Read 1 Thessalonians 1:6-10

Every parent has fond memories of their children imitating them as they go about work. Whether it is mowing a lawn, shifting some dirt, vacuuming and tidying, or cooking, children love to imitate their parents. Sadly, our children also have a habit of imitating our less savoury and more sinful words and actions too. Whether good or bad, we often learn by imitating the example of others.

The Thessalonian Church was also known for their imitation. Paul commended them for their imitation of himself and Jesus, as a response to the powerful proclamation of God’s Word in their midst. Through their imitation, they became an example to other believers elsewhere. In that, they become an example to us of what it means to follow Christ, and an example and reputation to develop individually and as a congregation.

For Paul, the Thessalonians were a source of great encouragement. They were a demonstration of God’s power working through the Ministry of Paul, Silas, and Timothy, and thus a source of thankfulness to Paul in the middle of difficult times.

But the Thessalonians were more than just an encouragement, they were imitators. They “became imitators of us and of the Lord” because they received the Gospel despite the affliction which non-believers (both Jew and Greek) inflicted on them (v.6). Just as Paul and his companions, and Jesus in his earthly ministry had faced rejection and affliction, so too the Thessalonians suffered for the name of God.

What was important about that affliction was not so much the presence of it, but how they reacted. They did not grumble and complain but experienced it “with the joy of the Holy Spirit” (v.6). Their difficult circumstances were met with Spirit empowered joy instead of grumbling, unlike say the Israelites wandering in the desert in Moses’ day.

Many of the Greco-Roman activities of the day were wrapped up in pagan religion and adoration verging on (and often becoming) outright Emperor worship. The Thessalonian Christians, worshiping the one and true living God and confessing only Jesus Christ as Lord, were cut off from society and rejected by “offended” friends and family because they refused to engage in the cultural norms of their day.

The imitation of Paul and Christ which the Thessalonians adopted was such that “you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia” (v.7). Word of the events in Thessalonica, their patient endurance, and their Spirit-filled joy spread like ripples in a pond throughout what is modern day Greece.

More than just endure though, the Thessalonians were busy spreading the Gospel even in difficult circumstances. “The word of the Lord sounded forth from you” (v.8) and apparently word had spread down the trade roads of how the Thessalonian Church was busy proclaiming the Gospel.

Their joyful endurance and their Gospel proclamation displayed their faith in God, word of which had traveled “everywhere, so that we need not say anything” (v.8). Imitators they were, but examples to other Christians in the region of their faith, hope, and love.

Other Christians were encouraged to hear of how they had held firm against the pressures of their day, and had “turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God” (v.9). They had made a radical and sustained break with their past, and the evil culture that surrounded them. Their lifestyle reflected a desire to live a Biblical approach to life that reflected the example of Paul and of Christ.

They were also a Christ-waiting Church. They looked forward to and waited for the arrival of God’s “Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come” (v.10). The Thessalonians were committed to Gospel proclamation and a Biblical lifestyle not for political reasons, but because they saw the final victory over sin and earthly opposition as coming when Jesus returned in glory to deliver them.

This example of imitation may have first floated down the highways and by-ways of the Roman Empire, but it has also floated down through time as an example to us. What a reputation to be known by! Forget riches. Never mind influence and power. Faithful servants of God.

What causes the Thessalonian Church to be singled out for praise is a desire to follow Jesus. Spirit-filled joy in difficult circumstances. Bold Gospel proclamation. Biblical patterns of lifestyle that leave behind the idols of the day. Patient expectation and hope of Christ’s victorious return.

Would it not be a fine reputation to have this as individuals and a congregation? As I read these words I want that to be true of my own life, and of us all.

What empowered this imitation of Paul and Christ, which boldly left behind the idols of this world, proclaimed the Gospel, and awaited Christ’s return in victory? The Holy Spirit. If we want the same imitation and devotion for our own lives and our own congregation, then we must turn to the Holy Spirit in dependence and request for that same power displayed in our lives.

Read 1 Thessalonians 1:2-5

The past few years have been difficult in various ways for many of us, yet God has still been good to us in those years. It has not been all bad news. There has been much to give thanks for. Yet in the middle of difficulty it can be easy to forget the blessings we have received, and focus instead on what we have lost, or our struggles, or our difficulties.

Paul’s life certainly had its ups and downs, but Paul also recognised the need to give thanks for the good things God gave. One of those good things was the blessing of the church in Thessalonica, whom Paul’s letter addresses. Paul gives thanks for the evidence of salvation working in their lives, because God chose them to be part of his people. That salvation came with great power from God displayed in their lives. The same is true for us. In the midst of ups and downs, we can give thanks for the same blessings from God in our lives.

While Paul and his team did not have as long as they would have liked to nourish the little church in Thessalonica, their ministry did have a great impact. Word reached Paul of the continuing faithfulness of that congregation, and he wrote to give thanks, to encourage, and to teach them further.

So it is not surprising that Paul’s letter begins with a description of Paul’s thanksgiving, and the reasons for it. Paul told the Thessalonians that he “give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers” (v.2). 

Paul was not simply a motivational speaker with fond memories of a crowd, but an undershepherd who cared intimately for his sheep, whether with them or not. They were a source of great thankfulness to Paul, and they were always on his mind when he prayed, seeking that God would continually bless and build them up.

The reason for Paul’s thankfulness is given is verse 3, where he explained that he remembered before God their “work of faith and labour of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ” (v.3).

Paul is not describing works salvation with his reference to work and labour, rather the importance is on the latter of each word couple – faith, love, and hope. These three words are regular themes in Paul’s writings (1 Corinthians 13, especially v.13, anyone?). They are what are really important to Paul – the evidence of these in the Thessalonian church’s life.

How are they evidenced? Their faith is apparent in that it is active and displayed in their behaviour. Their labour for God (and thus, for each other) is prompted by their love, while their conviction and hope in Jesus’ return is patient and enduring.

By implication, Paul is encouraging the Thessalonians to continue in this way. Just as parents praise behaviour in their children that they would like to see more, Paul’s praise here does the same thing.

The second reason for Paul’s thankfulness is that God chose them. “For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you” (v.4). Paul sees in them the proof in the pudding, so to speak, of God’s grace in electing them for salvation. Knowing that God is working out his salvation plan, and calling those he elected through Paul’s labours, is great cause for thankfulness.

Their election was shown through their response to Paul’s preaching while he was with them in Thessalonica. Paul’s gospel preaching came “not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction” (v.5). It was not persuasive rhetoric which saved them, but God’s power displayed through the Holy Spirit’s work in their lives, along with the deep conviction of its value on the part of those preaching it. The effectiveness of the message came from God’s work through it, not the mere words.

The deep conviction of Paul and his team was reflected in “what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake” (v.5) which the Thessalonians came to know and understand.

Paul’s reasons for thankfulness are reasons we can be thankful in our own circumstances as well. We can see God’s saving power working through the preaching of the Gospel, in our own lives and that of others. We can pray that it continues to do so, and give God thanks when it does. And we can thank God for his saving grace, expressed before time in his election and in time through the Holy Spirit’s powerful saving work in our lives.

Secondly, we can thank God for our faith, hope, and love. These are not just abstract ideas but find their only full and perfect expression in the Christian faith. Our labours of love for each other and visitors, our active faith in Christ (in the various ways that plays out), and our patient hope for Christ’s victorious return are all ultimately gifts from God. Another reason for thankfulness.

Like Paul, there is plenty to give thanks to God for always.