Title: The Way to Be a Good Saint
1 Thessalonians (7) The way to be a good saint (1 Thessalonians 2:13-20)
1. Have ears to hear
Paul's enemies refused to accept Paul's words because they were human. This is because there were many words that challenged the ethics and morals of those who were saved along with the gospel without saying mysterious words like the spiritualists and shamanic religious people at the time. However, the Thessalonians received Paul's words as the words of God, not human words (verse 13). It gave strength to Paul, but even more to the Thessalonians.
In Revelation chapters 2-3, these words appear seven times in the message to the seven churches in Asia Minor. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Where is the deaf man? Therefore, ‘he who has ears’ in that verse means ‘those who have ears to hear’. In other words, it is important for God to give the Word, but it is even more important to truly receive the Word as the Word of God. Accepting the Word well and living according to it are the biggest factors that determine grace and blessings.
2. Accept hardships with joy
Just as the churches in Judea suffered persecution from their own fellow Jews, so the church in Thessalonica suffered the same from their own people (verse 14). Suffering is a sign of sincere believers. Therefore, do not be afraid of suffering because of your faith. Go ahead, take it for granted and accept it with joy. There are times when people and the environment do not support you well when you go towards your vision, but be courageous, thinking that such hardships naturally follow your vision.
When Moses was 40 years old as an Egyptian prince, he got up with a dream of liberating his people and killed an Egyptian. At that time, I thought that my people would applaud me enthusiastically, but instead I was betrayed by my people and had to flee into the wilderness in shock. He must have groaned in the wilderness. "Unbelievable! My dream has turned into a disaster.” It took 40 years to restore that dream and vision. Even though the vision entails suffering, if we do not give up on the vision at that time, the time of blessing that God has prepared will surely come.
3. Let go of your narrow heart
The Jews not only rejected the gospel because of their religious and ethnic intolerance, but also pushed the Gentiles out of the arena of salvation (vv. 15-16). The Roman historian Tacitus of the 1st century AD said, "The Jews hated and hostile all Gentiles." In this way, the Jews fell into a pathological sense of national superiority and received a more severe judgment from God. We desperately realize that we need to give up our narrow beliefs by taking the image of a Jew as a teacher of contrast.
Occasionally, when miracles occur from people of other religions, acknowledge them as good works. You just need to have the discernment to realize that Christianity should be a ‘Lord-centered religion’ rather than a ‘miracle-centered religion’. With such discernment, do not unconditionally exclude people with different lifestyles and styles. A person who has a missionary mindset who can accept 'other things' as not 'wrong things' is ultimately a good saint.
4. Respect each other
The Apostle Paul, who had left the Thessalonians for unavoidable circumstances, eagerly wanted to see them (v. 17). So, two plans were made to go to Thessalonica, but both times were not realized because Satan blocked them (verse 18). After mentioning that fact, he once again expresses his deep affection for the Thessalonians. “What is our hope, or our joy, or the crown of boasting? Are not you before our Lord Jesus at His coming? You are our glory and our joy” (verses 19-20).
What is the greatest hope of the saints? It is a 'saved person'. What is the title of the saint's greatest joy and pride? It is also a 'saved person'. What is the highest standard that determines the reward when Jesus returns later and performs the reward of judgment? It is also a 'saved person'. Knowing that fact, the Apostle Paul made the deepest confession of love in the Bible to the Thessalonians. “You are our glory and our joy.” Good saints are those who value each other with the confession of the apostle Paul and become channels of glory and joy for others.