Please read and meditate on 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 for a bit before reading this devotional.
I park cars for a hotel’s guests. In addition to people who are staying at the hotel, many people come to eat at a famous restaurant on the first floor. Last week, a man eating at the restaurant rode his bike to the hotel and locked it up about a block away. Roughly two feet long with a link more than twice as thick as a man’s finger, the padlock that secured the bike made it appear that it was safe.
Just after nightfall, the man finished his dinner and went to retrieve his bike. However, the padlock did not protect the bike. The perpetrator came like a thief in the night—though the bike was probably stolen in broad daylight. The padlock cried “Peace and Safety”, but alas destruction came anyways.
Like the bicycle-reader, many people gather defenses all about them in order to feel safe: Padlocks, fences, high-tech security features for their house and car, and the list is endless. Yet, things are still stolen. The violence of our world walks right through our fortifications. They will also be surprised when God ends the world. While everything they accumulated on earth cries “Peace and safety! There is no harm that will befall you,” sudden destruction will come.
This is what Paul was telling the Thessalonians. Only he reminds them that they are “sons of light and sons of day”, capable of being fully aware that the world will end, or at least be catastrophically changed when Jesus comes to earth for the second time. This event is often referred to as “The Day of the Lord” in Scripture, as it is in our passage. Notice Paul doesn’t tell them that they will know when, only that they know that it’s coming.
We as Christians, like Paul’s Thessalonian audience, do not need to be afraid of Jesus’ second coming. Instead, “having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation,” (1st Thess 5:8) we can trust in God’s immense grace and love to save us, by-way of Jesus’ death on the cross. As reflected by their frantic accumulation of defenses, the world is profoundly terrified by death. Yet Paul says that Christians shouldn’t be. Hope in the salvation of Jesus is like a helmet should guard our minds from such fears and anxieties.
“God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that…we will live together with Him” (1 Thess 5:9-10). Both now, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and after Jesus’ second coming, we are together with Him because of His saving blood.
We Christians should a live a life proclaiming this peace and togetherness with Jesus Christ. Empowered by the Holy Spirit and Jesus’ redemption, it should be evident to the world that we are not afraid of the end. A great deal of sin is the result of fears associated with fear. Such sin should not mark the church. If it doesn’t, the world will notice.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Hope in Grieving - 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
I don’t know if you’ve ever been to a funeral before, but there’s this heavy feeling of sadness over the death of somebody. Everybody is dressed in black, people are crying, and for many there’s a sense of hopelessness. In a sense they are right, because we’re all going to die.
“For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” and because of our sins, “the wages of sin is death…”
But what’s the second part of that verse?
“… But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
In Christ, we have hope. A hope of an eternal future spent in the presence of God. So there no longer is this hopelessness for Christians. There is hope in Jesus Christ.
So the big question for the Thessalonians in this next passage asks the question, “What’s going to happen when the second coming of Christ happens?”
Read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (ESV) which is printed on the next page. These are the words of God written through Paul in this letter. And I’m going to emphasizing a few parts of the passage. But read it and then re-read it. Look up in a dictionary the words that you don’t know so that you can fully understand what is written.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (ESV)
“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.”
There you go, a little bit of eschatology (study of the end times). When you guys close your Bibles and do your closing prayers, don’t turn your minds off and be insensitive to the Holy Spirit and the moving of God. A thought to meditate on for the rest of the day or night: Think about the hope we have in God. What are we supposed to do with that hope? How are we supposed to act as hopeful people? And why do Christians decide to live in a way that they hope in Jesus Christ? Of course there are so many other questions that deal with our hope in Jesus Christ and I want to challenge you all to address those questions and seek answers for them in God’s Word.
“For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” and because of our sins, “the wages of sin is death…”
But what’s the second part of that verse?
“… But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
In Christ, we have hope. A hope of an eternal future spent in the presence of God. So there no longer is this hopelessness for Christians. There is hope in Jesus Christ.
So the big question for the Thessalonians in this next passage asks the question, “What’s going to happen when the second coming of Christ happens?”
