1 Thessalonians 1:8-10 (NLT) And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Macedonia and Achaia, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God. We don’t need to tell them about it, for they keep talking about the wonderful welcome you gave us and how you turned away from idols to serve the living and true God. And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God’s son from heaven—Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment.
Building a little bit of background, we find this letter was written by Paul circa AD50-AD52 shortly after the church of Thessalonica was founded. Paul uses phrases like “everywhere we go” and “people telling us about your faith” and “they keep talking about...you”. I find this remarkable because already the reputation of this newly founded church had spread to both northern and southern Greece (Macedonia and Achaia). By the crudest and roughest of estimations this covered a swath of land 300 miles deep and 200 miles wide. In a day preceding travel by automobile and devoid of social online networking, I find this remarkable. Even more remarkable is the knowledge of this widespread news taking place during the intense persecution of Christians by the various Caesars of the Roman Empire. The world was a rough place for Christians to take a stand, and yet they did so willingly, unashamedly, and with great fervor.
What were the primary talking points?
The wonderful welcome given to Paul and his companions
This makes sense to me because I remember Paul used to be “Saul” a persecutor of Christians. Knowing that it was safe to welcome Paul would have been critical in Paul’s ministry of spreading the gospel.
How you turned away from idols to serve the living and true God
India’s Buddha and China’s Confucius had existed for some 500+ years by this time. Not to mention the temples to Diana, Zeus, and a myriad of other characters of Greek mythology. And of course, the more immediate gods were those statues and monuments erected to the various Caesars of the day. The land was permeated with statues, amulets, coins, and other inanimate objects of idol worship readily available in any marketplace or street corner. It was amidst this setting the Thessalonians found the strength and courage to serve the living and true God.
How you are looking forward to the coming of God’s son...
This is perhaps the most heart-wrenching for me to read. The ache in my heart tells me we have lost our fervor for telling others about the return of Christ. We plod along in our daily lives, and while we might share the Gospel Good News, we seem to have lost the sense of urgency of the 2nd Advent. To be clear, I am not doubting Christian beliefs in general; we know Christ will come again because he promised to do so and he keeps his promises. What I see is a growing complacency and loss of urgency. And this, dear readers, will be our next topic of study.
Gracious Heavenly Father,
Thank you for the zeal and role model of the early Thessalonica fellowship. Thank you for the ministry of Paul and the example he sets for us to follow. Most of all, thank you for the gift of Salvation you offer us through the death and resurrection of your only beloved Son, Jesus Christ. While most of us do not struggle with tangible idols of clay or stone, many of us struggle with the intangible idols of self, greed, and time. We ask forgiveness. We turn to You, the one true and living God.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
The devotional Looking Forward – Part 1 appeared first on Write From My Heart at
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Email: Dotty Willmon, writefrommyheartblog@gmail.com
Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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