Devotional Thoughts: with the Holy Spirit's power and conviction

Looking at I Thessalonians 1:4-10 this morning.

The Thessalonian letter is believed to be one of the earliest of the New Testament writings dating around A.D. 50-51 . For more on that point, check out this item. By the way, from a Google search, it appears that Peter Kirby is a skeptic. In roaming around his Early Christian Writings web site, there are other NT writings he is doubtful about in terms of authenticity and dating. Additionally, he maintains a few other web sites where his skepticism is quite apparent. However, I will give him credit for pulling together a lot of the current scholarship both supportive and opposed to Christianity. In any case, on 1 Thessalonians, the scholarship, both favorable as well as opposed to Christianity, support Paul's authorship and the early dating.

For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction.

Why do people believe?

I wonder how many people during Jesus time on earth actually met him and heard him and saw a miracle or two? I wonder how many became followers of Jesus?

The Gospel words are powerful. But without the Holy Spirit's power and conviction, they are just words.

This verse makes me think of the Parable of the Sower and Seeds and Soil. The words (seeds) go forth and lands on various soils. The results vary with the type of soil.

You know how we lived among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.

This verse challenges me in my role as a volunteer at the youth program at my church. Would I be able to stand before God with a clear conscience and say, you know how I lived among the youth group and they became imitators of me and thus of you Lord?

Gasp! Do these young folks see a little bit of Jesus in my life?

So my challenge is to do my best to give them the Scriptures in teaching time but also to live a life that shows them its real in my life.

And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. The Lord's message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia - your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell 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.

The lives of the Thessalonians were changed! They left their pagan idol worship to serve the living and true God. Their transformation was so complete that others in other places noticed! This is the heart of the Christian message: a transformed life due to belief in the living and true God and the hope that comes from knowing Jesus was raised from the dead.

Lord, in the USA, people hear about Jesus. We really have no excuse. Yet, for so many, it is just a name and a nice sounding story. But in your mysterious ways, for some of us, our lives have been transformed. It is not of our merit but your grace that this is so. Lord, help me to be an example as Paul and his team were to the Thessalonians. It isn't just about speaking the words of the faith, it is living it out so others can see it. Help me to do that! Amen.