Read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (ESV) which is printed on the next page. These are the words of God written through Paul in this letter. And I’m going to emphasizing a few parts of the passage. But read it and then re-read it. Look up in a dictionary the words that you don’t know so that you can fully understand what is written.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (ESV)
“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.”
There you go, a little bit of eschatology (study of the end times). When you guys close your Bibles and do your closing prayers, don’t turn your minds off and be insensitive to the Holy Spirit and the moving of God. A thought to meditate on for the rest of the day or night: Think about the hope we have in God. What are we supposed to do with that hope? How are we supposed to act as hopeful people? And why do Christians decide to live in a way that they hope in Jesus Christ? Of course there are so many other questions that deal with our hope in Jesus Christ and I want to challenge you all to address those questions and seek answers for them in God’s Word.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Walk Worthy - 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12
Read 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12
The Christian life is both an inward and outward transformation; Jesus takes control of everything about us. In the first three chapters of this letter, Paul talks heavily about how God works in our hearts and inside of us. In chapter 4, Paul begins to discuss how the work that is doing inside of us should reflect on the outside through the way we live our lives.
In verse 1, Paul tells the Thessalonians to continue to walk and please God and to do so more and more. Paul also mentioned this in Colossians 1:9-10: “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God”. The fact that Paul tells people to walk worthy in two different letters should strike you as significant. Why should we walk worthy? Well in verse 2, Paul tells us that they are to walk worthy because Jesus instructed them to.
Imagine for a second that you are sentenced to die because of a crime, but someone else came in and willingly paid that debt for you. What would your natural reaction be? Mine would probably involve being extremely thankful and asking if there was anything I could ever do to repay that person. Now, stop imagining because that scenario is real. All of us have committed crimes and sins and so we are sentenced to die, but Jesus took that penalty on the cross because He loved us so much. When we ask Jesus what we could do to repay Him, He instructs us to walk worthy and to live in a way that reflects the love He gave us and continues to give us everyday.
So now we know why we are to walk worthy, and in verses 3-8, Paul tells the Thessalonians that the sin in their lives is not worthy of the calling God has given us. He tells the Thessalonians to abstain from sexual immorality, to control their bodies, to have no lust, and to not wrong their brothers. Do you struggle with these things? If not, what things do you struggle with that prevent you from walking worthy? Confess them to God, and ask for His forgiveness.
In verses 9-12, Paul talks about brotherly love. Why does he include the word “brotherly”? Why doesn’t he just say “love” by itself? The word love has a lot of different meanings. For example, I often say that I love cheeseburgers. Is this the same kind of love Paul is talking about? Of course not. He’s talking about loving each other like brothers, like family. The church is one giant family. We have all been adopted by God into his family which is why we are often referred to as children of God. Paul tells us here that we are to love each other as family. Who do you need to love more? Is it your biological family? A classmate? Someone in youth group? Someone you pass by a few times a week but don’t talk to? Take some time to pray and to ask God who He wants you to love more.
The Christian life is both an inward and outward transformation; Jesus takes control of everything about us. In the first three chapters of this letter, Paul talks heavily about how God works in our hearts and inside of us. In chapter 4, Paul begins to discuss how the work that is doing inside of us should reflect on the outside through the way we live our lives.
In verse 1, Paul tells the Thessalonians to continue to walk and please God and to do so more and more. Paul also mentioned this in Colossians 1:9-10: “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God”. The fact that Paul tells people to walk worthy in two different letters should strike you as significant. Why should we walk worthy? Well in verse 2, Paul tells us that they are to walk worthy because Jesus instructed them to.
Imagine for a second that you are sentenced to die because of a crime, but someone else came in and willingly paid that debt for you. What would your natural reaction be? Mine would probably involve being extremely thankful and asking if there was anything I could ever do to repay that person. Now, stop imagining because that scenario is real. All of us have committed crimes and sins and so we are sentenced to die, but Jesus took that penalty on the cross because He loved us so much. When we ask Jesus what we could do to repay Him, He instructs us to walk worthy and to live in a way that reflects the love He gave us and continues to give us everyday.
