Paul greeted
the Thessalonian church members by letting them know his gratefulness
to God for them and mentioning them in his prayers. He also told them
he remembered “without ceasing” their “work of faith,
and labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ”
which was “in the sight of God and our Father”,
and he told these “brethren beloved” he
knew their “election of God”.
In chapter one and verse five of his letter, Paul went on to share
how their “gospel came not unto”
them “in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy
Ghost” where we read:
For our
gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the
Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as you know what manner of men we
were among you for your sake.
The
verse begins, “For our gospel came not unto you in word only,
but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost,...” Paul began with
the word “For” which means “because or since” “our
gospel” or “good or glad tidings of the kingdom of God soon
to be set up, and subsequently also of Jesus the Messiah, the founder
of this kingdom” “came not unto you” or “did not come
into existence, begin, happen or come to pass” “in
word only” which means “speech and utterance by a
living voice which embodies conception or idea” “but also in
power” or “strength, ability, influence and excellence of
soul” “and in the Holy Ghost” which refers to “the
third person of the triune God who is coequal with the Father and the
Son”. Paul knew the words and ideas he shared with the
Thessalonians was more than just men's words which come in weakness
but were filled with the generating power of the Holy Spirit of God.
The
verse goes on to say, “...and in much assurance; as you know
what manner of men we were among you for your sake.” Paul
added, “and in much assurance” or “full and most certain
confidence” “as you know” which means “see, perceive,
notice, discern and discover” “what manner of men” or
“what sort of men” “we were among you” or “arose,
became, wrought and were made while with you” “for your sake”
which means “with you as the objective”. Paul referred to the
manner of behavior he and his entourage demonstrated when they were
with the church in Thessalonica, and this served as evidence to the
way the Holy Spirit brought their words forth with power.
When
we meditate upon Paul's words, we should ask whether we have heard
someone share the “gospel” of Jesus Christ in such a
manner that we knew these were words filled with “power”
of the “Holy Spirit”. They were not necessarily “shouted”
words or ideas that were “yelled” at the top of a person's voice,
but when the person shared them, they seemed to penetrate our very
hearts and souls. Words inspired by the Holy Spirit of God will have
an effect upon individuals, and when they do, action is demanded. The
word of God, when spoken with the power of His Holy Spirit, is able
change hardened hearts and move men and women into service and action
like no other words ever spoken. The question for us is, “Do we
listen to the word of God and hear His Holy Spirit speaking?” If
so, let us continue and respond to the words we hear, but if not, may
the Lord Jesus tune our hearts and ears to the powerful sound of His
Holy Spirit as He shares with us as He did toward the Thessalonians
through Paul.
Next
time Paul shares how the people became followers of him and “of
the Lord”, so read ahead, and
we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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