Sunday School Lesson: Visible to God

Purpose: To see how our words and deeds witness to our Christian commitment.

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Who is one person you admire or look up to?

Who in your opinion are the best role models for young people?

What would it take for someone to make a lasting impression on you?

What does it mean to witness to our faith?

Do we witness by our words or by our actions? Which makes the most lasting impression?

I’d like to suggest that we are ALWAYS witnessing. Every word and every action is either a positive or negative witness to our faith.

Have you ever heard someone say, “I don’t go to church because of the people who do”?

I have.

What are some examples of positive witness?

When we act in love, in generosity, and in genuine concern, we are witnessing to the faith within us. When we are kind, gentle, and just we offer a positive witness. When we practice civility in a world that relishes in rude and discourteous conduct we offer a positive witness.

In today’s Bible lesson, Paul praises the Christians in Thessalonica for their positive witness. He cited their “work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ”. Paul told them that not only were they positive examples to Christians living nearby; their shining example had spread much wider and farther.

Would Paul have been able to say the same thing about us?

Into the lesson…..

What do we know about Thessalonica and the Thessalonians and Paul’s ministry there?

Thessalonica was the capital and largest city (about 200,000 population) of the Roman province of Macedonia. Thessalonica would be comparable in size with Montgomery or Mobile, Alabama or Augusta, Georgia; larger than Tallahassee, Florida or Columbus, Georgia, smaller than Birmingham, Alabama.

If we read between the lines of Acts 16 we see that the story of Paul’s coming to Macedonia is one of the most dramatic in Acts.

They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. When they had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them; so, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.

(Act 16:6-10 NRSV)

This short narrative gives the impression of a chain of circumstances culminating in one supreme event. Paul had traveled through Phrygia and Galatia (modern day Turkey). Ahead of him lay the Hellespont, the narrow straight connecting the Aegean Sea and the Sea of Marmara, the border between Asia and Europe. To Paul’s left lay Asia, to his right Bithynia; but the Spirit would allow him to enter neither. Something was driving him relentlessly on to the Aegean. Uncertain of which way to turn, a vision came to him: “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” Paul set sail, and for the first time the gospel came to Europe.

Paul must have seen much more than a continent to be won for Christ. It was in Macedonia that he landed; Macedonia, the kingdom of Alexander the Great, who had conquered the world and wept because there were no worlds left to conquer. Paul left from Alexandrian Troas, named after Alexander; he came to Macedonia, Alexander’s original kingdom; he worked at Phillipi, named after Philip, Alexander’s father; He went on to Thessalonica, named after a half sister of Alexander who was also the wife of Cassander, King of Macedonia.

Thessalonica was a free city. It had never had resident Roman troops stationed within it. There was some debate as to whether it or Constantinople would be recognized as capital of the world. Thessalonica’s most important attribute though was that it straddled the Via Egnatia, the Egnatian Road which stretched from the Adriatic to Constantinople. The main street of Thessalonica was the very road which linked Rome with Asia. East and West converged in Thessalonica. It was said to be “in the lap of the Roman Empire”.

It is impossible to overstress the importance of the arrival of Christianity in Thessalonica. If Christianity was established there, it was bound to spread east into Asia and west to Rome. The coming of Christianity to Thessalonica was crucial to its development into a world religion.

It is highly possible that 1 Thessalonians is the earliest of all New Testament writings.

When you write a letter, what words do you begin with?

How do you begin an e-mail?

Every age and culture has norms that it uses for correspondence. In Paul’s time, letters started with a formal greeting.

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.

(1Th 1:1 NRSV)

What was included in Paul’s greeting?

Paul included: 1 – whom the letter was from, 2- the recipients of the letter, and 3- a greeting.

How often did Paul use the greeting of “grace and peace”?

Nearly every New Testament letter bearing Paul’s name contains the double blessing of grace and peace. (Romans 1:7, 1 Corinthians 1:3, 2 Corinthians 1:2, Galatians 1:3, Ephesians 1:2, Philippians 1:2, Colossians 1:2, 1 Thessalonians 1:1, 2 Thessalonians 1:2, and Titus 1:4)

The Blessing of Grace and Peace.

Grace is God’s undeserved love and enabling power. We cannot earn and do not deserve God’s love. Yet God has extended this love to us as a free gift.

Peace has to do with our no longer being at odds with God, resisting and rebelling against God’s will for us. Peace means living in a right relationship with God.

The experience of grace and peace can make a crucial difference in the way we view and respond to life, the attitudes we express, the priorities we have, and the commitments we make. It can also make a difference in the way our lives influence the lives of other people. Grace and peace are blessings that we internalize and pass on to others.

Surely grace and peace are at the heart of the life of faith.

How have grace and peace made a difference in your beliefs, attitudes, priorities, and relationships?

We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you, because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake.

(1Th 1:2-5 NRSV)

Following the greeting, Paul turns to thanksgiving.

Can you find another time when Paul said, “I thank God for you?”

Romans 1:8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.

1 Corinthians 1:4 I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 1:3 I thank my God every time I remember you.

Philemon 1:4 I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers

What made Paul believe God had chosen the Thessalonian believers?

Can we assume from this that gratitude was the habit of Paul’s life?

What are the advantages for us of being people of gratitude?

Is it possible to be grateful and grumpy?

Is it possible to be grateful and not be happy?

New research suggests that our attitude has a significant impact on our health. And, you guessed it, being grumpy does not generally result in a long, healthy life! On the flipside, living a grateful life leads to better overall health, fewer physical symptoms and more energy.

Verse 3. How are faith and works related?

Is it possible to have faith and not have works?

Would you like Christianity better if there was no working involved?

How had Paul presented the gospel to this audience?

And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it. For the people of those regions report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead--Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming.

(1Th 1:6-10 NRSV)

How had the Thessalonians responded to the gospel message?

They were “imitators” of Paul and his companions and of the Lord. They “received the word with joy”.

For what kind of faith were the Thessalonians known?

How had the Thessalonians’ lives been a model for others?

What changes did the Thessalonians make in their lives when they heard the gospel?

They “turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God”.

What was it that the Thessalonians were anticipating?

Rescue from the wrath that is to come.

Can anyone remember what the first requirement was to become a member of the early Methodist societies?

The candidate must possess the “desire to flee from the wrath that is to come.”

How was the Thessalonians’ hope visible for others to see?

What characteristics in a person would convince you that he or she was a genuine Christian chosen by God?

What convinces people Christianity is true?

Our witness rings hollow unless our lifestyle and attitudes validate what we say. People outside our church are watching us and taking note of whether we live the life we proclaim. They want to know if Christ is making a difference in our lives. It is not enough for us to say that we believe in Christ. We must also live like we believe in him.

What is the difference between presenting the gospel with power and deep conviction, and presenting the gospel without it?

How are the Thessalonians examples for our daily living?

In what ways do we need to imitate Jesus Christ and other Christians we know?

What idols might we need to turn away from in order to better serve God?

If Paul were to visit our church today, what evidence would he find that our words and deeds are a witness to our faith?

Let’s pray:

Jesus,

We thank you for the faith, hope, and love that you have offered us through your grace. We pray that we will always be imitators of you and of the great cloud of Christian witnesses that has come before us and been an example for us. We pray that our words and deeds are indeed worthy. Let us not be idle as we wait for your return.

In your name,

Amen