She kept a wooden clothes brush — about this long and this thick — up in her bedroom. She would say to me a couple of times a day, "Tom, go get the brush." That is cruel and unusual punishment. You have to walk through the house, up the stairs, get the brush, and bring it back to her. Then she turns around, she disciplines you until she is satisfied, and then she hands the brush back and says, "Now go put the brush away."
My mom is only about this tall, but there came a point where she could not quite manage that anymore. She could try, and we would laugh, and she would hit as hard as she could and you would just go, "Okay." And then she would say the words you already know: "Wait until your dad gets home."
My dad was not into taking a lot of grief from me. He had a hard day, and the last thing he wanted to do was come home and deal with my nonsense. So he would come home and say, "Tom, come here. Come here and see me. Turn around." And he would discipline you — just like that. He did not ask why you did it or whether it was true. He assumed it was true. He did not ask how you felt. He just acted. That was it.
The Hope That Anchors Perseverance
I remember learning this real early. I came home one day and my dad said, "How was your day?" I said it was awful. He said, "How come?" I said, "The nuns hit me today." He said, "Really? Come here." It never occurred to him that I could be right, because obviously I wasn't. That was his answer. When my mom said to me, "Wait until your dad gets home," that was an anticipation of dread, because I knew exactly what was going to happen. There was no way out. I was done. I was cornered. It was over.
That is not the hope or anticipation they are talking about here. They are talking about the hope or anticipation like a child anticipating Christmas — that eager expectation. And it comes in the context of the steadfastness of hope.
Let me tell you something: life is tough. Life is hard, and there are times when you feel discouraged. There are times in my life when I feel discouraged, when I go, "I wonder if this is really worth all this. I wonder if life is worth it all." And the answer is yes. I can be steadfast and persevere because I understand who Christ is.
Jesus Is Coming Again — Five Times in Five Chapters
Was this real to these people? Every chapter in this book — all five of them, a short book — five times Paul reminds them of the fact that Jesus is coming again.
Right here in chapter 1, you have: *"Wait for the Lord, for His Son from heaven."* Look at chapter 2, verse 19, the last verse: *"For who is our hope or joy or crown of exaltation? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord at His coming?"* Here is the idea — He comes again.
Chapter 3, the last verse, verse 13: *"So that He may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus."* There it is again. Chapter 4 has that magnificent passage beginning in verse 13 and running through the balance of the chapter, talking about the very event of Him coming again. Their confusion was: How are the people who have died going to go to heaven? When is He coming? Did we miss it? What is going on? And that is what Paul addresses there.
Look at verse 17: *"Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we will always be with Him."* And chapter 5, verse 23: *"Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely and preserve you completely without blame at the coming of the Lord."*
It was so real to these people that Jesus was coming again.
Urgency and Perseverance Flow from This Truth
I will tell you why that is important. Rarely does a day go by that I do not think about dying. I think about it all the time — not in some morbid way, but it puts today in perspective. If I am not understanding that there is an end to my life, that there is a time of judgment, a time that Christ comes again, I get lost in today.
But when I understand that, at least two things happen for me. Number one, perseverance kicks in. That is why we do what we do. We do what we do because Jesus is coming again — not just because it is about us getting to heaven, but because it is about us being the men and women God would have us to be until Christ comes again or we die, whichever comes first. All of a sudden, there is a sense of perseverance.
The other thing that happens is a sense of urgency. I have been to five, six, seven meetings with elders lately, and in every one of those meetings, what comes up is my retirement and my demise. I am going, "Wow, really? You guys are meeting about this when I am not here? Is there something going on I do not know about?" And they say, "We have to plan, we have to be prepared." I walked out of those meetings and said, "If I have things I want to do, I had better get them done fast."
I am doing this exercise now — I am reading a book called *How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci*. One of the exercises is to be curious, to write for ten minutes without taking the pen off the paper on a given topic. So I am writing about the church and some church issues, and the next thing I know twenty minutes have gone by. I go back and read it, and what I wrote is obviously incoherent and repetitive in places. But as I read it, what I heard was a heart filled with urgency — a sense that I have a lot to get done, that there is a legacy at stake. And all of that comes from understanding this truth. This ought to be a hallmark of your life.
The Triad: Faith, Love, and Hope
There is a work of faith that is conversion, followed by a labor of love, followed by a steadfastness of hope. Back to verse 3, Paul says: *"We give thanks always for you, 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."*
Then verse 4 — you can take out your pen and write the word "fact." *"Knowing"* — this is a certain knowing — *"brethren beloved by God."* Let me spend a moment just on that phrase: beloved by God. In the Hebrew mind, in the Old Testament, that was a phrase reserved for only the greatest of men — Moses, Abraham — and the nation as a whole. It was a term used in a very exclusive sense. It is still exclusive, but numerically much more expansive. He is talking to you.
The Gospel That Belongs to Us
He is talking to you. If you know Christ, you are beloved by God. You are His choice. How do we know God loved you and chose you? Look at what Paul writes. He doesn't say "Jesus' gospel" or "the gospel." He says it is "our gospel." That is what the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ needs to be — it needs to be your gospel. We need to own this.
