June 22: The message rang out

For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, in the Holy Spirit, and with much assurance. You know what kind of men we were among you for your benefit, and you became imitators of us and of the Lord when, in spite of severe persecution, you welcomed the message with joy from the Holy Spirit. As a result, you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. For the Lord’s message rang out from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place that your faith in God has gone out. Therefore, we don’t need to say anything, for they themselves report what kind of reception we had from you: how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead — Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.   (1 Thessalonians 1:4-10 — Holman Christian Standard Bible)

Paul’s work in Thessalonica (a city that still exists in Greece) was not one of words only, but of power, the Holy Spirit, and assurance. We can’t be content to be church-goers, to simply be members of a church, to enjoy the good music, the pastor’s jokes, and the coffee and donuts.  Our relationship with God is about His power at work inside of us, being filled with the same Spirit that lived inside of Jesus, and having an overwhelming assurance of salvation and God’s presence. Most “Christians” do not even come close to experiencing any of these things, and think that their life is just fine. But we cannot accept this. We need to insist on experiencing all that God has to offer.

It’s interesting to note that the severe persecution that this church was going through seemed to make them even more determined to believe in and obey the Lord Jesus Christ. They turned away from their old religions and idols, and began joyfully serving the living God. They were happy to finally find the truth and be set free from the oppression of Satan and false religions, and became a model for all other believers. And, best of all, the message about God rang out from them in every direction. Their example caused many lost people to find God!

Can you be like this? Can God’s Spirit make you strong like the Thessalonians? Could the message of God ring out from you in all directions, so that people talk about the amazing changes that have happened in your life? Absolutely! The God that they had is the God you have, and what He did back then, He wants to do now. — All God needs is for us to believe in and want this type of change.