So now we know why we are to walk worthy, and in verses 3-8, Paul tells the Thessalonians that the sin in their lives is not worthy of the calling God has given us. He tells the Thessalonians to abstain from sexual immorality, to control their bodies, to have no lust, and to not wrong their brothers. Do you struggle with these things? If not, what things do you struggle with that prevent you from walking worthy? Confess them to God, and ask for His forgiveness.
In verses 9-12, Paul talks about brotherly love. Why does he include the word “brotherly”? Why doesn’t he just say “love” by itself? The word love has a lot of different meanings. For example, I often say that I love cheeseburgers. Is this the same kind of love Paul is talking about? Of course not. He’s talking about loving each other like brothers, like family. The church is one giant family. We have all been adopted by God into his family which is why we are often referred to as children of God. Paul tells us here that we are to love each other as family. Who do you need to love more? Is it your biological family? A classmate? Someone in youth group? Someone you pass by a few times a week but don’t talk to? Take some time to pray and to ask God who He wants you to love more.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Not Just a One Way Street - 1 Thessalonians 3:6-13
Read 1 Thessalonians 3:6-13
We turn to God during times of struggle and when we feel that we need him the most. But it’s also during the times when God is most visibly working in our lives and when we think that we can get by ourselves that God wants us to come to him, and we should. Take a moment to read 1 Thessalonians 3:6-13 and reflect on what Timothy is saying and how Paul reacts.
Verse 6 is Timothy’s report; the Thessalonians are growing healthily, and that they want to see Paul as much as Paul wants to see the Thessalonians again. This is how our relationship with God should be. God wants us to come to him and have a growing relationship with him. That isn’t going to change. But it’s not just a one-way relationship. In this good time that the Thessalonians are in, they have the desire to see Paul, and vice-versa. Our lives should reflect this desire that the Thessalonians have, in a healthy relationship with God, we need to have the desire to seek him and to spend time with him.
From hearing how the Thessalonians are, Paul is encouraged and uplifted, “Therefore, brothers and sisters, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith” (verse 7). Likewise, we as Christians should be spending time in community and fellowship, sharing with one another how our spiritual lives are. Doing this, we will be encouraged. Take a moment and reflect on your spiritual life. Are you trying to walk this journey alone? Do you have someone to keep you accountable, and if so, is it just something shallow?
In verses 8-13, Paul thanks God and prays for the Thessalonians. He isn’t praying for them as if they have cancer, but because they are doing well and Paul is thankful and encouraged by that. Reread these 5 verses, and take verses 11-13 as a prayer for yourself and others that you have on your mind.
Paul isn’t just giving up his thanks to God though, but he also prays that the Thessalonians’ faith will continue to grow, and that “May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else” (verse 12). How important prayer is in Paul’s life should also be how important it is in ours. Now take a moment to pray for those in your life, even those who are doing well, and that prayer would grow or continue to be a big part of your life.
We turn to God during times of struggle and when we feel that we need him the most. But it’s also during the times when God is most visibly working in our lives and when we think that we can get by ourselves that God wants us to come to him, and we should. Take a moment to read 1 Thessalonians 3:6-13 and reflect on what Timothy is saying and how Paul reacts.
Verse 6 is Timothy’s report; the Thessalonians are growing healthily, and that they want to see Paul as much as Paul wants to see the Thessalonians again. This is how our relationship with God should be. God wants us to come to him and have a growing relationship with him. That isn’t going to change. But it’s not just a one-way relationship. In this good time that the Thessalonians are in, they have the desire to see Paul, and vice-versa. Our lives should reflect this desire that the Thessalonians have, in a healthy relationship with God, we need to have the desire to seek him and to spend time with him.
From hearing how the Thessalonians are, Paul is encouraged and uplifted, “Therefore, brothers and sisters, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith” (verse 7). Likewise, we as Christians should be spending time in community and fellowship, sharing with one another how our spiritual lives are. Doing this, we will be encouraged. Take a moment and reflect on your spiritual life. Are you trying to walk this journey alone? Do you have someone to keep you accountable, and if so, is it just something shallow?
