Gospel Transformation

Intro

There’s a hotel in Chattanooga, TN where the rooms are old railroad cars. It’s called… The Chattanooga Choo Choo! I’d love to stay there sometime!

But what are those accommodations? Are they hotel rooms? Rail cars? Are they over priced? Probably yes to all three!

But I’d like to say that in an important way, they are no longer train cars. Yes, that’s what they were made like. That’s their structure and appearance. But, they do not, and at least right now, can not function to move anything by rail.

No matter how much they LOOK like rail cars, if they can’t do what rail cars do, then they cease BEING what a rail car is.

But if you sufficiently refurbished one of those cars, and put it back on a rail track, and hooked up an engine, that hotel room could once again become a rail car.

What is true of the Chattanooga Choo Choo, is true of us too. We were made to be in God’s presence and reflect His image. But sin and rebelion rendered us incapable of being able to perform these essential functions.

But there is hope for us in Jesus. The Apostle Paul, in his first letter to the church in Thessalonica reminded the people there what that refurbishment looked like, why it mattered, and what the purpose of their life in Christ was.

I pray we are encouraged by it too!

Prayer

1 Thessalonians 1:4–10 ESV

4 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. 6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. 9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

A church with persecution.

Placed in a great location. (crossroads of Ignition Way and north/south road from Danube to Corinth with a great sea port on the Aegean)

They were in a prime spot to spread news… and for news to spread about them!

Chosen By God

1 Thessalonians 1:4–5 ESV

4 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.

The “Gospel” sermon titles.

Jesus died for our sins and was raised from death to life on the third day. That if we believe this then God will for give our sins and cause us to have a restored relationship with Him.

God had caused them to hear the gospel. Paul and man from Macedonia dream.

Paul knew more directly than normal how God had chosen them!

But there were four things here that Paul gives as evidence that God had chosen them:

Word Spoken (gospel)

“our gospel” because it was their story of God saving them.

I have MY gospel. And you have yours.

It’s not a ‘different gospel’ but it’s the story how THE gospel became personal to YOU.

Had Power

Transformed Lives

Transformed hearts

Miraculous events?

Received the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit IS God interacting directly with people.

They could not control the Holy Spirit. I can’t. You can’t.

If the Spirit of God is involved, that is evidence that out of necessity God is choosing to move.

Held with full conviction

The story from Paul wouldn’t make sense to the Greek thinking Romans in Thessalonica, but they believed.

Then they had a bunch of social, cultural, and family trouble, but they remained faithful.

This evidence of faithfulness is also proof that what they recieved was from God.

Faith Passed Down

Paul short time. Timmothy for many months. They grew in their faith by imitating faithful people.

1 Thessalonians 1:5–7 ESV

5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. 6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.

Missionaries Lived it out

Paul did what Jesus did: Show, then invite faithful, then watch them do, then send them out.

But here part of that ‘sending out’ involved letting Timmothy work on his own.

Thessalonians imitated it.

As Timmothy imitated Paul (and Paul was imitating Jesus), so the Thessalonians imitated faithfulness too.

It’s not a simple set of rules. Here’s a list to remember. It’s learning to become transformed back into that image of God.

Part of that transformation involved dealing with affliction. And they did it with joy!

That’s a Fifth evidence Paul sneaks in here: joy in the Spirit of God.

Reproduced in the region.

This imitation multiplied into their town, region, and the neighboring region.

Paul began hearing about it before Timmothy could come and share the news!

Is our faith newsworthy? Is it contagious? Is it faithfully reproducing the competencies and character of Jesus? These things aren’t learned on Youtube. As wonderful as books are, you can’t read your way into being a disciple. We gain the competencies and character of Jesus by observing, mirroring, then being entrusted to teach others.

That’s what Jesus did. That’s what Paul did. And that’s what we are called to do.

The Evident Disciple

Paul continues encouraging them to keep the right focus.

1 Thessalonians 1:8–10 ESV

8 For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. 9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

Paul had already shown how their salvation was chosen by God. Now he shows evidence that they are maturing as disciples.

They aren’t train cars that can’t move down a track. They aren’t christ followers who aren’t following Christ.

1st, 2nd, and 3rd Hand Gospel

Thessalonians -> Macedonia -> Achaia -> and beyond.

The World Behind, The Cross Before Me

That’s a song of commitment to Christ

They had turned from idols and worshiping things that are not God

They turned TO worshiping God. And they were not bashful about it.

That worship was they conformity of their lives to the image of Jesus.

They didn’t just sing about transformation, the literally became new people

Saved From Wrath, Eager For Jesus.

They desired Jesus’ return!

They thought is was very imminent.

Later Paul will address that.

But they desired Jesus!

To tell about a disciple is to talk about Christ.

Our purpose is to be in God’s presence and reflect His image. If we are doing those things well, people will sense that.

The evidence of discipleship is found in how we relate to others, but ultimately, that is not it’s focus or purpose. Those things are offerings of obedience and imitations of love that we give back to Christ.

When the Gospel transforms our lives, our worship of God transforms others lives.

Seek out those relationship where we can imitate another mare mature believer. But also seek out those relationships where you can pour into someone else the wisdom and habits you have developed.

May our worship be lives made more like Jesus.

Pray