1 Thessalonians: Imitate

Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery

There’s a well-known saying that goes “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” And there are some instances where that is very true. If you’ve ever had someone tell you that you’re the reason that they chose to go into the job field they went into, or if you have had someone who has taken up a hobby because of you, you know the joy of having someone follow you. Children provide loads of opportunity to see imitation in action. Children imitate parents in so many different ways- our very best habits and our very worst. As a parent, there are definitely things I want my kids to pick up from me, to imitate in one way or another. I want them to imitate my hobbies. I want them to like sports, and to camp, and to hike, and to hunt, and to fish. I want them to read and like gardening and enjoy cooking. I want them to do those things so that we have stuff to do together, to talk about. And its fun to be able to see a little bit of yourself in someone else, right? Watching someone imitate you in the right ways, feeling as if you’ve been able to lead them in the right direction, that’s fun. But then the other is perfectly possible too, right? If you’re a parent, you’ve probably had that moment where your child does something that you do, imitates you on something that you don’t want them to pick up. I had a coach in junior high who epitomized this side of it, often telling us to “do as I say, not as I do.” And I learned, as I watched this coach that I had, that I did not want to be a “do as I say, not as I do” person. I learned that the much better option is to be the type of person who doesn’t mind, and perhaps more than that, expects their behavior to be imitated because I’m living the type of life worth imitating. So I want to take a moment here on the front end of our study today to pause and ask you to think about the people whose life and faith you find worth imitating- people who’s way of following God in their day-to-day lives you see as worth imitating. Family member, friend, co-worker. Now, here’s your in-sermon assignment today. I want you to take a moment and send a message- text, Facebook message, email: all are good- I want you to send a message to that person letting them know that you are thankful that they’re in your lives. Collectively in our world, we don’t do encouragement well and I want to take the time to do it this morning. It doesn’t have to be much- I’ll give you a prompt

Hey ____________, just wanted to let you know how thankful I am God has placed you in my life.

Alright, those are your instructions- and go!

Now, there’s a reason we did that, and not just because I wanted an excuse to check out football scores here in the pulpit. Today we dive into the book of 1st Thessalonians, and the book of 1st Thessalonians is first and foremost a letter of encouragement. The sentiment of the letter can really be summed up this way- “I really can’t say enough good things about you.” And the first 10 verses that we look at today definitely set that tone. But before we can understand just how meaningful that encouragement is, I think we need to take a look at the city of Thessalonica itself, what Paul’s time there was like, and why encouragement carries the weight that it does for the followers of Jesus Paul left there and now writes to. So we start our study of Thessalonians in

Common English Bible Chapter 17

Paul and Silas journeyed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, then came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As was Paul’s custom, he entered the synagogue and for three Sabbaths interacted with them on the basis of the scriptures. 3 Through his interpretation of the scriptures, he demonstrated that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. He declared, “This Jesus whom I proclaim to you is the Christ.” 4 Some were convinced and joined Paul and Silas, including a larger number of Greek God-worshippers and quite a few prominent women.

5 But the Jews became jealous and brought along some thugs who were hanging out in the marketplace. They formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They attacked Jason’s house, intending to bring Paul and Silas before the people. 6 When they didn’t find them, they dragged Jason and some believers before the city officials. They were shouting, “These people who have been disturbing the peace throughout the empire have also come here. 7 What is more, Jason has welcomed them into his home. Every one of them does what is contrary to Caesar’s decrees by naming someone else as king: Jesus.” 8 This provoked the crowd and the city officials even more. 9 After Jason and the others posted bail, they released them.

10 As soon as it was dark, the brothers and sisters sent Paul and Silas on to Beroea. When they arrived, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 11 The Beroean Jews were more honorable than those in Thessalonica. This was evident in the great eagerness with which they accepted the word and examined the scriptures each day to see whether Paul and Silas’ teaching was true. 12 Many came to believe, including a number of reputable Greek women and many Greek men.

