A Great Example - 1 Thessalonians 1

1:1-4 - The epistle begins with Paul, “Silvanus” who is Silas, and “Timotheus” who is Timothy announcing themselves and wishing the audience grace” and “peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.” It must have been refreshing for Paul to have a group of converted saints who thrived in the gospel after he left them, especially considering that he had to leave because of a violent mob of leadership of an opposing religion. I bet when he left under the threat of violence, he was worried that the opposition would be too strong for new converts to resist. Paul gives “thanks to God always for you all,” and remembers their faith, love and patience, “knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.” The article on this chapter from gospeldoctrine.com says, “Almost in passing, Paul gives us an interesting version of the ‘faith, hope, and charity’ theme. He reminds us that individual faith takes work, that hope requires patience, and that charity is really a labor of love. Indeed, the seed of faith cannot be planted without first breaking through the encrusted surface of disbelief; it cannot sprout without the necessary ingredients of living water and the light of the Son of God; it will never survive without regular weeding and nourishing. The process of building individual faith requires continual effort. The more we work at it, the more we develop it. Our hope is to be centered in Jesus Christ. Specifically, our faith gives us the hope that someday we will be raised up in a glorious resurrection by the atoning sacrifice of the Savior. This hope becomes an anchor to the soul. But it requires patience to stay anchored amidst the oncoming storms of mortality, especially when the storms seem so imminent and the resurrection so distant. Finally, the trust expression of charity is found in the labors of love performed for our fellowmen. Any love which never finds expression in good works is not charity.” 1:5-6 - The people have been able to stay strong in the gospel despite persecution and a loss of leadership because “our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost.” This goes back to the sentiment made by Joseph Smith that said that if you only focus on the teachings of the gospel, then you miss out on the most important half of it, the spiritual aspect. We can hear the gospel, we can read it and we can even accept what we’ve learned as truth, but that doesn’t give us the strength of conviction to stay committed to the gospel when opposition arises. The IM quotes Elder Bruce R. McConkie as teaching, “The truth gospel consists of two things: The Word, and The Power. Anyone can have the word; the books in which it is written are universally available. But the power must come from God; it is and must be dispensed according to his mind and his will to those who abide the law entitling them to receive it. The word of the gospel is the spoken or written account of what men must do to be saved… But the actual salvation comes only when the power of God is received and used; and this power is the power of the priesthood and the power of the Holy Ghost. These must operate in the lives of men; otherwise there souls cannot be cleansed; they cannot be born again; they cannot become new creatures of the Holy Ghost; they cannot put off the natural man and become saints; they cannot be sanctified by the Spirit.” I think we all know people and have actually been there ourselves who operate in the gospel on an intellectual level. Don’t get me wrong, this is an important place to be because it helps us process information and evaluate it which leads to learning. Jesus has said that we are to reason things out in our minds during our search for truths, so clearly the pondering is vital, but the work of the Spirit within us teaching us and helping us change who we are as people is also vital. You can have a testimony based solely on the spiritual, but a testimony built on the intellectual is without the power of the Spirit. How do you gain a testimony of both intellect and the Spirit? Study, ponder, pray for learning and understanding and it comes to you as you are ready to receive it. 1:6-10 – Not only were the saints in Thessalonica able to maintain their own level of spirituality, they “were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. For from you sounded out the word of the Lord only on in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not speak any thing.” The people Paul had been talking to showed him that these newly converted saints “turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.” This is one of my main missionary mottos, “live your life so that those who don’t know God will want to because they know you.” The saints at Thessalonica are perfect examples of how that works. Because their neighbors knew the saints, they wanted to know Christ. They were such amazing friends and neighbors to those around them that the gospel became attractive to those around them. It’s important to note that Paul didn’t say, “you’re proselyting was so effective” or “your preaching from the street corners,” he said that their example of Christ like living was so inspiring that others around them wanted to learn about the gospel as well. The IM quotes Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin as teaching, “Paul rejoiced in the fact that what he had told the Thessalonians was not meaningless words to them, for they had listened with great interest, and what was taught them produces a powerful desire for righteousness in their lives… Finally, he noted what must have been their crowning achievement- that they were inspiring examples to all their neighbors and that from them the word of the Lord had extended to others everywhere, far beyond their boundaries. Paul paid tribute to them when he told them that wherever he traveled, he found people telling him about their remarkable good works and faith in God.” It’s really interesting if we reflect on our own lives and measure our own desire for righteousness and good works. Do our actions and behaviors and words demonstrate to people that we are disciples of Christ? Do people want to know God because I show them how happy life can be with the gospel of Jesus Christ as the main focus? I have to admit that most of the time I don’t think myself to be a good example of the greatness of the gospel. I am confident in the fact that there are many people who associate me with the church and want nothing to do with it because of that association. I need to reflect on that and how troubling it truly is for people to miss out of the great things the gospel could do in their lives because I treat them poorly. That is a very sobering thought indeed.