How we change the world – pt 1

2] We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly.  3] As we talk to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and your continual anticipation of the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.  4] We know that God loves you, dear brother and sisters and that he chose you to be His own people. 5] For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true.  And you know that the way we lived among you was further proof of the truth of our message.  6] So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the sever suffering it brought you.  In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord.  7] As a result, you yourselves became an example to all the Christians in Greece.  8] And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Greece, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God.      

- 1 Thessalonians 1:2-8, NLT

In this letter to the believers in Thessalonica, Paul says it is their faithful work, their loving deeds, and their continual anticipation of Jesus’ return that marked their reputation as followers of God.  These things were not manufactured through behavioral modification, through personality or even through sheer determination but instead they were a result of the Holy Spirit’s work in the believers in Thessalonica.  Both verse five and six point out the role of the Holy Spirit in the process of transforming the believers into world changers.  This is the key ingredient to the joy that is also an identifying feature of the reputation these believers are establishing.  The facilitating (enabling) forces that helped this group to create a contagious culture was the Holy Spirit, joy, faithful work, loving deeds and anticipation of Jesus’ return.

It is important to note that it wasn’t all kitty cats and lollipops.  There was resistance to this transformation among the believers.  The obvious from this passage was the “severe suffering” that came directly as a result of their decision to follow Jesus.  The believers in Thessalonica experienced the hardships associated with the transformation that occurred.  Whatever they were, the people saw the sufferings through a supernatural perspective.  This perspective was attributed to the Holy Spirit’s work in their hearts. 

If it is our goal to create a unique and contagious culture of love, we have got to understand that there will be resisting forces, (aka: severe suffering) that will come along in the process.  We must recognize this resistance and view it through the eyes of a transformed heart.  Having the faith perspective that there is more potentially than what is seen physically will help to neutralize the impact of the resisting forces that are sure to come. 

My favorite phrase in this passage is found in verse 7 – “As a result.”  It requires the reader to see what brought about the results that are written in verse eight; world-change that reached even beyond what they had imagined.  These results were directly associated with how these people responded to the suffering they faced.   It wasn’t their sufferings that determined the reputation of the believers of Thessalonica.  It was the imitation of Jesus – their joy in spite of their circumstances that allowed their reputation to precede them.

Beilievers should be marked by their faithful work, their loving deeds and their anticipation to see Jesus.  That means that the Holy Spirit-transformed body of the Church should confront suffering with joy.  This is how we imitate Jesus.  This is how we inspire with his love.  This is how we change our world!   

Are you marked by faithful work?  

What are your loving deeds?  

Are you anticipating Jesus’ return? 

Are you experiencing joy in spite of the sufferings you face?