In verses 8-13, Paul thanks God and prays for the Thessalonians. He isn’t praying for them as if they have cancer, but because they are doing well and Paul is thankful and encouraged by that. Reread these 5 verses, and take verses 11-13 as a prayer for yourself and others that you have on your mind.
Paul isn’t just giving up his thanks to God though, but he also prays that the Thessalonians’ faith will continue to grow, and that “May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else” (verse 12). How important prayer is in Paul’s life should also be how important it is in ours. Now take a moment to pray for those in your life, even those who are doing well, and that prayer would grow or continue to be a big part of your life.
The Church in Spiritual Warfare
Read Acts 17:1-9
It seems really interesting to me that Paul preached Christ’s suffering more among the Thessaonian church. There was certainly more open persecution in for Paul, Silas, and Timothy during their time there, and even after they left, those who hated them followed them seeking to make trouble for them in Berea as well. This is certainly not the situation anyone sharing the good news of Jesus Christ ever wants to walk into. Paul however, seemed to expect this type of reaction both for him and for the church there.
Read 1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:5
There are a couple of things that we should look at in regards to what we already know now about Paul’s time in Thessalonica. 1) Paul mentions at least five times in that short passage that him and his co-workers tried to go see the church there and were stopped numerable times. Only Timothy ended up making it back to Thesssalonica to encourage the new believers there. What exactly was is that kept them from going back to visit the new church there? Their persecutors? You might think so. However, Paul said it was Satan. I think this is important for us as believers to realize. When you come under attack for your faith and there are other people involved who are criticizing you, the problem isn’t always them. There is a bigger battle at stake that we may not even be physically able to see. God was using Paul to bring the gospel to places it had never gone before and Satan was trying his best to make sure that those churches don’t persevere. How do we fight against things that aren’t flesh and blood? Prayer, prayer, and always prayer. We’ve been talking in youth group about the Lord’s prayer and part of the prayer is that God’s kingdom come and his will be done, and that happens through prayer, and Jesus even demonstrated that our prayers should reflect this.
The other thing we should note is that Paul was concerned for the perseverance of the church at Thessalonica. They didn’t have all that much time before people threw the city into an uproar over Paul and Silas and they had to leave. They were new and they were quickly left on their own and Paul and his co-workers were prevented from coming to them. They were a church born in suffering. Paul even preached suffering with the gospel there, in his letter he mentions it as well, that they should expect it. All of it makes for a really difficult situation for anything to thrive, including a church and Paul is trying to make it back so they are encouraged and their faith and persevering. We, like Paul, need to be in prayer and looking for ways to encourage and uplift the parts of the church that suffer, whether they are near us or in other places. Faith is not a game, we can’t just put it on hold and come back later when we have the time. Our brothers and sisters are facing things that we may never face, and they need us to pray on their behalf. Someday it may be you who is called, and when it is your time, you will need the prayers of others to cover you.
Dear God,
Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Be with our brothers and sisters who are bringing your good news into difficult places. God before them and open the way for them to share you with others. Be with our brothers and sisters who live in difficult places, help us to know how to encourage them, and protect their faith. Provide for them. Amen
It seems really interesting to me that Paul preached Christ’s suffering more among the Thessaonian church. There was certainly more open persecution in for Paul, Silas, and Timothy during their time there, and even after they left, those who hated them followed them seeking to make trouble for them in Berea as well. This is certainly not the situation anyone sharing the good news of Jesus Christ ever wants to walk into. Paul however, seemed to expect this type of reaction both for him and for the church there.