13 The Jews from Thessalonica learned that Paul also proclaimed God’s word in Beroea, so they went there too and were upsetting and disturbing the crowds. 14 The brothers and sisters sent Paul away to the seacoast at once, but Silas and Timothy remained at Beroea. 15 Those who escorted Paul led him as far as Athens, then returned with instructions for Silas and Timothy to come to him as quickly as possible.

Well, that should tell you at least a little bit about the tension that exists between the followers of Jesus and those God-fearers who didn’t accept Jesus as Messiah. Paul arrives in town and immediately begins spending time in the synagogue teaching locals who believe in God about the gospel as embodied in Jesus. And Paul gathers a following. Some are convinced, Jews and Greeks alike, including some women who are prominent in the community. And those who aren’t convinced by Paul do not seem even remotely interested in taking Paul’s disruption of their fellowship lying down. The rile up a crowd, grab some thugs out of the marketplace, form a mob, start a riot, grab some of Paul’s contacts, and this massive mob drags them before the city officials, accusing them of disloyalty to Caesar. And while that would be a dangerous thing to be accused of anywhere in the Roman empire, it is especially dangerous in Thessalonica. Thessalonica had been granted special privileges by emperors along the way because they had proven themselves loyal time and time again. And that loyalty was rewarded- the city was able to self-govern with no interference from Rome, they received substantial tax breaks, and the roman empire didn’t settle battalions of retiring soldiers there , all of which were freedoms only a select few places in the Roman world received. Now, do you think the city officials are even remotely interested in allowing Paul and his companions to function freely in the city with those charges being laid against them? What would happen if the Roman Officials got word that Thessalonian officials was allowing anti-empire language to flow through the streets unpunished? Are they going to be willing to risk the liberties given to them? NO WAY!

You’ll notice as you read through scripture, when Jews stand before government officials and accuse other Jews of breaking Jewish laws, the government officials don’t care. When the accusations are cast in political tones “king of the Jews” or “naming someone else as king,” suddenly, the officials respond. And the Jewish synagogue leaders aren’t unintelligent, they definitely know this. And beyond that, they’re dedicated enough to the eradication of Jesus followers that they pursue them from town to town. Now, if they’re that dedicated, do you think they’d be content to leave alone those from their own synagogue, their own community, who became followers of Jesus simply because Paul left town? Yeah, I don’t think so either. What that means, then, is that the church that Paul writes this letter to a couple of years after his visit is a church that has grown and developed in that environment- not an easy place to exist. To thrive in that environment shows real faith and real faithfulness. And here are the words of encouragement that begin Paul’s letter to that church.

Common English Bible Chapter 1

1 From Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy. To the Thessalonians’ church that is in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Grace and peace to all of you.

Common English Bible Chapter 1

1 From Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy. To the Thessalonians’ church that is in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Grace and peace to all of you.

Common English Bible Chapter 1

1 From Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy. To the Thessalonians’ church that is in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Grace and peace to all of you.

Thanksgiving to God

2 We always thank God for all of you when we mention you constantly in our prayers. 3 This is because we remember your work that comes from faith, your effort that comes from love, and your perseverance that comes from hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father. 4 Brothers and sisters, you are loved by God, and we know that he has chosen you. 5 We know this because our good news didn’t come to you just in speech but also with power and the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know as well as we do what kind of people we were when we were with you, which was for your sake. 6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord when you accepted the message that came from the Holy Spirit with joy in spite of great suffering. 7 As a result you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 The message about the Lord rang out from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia but in every place. The news about your faithfulness to God has spread so that we don’t even need to mention it. 9 People tell us about what sort of welcome we had from you and how you turned to God from idols. As a result, you are serving the living and true God, 10 and you are waiting for his Son from heaven. His Son is Jesus, who is the one he raised from the dead and who is the one who will rescue us from the coming wrath.

