Imitation – Pleasing to God - 1 Thessalonians
First Thoughts
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Or so we’re told. But not all imitation is flattering – as parents discover when children speak or act in a way that reflects their own worst traits! For good or ill, imitation is basic to life, ingrained into our relationships with those closest to us and most influential on us. From birth onwards, what we believe and how we live is shaped by what we see and hear around us. The question is not whether we will imitate, but who or what we will imitate. For Paul, the engine that drives imitation in Christian discipleship is the gospel of the crucified king. Having already noted that the Thessalonians ‘became imitators of us and of the Lord’ (1:6), Paul now shows us how the message of Christ worked out in him and his companions, in contrast with others who lived a very different way. In tracing out this pattern, Paul calls the Thessalonians and us ‘to live lives worthy of God’ (2:12).
Read – 1 Thessalonians 2:1-16
1 You know, brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not without results. 2 We had previously suffered and been treated outrageously in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in the face of strong opposition. 3 For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. 4 On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts. 5 You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed – God is our witness. 6 We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or anyone else, even though as apostles of Christ we could have asserted our authority. 7 Instead, we were like young children among you.
Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, 8 so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well. 9 Surely you remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you. 10 You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. 11 For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, 12 encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.
13 And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe. 14 For you, brothers and sisters, became imitators of God’s churches in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus: you suffered from your own people the same things those churches suffered from the Jews 15 who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and also drove us out. They displease God and are hostile to everyone 16 in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. In this way they always heap up their sins to the limit. The wrath of God has come upon them at last.
Focus on the Theme
1. What responsibilities do you carry in life – at home, at work, or elsewhere? What temptations do you face in the way you approach these responsibilities? Who has influenced you the most in the way you go about life in these areas?
What Does the Bible Say?
2. How has being ‘entrusted with the gospel’ (2:4) shaped the ministry of Paul and his companions (2:3-6)? 3. Paul compares their way of life among the Thessalonians to a ‘young child’ (2:7), a ‘mother’ (2:7), and a ‘father’ (2:11). How do these family metaphors inform our understanding of and approach to Christian discipleship? 4. Why do you suppose Paul goes to such lengths to describe their conduct among the Thessalonians? What affect might such a description have on the Thessalonians? 5. Harsh though the words in 2:14-16 seem, how would they have encouraged the Christians in Thessalonica?
Going Deeper
6. Read some passages in 2 Corinthians where Paul writes about the nature of his work on behalf of the church (1:12; 4:1-2; 6:3-13; 10:7-11). How do these passages compare with what he says in 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12?
7. Read and reflect on Philippians 2:5-11, noting from the immediate context (2:1-4 and 12-18) how those who are ‘in Christ’ are shaped by the story of Christ. Living it Out 8. Even though we are not apostles, to what extent does this passage challenge us to live as followers of a different way of life on our own frontlines, such as at work or in college? 9. In what ways have you found evangelism to be difficult? What ideas and encouragement from this passage can help you to address these difficulties.
10. How likely is it that we might suffer persecution for being Christians (2:2, 14-15)? Discuss your current situations – on your frontline, in the local community, nationally – and how far Christianity is understood as welcome or as a threat in society.
Prayer Time
Give thanks for those who took an interest in your spiritual welfare when you were a young Christian, who nurtured you. Share in twos or threes how this passage speaks to you and shapes you as disciples of Jesus, and pray that God will enable you to work out these things in your everyday life. Pray for those being persecuted because of their Christian faith in different parts of the world today.