"But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us good news of your faith and love" 1Thess:3:6b
Have you heard the expression that someone is "bad news", it is a general a reference to a person who through their words and actions causes strife and or other problems, or they are being involved in things which are generally through to be immoral, a person who we want to stay away from or avoid.
St. Paul wrote to Christians in the Greek city
of Thessalonica in the Roman province of Macedonia. Thessalonica was an
important city as being the provincial capital and being a major trade city
along the Egnatian way and being a seaport on the Thermaic Gulf.
A city such of this would be inundated with
travelers from many parts of the world moving east and west to Rome or into the
heart of Roman Europe bring their views and ideas with them.
St. Paul and his co-worker St. Silas came to
the city of Thessalonica and as they had done many time in the past they
visited the local Synagogue and presented the message of Gospel about Jesus and
the Kingdom of God.
Some Jews, undoubtedly, heard the word
and believed the message of the Gospel providing St. Paul a base to reach out to
the mixed gentile population of the city. It seems from St. Luke's account
in Acts: 17:1-9 that most of those who came to
believe in Thessalonica were gentiles. This mixed group of Jews and gentiles
formed a Church in the city.
After the founding of the Church in the city
St. Paul and St. Silas, it seems were forced by that circumstances to
depart rather quickly, due to a group Jews in that city who rose up to opposes
the Gospel message, leaving the fledgling congregation.
St. Paul’s Letter
After leaving Thessalonica St. Paul and St.
Silas traveled to Bera and then to Athens. It is possible that St. Timothy
stayed behind to give the new converts what instruction he could before he too
departed.
After reminding the Thessalonian Christians of
his time among them and his ministry even in the face of opposition, which led
to he and St. Silas' departure, the Apostle then, moves to tell them
as to why he sent the young pastor St. Timothy to them so that he
might ascertain their progress and provide them encouragement.
The Good News
St. Paul then tells the Thessalonians that St.
Timothy had return to him and has brought a report regarding the Church in
that city. The Apostle calls this report about them "Good News".
"But now that Timothy has come to us from
you, and has brought us good news of your faith and love" 1Thess:3:6b
What is interesting is, that St. Paul chooses
to use the very word which describes the Christian message about Jesus and the
Kingdom of God ". St. Paul uses the word Euangelion" to
describe St. Timothy’s report about the Thessalonians. This is the only time in
the Epistles of St. Paul that the word "Euangelion" is
applied to a message about anyone other than Jesus and his Kingdom. Why would St.
Paul do this?
Living the Gospel
St. Paul is taking the opportunity to tell
these Christian, and all Christians down through the ages, that he perceived in
them through the report given by St. Timothy, that they were living the Gospel. These Christians received the
message and embraced it as more than a doctrinal position but rather a way of
life.
The Gospel is meant to lived out not just
thought about.
These Christians received the word preached by
St. Paul and St. Silas for what it is; a message from the Great God to his
human Children about his love for them expressed and revealed all through
Jesus.
"For this reason we also constantly thank
God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us,you accepted
it not as the word of men,but for what it really is,the word,God which also
preforms its work in you who believe." 1Thess:2:13
The message about Jesus transformed them, they
began to live out the message having their hearts and minds stayed upon Jesus.
They became living "Good News", they were "Being Good
News" to all people around them.
This is what our God wants from any and all
who hear and believe the Gospel message.
The world around the Church believes that they
know what Christians believe and think. The truth is, that they have a caricature
view of Christians. They perceive that Christians are narrow minded, reactionary,
ignorant and judgmental. Of course, that is not true but it is how the “culture”
will at times portray Christians. They think that they know what we stand
against, BUT do they know what we stand for? Can they see from our behavior
that we stand for, truth, love, peace, mercy, grace, forgiveness and above all
can they see that we stand for Jesus? We need to show the world different. That we stand for Jesus and all that he is for any who will but freely receive it.
Our every day lives should proclaim Jesus
Christ. You may have heard the statement that someone is “bad news”, we should
be good news, we should be the reason that others come to believe in Jesus. The
Gospel should be able to be read through our lives.
Living Epistles
St. Paul had a similar concept in mind when he
wrote to the Christians in the Greek city of Corinth. These Christian as well
received the message and were, like the Thessalonians, transformed by the
message about Jesus and were activity living out the message of Christ in their
daily lives.
"You yourselves are our epistle,inscribed
upon our hearts,known and read by everyone. It is clear that you are a letter
from Christ, the results of our ministry,written not with ink,but with the
Spirit of the living God,not on tablets of stone but on tablets of the human
heart"2Crth:3:2
St. Paul saw the transformed lives of those
who have received the Gospel message and have been forevermore changed and
transformed by its power. All who hear this message and embrace it are
themselves conduits for the Kingdom of God to be daily read by others around us
in our own lives, we are to become living epistles of the Gospel. That other,
when they speak of us can call us "Being Good News".
Benediction: May we each and all,
when we hear the Gospel, be transformed by its power and live it out so that
others can read it in and through our lives, so that we each are being good
news. All to the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, today, tomorrow and
forevermore. Amen.
.jpg)
Rev. Todd Crouch, Norman, Oklahoma
"If It Is Not About Jesus, It Is Not
About Anything"
No comments:
Post a Comment