Title: The One Who Remembers the Gospel
Contents
Title: Those Who Remember the Gospel
Text: (1 Thessalonians 1:1~10)
Hymns: 208. my lord's country
Date: December 1, 2011 (Thursday) 5 am
Venue: Jeonju Yebut Church Grand Worship Room
German Jewish thinker Martin Buber defined every encounter in the world in two ways. It is ‘meeting with you’ and ‘meeting with it’. Anything that does not become ‘you’, which has a special meaning to ‘me’, is ‘it’ and is a means for the purpose of meeting with it. Buber’s ‘philosophy of meeting’ is also applied to our ‘memories’.
1. Me and its memories
1 Thessalonians is a letter Paul wrote to the members of the Thessalonians, where he stayed for about three weeks during his second missionary journey. Although the time was short, the Thessalonian church made a strong impression on Paul. The expression “works of faith, labor of love, and perseverance, holding fast to the hope in our Lord Jesus Christ” (verse 3) expresses Paul’s memory of the Thessalonian church. We, too, ‘toil’ and ‘endurance’ in one way or another. So, are our labors worth remembering by Christ? Is this patience commendable by Christ? Hard work and perseverance anyone can do. Even unbelievers have toil and perseverance. But the labor and patience that the Lord remembers are the labor of love for the Lord and the patience of hope for the Lord. The Holy Spirit works on those who have such faith.
2. Memories of you and me
For Paul, the memory of the three weeks in Thessalonica was very special. It must have been the same with the Thessalonian church. The Thessalonian church remembered the difficulties Paul faced to preach the gospel, and Paul remembered the Thessalonian church, who along with him imitated the Lord in the midst of such tribulation. The text clearly shows the joy of working together for the ministry the Lord has entrusted to us. It is a great blessing to have co-workers who build each other up perfectly even in the midst of tribulation and persecution. Do we have a co-worker in our ministry to share not only joy and gratitude, but also tears and tribulation? Collaboration is not about fitting the parts you need, but about walking together toward the goal the Lord has shown you.
3. Me and the Memory of the Gospel
The ‘report of faith’ that spread through the Thessalonian church made Paul even more delighted. The story of how Paul and his companions came to evangelize in Thessalonica, the story of the Thessalonian church abandoning idols and accepting Christ, and the second coming of the resurrected Christ spread along with the news of the Thessalonian church. Their story helped many to remember Christ. Paul confesses that all these things have come through Jesus Christ, who will come again to save us. The expectation of the Thessalonian saints' second coming had to be expressed in their attitude toward life and holiness in their lives. We too must wait for the Lord's return with patience and confidence. Furthermore, we must do our best to remember and preach the gospel.
Today's saints should pray to have 'works of faith, labor of love, and patience to hold fast to hope' like the Thessalonian church members. In return for God's exclusive grace, believers must do their best to bear fruit as God's chosen people with greater works of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope.
<Prayer>
1. May our Yebut Church be filled with works of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope!
2. Let the rivers of living water overflow from the Yebut pulpit!
3. Heal the weak members of the church and give us strength in body and soul!