He says it is our gospel. It is the gospel about Christ, but we own it. "When we came to you" — here is how we know that you were chosen of God — "our gospel didn't come in word only."
The gospel always has to come in words. You have heard the old saying: preach the gospel, and if you must, use words. The idea is that you can just live in a way that people will look at and be drawn in. But no one — get this now — no one is going to come to Christ through a wordless sermon alone. You have to speak the truth. The gospel is always proclaimed. The gospel is preached.
Paul says: we know that you were beloved of God, we know you were chosen by God, because the word didn't just come in and of itself. The word came, and it came in power. It came in the Holy Spirit with full conviction — not just conviction of sin, but with full assurance and confidence that it is true.
The word "power" there is the Greek word dunamis, from which we get the English word dynamite. The problem with that comparison is that when we think of dynamite, we think of something destructive. We think of an implosion — a building coming down in a controlled demolition. So perhaps that is not the best illustration. It is dunamis, and dynamite is its English derivative, but this is not a destructive power. It is that same magnitude of power used in a constructive way. We know you were chosen by God because when the truth was proclaimed, there was power in the Holy Spirit. There was assurance. You knew this. You responded to it. That is how we know you were chosen by God.
Salvation Begins with God
It is so important for us to grasp this — you cannot avoid this issue. If you are a Christian today, you are a Christian because you are chosen by God. This is what the Bible teaches plainly. In the second letter to this same church, 2 Thessalonians 2:13, Paul writes: "We should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation."
You are a Christian today because God chose you before the foundation of the earth. It is not by your will — it is by God's will. That is why even the language of someone "making a decision for Christ" carries a problem. When we use that language, the idea becomes very man-centered. Yes, you respond to the gospel — absolutely. But understand that when you respond, it is because you were chosen. In salvation, all of it flows from God's love. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. God loves, and that love brings forth action. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Our salvation involves the entire Trinity. The Father chose us before the foundations of the earth. Jesus Christ died so that we would have eternal life. The Holy Spirit causes us to be born again.
The Evidence of Election: Changed Lives
In our first service today, we had a baptism. Kenny was doing the baptism and sharing his testimony. He spoke about a past that was a sorted past — a criminal past. And then, all of a sudden, one day while he was in prison, walking along, it hit him. What would that be? That would be conversion.
It goes right back to Paul. Remember — Paul is on the road to Damascus. Is he seeking God? Is he looking for a seeker-sensitive church? He thinks he is God's man. He thinks he is going to defend God. He is not out looking for God. And then — bam. His eyes are opened, his ears hear. Did he reason his way to it? No. God ripped out his heart, put in a new heart, opened his eyes, and allowed him to see.
The same thing is happening to some of you right now. Some of you are right now desiring to follow Christ. Why? Because God is doing that work in your life. So respond to that — but understand it is all of God. That is the evidence.
You hear this all the time: how do I know somebody is chosen? They believe. I am saved by grace. How do I know I have saving grace? I have faith. And the evidence of that faith is that my life begins to change. You cannot separate these two things.
Kenny's testimony this morning made that clear. There were people that he hated whom he now loves. Things he did and enjoyed, he has now abandoned. His life is different. He now tells the truth rather than lies. He now loves rather than hates. Why? Because Jesus Christ is in his life.
A Church Where Lives Are Changed
That is why it is so important that this church — collectively, and you individually — is a place where lives are changed. Lives that are converted are lives that change. Here is what we would say plainly: do not bring into this place the idea that you are a Christian and your life has not changed. That is not what the evidence looks like. Paul looks at the church at Thessalonica and says, "I know. I know you are believers." Why? Because there is a work of faith, a labor of love, and a steadfastness of hope. That is the evidence.
When you look at the church today — not East Valley specifically, but the church in America as a whole — one of the things that ought to concern you greatly is the enormous number of people who say they know Christ as Lord and Savior and yet there is no change in their lives. I am not talking about being perfect. I am talking about an attitude that says, "I am just a person who cannot say no. I am doing the best I can." The problem is you have churches filled with people who hold exactly that posture.
Changed Lives as Evidence of Salvation
If you know Christ, your life changes. Isn't that the testimony you hear in your small groups, your growth groups, at the men's breakfast, and in your adult electives? You hear about life change taking place, and that is because salvation produces it.
Now, here is what is really key. Someone I was meeting for the first time the other day mentioned hearing about our church and said, "I've heard that it's this Calvinistic church where all they talk about is being chosen by God." That is not all we talk about. We rarely talk about it. Here is when we talk about it: when it is in the text.
Seeing Election with New Eyes
Here is an illustration. The last time I was in LA, I rented a Taurus. I came out of Ontario and onto the freeway, and all around me were Tauruses — Tauri, I do not even know what the plural is — all around me, a hunt of the killer Taurus. And what occurred to me was this: I had just never driven a Taurus before. I am guessing there were always Tauruses all around me; I just never knew it.
