Thursday, September 13, 2007

So what makes the Gospel different?

I've been reading I Thessalonians this Fall. Well actually all Summer too. But recently I've been going verse by verse. I'm looking for application and parallels to today.

First of all these 3 men - Paul, Silas & Timothy are writing this letter to encourage this young church. They had spent a short amount of time there on one of their missionary journeys . The church had grown and it continued to grow in spite of great adversity. Because of the Thessalonians' faithfulness AND their trials many folks around the country knew about this little church.

Did they need to be encouraged? It seemed like they were doing just fine on their own. I guess these "Leaders" could provide some spiritual & moral support. Of course, Paul, Silas & Timothy had also been through a bit of adversity too. But I am intrigued by the fact that this church - young in age, growing in the midst of trials, no pastors or leaders that were identified - continued to thrive. What was their trick? What were they doing right?

The authors give us a little insight in Ch. 1 v. 5 - "... our Gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction." The gospel does come with words - for us the Bible, for the Thessalonians - it was the scrolls and the stories about Christ that the disciples and the people of the Way could tell throughout the land (oral history). But the words were not all of it. Because there was Power, experienced within the body of believers and assuredly in the greater community as the Thessalonian Christians lived and worked among those who did not know the truth. Powerful things happened, like answered prayer, miracles, amazing stories as people repented and turned their lives around.

But then there was also the presence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of those who followed the Way of Jesus Christ. The promise from Paul and the Gospel writers that a new believer's life would be occupied by the Holy Spirit - having influence from the inside out. Finally the mark of the Gospel in this believer's life would be deep conviction. You know what that is; that is that voice from inside that speaks about right behavior, right living and God-centered decision-making. No cause for it. It just happens.

So what makes the Gospel different? For these Thessalonians Christians it is the ability for the Gospel to make change, deep change within a person's life. There is nothing like it. No self-improvement program, no current TV show behavior modification program can make the internal or external changes the the Gospel of Jesus Christ can make.
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