Busy Waiting

BUSY WAITING.

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10.

1 Thessalonians 1:1 - “The church of the Thessalonians” came into being as a result of Paul’s second missionary journey. After Paul’s vision (Acts 16:9) Paul, Silas and Timothy were joined by Luke and crossed the Aegean Sea into Europe (Acts 16:10-12). After their initial successes in Philippi, Luke appears to have remained in Philippi whilst his three companions travelled southwest to Thessalonica, the capital of the Roman province of Macedonia (Acts 17:1).

There Paul preached the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ for three successive sabbaths in the synagogue (Acts 17:2-3), with a measure of success among some of the Jews, and also among the Greeks (Acts 17:4; cf. 1 Thessalonians 1:9). After being effectively chased out of the city (Acts 17:5-10), Paul and his companions eventually wrote to the fledgling church from Corinth (cf. Acts 18:5; 1 Thessalonians 3:6-8).

It is interesting to note the definition of the church here as “in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”. This ties in with the identification of Jesus as (God’s) “Son from heaven” (1 Thessalonians 1:10).

The “grace and peace” spoken over the church is uniquely Christian, changing the customary Greek greeting of ‘chairein’ = ‘rejoice’ (cf. Philippians 4:4) to “charis” = “grace”, and combining it with the Hebrew greeting of “shalom” = “peace”. This new Christian greeting of “grace and peace” can be contrasted with the spurious security of the Pax Romana (cf. the ‘peace and security’ of 1 Thessalonians 5:3).

1 Thessalonians 1:2 - The thanksgiving which begins here continues, interspersed with narrative, until 1 Thessalonians 2:13.

1 Thessalonians 1:3 - The church’s distinguishing marks of “faith, love and hope” corresponds to the “turning, serving and waiting” of 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10. Faith looks away from idols to the living and true God; love serves others; and hope looks to the future coming of our Lord.

1 Thessalonians 1:4 - On the back of this triad (of faith, love and hope) Paul, Silas and Timothy were assured that their beloved Thessalonian brethren were indeed a part of the election of God.

1 Thessalonians 1:5 - The gospel came to the Thessalonians “not only in word, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance.” Of course, it had to come in words: but it had to be received not as the word of men, ‘but as it is in truth, the word of God’ (cf. 1 Thessalonians 2:13).

The word of the Lord came in divine “power” in order to produce results. It came in the power of “the Holy Spirit”, who took the word and empowered the hearers to receive it, effectually working the Word into the hearts of those who would believe (cf. 1 Thessalonians 2:13). It came “in much assurance” - or ‘with much conviction’ on the part of those who proclaimed it, even as “you (all) know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.”

1 Thessalonians 1:6 - “You (all) became followers of us, and of the Lord.” Elsewhere Paul exhorts us to be followers of him, but only inasmuch as he follows Christ (cf. 1 Corinthians 11:1).

The Thessalonians “received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost.” There was persecution from the outset (cf. Acts 17:5), and no doubt the new believers had a struggle on their hands even after Paul had left. But they continued “with joy of the Holy Ghost” (cf. Galatians 5:22; Acts 13:52).

1 Thessalonians 1:7 - “So that you were examples to all that believe in Macedonia and (even beyond) in Achaia.”

1 Thessalonians 1:8 - The missionaries saw further evidence of the Thessalonian church’s election not only in how they received the gospel (1 Thessalonians 1:5-6), but also in how they went on to be evangelists themselves. “From you sounded out the word” - but also, their faith in God was a hot topic for the gossip of the day! So much so, that the evangelists hardly need say anything:

1 Thessalonians 1:9 - The church’s faith was already known!

They had “turned” (past tense), once and forever “TO God FROM idols.” That is a change of mind, a change of direction: repentance. It is a turning not only AWAY from sin, but TOWARDS the one “living and true God”, with the intention of no longer serving sin, but serving Him.

1 Thessalonians 1:10 - Such service is also accompanied with “waiting”. So let us get busy serving God here in earth, while we wait for the return of “His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, (even) Jesus, who delivered us from the wrath to come”!