The world we live in is full of surprises, you never know what you’ll get. I suppose for those of us that are in Christ, it’s only in heaven that we’ll be able to realize our rest and also understand what was going on/what we went through. For now, we get to enjoy whatever lot we get in this life on earth. One thing we all share as humans is the frailty of our physical bodies. The older we are, the quicker our bodies degenerate. Despite our many technological advancements in the health sector, we have still not been able to stop that degeneration process. If we are honest with ourselves, we know we are weak creatures in all sense of the word. Unfortunately, not many of us acknowledge that and instead, we hide behind empty achievements and success, hypocrisy and many other schemes. However, there is no way to grow and to walk in truthfulness if we are not able to see ourselves for who we truly are and that is called being humble. It’s no wonder the bible calls us to humility because God knows that to save us and bring deliverance to us, we need to know what we were saved from. This week in my bible reading, I have been camping in the first book of Thessalonians and I was struck by the encouragement and instructions Paul gave to this church which is equally encouraging to us today as we go through life’s challenges as weak people. But before I get into the instructions, let me share with you two observations that stood out to me as I was reading.
First, I believe this was the only church to whom Paul did not get to say “imitate me” or “be like me” or “do not be ashamed of my chains” because they were already imitating Paul and being like Christ. Paul says it himself “For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews, who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets” (1 Thessalonians 2:14-15). The Thessalonians received the word of God not as the word of men but as what it was, the word of God. The result was evident in how they changed, they abandoned idol worship for the worship of the true and living God (chapter 1:9). That brought about persecution from their own countrymen but even despite this they did not deny the faith and for that Paul was extremely encouraged. The Thessalonians gave life to Paul because of their testimony of faith while he was away. Second, Paul’s love for the Thessalonians was quite deep. His longing to see the Thessalonians comes across strongly in this book. I find it fascinating that Paul did not have a chance to spend much time with the Thessalonians yet he loved them like he had known them for a long time. Paul could not wait to hear from the Thessalonians and so he sent Timothy since Satan had prevented him from making the trip himself (chapter 2:18). In Acts 17, we are told how the Thessalonians came to hear about the gospel which brought an uproar in the city leading some of the disciples to rush Paul and Silas to leave away at night. This means, Paul did not get a chance to get acquainted with believers in Thessalonica, no wonder he longed to hear from them! Paul is such an example of what a good shepherd is like. He shares similar characteristics like Abraham, Moses and Daniel who carried the burden of the people on their shoulders. Paul does the same with the churches God has given him a responsibility over, he cares deeply for each one of them. I believe pastors and anyone to whom God has entrusted people to must emulate similar character traits.
Being a good leader and shepherd, Paul could not not have instructions for his sheep. Even though the Thessalonians were in my opinion better than other churches Paul had written to, there were still things they could learn and be encouraged about. I will focus on a couple ones. First, Paul instructs them to continue to live righteously. While Paul acknowledges the walk of the Thessalonians and how honouring it is to the Lord, he tells them to do more and more of that. In other words, “keep at it, you have not ‘arrived’, there is still more to be done”. Paul knows how easy it is for us to feel like we are doing well and therefore do not need to grow anymore. He knows the temptation of comfort and he is alerting the Thessalonians to not live a life of comfort or a life of plateau where growth is no longer needed for then it is a sure leeway for sin. Indeed, in Christ, there is always more that can be done, we should never think we have “arrived”. I personally find this instruction very challenging because when you are doing something well, it does not mean it is an easy thing to do so in such a case, you want to give up because it is tiring or too demanding or simply because you believe you have done your part and someone else should share the load and pick up where you left. But Paul in his encouragement is saying to keep doing that good thing even if it is hard. To keep walking in purity, to keep loving that difficult brother, to keep serving, to keep honouring the Lord. Whatever good we are doing in obedience to the Lord, we should just keep doing it, as long as it is good and pleasing to the Lord. As far as Paul is concerned, we stop when we’re taken from this earth but until then, we must carry on. The other instruction Paul gives the Thessalonians is regarding the coming of the Lord. In fact, it is not as much an instruction as it is a teaching moment on the hope Christians have in death. Paul tells the Thessalonians that those that belong to the body of Christ grieve death very differently than those that do not belong to Christ. Indeed, those that have died in Christ shall be raised with him when he comes back so it is not over for them just as it is not for us who are alive in Christ. This is not the reality of those who are not in Christ for most people in the world, death is the finality, it is the end. Moreover, Paul addresses a concern on when the Day of the Lord will come. He tells them that the Day of the Lord will come like “a thief in the night” when no one expects and people will most likely be busy saying “there is peace and security”, then sudden destruction will come upon them and they will not escape (1 Thessalonians 5:3). However, Paul tells them, they are not in darkness for that day to surprise them like a thief but are children of light, and for that reason, they must not sleep as others do but they must keep awake and be sober having put on the breastplate of faith and love and the helmet of salvation (1 Thessalonians 5:4-8). Paul is driving home the idea that children of light do not walk as children of darkness nor do they mix. They are opposite breeds. Just like the sinful nature and the spirit are contrary to each other so it is with the children of light and the children of darkness.
In sum, as believers in Christ, we should not be confused about who we are especially when it comes to matters of eternity because we have the assurance in the Holy Spirt that our Lord Jesus is coming back as he has promised. Therefore while we wait for his glorious return, we ought to live a life of righteousness without growing weary and losing hope for our hope is eternal. May the Lord strengthens us our weary souls. Amen.
A Word Aptly Spoken 