It is the same thing with this idea of being chosen by God. It has been there all along. But now your eyes are open and you see it everywhere. Why? Because God wants you to understand you are His, by His choice, not by yours.
Election Does Not Lead to Passivity
Now someone might say, "Chosen by God, God did it all, I did not do anything — I guess God is going to do whatever He is going to do, so I do not need to do anything. Study up for Bible trivia, that is about all I have to do." It is very interesting, then, what the text actually says.
Paul says you were chosen by God — we know you are His elect because the word came in power, the word came in truth, the word came in the Holy Spirit — and here is how we really see it: you became imitators. From this Greek word we get the English word "mimic." You became followers of us. Paul says the same thing in 1 Corinthians 11:1: "Be an imitator of me as I am an imitator of Christ." You began to live like us.
We could stop here, but let us apply this quickly, because it could be painful. Can you say that to the people around you? Can you say it to the people you live with: "Be an imitator of me"? That is what Paul says happened in Thessalonica — they received the Lord, they received the word, and they became imitators.
Joy in the Midst of Tribulation
Now look at this odd couple — and it is not Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon. Look at this: tribulation and joy. How do those go together? How can anyone rejoice in tribulation? You rejoice in tribulation because after a while you understand that in your affliction, Christ demonstrates His strength. Affliction and suffering is where you can best see God work. You do not see God work when things are going smoothly. You see Him work when you are up against it and there is no way out.
That is what I love about so much that happens in this church. It is not the result of a plan; it is the result of God working. I know we need to plan, and I am for a plan. But when everything is planned and everything runs perfectly, at the end of the day we tend to praise the plan. I like it when at the end of the day we say, "Yeah, we did a good job, but look at what God did. We would have never dreamed that. We would have never expected that. We would have never thought He would do that." And that happens best in times of tribulation.
The Spiritual Test of Hard Times
A great indicator of where you are spiritually is not the easy moment. Say you were given Intel stock when you started there, and it is up 100%. There is not a lot of proving your Christianity there. How did you do when it dropped 14 points in three days?
How do you do when the doctor says, "I know it may not be much, but on the x-ray there is a spot here, and we are not exactly sure what it is"? How do you handle it when that child is sick, or that relationship is difficult, or that job is gone, or the promotion you thought you deserved went to somebody else, and the company is downsizing and they are not going to cut you — the good news — but they are going to cut the salary? How do you handle those kinds of things? How do you handle persecution? There ought to be joy.
A Faith That Sounds Forth
Look at verses seven and eight. "So you became examples" — examples in Macedonia and Achaia. All of a sudden you became the people they talked about. They said, "We are not sure what is going on over there in Thessalonica, but something is happening." And then Paul writes this: "The word of the Lord has sounded forth." It is like a trumpet blast, like a roll of thunder. Sounded forth from you — not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything.
Paul is saying that as he went around to these places, they told him, "We want to tell you about Jesus," and the people replied, "The guys from Thessalonica beat you to it. They were already here."
Sovereignty and Proclamation Go Together
Do not ever think that because we understand Scripture clearly teaches God is sovereign in salvation, we therefore do not share our faith. I was in a manufactured home on Friday with a group of high school guys, and we were talking about people coming to Christ. Just because we understand salvation — let me say it differently — because we understand salvation is a work of God, we go and we proclaim the word in truth and love. God has not only ordained who He will save, but how He will save them.
A Church That Becomes an Example
Paul says he wants the Thessalonians to be imitators of him, to share their faith. He also tells them they became an example. In the Greek, that word is in the singular — he is speaking to them as a church. Let me state the obvious: individually, there are works of faith, labor of love, and a steadfastness of hope, but these were a hallmark of that church because it was a church comprised of believers. They understood who Christ was, they understood that He would come again, they understood salvation, and so they desired to share that faith. They became an example — just as East Valley Bible Church can be, and should be.
That should be the description of every church in the world, but right now I am not concerned about every church in the world. I am concerned about us. Is that us? Is that you?
The Strategy: Infiltrating the Valley
Have you noticed that we do not have any evangelistic corporate programs running? We are not trying to bring a large crowd in here so you can bring your friends and we share the gospel with them in a service. No — that is your job. You do that. We have infiltrated the East Valley. How did we do it? We have 3,500 of you who are going to leave here and go to your homes, your neighborhoods, and your places of work. You go with a clear understanding of who God is, with a work of faith in your life, a labor of love in your life, and a steadfastness of hope in your life — and with the understanding that you now have the privilege of sharing that with men and women around you who do not know Christ.
Closing Prayer
Father, please let us be part of this chain reaction — Paul to Silas to Timothy to the believers at Thessalonica, Macedonia, and Achaia. God, let us be that. Let us be the believers at East Valley Bible Church, reaching the workers at Intel, Motorola, and all through the valley. God, use us, please. Let us faithfully proclaim the gospel in word and deed. We pray it in Jesus' name, amen.