August 23, 2012
THE FAITHFUL BELIEVER
1 Thessalonians 1
Meredith Ratliff
Central Truth
God calls us to be faithful followers of Him.
Key Verse | 1 Thessalonians 1:9–10
For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come. (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10).
1 Thessalonians 1
Greeting
1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace to you and peace.
The Thessalonians' Faith and Example
2 We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly 1 1:2 Or without ceasing mentioning you in our prayers, 3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we know, brothers 2 1:4 Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated brothers) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. 6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. 9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
Dive Deeper | 1 Thessalonians 1
Every time I start reading a new book of the Bible, I like to read up on the background information on the book. Who are these Thessalonian people and why did Paul take the time to write them?
Thessalonica was a port city in Greece. It was a stop on Paul's second missionary journey and the second place identified in Acts 16-17 in which the gospel was preached in Europe. Paul was forced to leave the city and later sent Timothy back to check on the health of the new church. Paul was pleased to hear about a thriving church from Timothy.
These believers in Thessalonica set a good example of what it looks like to be faithful followers of Jesus Christ for all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia and also for us today (verse 7). We can learn from the example they set.
In verse 9, Paul notes that the believers had turned from idols. While many of us do not worship the type of idols that were found in ancient Greece, there are many idols that we may be worshiping today. For me, I tend to worship the idol of security (the sin of not trusting God for the future). Other idols that some may struggle with include financial success or even the idol of physical beauty.
In verse 10, we also learn that the Thessalonians were waiting expectantly for the return of Christ. Why is it important that we wait expectantly for Christ? When we remember that this life is but a vapor (James 4:14) and that the things of this world are fleeting, the day-to-day busyness of life comes into proper perspective. Ultimately, our purpose in life is to fulfill what work God has laid out for us that has eternal implications. When I feel like I am going a million miles a hour, I need to be mindful of these things and ask the Lord what He would have me do today with His kingdom and glory as the focus.
Discussion Questions
1. What idols are you struggling with today? Are you addressing the sin that precedes these idols in your life?
2. Do you see the world through the eyes of Jesus, what I like to call the "bird's eye" view, or through the microscope of your problems, distractions, stresses and hurts?
3. What does it look like for you daily to lay aside every sin that entangles us so that we can run the race of life with perseverance (Hebrews 12:1)?
WEEKLY FAMILY ACTIVITY
August 20-24 (Colossians 2- 1 Thessalonians 2)
Read Colossians 3:12-17.
• What does Paul say you should clothe yourself with in verse 12?
• How would your life look different if you put on all of these each morning?
• Verse 12 (NLT) says we should "[m]ake allowance" for each other's faults, what does this mean to you?
• What's the most important "piece of clothing" you should put on?
• What does verse 14 tell us to always do?
• What does it mean to counsel others with the words of Christ?
• What do you have to be doing to be able to share Christ's words with someone else?
• Do you live your life in a way that represents Christ to others?
• How could you be living differently so Christ is reflected more clearly to others through you?
Activity: Get out some markers and paper. Ask each person to write one of the words from verse 12 on separate pieces of paper. Now look at the word in a mirror. What did you notice about the word? Now write the word on another piece of paper so that when you look at it in the mirror, you will be able to read it correctly. Was it hard to write the word differently so you could read it in the mirror? Did it take practice? Following Christ and reflecting Him to others is not always easy. It takes practice and commitment to really know His Word and to reflect Him to others.