THE THESSALONIAN PATTERN
1 Thessalonians 1:6-8 NKJV
6 And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. 8 For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything.
The letter to the Thessalonians is considered Paul's first letter. He was writing to a young church that he had founded during his travels. In the letter, we can see Paul's heart for the people and his desire for their continued growth and development. In our verses for today, Paul is commending the church, giving us a pattern for our own lives.
Paul states that the church became followers of two people: of Paul himself and also of the Lord. The word follow is better translated imitate. Paul wrote to the Corinthians and told them to imitate him as he imitated the Lord (1 Corinthians 11:1). That is an interesting perspective. Remember that there were no Christian examples in the areas where Paul traveled. There was not a model to follow. So Paul encouraged the young believers to follow his example as he was following the Lord. That's a pretty bold statement. We often say, "Hey, don't look at me, look only to Jesus." There is nothing wrong with that statement, but we should be reflections of Him. Paul showed the early churches how to live in Christ, always pointing to the Lord as the source of life and faith. What a great place to be, having leaders worthy of imitation only as they are imitating the Lord. The Thessalonian church caught on to this. They imitated Paul and the Lord.
The church at Thessalonica was not without their share of trouble. The NLT version says, "So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you. In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord." These believers, by receiving God's Word, had suffered persecution and hard times, but in the middle of their hardship, there was a joy that came from the Holy Spirit.
Paul said the way these believers handled the difficult times made them an example to the other believers in Macedonia and Achaia. This is a quality of the early church that we do not talk much about in the American Church. Handling trouble with joy and faith is not a topic we are eager to discuss. We are admittedly more interested in avoiding all trouble and difficulty. Or at least overcoming all the problems that come our way. Keep in mind that Paul was referring to the problems and hardships that came with accepting Christ in a pagan society. The Thessalonians handled persecution with joy from the Holy Spirit. Quite different from having a loved one die unexpectedly, having a child stray from the faith, or the challenges associated with drug or alcohol addiction. Those are a different kind of trouble, and the Lord can help us and sustain us in those situations as well.
But the pattern exhibited by the Thessalonian church was faith in God despite the hardships of a hostile society. The word of the Lord was being promoted by this group of believers as their faith toward God was visible throughout the whole world. Other people were looking at this church as an example, a living proof of the truth of God's Word and what faith in the living God looked like.
APPLICATION
The Thessalonian church gives us a great pattern to put up against our lives. Who are we imitating? Who are we following? How are we handling the trouble that comes our way due to our faith in the Lord Jesus? Is there a joy about us regardless of what we are dealing with? Are we examples to other believers?
These are not simple questions, but they should make us think. And make us realize that we all have room to grow and improve and adjust. These questions hopefully do not condemn you. That is not my objective. My goal is to look at the early church and believe that if they can be examples of joy and faith and following the Lord, then so can I. So can we.
PRAYER
Lord, help me follow You, imitate You, and be an example to other believers.