Common English Bible Chapter 1

2 We always thank God for all of you when we mention you constantly in our prayers. 3 This is because we remember your work that comes from faith, your effort that comes from love, and your perseverance that comes from hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father. 4 Brothers and sisters, you are loved by God, and we know that he has chosen you. 5 We know this because our good news didn’t come to you just in speech but also with power and the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know as well as we do what kind of people we were when we were with you, which was for your sake. 6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord when you accepted the message that came from the Holy Spirit with joy in spite of great suffering. 7 As a result you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 The message about the Lord rang out from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia but in every place. The news about your faithfulness to God has spread so that we don’t even need to mention it. 9 People tell us about what sort of welcome we had from you and how you turned to God from idols. As a result, you are serving the living and true God, 10 and you are waiting for his Son from heaven. His Son is Jesus, who is the one he raised from the dead and who is the one who will rescue us from the coming wrath.

Common English Bible Chapter 1

2 We always thank God for all of you when we mention you constantly in our prayers. 3 This is because we remember your work that comes from faith, your effort that comes from love, and your perseverance that comes from hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father. 4 Brothers and sisters, you are loved by God, and we know that he has chosen you. 5 We know this because our good news didn’t come to you just in speech but also with power and the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know as well as we do what kind of people we were when we were with you, which was for your sake. 6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord when you accepted the message that came from the Holy Spirit with joy in spite of great suffering. 7 As a result you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 The message about the Lord rang out from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia but in every place. The news about your faithfulness to God has spread so that we don’t even need to mention it. 9 People tell us about what sort of welcome we had from you and how you turned to God from idols. As a result, you are serving the living and true God, 10 and you are waiting for his Son from heaven. His Son is Jesus, who is the one he raised from the dead and who is the one who will rescue us from the coming wrath.

Look at the praise Paul heaps on them, and remember the environment they live in. “We always thank God for you because we remember the work your faith and love produces, and how your hope in Jesus has led you to persevere.” They are “loved by God” and act with “deep conviction empowered by the Holy Spirit.” They mirror the life of Paul and of Jesus, and are “examples” to all believers in the region- That’s how well known their faithful perseverance is throughout the region. But, and this is the important part- All of these praises, the way that they live out their faith, none of it is because of their own power. They aren’t the cause of their own faithfulness- God is. Paul says as much in verse 6- They are merely imitators. Sure, these believers are models of faithfulness and perseverance. They embrace the hope offered in Jesus in a powerful way. They’ve shown all those around them what it looks like to leave behind the gods of this world in favor of a life of faith lived for the God over all. But- Imitation isn’t possible without something worth imitating. And that- embrace of God as revealed in the life and teaching of Jesus Christ- that is the most powerful thing they could do. Everything else is only possible because of that. And Paul’s thankfulness isn’t simply because they’re good people doing good things. Its because they live out these good, faithful lives rooted in and fueled by the love of God and God alone. And their faithful lives, lives that mirror the life of Jesus, are being noticed and then mirrored by those around them. The praise they receive, the reason that Paul is excited, is because the way this has played out, the way the faithful are replicating themselves, is exactly how it is supposed to work. They, imitators of Paul, who is an imitator of Christ, are being imitated by those around them.

Are you worth imitating? Do you genuinely imitate God? As human beings, as creations of the creator, we are blessed to have a God who has chosen to be revealed to us through Jesus. God deeply desires to be known by us. And God has given us a pattern to follow, something to mirror, in Jesus who lived a life of love and sacrifice for all creation. We have been chosen by God simply because we have been created by God- all are chosen. Will we live in a way that shows to those around us that we know the God of love? Will we live in a way that others want to imitate?

FINAL THOUGHT

We also are to be people of encouragement. That’s one of the ways we can be people who imitate God. I hope the text you sent earlier isn’t the only text like that you send today. Your second assignment is this- don’t leave this building without offering up similar words of encouragement to someone here. Get to it, you’re dismissed to encourage each other.