A POSITIVE HOPE

Thoughts come from a wide variety of sources. Some from messages I have heard from individuals, some from assemblies' Bible studies, some from home life, and some from books I have read. The Holy Spirit is the Teacher who makes them real to me.

"The Epistle to the Galatians and the Epistles to the Thessalonians." by C.F. Hogg and W.E. Vine. Scripture Truth Book Company
"What the Bible Teaches, 1 Thessalonians. by T.E. Wilson. John Ritchie Ltd.
"The Life Application Bible." Tyndale House and Zondervan

1ST THESSALONIANS Throughout the Christian life, we will face burdens we did not anticipate when we first believed. There will be pressures to conform to worldly ways, to compromise our faith, and to live only for the moment. Grief over loved ones' passing and disappointments from unmet expectations often try to overwhelm us as we strive to spread the Gospel. The first-century Christians in Thessalonica, Greece, believed that the Lord Jesus Christ would return immediately. The death of some among them seemed to create uncertainty about the Lord's Coming. Paul was the author of the epistle, but he included Silvanus and Timothy as fellow workers and bearers of this hope. The first mention of the subject in chapter one is an inspiring hope connected with their salvation. It is an encouraging hope for servants in chapter two. It is a purifying hope for believers in chapter three. It offers comfort to the bereaved in chapter four, and it stirs the sleepy Christians in chapter five.

After preaching the Gospel there for a few weeks, Paul and Silas left suddenly when a riot broke out, fueled by Jews who opposed the message of the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. It may have been because the riot shifted focus to the new believers that Paul and Silas felt they had to leave immediately. Open opposition makes it difficult to start a new life in Christ, and Paul would have been deeply concerned for the new believers.

Being in the midst of persecution for Christ and the Gospel early in a faith journey is a real test. Believers in Thessalonica had shifted from being idolaters and living immoral lives, so the contrast between them, the Gentile residents of the city, and the religious Jews was quite clear.

When someone comes to saving faith in Christ, it is not a response to a “seeker-friendly” message that avoids discussing the cause and consequences of sin. Repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ follow an acknowledgment of the guilt of the sins we have committed and an awareness that we are sinners both by nature and by practice. This leads to true repentance before God, and then the Spirit of God reveals the Lord Jesus Christ as the only Savior, causing a condemned sinner to put their personal trust in Him. This is different from what “asking Jesus into my heart” does. “He that believes in the Son has everlasting life, and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” Those who preach a “modern smooth cross” are not preaching the Gospel.