Hello, my “Walking with Jesus” friends on this first weekend in June,
There is power in WORDS isn’t there? When a military commander sends orders to the troops on the battlefield, lives hang in the balance! When a road sign proclaims, “bridge out ahead”, drivers have an important decision to make, don’t they? When a pregnant woman says, “I think it’s time, get me to the hospital”, a nervous husband better get things moving! And of course, you and I can think of hundreds of other examples of powerful words and statements which call for action!
Let’s join Paul again as he is writing powerful words of encouragement to the group of new Christians in the town of Thessalonica, Macedonia in the latter part of the year 50ad. Paul is writing from Corinth, Greece and at a time in history when words were very important in the Roman empire. Timothy has rolled out the parchments, Paul is dictating: “We thank God continually because when you received the WORD of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.” (1 Thess. 2:13) Wow, that’s a powerful statement isn’t it?
Now think back my friends, to when you first started hearing about the Bible, or you started reading the Bible. How did you receive it, what was your attitude toward the Bible?
And what about the Gospel of Jesus Christ… the ‘good news’ of His incarnation, His sinless life, His atonement death, His victorious resurrection and His ascension back to heaven? What about the power of the Gospel to save you from your sin condemnation and the power to transform you into a new Creation in Christ, and assure you of heaven? When you heard ‘the Gospel’ was it just words or did you, almost immediately, begin to discern there was really life transforming power in the Gospel?
Perhaps you’ve heard this powerful truth found in Hebrews 4:12 “The WORD of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before HIM to whom we must give account.”
What do you see in these powerful words my friend? By God’s design the Bible is unlike any other book ever written. WHY? Because of two miracles.
First, the Bible is the writings of human authors, but they wrote what was dictated to them by the Holy Spirit of God, into their minds as they sensed what the Holy Spirit was guiding them to write.
That’s the promise of 2 Peter 1:20,21 and 2 Timothy 3:15-17. Do you understand that miracle of inspiration of Scripture?
The second miracle of the Bible is what happens when a person reads it… in any language, anywhere in the world, at any time! That’s the miracle of the Holy Spirit helping the mind of a human being understand what they are reading, with spiritual insight, regardless of their age or education or ethnicity or socio-economic status.
That’s the promise of 1 Corinthians chapter 2 and 2 Cor. 3:14-18. This is the miracle of Illumination or revelation. So, Paul, in his letter to the Thessalonians, is calling them to recognize that they experienced the miracles of God when they FIRST heard Paul proclaim the Gospel of Jesus in their town.
Their Roman Empire, Greek trained minds were illuminated by God so the Gospel made sense to them, even though they’d never heard it before. Their hearts were stirred by God to feel conviction for their sin and a deep desire to experience the life transformation Paul spoke of when he described the salvation miracle God was ready to accomplish in them!
I love that Paul wrote: “when you received the WORD of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.”
Not only were the Thessalonians willing to listen to Paul, and not only did they accept it as God’s truth, but do you see Paul is affirming that this miraculous Word of God “is indeed at work in you who believe”? That, my friends, is yet another Miracle of God. The Word of God, illuminated by the Holy Spirit so their minds could understand it, is now creating a chain reaction inside of them.
I call it ‘chain reaction’ because it’s like a line of dominoes being tumbled over as each falls, it falls against another and causes that one to fall. What’s the spiritual chain reaction I’m talking about?
Watch this:
First the people were willing to hear Paul’s proclamation of what he called Truth, even though it was news to their ears. That’s a miracle of the Holy Spirit giving them a thirst and willingness to hear new truth. (1 Corinthians 2:10-14)
Second, the people felt in their spirit that what Paul was saying about Jesus was True, even though they’d never met Jesus. That’s a miracle of illumination or revelation as Jesus promised in John 16:13.
Third, as they listened to Paul describe the reason Jesus came and died on the cross to save sinful people, they began to feel the miracle of the conviction of the Holy Spirit as Jesus promised in John 16:8.9.
Fourth, as they repented of their sin and put their full trust in the truth of Jesus, the Holy Spirit began to do many miracles inside them, cleansing their minds and hearts of the residue of sin (1 John 1:9) and helping them experience God’s forgiveness (Ephesians 1:7) and helping them feel drawn into a reconciled relationship with Holy God (Colossians 1:21,22).
As Paul spent only three weeks with these people in Thessalonica he personally witnessed these miracles happening in many of these dear people. When Paul left, Timothy and Silas remained, continuing to teach them more of God’s truth, and they watched carefully as these people’s lives changed day after day.
When Timothy and Silas finally came to rejoin Paul in Corinth, they were delighted to report to Paul what they had seen with their own eyes as they watched the tangible, practical evidence of the transformation of these Thessalonians from idol worshiping pagans to Holy Spirit transformed and filled Jesus Christ followers, worshipers of Almighty God. What a contrast!
May I ask my friends, do you see the same transformation contrast in yourself and those around you who call themselves Christians? Are you impacting your city like these folks were impacting Thessalonica? Are other people being drawn to Jesus wanting whatever it is you have that has changed you?
That’s what I call “contagious Christianity” and it’s beautiful, isn’t it? It’s joy filled, effervescent, God glorifying living in a world that has way too much darkness and dysfunction. And that type of living penetrates and pushes back the darkness, and that’s the power of the WORD of God alive in you and me, my friends!
Here’s a song which celebrates these great truths today and I hope you are celebrating the fact that these truths are alive in you!
Today’s Scripture is 1 Thessalonians 2:13.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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