Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
Have you noticed we human beings like ‘affinity groups’? We like being associated with other people who share with us common experiences or common values or common agendas or common aspirations. These groups are not hard to identify as we look at the people of our societies. Some examples would be fans or followers of a particular athlete or athletic team or entertainer or political leader. I see it with alumni of a particular College or University or people who’ve pursued the same vocation or maybe even people who’ve achieved the same certification. It could also be those with shared commitment to a particular position on a social issue.
But what would it be like to be associated with an ‘affinity group’ of which God Himself was the leader?
What if God Himself defined the values and the purpose of this special God ‘affinity group’?
What if God personally set the membership criteria for this group and God Himself personally approved every new member into this group?
What if God met with this group from time to time and actually empowered this group, with resources needed, to accomplish God’s agenda on planet earth?
Would you want to be part of this unique “God affinity group”?
We are with the apostle Paul in the year 51ad as he is in the great city of Corinth, Greece, and Paul is beginning to write his second letter to the Christians in Thessalonica, Macedonia. What motivated this letter? A fresh report he and Silas had received from Timothy who had just returned from delivering Paul’s first letter to the Christians there. As Paul and Silas listened to Timothy’s report, they felt stirred that a follow-up letter was needed to address some specific issues and amazingly Paul’s letter is very relevant to similar issues in our day, no matter where you live in the world in 2023!
Paul’s opening few lines very clearly identify WHO is sending this letter and to WHOM this letter is written. “Paul, Silas and Timothy; To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.“ (2 Thess. 1:1) Do you see the special ‘affinity group’, who lived in Thessalonica, to whom Paul was writing?
Did you notice Paul made sure he used that word “Church“ as he addressed this letter? That’s the special ‘affinity group’. That word very specifically identified WHO Paul intended to receive this letter. “The church of the Thessalonians”. You’ll recall “church” is that unique English word translated from the word Jesus used, “Ekklesia”. (Matt. 16:18) Jesus used that word to describe an ‘affinity group’ of people defined by a specific spiritual EXPERIENCE and a specific spiritual RELATIONSHIP with Almighty, Holy God! Now pause here just a second. In your city there are probably a wide variety of ‘churches’. Can you tell which ones are authentic, God designed, God led, and fit the criteria God established, for a genuine Jesus “Ekklesia“?
The test of authenticity is this: The “specific spiritual Experience” is RESCUE from sin bondage and sin condemnation found ONLY in Jesus Christ! And the “specific spiritual Relationship” is ADOPTION by Almighty God into His Family, the “Ekklesia” of Jesus! Yes, just as God’s design for the human race is that we are biologically born into and live our whole earthly lives in a human FAMILY, so God’s spiritual design for us is that human beings can experience a profound spiritual second birth and live their immortal life in a Spiritual Family, with God Himself as their adoptive Father. Did you know that?
Every human being naturally experiences human birth. Sadly, God’s design has been badly distorted by our sinful world so that many, many babies are not born into and raised by a loving Family. And God’s desire is also that EVERY human being at least become aware of, and have the opportunity for, a spiritual second birth and adoption into God’s Family. But again, our sinful world is so strongly opposed to God, refusing everything about God, that many people will never accurately understand, or they will reject this magnificent offer of God.
Can any of us imagine the grief God lives with as He watches the human race living so very far from His design, and in such deep sin bondage, dysfunction and pain? The risen Jesus is the only hope, and He is victoriously ready to accomplish the miracle of RESCUE at any moment for any person! (Heb. 7:25)
While Paul had only spent three weeks in Thessalonica, as Paul presented the story of Jesus and the good news of this new ‘affinity group’ called ‘the Church’, of which God Himself was designer, and Jesus was the leader, great excitement had arisen in Thessalonica as people heard the description of the membership criteria for joining this new group, and the remarkable benefits to being a member of this group. In fact, some people were so thrilled with the possibility of being in this “Jesus Ekklesia” group they were willing to be physically persecuted, emotionally maligned and socially outcast as they joined the group! Now, 2000 years later, do you know that this very same ‘affinity group’, the “ekklesia of Jesus Christ”, defined, designed by Almighty God Himself, is very active and can be found in almost every city and town in the world?
Did you also know this “ekklesia” of Jesus Christ has been maligned and strongly opposed by people who refuse both the RESCUE experience and the FAMILY relationship that God offers, even though the remarkably wonderful benefits cannot be gained or earned in any other way than God’s way?
What is this RESCUE experience by which a person gains entrance into this Jesus “ekklesia”? The word “ekklesia” means a people who are called OUT of the darkness of the dominion of Satan, and brought by Jesus INTO freedom from their inescapable sin bondage. (Col.1:13) This sin bondage is not only addictive and self-destructive for every human being, it separates us from any relationship with God and it will cause us to spend eternity in a place of torment.
The rescue we all desperately need, but cannot achieve on our own, is available ONLY in Jesus Christ the Son of God. Why? Because sinless Jesus defeated the power of our sin bondage, by defeating Satan and his evil dominion, when Jesus paid our full sin condemnation penalty with His atonement death on the cross!
God raised Jesus back to life in His resurrection, so that now alive, victorious, sovereign, all powerful Jesus can RESCUE any person, anywhere in the world, from any stronghold of sin in their life. (Eph. 1:3-8) And then in their FREEDOM from sin, Jesus can present each rescued person to Almighty God blameless, and God will ADOPT them into His Family! (Col.1:20,21) That ADOPTION means Almighty, Holy God can be your spiritual, loving heavenly Father forever! (Rom. 8:14-17)
Can you now see how this explains why Paul identified this “church of the Thessalonians” as being “IN God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”?
So I have two questions for us to consider as we close today?
1. What does the Church look like in your city? What church? The church which matches the same criteria as Paul used for the Church in Thessalonica… ‘The church in God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ’. The people who have genuinely experienced BOTH the RESCUE from their sin and the ADOPTION into God’s family, the “ekklesia of Jesus”?
2. Who are they, the people Paul would be writing to if he wrote a letter today to the church of Jesus in your town? Do you consider yourself a part of that ‘affinity group’? And what difference is the “Jesus ekklesia” making in your city?
Let’s worship with this song as we ponder those questions, my friends…
Today’s Scripture is 2 Thess. 1:1.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“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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