Turning, serving and waiting
For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything. For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven (1 Thessalonians 1:8-9).
Persecution swiftly followed the blessing of the Gospel in Thessalonica, and it followed Paul and Silas to Berea. But instead of this persecution restricting the further blessing of the Gospel, the opposite happened. The Thessalonian church became central to spreading the word of God throughout Macedonia and Achaia, and beyond. This is so encouraging.
Paul highlights another three features which marked the testimony of these young Christians. First, they turned to God from idols. If you read Paul’s visit to Thessalonica in Acts 17, you will see that the first people who trusted in Christ were godly Jews and devout Greeks. This angered the orthodox and influential Jews in the city and led to a public outcry and the persecution which followed. Paul now writes about something not recorded in Acts 17 – what happened next. Instead of the Gospel being confined, it advanced. The Lord tells us in Matthew 16:18, “I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” He proved this in Macedonia. Through the Gospel, people turned to God from idols. There was no doubt about their salvation. They were changed. Idolatry was endemic in the world Paul knew and affected daily life. The power of the Gospel delivered people from its hold and transformed their lives. No wonder that, when Christianity became more widespread, John writes his timeless warning, “Little children keep yourselves from idols.” Idols may have changed in appearance, but we always need to be aware of the real spiritual damage they pose.
The Thessalonians served the “living and true God”. Their faith had turned them to God, and His love motivated their service – their work of faith and labour of love. Their lives were no longer governed by the worship of created, material idols. Instead, they were a new creation in Christ Jesus, and their testimony was the reversal of a world corrupted by people who “exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen” (Romans 1:25). The Thessalonians worshipped and served the one true God and powerfully witnessed to Him in their lives.
Finally, they waited for the return of Christ. This hope in the Lord developed their faith, motivated their love, and paced and focussed their lives. They lived in anticipation of Christ’s return. This was not a vague, future promise: it was a vivid, daily incentive to live fruitful lives for God. Just as the windows of Daniel’s house in Babylon were always opened towards Jerusalem, so their hearts were always “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” and “looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ”. Centuries have not faded that hope, but brought its fulfilment closer.
