Posts that reference the book of 1 Thessalonians

1 Thess

Truth from Thessalonians: Walk Worthy

So that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory. 1 Thessalonians 2:12

Paul had recounted in verses 1-11 how hard he had worked
Preaching, instructing, modeling,
Coaching, encouraging, affirming,
Like a good leader should.

The effectiveness of the message
Relies on the integrity of the messenger.

Our gospel witness is greatly impacted
By the way we live.

That’s why Paul says,
“You walk worthy.”

Worthy of the God who calls you.
Worthy of the calling.
Worthy to be part of His kingdom.
Worthy to share in that glory.

Every good leader wants that for every follower.
Every true follower aspires to that worthiness.

Then Paul offers a prayer of thanksgiving for the true followers.
Want to encourage your leaders?
Strive to walk worthy.

Truth from Thessalonians: Imitators and Examples

By Paula Wiseman

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 1:6-7

Imitators of us and the Lord
The Greek is mimetes.
We get the word “mimic” from the root.
It means someone who follows a pattern or a model.
It implies a focus on behavior and faithfulness to the original.

Example to all the believers
The Greek is tupos.
We get the word “type” from the root.
It means an example or a pattern to be followed.
It carries the idea of helping others understand the original.

We are both imitators and examples.
We imitate Christ.
We faithfully reproduce Christ’s behavior.
Others understand what following Jesus is all about
By watching us.

When you realize what an awesome responsibility
What an amazing stewardship we have been given
It begins to sink in
What a compliment Paul pays the Thessalonians.
What would he say about us?

Truth from Thessalonians: Faith, Hope, Love

By Paula Wiseman

(C)onstantly 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 1:3

Three spiritual attitudes.
Three ministry duties.
Three core motivations.

Work of faith
Evidence of a profound change.
Testimony to genuine salvation.
Response of gratefulness.

Labor of love
Self-sacrificing hardship.
Frontline intensity.
Rooted in love of Christ.

Steadfastness of hope
Enduring persecution.
Relying on an eternal perspective.
Anchored in Jesus

Do you have them?
The Thessalonians did.
True believers do.

Signs of Hardness: Failing to Respond

By Paula Wiseman

In the Old Testament and New Testament, we are warned not to harden our hearts. In our current series, we’ve begun considering some cautionary signposts that mean we are on the road to a heart hardened toward God. So far, we’ve discussed disobedience, wealth, discontent, rejecting correction, and refusing to listen. We’ll wrap up with a consideration of a similar tactic, failing to respond.

What does it mean to fail to respond?

Simply put, when we are presented with clear, obvious truth and instruction and we know we should act but don’t, we are guilty of failing to respond. We know stories of people who were under conviction, and they knew it, but instead of yielding to the Holy Spirit, they steeled themselves and didn’t respond. Eventually the conviction dissipated, and God left them with the consequences of their decision.

In a less drastic case, I’ve heard men who were sure God was calling them to ministry and they refused the call. They were left with a lifetime of regret and questions of what might have been.

In Matthew 13:13, Jesus explained to His disciples why He taught in parables. He said, “Seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.” Because the crowds refused to acknowledge Jesus’s true identity, choosing instead to see Him simply as a healer, a teacher, a foil for the self-righteous Pharisees, their hearts were hardened to the truth. The disciples, on the other hand, answered Jesus’s call and enjoyed an ever-deepening relationship with Christ.

Our indifference also damages our testimony. When nonbelievers see that our faith can easily be discarded, why would they want to embrace it?

How does it produce hardness?

Failing to respond trains us to ignore the voice of God. The only way we can do that is to harden our hearts against it. God made us for a relationship with Him. We damage the fellowship we enjoy when fail to respond. We show that God’s instructions are not compelling, that His kingdom is not a priority and that His favor is not valued.

How do you soften a heart hardened by a failure to respond?

Submission to the Spirit

Paul issued a quick admonition to the Thessalonians. Do not quench the Spirit. (1 Thessalonians 5:19). The Holy Spirit is the very presence of God in our lives, a gift to guide us and keep us on track. He is tasked with conforming us to Christ’s image. Don’t ignore or interfere with what He is doing with us.

The writer of Hebrews in chapter 3 quotes Psalm 95:7-8.

Today, if you will hear His voice: “Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, As in the day of trial in the wilderness.”

The hardheartedness is rooted in rebellion rather that submission. It always is.

Faith

Jesus had a rebuke for His disciples after His resurrection.

Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen.
Mark 16:14

Faith is Christ, belief in His word is the antidote for a hard heart.

