5 min
Praise the Lord! Wilderness Wanderings
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- Christianity
Our text is 1 Thessalonians 3:6-10
But Timothy has come to us from you just now. He has brought good news about your faith and love. He has told us that you always have happy memories of us. He has also said that you desire to see us, just as we desire to see you. Brothers and sisters, in all our trouble and suffering your faith encouraged us. Now we really live because you are standing firm in the Lord. How can we thank God enough for you? We thank God because of all the joy we have in his presence. We have this joy because of you. Night and day we pray very hard that we will see you again. We want to give you what is missing in your faith.
Yesterday, Pastor Anthony referred to paragraph 34 of the Contemporary Testimony, Our World Belongs to God. It reads in part, “Satan and his evil forces seek whom they may scatter and isolate; but God, by his gracious choosing in Christ, gathers a new community”. A few verses further along we read, “Our new life in Christ is celebrated and nourished in the fellowship of congregations” (36).
It then carries on listing various ways our faith is nourished, “we praise God's name, hear the Word proclaimed, learn God's ways, confess our sins, offer our prayers and gifts, and celebrate the sacraments”. These are all important and many of us are familiar with them. Let us pick up on the first of these, “we praise God’s name” because it relates to our text for today.
But first, the opening lines of Psalm 111, “Praise the Lord. I will extol the Lord with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly. Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them.” It sometimes appears that we praise God in a vacuum, as if we “just should.” But that does not follow the pattern of the Scriptures. On the one hand, we praise God for who he is, for his character. On the other, we praise God for what he does. That is what is happening in our text. Our worship services begin with a call to worship drawing attention to God’s character and/or to his works.
As yesterday’s text revealed, Paul was very concerned about the spiritual well being of his friends in Thessalonica. And he had good reason to be. But now Timothy has returned from his visit to them telling how God has been building up and gathering his church. Paul and his companions are full of joy.
God has nurtured their “faith and love”, raising up godly people. They have not turned against the apostle but have fond memories of his time with them and long to see him as much as he wants to see them.
Paul has committed his life as an offering to other people: to proclaim the gospel and nurture the fledgeling faith of new believers. Their spiritual flourishing brings him tremendous joy. He is overflowing with thanksgiving to God. Despite Satan’s efforts to derail the work of the gospel, the church continues to grow. Persecution cannot ruin the movement of the Spirit.
The stories of God’s work need to be told. It is one of the ways that we nurture each other’s faith. It gives us reason to praise God. How can we ponder and delight in the works of God if no one tells them to us? What stories can you tell?
As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:
May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he’ll do it! The amazing grace of Jesus Christ be with you! (1 Thessalonians 5:23,24,28 The Message).
Our text is 1 Thessalonians 3:6-10
But Timothy has come to us from you just now. He has brought good news about your faith and love. He has told us that you always have happy memories of us. He has also said that you desire to see us, just as we desire to see you. Brothers and sisters, in all our trouble and suffering your faith encouraged us. Now we really live because you are standing firm in the Lord. How can we thank God enough for you? We thank God because of all the joy we have in his presence. We have this joy because of you. Night and day we pray very hard that we will see you again. We want to give you what is missing in your faith.
Yesterday, Pastor Anthony referred to paragraph 34 of the Contemporary Testimony, Our World Belongs to God. It reads in part, “Satan and his evil forces seek whom they may scatter and isolate; but God, by his gracious choosing in Christ, gathers a new community”. A few verses further along we read, “Our new life in Christ is celebrated and nourished in the fellowship of congregations” (36).
It then carries on listing various ways our faith is nourished, “we praise God's name, hear the Word proclaimed, learn God's ways, confess our sins, offer our prayers and gifts, and celebrate the sacraments”. These are all important and many of us are familiar with them. Let us pick up on the first of these, “we praise God’s name” because it relates to our text for today.
But first, the opening lines of Psalm 111, “Praise the Lord. I will extol the Lord with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly. Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them.” It sometimes appears that we praise God in a vacuum, as if we “just should.” But that does not follow the pattern of the Scriptures. On the one hand, we praise God for who he is, for his character. On the other, we praise God for what he does. That is what is happening in our text. Our worship services begin with a call to worship drawing attention to God’s character and/or to his works.
As yesterday’s text revealed, Paul was very concerned about the spiritual well being of his friends in Thessalonica. And he had good reason to be. But now Timothy has returned from his visit to them telling how God has been building up and gathering his church. Paul and his companions are full of joy.
God has nurtured their “faith and love”, raising up godly people. They have not turned against the apostle but have fond memories of his time with them and long to see him as much as he wants to see them.
Paul has committed his life as an offering to other people: to proclaim the gospel and nurture the fledgeling faith of new believers. Their spiritual flourishing brings him tremendous joy. He is overflowing with thanksgiving to God. Despite Satan’s efforts to derail the work of the gospel, the church continues to grow. Persecution cannot ruin the movement of the Spirit.
The stories of God’s work need to be told. It is one of the ways that we nurture each other’s faith. It gives us reason to praise God. How can we ponder and delight in the works of God if no one tells them to us? What stories can you tell?
As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:
May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he’ll do it! The amazing grace of Jesus Christ be with you! (1 Thessalonians 5:23,24,28 The Message).
5 min