Monthly Archive for March, 1999

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1 Thessalonians 1:5f

Published on March 21, 1999 in 1 Thessalonians. 0 Comments
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“For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake”
 
and in much assurance,
 
We have the word “in” for the fourth time in this verse [the "in" is implied here]. The gospel communicators came with conviction when they came to Thessalonica.
 
The Thessalonians came to full conviction, certain that the gospel was truly from God, because the communicators were true to the Word, came in the power of the message and in the dynamic of the Holy Spirit. They did not waver with doubt. They came with clear convictions. They willingly committed their eternal future to this message.
The gospel moved the will of the Thessalonians and it can move the will of the lost in our day. Not only will it touch the choice but also it will move the person to a point of “much assurance,” or full conviction. The gospel will put solid conviction into the souls of those who believe it. Since the Thessalonians knew the power of the gospel by what it had done for them, they had full confidence in it. They were sold on their product. They shared the gospel with authority.
Principle:
People who powerfully advance the gospel in the world are people of strong conviction.
Application:
Do you know what the gospel did for you, to you and in you? Are you sold on what you believe? Sales people who believe in their product make great communicators. Christians who believe in their message become very effective at advancing the cause of Christ in the world.
Confidence comes from the Holy Spirit. We know He is working through us. Because of this, doubt does not paralyze a person who has faith in the Christian message. We carry unfaltering confidence and personal conviction in the power of the Holy Spirit to do His work through us.
Even shy wallflowers and timid mice can be confident in witnessing because of their confidence in the gospel. Once a person meets Jesus Christ, he or she is no longer Mr. or Ms. Ordinary Person. A believer is an ambassador who represents the Lord Jesus Christ and should never share Christ with an apologetic attitude.
How is it possible to apologize for the Son of God? We can communicate with utmost confidence because of what we know about the gospel and its power.
If we are uncertain about what we believe, we will not convince others of our message. If we change our position with every fad or opinion poll, we do not have any message but the message of uncertainty. It is crucial to clarify our personal convictions. If people are unsure about what we believe, they will not accept our message.
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1 Thessalonians 1:5e

Published on March 20, 1999 in 1 Thessalonians. 0 Comments
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“For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake“
 
and in the Holy Spirit
 
The third occurrence of the word “in” is “in the Holy Spirit.” The gospel team came in the sphere of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit filled the gospel communicators, who operated under His influence. They clothed themselves with the Holy Spirit when they communicated the gospel.
 
The gospel coming to Thessalonica was a supernatural work by God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit convicts of sin (John 16:8). We attribute salvation ultimately to the Holy Spirit. The dynamic impact of the ministry of the Holy Spirit is necessary to win people to Christ. We cannot engage His dynamic power with allowing Him to fill or control us.
Not only did the gospel come in the power of its message but also it came in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit can reach into the hearts of people where the mere dead words of man cannot reach. He touches the need of man and links that need to the gospel. The evangelist cannot manipulate this domain. This goes beyond human ability, human gimmick, or human manipulation.
The Holy Spirit can touch the human spirit when no human can do it. He is in charge of operations in the soul. We speak to the ears; the Holy Spirit speaks to the heart. He carries the message to the will.
“And when He [the Holy Spirit] has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: “of sin, because they do not believe in Me; “of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; “of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged” (John 16:8-11).
Principle:
The Holy Spirit performs His supernatural work in the heart of those without Christ where the mere dead words of evangelists cannot touch.
Application:
The Holy Spirit is in charge of all operations of the gospel. We speak to the ears of people but the Holy Spirit takes what we speak to the heart.
“And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:1-5).
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1 Thessalonians 1:5d

Published on March 19, 1999 in 1 Thessalonians. 0 Comments
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“For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake“
 
in power,
 
We have the word “in” a second of four times in this verse. Each mention is an advance on the previous “in.”
 
