When we are accepting students in the Bible school we require them to submit a church recommendation. Just the same, yesterday we had accepted a lady applying for a work in the nursery and she came with his uncle who is a pastor as her “recommendation.”
The church in Thessalonica, however, does not need a letter of recommendation from anybody or commendation from someone. The Apostle Paul told them that their faith is their strong recommendation known everywhere.
Before we can fully appreciate the faith of the Thessalonian Christians we need to know how the church there started.
In Paul’s day Thessalonica, the capital city was the most important commercial center in the region. It was a thriving metropolitan area full of vice, full of greed, and full of false religion. The home of the gods, Mt. Olympus was located at Thessalonica.
On his second missionary journey Paul had left Philippi and gone to Thessalonica to preach the gospel. His evangelistic effort there was very successful. Many people were responding to the gospel and many were being saved. Great things were happening. However, this revival had met an opposition from the Jew and the Pagan community.
We learn from Acts 17 that a mob went to Jason’s house where Paul and his friends were staying. When they couldn’t find Paul they dragged Jason out of his home and brought him before the city leaders and accused him of being involved with the movement “that causing trouble all over the world.”
The brothers asked Paul to flee from Berea to Athens. There in Athens he sent Timothy to check on the Thessalonians and then went to Corinth. At Corinth Timothy brought Paul news of how the church at Thessalonica was doing. This epistle is Paul’s response to that report. It was written in about 50 AD which makes it one of the first letters Paul wrote.
Paul was very thankful to hear that these young converts were remaining faithful in the midst of all their trials and tribulation. In this first chapter he commends them their continued efforts in the work of the Lord, the example they have become to others, and the expectation they have maintained toward the coming of the Lord. The commendation they receive is quite remarkable.
First they are commended for their faithful service to the Lord.
1 Thess. 1:2 “We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers.”
Now the reason for his thanksgiving—verse 3 “We continually remember before our God and Father…”. And now he mentions three hallmarks of their walk with God.
First your work produced by faith. These Christians had the kind of faith that produced good works in their lives. It was not just a lot of talk. It was a lot of positive action. We are not saved by work but nonetheless true faith always produces good works.
In Hebrews it says “… without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
Why does faith produces good works. It is because we diligently seek to please God. We will also seek to do those things that would give joy to Him. For Paul the obvious evidence that a person has faith is his actions. For a person who has no faith, find no reason to work for the Lord because they believe that their works account for nothing. However, a person who has faith knows that the LORD honors and will eventually reward all the good works that we do.
Just like the Christians in Thessalonica if our faith is producing a lot of unselfish good works… this is our strong recommendation.
Second your labor prompted by love.
So we asked what is the difference between work and labor? The word for labor here is koros. It is different from the word for work in the previous phrase. Ergon emphasizes the result of the effort while koros emphasizes the pain and weariness involved in the effort.
Love motivated them to work hard and serve even when they were weary. It begins with a love for the Lord which then overflows in a love to what he loves—people. “Do you love me? Feed my sheep.” Love suffers long. Love endures the pain. Love continues even when the work is difficult and discouraging as it was for the Thessalonians. Without love we are reduced to basic animal instincts to survive. Without love we will always try to get the most for ourselves with the least amount of effort.
How do you nurture that kind of love? You reflect, you meditate, you consider the love God has shown toward you. When the reality of that grips your heart then you will want to respond in love. Take time to think about God’s mercy toward you. Linger long in your meditation of your sin and the sufferings of Christ. See how much suffering Jesus had experienced because of his love for us. The Lord’s labor is indeed prompted by love.
Now that there is an impending trouble in Myanmar. We can share to them our labor of love. At this stage, we helped these people by caring for their children. One way or another, most of us are involved in this ministry. People back home are asking us why are we taking so many children in our home. Yes, we are providing them safe refuge from impending fighting but most of all it is because we are prompted by God’s love in spite of hardships with out thinking of monetary compensation. This is a strong commendation, when our labor is prompted by love.
Third your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul will speak much about hope in this letter. Hope is a powerful factor in our lives. It’s amazing what we can endure if we know that tomorrow will be better—and the next even better—and the future is bright. Take hope away for a person and his strength is gone.
In Lamentations 3 Jeremiah talked about hope. Lam 3:21-26 “This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. 22 Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning;Great is Your faithfulness. 24 “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” 25 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. 26 It is good that one should hope and wait quietly For the salvation of the LORD.”
How did Jeremiah nurture hope? “This I recall to mind”! He disciplined his thought life to ponder the Lord’s mercies and goodness. If God is good and is ultimately in control—if the Lord is my portion then I have every reason to hope.
Hope gives us the will to carry on when we would otherwise give up. Peter wrote these words to a group of Christians who needed to be reminded of their future in God.
1 Peter 1:3-4 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade-kept in heaven for you”
In the light of the events going on in Myanmar–the catastrophe, the military oppressions, the impending fighting the pervasive response of the people including the Christians are helplessness and to some extent hopelessness
Many people including many Christians are starting to look for hope from people who can provide help. I read in a newspaper that the visit of an American Senator gave hope to the people. But as Christians our hope is larger than this. Our hope is not dependent on people but in our Lord Jesus Christ– who died and rose again from the dead to reconcile us to God and with one another. Our hope depends on him who empowers us through his Holy Spirit to help others, to encourage one another and to impart to them our blessed hope that Jesus Christ will ultimately defeat the evil and finally God’s goodness will triumph here on earth. The challenge for us as Christians is to endure all sufferings inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
These Christians at Thessalonica put forth a valiant effort in the face of great opposition because these three elements were at work in their hearts—faith that produced works, love that produced labor, and hope that inspired endurance.
Aren’t these strong recommendations? I pray that we could be the same.