As we wrap up, all hardness of the heart is the outworking of sin in our lives. The writer of Hebrews explains:

[B]ut exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Hebrews 3:13

We buy into lies and distance ourselves from God. We’ve been doing it since Eden.

Doctrinal Definitions: Sanctification

By Paula Wiseman

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. Romans 6:22 (ESV)

What is sanctification?
It’s not some secret thing reserved for a select few.

It is the fact and the process by which believers are set apart
By God
From the world
To be conformed to Christ
According to His purposes.

We pursue sanctification (or we should),
But the Holy Spirit accomplishes it.

W. E. Vine says it is “an individual possession,
Built up little by little,
As a result of obedience to the Word of God
And of following the example of Christ.”

It is God’s will for us (1 Thessalonians 4:3).
It should be our fervent pursuit (Hebrews 12:14).

You are sanctified. You are being sanctified.
One day you will be ultimately and utterly sanctified.

Read others in the series; Doctrinal Definitions

Underappreciated Virtues: Encouragement

By Paula Wiseman

And when he had passed through those areas and offered them many words of encouragement, he came to Greece. Acts 20:2

You’ve no doubt seen the list at the end of 1 Corinthians 13 with faith, hope, and love. And I’m sure you’re familiar with the Fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control in Galatians 5:22-23. Over the next few weeks, let’s take a moment or two to consider some underrated traits that are no less necessary in the body of Christ than some of these other fruits.

First up is energy-infusing encouragement. Not too long ago, we discussed Barnabas. Encouragement (also called exhortation or edification) was his specialty. A quick word search shows it popping up regularly in the book of Acts which means it was key to the growth of the early church. It’s safe to say it will help our churches grow today.

We all need encouragement. Even guys like the Apostle Paul need it. Think about that for a moment. The Apostle Paul needed encouragement from other believers. Romans 1:12 and Philippians 2:19 both mention how Paul looks forward to the encouragement he will receive from his fellow believers. (When you consider he was in prison when he wrote Philippians, that encouragement must have been extremely precious.)

Sometimes we focus on other things at the expense of encouragement. Paul reminds the Thessalonians, “As you know, like a father with his own children, we encouraged, comforted, and implored each one of you to live worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.” (1 Thessalonians 2:11-12). He also instructed Timothy, “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; rebuke, correct, and encourage with great patience and teaching” (2 Timothy 4:2). Paul listed three things. Rebuke – tell where we need to straighten up. Correct – show us where we can do better. Encourage – tell us what we need to keep doing.

We need a balance. If we only ever hear things that give us warm fuzzies, we’ll get soft. If we’re only yelled at, we’ll get discouraged and maybe give up. Think of the very best coaches you or your kids played for or the best boss you worked for. What made the difference? I’m going to guess it was the encouragement received.

How do we encourage others?

I wish there was a verse with three or four easy ways to encourage others. But a thoughtful reading, especially of Paul’s instructions to the churches, can give us some ideas.

1. Watch our words – Ephesians 4:29 is very straightforward. “No foul language should come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need, so that it gives grace to those who hear.” It’s easy to read that verse and think because we don’t use R-rated vocabulary, it doesn’t apply. Let’s stretch it out to the spirit of the instruction, not just the strict letter. No gossip. No mean-spirited criticism. No disparaging, Spirit-quenching remarks. What if we expand it to body-language? No eye-rolls or frowns. Let’s replace those with kindness, with smiles, with compliments, with appreciation.

2. Do our part – In Ephesians 4:16, Paul says, “From him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building up itself in love by the proper working of each individual part.” See that? The body, that is, believers encourage each there when we all take part in ministry. We know this is true. One of the most DIS-couraging, burnout-inducing things is when we have to carry a heavy ministry load alone. How encouraging would it be if someone recognized that we could use a hand and offered it? How would it encourage your pastor to see the whole church involved in carrying out the Commission? Think about your church. Who is doing double or triple duty? How and where could you step up? If you’re unsure, make it a matter of prayer.

3. Love each other – That is the root and foundation of encouragement. 1 Corinthians 8:1 states exactly that. Love builds up. Our family of fellow believers is a refuge for us. They are a haven for us to escape to when life is challenging. OR at least they should be. Let’s deliberately decide that our church is not going to add another level of drama and frustration to our lives but that we come alongside one another with genuine love. Notice I said “decide.” Christlike love is not based on merit, nor is it reciprocation. It is an active choice to give of yourself for someone else.

There are other ways to encourage, but I think if we focus on these until we are really good at them, things will change. By the way, you don’t have to wait until Sunday to get started.

Next in the Underappreciated Virtues series: Maturity