The manner in which the Thessalonians received the gospel was in the sphere of “power.” The gospel team delivered their message in a powerful manner – in the sphere of the power of God.
The word “power” is the word for inherent power. The gospel message came in God’s inherent power, power that is inherent to God. Power latent in God is real and compelling. This power goes beyond human capacity because it influences men.
The message the gospel team preached was more than human oratory, for it came in the power of God (Romans 1:16). Mere accuracy in communicating the gospel is not enough. The Thessalonians not only heard the message from human lips but the power of the gospel message impacted them.
When we present the gospel in power, it compels and grips those without Christ. The reason the gospel compels the lost is because it is real. It transforms hundreds of thousands of lives. Jesus lives today in Heaven and He lives in the hearts of people today. The gospel changed the Thessalonians too. They were different for having exposed themselves to the gospel.
Principle:
The gospel carries the inherent power of God with it.
Application:
The gospel is not drab, dull or ineffective if we engage its inherent power. God will use the inherent power of the gospel to cause those without Christ to embrace the Son of God.
“Jesus answered and said to them, ‘You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God‘” (Matthew 22:29).
”But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek” (Romans 1:16).
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1 Thessalonians 1:5c

Published on March 18, 1999 in 1 Thessalonians. 0 Comments
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“For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake.”

 

only

Note the word “only.” We must speak the gospel verbally but not in words only.  The book of Acts makes this abundantly clear. 

However, the gospel involves more than communication of the content of the gospel.  The spoken word is necessary but it is not enough if it stands alone. It might be possible to teach a parrot to speak the words of the gospel.  Anyone can mechanically give out the facts of the gospel.  There is more to the gospel than presenting unadulterated facts. 

Verse five sets forth four indispensable factors that make the gospel a tour de force.  Each of these four factors is crucial for effective evangelism.  Each feature begins by the word “in.” The four uses of “in” in this verse show what makes the gospel effective. 

but also

The word “but” is emphatic in the Greek.  The Holy Spirit wants us to see that the gospel is more than careful clarification of the facts of the gospel.  The presentation of the gospel requires three more divine features: “power,” “the Holy Spirit” and “much confidence.”  There is a spiritual vibrancy to the gospel. 

The word “also” indicates that there is something more than just explaining the gospel when we share our faith.  The impact of gospel presentation is not solely speaking the gospel.  There are three further spiritual dynamics to the gospel.  We become what influences us personally.  God uses certain spiritual forces to shape us. 

PRINCIPLE: When all four divine factors of this verse go in operation, the gospel moves out with great power. 

APPLICATION: True gospel presentation will not be effective without all four spheres of speaking the gospel, relying on the power of the gospel, depending on the Holy Spirit to convict people about the gospel and people delivering the gospel who have great confidence in the gospel.  We restrict the dynamics of the gospel if we employ only two of these spheres.  Three is better but we need all four dynamic spheres if we want to make a full impact with the gospel. 

If we dial a safe with four numbers but we dial only three numbers, it will not open.  We need to dial all four numbers of the combination to open the safe.  We need to execute all four spheres of this verse to make the greatest impact with the gospel.  We do not need blast open the safe when we use the combination.  We gently pull open the door.

The Word without the Spirit is dead orthodoxy.  The Spirit without the Word is fanaticism.   

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1 Thessalonians 1:5b

Published on March 17, 1999 in 1 Thessalonians. 0 Comments
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“For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake“
 
did not come to you
 
The word “not” in the Greek implies that this is a downright fact. The following statements about how the gospel came into Thessalonica are facts.
 
