“Stand Firm in Thessalonica”

Scripture: Acts 17:1-9; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-15; 1 Thessalonians 2:13-16

As in all ministry, there will be some days that we see as successful, and others that are not so good, and not so successful. The life of the early apostles, if we only consider their human experiences, would seem to tell us that the failures would far outweigh the victories. There would be all kinds of opposition to the Good News that they brought – they would be thrown out of synagogue after synagogue, they would be arrested for more reasons that we can count, they would be beaten, and imprisoned, and ridiculed, and eventually, nearly all of them would be executed for sharing their faith in Jesus Christ.

And Paul’s experiences would be no different - but for him, every single person who came to the Lord Jesus would be a victory that overshadowed 100 failures, beatings, and rejections. He knew that satanic influence was constantly ruining lives, and every life that he could win for Jesus was one more defeat for the dark prince. The apostle had once been a champion for the Law, which he now sees as Satan’s lie, intended to draw people away from the Lord’s salvation, and he worked diligently to reverse all of the harm he had once done.

Today, we find him in Thessalonica, and after a pretty fair start, things would begin to go south very quickly.

Read Acts 17:1-9

The city sat on a major east / west Roman road that led from Greece to the Middle East. It knew the influence of many cultures, as it was on the same route as Corinth and Philippi, and would be an ideal place for Christianity to begin to take a hold in Greece, in Europe, and to spread to the far reaches of Asia. But it would also be a hot seat of opposition and oppression to the teachings of Jesus.

And it all begins in the local synagogue. He was given a chance to be heard, at first, and for 3 days, he would share the glory of Jesus Christ with all who gathered there. There would even be a few converts, both Jews and Gentiles, as well as a few “prominent women”! Isn’t that interesting – not only were Jews participating in synagogue, but so were some Greeks, and very possibly, some independent business women. This would not be the norm for the Jews, but we need to remember that we are in Greece now, not in Judea, and it is very possible that some customs had been modified for local purposes.

And the glory of Jesus Christ began to come to fruition in the lives living in this Grecian city. But the opposition also began to immerge and organize, and it was initiated, not in arrest and the courts, but in mob rule. John Wesley would also know earth’s violence through thugs who were paid by wealthy men when the Anglican Church could no longer keep his radical teaching in check.
But when the mobs began their search for Paul and his associates, they were nowhere to be found. So the anger was turned upon the people who had supported them, and fed them, and housed them, and believed in all that they had taught.

And when Jason and others, who accepted and supported God’s messengers, were dragged before the courts, what was the charge? Essentially that the ones they really wanted had been causing trouble all over the world, and now they are here “rabble rousing”, and Jason was one of the people who were giving them sanctuary and support while they were spreading the venom of Christianity!
But then, Christianity has always been about the dramatic change that brings healing to our broken lives. From a world’s perspective, that may look like “trouble”, when it is actually the gift of showing us the way out of this troubled existence.

People have always had difficulty in understanding the significance between the blessings of God and the curse of earth. And they are still getting it backwards!

Read 2 Thessalonians 2:13-15

Paul had written this letter to set the record straight, to correct a number of lies that had begun to spread regarding the day when Christ would return to redeem the Church. He not only has been denouncing the lies, he is also encouraging the church of Thessalonica to remain faithful and true to the word of God that came to them from Jesus Christ Himself.

And not only is he reassuring the church, he praises God for all who have come to a saving grace by faith in Christ. By way of this prayer, Paul is acknowledging the fact that faith comes, not by our efforts, but through the power of the Holy Spirit. He admits that the preaching and teaching that he and the others have offered, has certainly had an influence on the growth in faith for many, but even at that, he takes no credit for what has come to these people of God.

Let’s think about this for a moment. The Jews, as we know, were “chosen” by God as his own people, a people who the Lord expected to use his blessing to bless others. (Genesis 12:3) Paul had been chosen to be God’s man to the Gentiles in a very dramatic and traumatic way. (Acts 9:15) And now we read that God has chosen these people to be saved through the power of the Spirit.

But why does the Lord choose certain people over others? For their elevation? For their glory? Truthfully, we aren’t chosen by God for our own purposes. It isn’t to give us bragging rights, it isn’t to give us certain privileges, it isn’t for our glory, it isn’t even for our own salvation! It is for our service in the name of Jesus Christ, to continue his ministry and mission to the people of earth. We are chosen to work on behalf of our Almighty God. (1 Peter 1:2)

Read 1 Thessalonians 2:13-16

He encourages the faithful Thessalonians by reassuring them that they are growing in the word of God, and not in the word of men. And that growth comes from their expression of faith. And how does that reveal itself?

Paul observes that even though the church in Thessalonica is relatively new, they are following in the traditions and ways of the churches that are already well founded in Christ’s ways. They haven’t been “filling in the gaps” of what they have been learning, but still have questions about some of the details, and that is good. They haven’t become distracted by false teachers. They haven’t fallen back into their old ways, influenced by the culture of this very metropolitan city. Their faith is remaining strong, and is growing.

He also tells them something that they already knew so well – that they have remained strong, in spite of the persecution and conflict that the world, as well as the Jewish leadership, has been throwing at them. Satan never gives up, and will use such subtle techniques as doubt, fear, false teaching, complacency, and human reasoning (which always seems to be in conflict with divine reason!) to steer us away from God’s way and purpose. And it will come from the most unexpected sources – sometimes even from inside the church!

The Thessalonians were growing in Christ, and were experiencing new life in him. Of course, walking with Jesus is not always a walk of peace and acceptance! More times than not, it brings hatred and oppression upon us. Since the beginning of the Church, the world has always thought, and said, that Christianity is for the weak and narrow minded, the ignorant, the unexciting people of earth. But the truth is that faith in Christ will bring both excitement and conflict, hope and struggle, and all kinds of emotional ups and downs – not all that different than a life without Jesus. But the one great difference, is that walking with the Lord brings a sense of peace and purpose and eternity regardless of the victories and defeats that come our way.

But this has been the story of the Thessalonians – what about our story? Have you even been asked “How is your faith today?” And if I asked that question right now, what would your answer be? Would you say “I guess it’s pretty good”, would you say “I’ve had better days”, would you say “I’m trying!” But the truth is that wishy-washy answers like these, indicate that our faith is still shallow and marginal. The best answer would be “I am blessed by my Lord and Savior Jesus!”

Our faith must be deep, trusting, seeking, striving, growing in our understanding of what Jesus has taught, and what it must mean for each of our lives. It can never be a compromise with the ways of earth, it can never be a straddling of the spiritual fence that divides the faithful from the rest of humanity. It is, admittedly, a fine line, but a line nonetheless. Without full and true faith in Christ, it’s a line that nothing of God can cross, it’s a line that prevents the Spirit from working within and through us, it’s a line that bars the truth of God from our life, and our walk in “faith” becomes a lie. (John 14:16-17, 19-21)

Which side of the Lord’s “Line” are you on? Is your faith as firm and strong as that in the Thessalonian church?
In Joshua 24:14-15, the servant Joshua challenges the people to “choose for yourself this day whom you will serve”, and it is a challenge and call for each of us, too. Which God you will choose to serve – one of the gods of earth, or the one true God of the universe? And remember that it must be one or the other, for it can never be a little bit of both!