1 Thessalonians 1:6-10
“There’s Something Happening Here”
When someone comes home from watching a movie and you ask them, “Well, did you enjoy it?”…
…more than likely, you know the answer before you ask the question.
The movie was “okay” but “not that great.”
If the person had really enjoyed it, you wouldn’t have had to ask.
The person would have come bounding in through the front door, eager to tell you about it.
There are some experiences in this life that are so amazing and remarkable that you just have to talk to someone about them!
Sometimes you hear a song on the radio, read a book, watch a movie, or see something that is so striking that you can’t help yourself.
As soon as you meet someone you can tell, you say, “I gotta tell you about the movie…” or whatever it is.
That’s when it’s clear that it really has made an impression on you.
And what happened when Paul and his fellow evangelists came to Thessalonica made that kind of impression, not only on the people who heard and believed the Gospel, but also on people all over the place!
The grape vines were buzzing all around Greece and the neighboring countries.
Nobody had to ask, “Have you heard about those strange Jews who are going around talking about someone called Jesus?” because everybody who had heard about them were telling someone else without being asked.
That’s the meaning of what Paul says in verse 8: “The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere.”
And what people were talking about wasn’t just the new church, but the way it had come into being.
People were talking about the amazing and instantaneous effect the Gospel had had.
And at the heart of it was the call to worship the One True God rather than idols.
And this was simply unheard of in Paul’s world.
It would be like asking people today to give up using their cars, computers, t-vs and cell phones.
The gods of Greek and Roman paganism were everywhere.
For example, if you were going to plant a tree, you would pray to the relevant god.
If you were going on a business trip, a quick visit to the right shrine was in order.
If you or your son or daughter were getting married, a serious and expensive worship of a deity was expected of you.
At every turn in the road the gods were there: unpredictable, possibly mean and dangerous, sometimes at war among themselves…
…there was really no way of really appeasing them, making sure you had them on your side.
And in particular, there was one new and recent arrival among the gods of Greece and Rome.
When Augustus defeated his rivals and became emperor of Rome and all its lands, he declared that his adopted father—Julius Caesar—had become a god.
Cities would stumble over themselves to build temples for their new gods.
Can you imagine?
And right smack dab into the middle of this wacky world came three unknown Jews, Paul, Silas and Timothy, telling these pagans that there was only One True God and that this God had a Son, and that Son had been raised from the dead!!!
Nobody had ever said anything like that before!!!
And the people in Thessalonica, knowing right from the start, the huge risk they would be taking—turned away from their idols to this Living God, and in doing so…
…discovered, at the same moment, both suffering and great joy!!!
And that is what conversion is all about.
The word “turned” in verse 9 is as close as Paul gets to a technical term for conversion itself.
It’s what happens when someone stops going in one direction, turns around and begins going in the opposite direction.
Has this happened to you?
A story is told about a group of old friends hanging out and having a conversation.
One of the men had recently become a Christian.
His old buddies were giving him a bit of a hard time.
“You don’t really believe all those miracle stories in the Bible, do you,” one guy chided.
In response, his friend replied, “I don’t know about the miracle stories in the Bible, but I do know about a miracle story in my own life.
Since giving my life to the Lord, Jesus has changed beer into furniture!”
It is a sight to see when someone gives their life to Christ!
The transformation which takes place, is indeed, nothing short of a miracle!!!
And the transformation continues as we become involved in a community of faith, volunteer our time, learn the joy of giving to God and becoming close friends—like family, really, with our brothers and sisters in the faith.
Those who either wander away from or never become actively involved in a church really miss it.
But for those who dive right in: Well, it is more than astounding!
The Christians in Thessalonica had only been believers for a short time; we don’t know exactly how long, but it can’t have been more than a year.
But already, people from hundreds of miles around were talking about this “unheard-of thing”: very ordinary people were doing something extraordinary in response to an unexpected message.
The only explanation was that the Living God was at work through the message of Jesus Christ.
The Thessalonican Christians had become imitators of the Lord…even in the face of “severe suffering.”
Talk about going against the grain!!!
Talk about courage!
Talk about commitment.
Talk about a mighty God!
And even in the midst of their suffering and persecution, they were filled with joy by the power of the Holy Spirit.
And so, other people became curious and wanted to know what they had discovered.
“What have they got that I don’t have?”
And through their imitation of Christ, others began to imitate them…in Macedonia and Achaia.
The Lord’s message was ringing out from them!!!
It was like a beautiful symphony echoing out through the silence of a lost and broken world, and summoning other persons to come and enjoy the music!
“Your faith has become known everywhere” Paul proclaims.
When something is good and something is real, word gets around.
And I think word is getting around about you folks as well!
I think that the community surrounding this church is beginning to sit up and take notice.
As Crosby, Stills and Nash once sang: “There’s something happening here…
…it’s time to stop, hey, what’s that sound? Everybody look what’s going down.”
When Christians begin to “live out” with deep conviction, the calling of Christ, the life of Christ, the Way of Love, and generosity through Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit…
…people can’t help but notice that The Real Thing has arrived.
We live in a culture engulfed in idols.
We may not call them gods nor pray to them, but actions speak volumes.
When we spend money on ourselves without thinking of our hungry neighbor next door…
…we are making idols out of ourselves.
When we concentrate our efforts on building better steeples for ourselves rather than spending time, talent and money going out to those who do not know Christ…
…we are worshipping idols.
But when we give sacrificially so that others can eat…
…when we knock on doors and offer a free cup of water or whatever…
…when we engage in random acts of kindness…
…when we become peacemakers and reconcilers…
…when we become lovers and not judgers…
…when we seek to heal, help and restore…
…when we offer Christ in these ways…
…We are truly worshipping the One True and Living God.
And that is exciting!!!
It’s exciting not only for us, but for those who hear about us.
And the deeds of love done for others in Christ’s name become music to the ears of the lost, the hurt, the hungry.
This was happening in a brand new church way out in the middle of a world which had never seen anything like this before.
No wonder Paul was delighted to write to them, “We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope…”
…For the people living all around them—even folks living hundreds of miles away, “tell how [they] turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us…”
May the same be said of East Ridge United Methodist Church!
Amen.