in word only,
The word “in” in the phrase “in word only” expresses sphere. The message of the gospel team is more than oratory and orthodoxy; it is a living, transforming message. The gospel team came, communicating in the sphere of speaking the content of the gospel message.
The gospel came to the Thessalonians first through verbal communication. Verbal communication is an essential element in gospel presentation. Saying “I am living the life before them” is not enough. We can live the life from now to doomsday, but that would not be enough to win people to Christ. We must declare the facts of the gospel.
“…who will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved” (Acts 11:14).
Any further content to the gospel message is irrelevant, secondary and inconsequential. We spend so much time approaching people with the gospel that we never get to the gospel message. We spend too much time on means, rather than on ends. Consequently, people do not catch the opportunity to make a decision for Christ. The means is not the end!
Principle:
We must communicate the gospel with more than Christian life; we must do it with our lips as well, if we are going to significantly advance the cause of Christ.
Application:
We need words to communicate the gospel. Today, many Christians never get down to the message. They live the life, but they do not speak the words of the gospel.
“How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?…” “…So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:14, 17).
If we are going to get serious about spreading the gospel effectively, we must first give people content to believe. We must set forth the gospel in clear terms. The only way to do this is with words. Everything is secondary to the proclamation of God’s saving message. If we spend all of our time on the means and never come to the end, then we will never reach the world for Christ. We can contextualize the gospel into oblivion, but if people never hear the message, they will never embrace the Savior.
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1 Thessalonians 1:5

Published on March 16, 1999 in 1 Thessalonians. 0 Comments
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“For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake“
 
Another basis for Paul’s thanksgiving for the Thessalonians is the way the gospel came to them in supernatural power. Their ready reception of God’s message shows the reality of God in their midst.
 
For
The word “for” means because. Paul now expresses the basis for his assurance of the salvation of the Thessalonians.
our gospel
The word “gospel” is emphatic in the Greek. It is the message itself and not the act of preaching that changes lives. The word “gospel” means good news. It is the good news of eternal salvation.
The first token of the election of the Thessalonians is not in the way the Thessalonians received the gospel but in the mode the evangelists presented it. God’s election of them was sovereign, not arbitrary. God uses human agents to impart His gospel. God uses a special sort of courier to communicate His message – those who exercise His power. These communicators come with certain qualifications presented later in this verse.
Principle:
The power of our message is in the message, not the messenger.
Application:
The nature of the gospel is one of the greatest treasures God ever gave His creatures. It is a gospel of unadulterated grace (Acts 20:24). God did everything necessary so that we can live with Him in eternity. The Devil specializes in starting his own religions. All religions carry the same message: “Man is good; man must lift himself by his own bootstraps; he must improve himself; he should find himself; he should choose any religion for they all lead to Heaven.”
Religions impart noble ideas that appeal to something within man but they are fatal when it comes to a relationship with God. Only the gospel can establish an eternal relationship with God. A pluralistic society tunes this out because it is foreign to their ears. That is the very hurdle each person must reach, if they want eternal life (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
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1 Thessalonians 1:4b

Published on March 15, 1999 in 1 Thessalonians. 2 Comments
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“…knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God“
 
your election by God
 
God selected some Thessalonians for salvation. The word “election” means that God chose to select some to eternal life (Ephesians 1:4-6,11; Colossians 3:12; 2 Thessalonians 2:13). It is also true that God expects individuals to make a decision to rely on Christ’s death on the cross for their salvation.
 
Scripture teaches both God’s responsibility and man’s response. That God decided to choose some Thessalonians for salvation is clear from the accomplishment of Paul’s team preaching among them. The gospel is no invention of man; it is a divine action coming with God’s power (Romans 1:16). God calls many but He only elects a few.
“But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14).”Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness…” (Titus 1:1).
We have the haughty idea that we chose God when in reality He took the initiative to save us.
“For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies” (Romans 8:29-33).
Only God has the prerogative of election. Why would He select you or me? Only He knows. He could have done better. He could have chosen someone better looking, more brilliant or beautiful than us, but He did not. He chose us. That, we cannot understand. We may never understand it, even in eternity.
God, in His omniscience, chose you and me to be with Him for eternity. He tracked us down and brought the gospel to us. If we have nothing else for which we can thank God, we should thank Him for this. You are one of the few. Most go the broad way to destruction.
“For many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14).
God also calls us. “Calls” is term of election. God calls us through the gospel. God draws us to Himself by the gospel. God uses His servants to bring His election to us.
“Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory” (2 Timothy 2:10).
We see both the divine and the human side of salvation – God elects; human beings “obtain.” That is why we must get the gospel to people so they can respond to the ministry of the Holy Spirit to receive the gospel. Neither ministry infringes on the other. It is wrong to emphasize one without the other. We hold to both truths simultaneously. We leave it to God to resolve the difference in eternity. He will synchronize His sovereignty with our responsibility.
“…just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love…” (Ephesians 1:4).”…who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4).
“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
Principle:
Election is not a cold, impersonal doctrine.
Application:
Everyone who receives salvation is elected. We can see our election by the fruit in our lives. God is the source for anything that comes of our salvation. Election is not a cold, impersonal doctrine.
We know God elected us when we sense His drawing us to Himself. The Holy Spirit awakens a desire within us. When we come to the realization that we cannot change ourselves on our own, our hearts draw near to God. “No one can come to me except my Father draw him.”
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1 Thessalonians 1:4

