Intro
There is a power in remembering significant events. Your wedding ring is a marker to remember the day of your marriage. The memory is further deepened when those who shared the moment with you, like the bridesmaids and groomsmen recount the stories from the wedding. The wedding photographer has a significant role in creating a lasting memory of the wedding day.
There are many examples from other walks of like where remembering what happened serve a powerful purpose. Nations remember their founding history, their wars, and their veterans. Israel remembered the hand of God working in their midst when they set up an alter of stones when they crossed the Jordan River at flood stage (Joshua 4).
Whenever their children asked them what the stones mean they would recount and explain to them that, because of the hand of God, a miracle of God stopping the water for them, they crossed the Jordan River on dry ground, even though the river was at flood level. They would never forget that.
In first Thessalonians chapter 2 Paul is writing for the Thessalonian church to remember what happened at the founding of their church. This is going to encourage them to press on in their faith. It's helpful for us too because we want to understand the ministry that took place there and we have just a little bit of information to go on. We have Luke's account in Acts 17. We have a few other glimpses of what happened; here in First and Second Thessalonians and a few references in Paul’s pastoral epistles.
We also have some information about the ministry of Thessalonians in other parts of the books of Acts. Like in Acts chapter 20 where Paul was with two leaders from Thessalonica: Aristarchus and Secundus. All of these references help us piece together what happened and give us an understanding for the context of ministry when we apply first Thessalonians in our lives.
Not Without Results: 1 Thessalonians 2:1
You know, brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not without results. 1 Thessalonians 1:9
Different Bible versions describe what happened with different language and what is written here is described in different ways. You have descriptions like: “not without results” or “not a failure” or “not in vain,” but every one of these phrases indicates that something very significant happened when Paul, Silas and Timothy spent a short amount of time in Thessalonica. There were results.
We read about these results, this spiritual fruit in the Acts account. Some Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks. (Acts 17:4)
Paul refers to the results in his letters to the Thessalonians. For they themselves report what kind of welcome you gave us, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God. (1 Thessalonians 1:9) On the day He comes to be glorified in His saints and regarded with wonder by all who have believed, including you who have believed our testimony. (2 Thessalonians 2:10).
When we share about our Lord Jesus Christ, we want to see people come to faith. We want to have a sense of urgency about the gospel. It doesn't mean that people with results are better than people without results. There are the uncontrollable factors in the gospel ministry and then there are controllable factors. A controllable factor is how many hear the gospel. An uncontrollable factor is how many respond in faith.
How many who respond when we share Christ is part of what we cannot control. We share Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and leave the results to God. We are doing everything we can that a large number respond. We want to be like Paul was toward the Thessalonians. We do not want to be without results. We want to see the gospel ring out and the people we work with become an example through the whole area like the Thessalonians were in Greece.
Reminder of What Happened: 1 Thessalonians 2:2-18
Remember what happened. Paul is remembering what happened after his Macedonian call in Troas. It took him right to Philippi. He talks about Philippi here. One of the great miracles of the Bible is Paul and Silas being released from prison in Philippi preventing the jailor from killing himself and leading him and his family to faith in Christ. We will remember the work of the Lord.
Incredible that Paul would have to say I'm not trying to trick you. We would never think of the apostle Paul trying to trick people like some snake oil salesman but he had to remind them he wasn't trying to trick them.
He wasn't looking for praise from people. He was working to serve the Lord. He was even like a mother is with her children. That was the example he used when he's remembering back to his toil among them, his hard work is nurturing care for them as believers.
His words here sounds like he's writing to the Jews and God fearing Greeks. In the first of the epistle, it sounds like he's writing to the gentiles (1 Thessalonians 1:9) We know he worked with the Jews and we assume because of this reference he worked with the gentiles in Thessalonica also.
Paul longed to be there in Thessalonica with the church. He was always working for an exit so he could enter to a new place to start a new work, but he definitely was not finished with what he wanted to do at Thessalonica. Paul wanted to be there so this church would grow more and more in their faith in Christ. Spoiler alert: their faith “grew more and more” (2 Thessalonians 1:3).
Our Future Hope in Christ: 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20
Paul was always longing for what was ahead. He did remember here he did look back, but he was usually looking ahead like he is here and not living in the past. His main concern is about our future hope. Paul told them, “You are our glory and hope at the coming of Christ”.
The believers at Thessalonica, the church at Thessalonica, were part of his hope in Jesus Christ. There will be a special glory and hope at the coming of Christ because his work in Thessalonica produced the fruit, the results of a new church of faithful believers in Christ that were an example throughout Macedonia.
Future looking produced a faith in the believers. It was the hope of Christ that gave these believers endurance in the midst of persecution (1 Thessalonians 1:3). It was this hope that gave them perseverance to be the example that rang out throughout the land.
For us too, those we disciple, will be part of our glory and joy when we're with the Lord Jesus. When he comes part of our crown will be in those who we invest spiritually. So we should think about that when we invest in others. There is going to be a special joy, a special glory, when their faith shows true. A future hope when we're with the Lord in heaven.
Conclusion
The Israelites remembered the Passover. Christians remember the death of Christ at the Lord’s supper. There is a limited amount of times Paul looks back at what happened. For the most part he's forgetting what is past and pressing on to what lies ahead. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, (Philippians 3:13)
It's not good to forget the past but we don't want to live in the past either. It's important to remember but, it's important to, by and large, let the future overshadow the past. That future was his drive and he expressed it when he wrote the Philippian church.
What do these stones on the bank of the Jordan River mean? What do these stamps in your passport mean? In terms of our ministry, we need to sometimes look back and remember. We will remember the works of our Lord’s hand. His work in us is never finished. We are becoming more like Christ. That is the sanctification process.
We rejoice when those we have invested in, our disciples are growing in faith. We will always be caring for them, or about them. We will always be longing for them. We will always be celebrating their faith as they become an example for others.
When we are remembering the past it will motivate us to make the most of the present. We will remember the work of the Lord. Let our memory of the hand of the Lord in and through us inspire us in our present work and our walk with the Lord. Let our remembering keep us focused on our hope in Jesus Christ, straining toward what is ahead.
