Today we look at the introduction to St. Paul's letter to the Thessalonians. We hear St. Paul sharing his thankfulness for these Christians and their faithfulness:
Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you.
2 We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. 3
We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by
faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope
in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5
because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with
power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we
lived among you for your sake. 6
You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe
suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy
Spirit. 7 And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 8
The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and
Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do
not need to say anything about it, 9
for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They
tell 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 rescues us from the coming wrath.
These words are so encouraging because they remind us of the importance of living out our faith. The gift of faith given to us; leading to work, labor and endurance. We know that our relationship with God in the covenant he has made with us leads us to know who we are in Christ. This then leads to us moving forward by the power of the Holy Spirit and deep conviction, with authority and power! We are so encouraged by the example of the Thessalonians. The most important part of what we see in this triad of verse 3: "Work produced by faith, Toil or labor prompted by love and endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ" is the theology of "vocation," or "calling" that Martin Luther introduced during the Reformation. Before Luther only the Vocations of the church were honored. These were the works that mattered. Luther reminds us Kingdom people that our calling, no matter what it may be, is our chance to glorify God and be imitators of Paul and of the Lord! It is so important that we live out our faith, not seeing grace as a call to vacation, although rest is extremely important, but vocation: our calling to do everything to the Glory of God. Then we will work, toil and endure by His power and not ours! Our whole life is living as part of the kingdom! As we pray "your kingdom come, your will be done!"
God richly bless you as you live out your faith every day!
Pastor Bryan
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