Published on March 14, 1999 in 1 Thessalonians. 0 Comments
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“…knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God“
 
Paul’s thanksgiving not only involves recalling their spiritual virtues but it also embraces knowledge of their election. The Thessalonians have every earmark of the elect.
 
knowing,
The response of the Thessalonians to the gospel is clear evidence of their salvation. The three graces of the previous verse of faith, love and hope flow from the underpinning of election.
Christians must know some things (Romans 6:6; James 1:3; 2 Peter 1:20; 2 Peter 3:3; 1 John 2:3) before they can live out God’s truth. We are what we eat physically; we are what we believe spiritually. God’s truth will never reach our heart if it does not first get into our head. Christian truth begins in the head and then moves to the heart.
Every Christian has a built-in Bible teacher, the Holy Spirit. He will enable us to understand God’s Word. How can we go awry? The Devil will attempt to get us off on doctrinal tangents. He will help us maintain our biblical equilibrium.
beloved brethren,
Paul used the term “brethren” fifteen times in this epistle (1:4; 2:1, 9, 17; 3:7; 4:1, 10, 13; 5:1, 4, 12, 14, 25-27) and seven times in 2 Thessalonians (1:3; 2:1, 13, 15; 3:1, 6, 13). “Brethren” means out of the same womb. They were clearly his peers in Christ.
In addition, Paul calls the Thessalonians “beloved.” The Greek renders this phrase “beloved by God.” “Beloved” is a favorite name for those who are God’s own (2 Thessalonians 2:13). He never calls those without Christ by this term. Our relationship to one another in Christ comes from our common election by God.
The Greek indicates that God began loving us in the past with the result that He established a precedent of loving us. You may feel that few people love you. You may even feel sorry for yourself. However, God loves us with unadulterated, unconditional and undying love. This love will never let us go. He loved us so much that He personally sent His only Son to die on the cross for us. You are the personal object of His love. He loves us with the same love that He loves the Lord Jesus.
Principle:
God loves us with an undaunted, undying, unadulterated and unconditional love.
Application:
Everything begins by God’s love for us (John 3:16). When we learn the incredible truth that God loves us by sending His only Son to die on the cross for us, we can only marvel (Romans 5:6,8). God has a different love for His own than those who do not believe in Him.
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1 Thessalonians 1:3f

Published on March 13, 1999 in 1 Thessalonians. 0 Comments
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“…remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father…“
 
in the sight of our God and Father
 
Christians should do what we do under God’s eye. God has sight. He is not blind. He sees everything we do for Him.
 
“Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, “Have I also here seen Him who sees me?” (Genesis 16:13).
 
“For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him” (2 Chronicles 16:9).
“Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20).
“But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for ‘the just shall live by faith’” (Galatians 3:11).
“For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:17).
“And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13).
Most people do not have the slightest idea that God sees them. They could care less. Those who love Him want to please Him because they know that He sees everything they do. God knows our sorrow and disappointment. He sees our need. He knows our desires.
Again, as with the Lord Jesus Christ, Paul calls God “our” Father. This is also a term of relationship. God is more than our Maker or Creator. A Father cares for His children (Galatians 3:26).
Each of the triad of virtues revolves around a personal relationship with the Son and the Father.
Principle:
Christians should not live for the appearances of men but under the eye of God.
Application:
Christians exercise faith, hope and love not for men but for God. Ultimately, God will search our hearts. Before men, we operate for the most part on appearances. Before God, things will be what they truly are.
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1 Thessalonians 1:3e

Published on March 12, 1999 in 1 Thessalonians. 0 Comments
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“…remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father…“
 
Paul now points to the persons that produce the three sets of character in verse three.
in our Lord Jesus Christ
Our hope rests in the future coming of Christ (v.10). This hope looks beyond present problems. It looks to the permanent solution Christ will bring.
The three prime virtues of this verse are found in two spheres: 1) “in our Lord Jesus Christ” and 2) “in the sight of our God and Father.” The reason Christians do what they do is because of Jesus Christ and because God the Father watches them. These two dynamics motivated church at Thessalonica and Christians in our day.
“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope…” (1 Timothy 1:1)
There is no true hope apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. People try to be optimistic without anything to base their optimism on. Leaders hope against hope. Christians rest our hope on the veracity of God’s promises.
Note the word “our.” This personalizes our hope. The Lord Jesus Christ is mine so I have hope. Jesus is an historical figure to many people but to those who come to trust Him personally for salvation, they place confidence in him experientially. You must be His and He must be yours.
Our passage says that that confidence comes from a person – “in the Lord Jesus Christ.” The word “in” means sphere. The sphere of our confidence is in the Lord Jesus Christ and God the Father.
Principle:
Our confidence rests in our personal relationship to Jesus Christ.
Application:
One day we will stand before God the Father with confidence. That confidence will be because of Jesus Christ. When we stand in His sphere, therefore, God will accept us because of Him. Our confidence is not going to be in who we are or what we have done. We will not look back over our lives and say, “Oh, I blew it. I failed terribly there.” No, we base our confidence on who Jesus is and what He did for our sins on the cross. That is liberating!
People who constantly rue the past and think about their failures cannot think about the future. They are more consumed with their failure than they are with giving to others. They allow subjective guilt to destroy the potential of how God would use them. Guilt blunts the momentum of Christianity. These people stand in who and what they are. No wonder they lack confidence! They need to confess their sin and move to greater heights in serving the Lord.
Personal momentum produces intrinsic momentum. Personal confidence produces ministry confidence. We need to get out of self, out of our problems. We need to get out of subjectivity and into the objectivity of God’s promises.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek” (Romans 1:16).
“Oh, you mean that the power does not reside in me?” For sure! The concern is that we do not have confidence in what the gospel can do. We do not believe in the power of the gospel. When a non-Christian is intransigent, implacable and immovable toward the gospel, what do we do? Give up? The believer who has confidence in the power of the gospel trusts God to use His Word to change stubborn hearts. The power is in the gospel, not in the one who delivers the gospel.
Many of us try to justify the gospel or excuse the gospel. That is as if when a thief comes to our house and we meet him with a .45-calibre handgun and we say, “I just want you to understand the power of his gun. It can blow a hole right through you.” We do not have to justify the gun; all we have to do is pull the trigger. All we have to do is present the gospel message. God will do the rest.
Confidence in the power of the gospel has to do with perspective. If we give excuses for the gospel, we do not have confidence in the gospel. Confident people will introduce people to Christ. They will not avoid asking people to make a decision for Christ.
Most people are hung up on themselves. They drag the past around with them. If we drag all our failures and foibles and inconsistencies around with us, how effective are we going to be? We will not be very effective. Our confidence is not in ourselves; it is in Christ.
Momentum comes from a faith that inspires, from a love that motivates and from a confidence that rouses us to action. Momentum comes from people of inspiration.
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