Read 1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:5
There are a couple of things that we should look at in regards to what we already know now about Paul’s time in Thessalonica. 1) Paul mentions at least five times in that short passage that him and his co-workers tried to go see the church there and were stopped numerable times. Only Timothy ended up making it back to Thesssalonica to encourage the new believers there. What exactly was is that kept them from going back to visit the new church there? Their persecutors? You might think so. However, Paul said it was Satan. I think this is important for us as believers to realize. When you come under attack for your faith and there are other people involved who are criticizing you, the problem isn’t always them. There is a bigger battle at stake that we may not even be physically able to see. God was using Paul to bring the gospel to places it had never gone before and Satan was trying his best to make sure that those churches don’t persevere. How do we fight against things that aren’t flesh and blood? Prayer, prayer, and always prayer. We’ve been talking in youth group about the Lord’s prayer and part of the prayer is that God’s kingdom come and his will be done, and that happens through prayer, and Jesus even demonstrated that our prayers should reflect this.
The other thing we should note is that Paul was concerned for the perseverance of the church at Thessalonica. They didn’t have all that much time before people threw the city into an uproar over Paul and Silas and they had to leave. They were new and they were quickly left on their own and Paul and his co-workers were prevented from coming to them. They were a church born in suffering. Paul even preached suffering with the gospel there, in his letter he mentions it as well, that they should expect it. All of it makes for a really difficult situation for anything to thrive, including a church and Paul is trying to make it back so they are encouraged and their faith and persevering. We, like Paul, need to be in prayer and looking for ways to encourage and uplift the parts of the church that suffer, whether they are near us or in other places. Faith is not a game, we can’t just put it on hold and come back later when we have the time. Our brothers and sisters are facing things that we may never face, and they need us to pray on their behalf. Someday it may be you who is called, and when it is your time, you will need the prayers of others to cover you.
Dear God,
Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Be with our brothers and sisters who are bringing your good news into difficult places. God before them and open the way for them to share you with others. Be with our brothers and sisters who live in difficult places, help us to know how to encourage them, and protect their faith. Provide for them. Amen
Monday, October 24, 2011
Service - 1 Thessalonians 2:1-16
Read 1 Thessalonians 2:1-16
In chapter two of this short letter, we read the Apostle Paul defending his ministry to the church of the Thessalonians. His past presence and teaching there was under attack and the local church continued to suffer through persecution. So Paul addresses the accusations directed at him head-on and asserts that his motives for sharing the gospel with them were pure and blameless. He even went out of his way not to be a burden, by working on the side to pay for his living expenses instead of depending on the young church for support. And he affirms them for responding to the gospel and following Christ even though they were enduring great suffering because of it; God would deal with their persecutors.
What resonates as you reflect on this passage? Are you suffering intense persecution in order to follow Christ? Probably not. Do you feel like you’re having to defend yourself from malicious or misguided accusations? Hopefully not. But what about your motivations for serving or even just for coming to youth group? Are they as righteous and selfless as the Apostle Paul’s? Or are they more mixed and messy?
Paul sets a clear example for why and how we should serve and belong in the church. We’re to please God above one another. We’re to be sincere in our interactions and not flatter others to be liked or get ahead. We’re to be honest and not wear masks that hide our real selves, motives, and struggles. We should do nothing out of greed or jealousy. The list could go on….
So why do you come to youth group, and why do you serve? (If you’re not serving in some way then talk to a Doulos member, counselor, or Pastor Jon and we’d be happy to help you plug in!) Our hearts are often deceitful and it can be hard to discern our true motivations for serving. Sometimes we want attention, we want to be liked and praised, we want to attain a special status, we want friends, we think we can get something out of it, etc. It’s easy to serve for selfish reasons—instead of selfless reasons—and we can be good at hiding these impure motives. But nothing is hidden from God, who sees all, and whose son is our ultimate example of a suffering servant.
Take some focused time to intentionally search your heart and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any impure motives within you. Think about what makes you angry when you are serving, and why—that’s one good way to reveal our true motivations. Confess your sins here and receive the grace and strength from God to repent and serve instead out of selfless love for Christ and all He has placed in your care.
Read Psalm 139 as a concluding prayer.
In chapter two of this short letter, we read the Apostle Paul defending his ministry to the church of the Thessalonians. His past presence and teaching there was under attack and the local church continued to suffer through persecution. So Paul addresses the accusations directed at him head-on and asserts that his motives for sharing the gospel with them were pure and blameless. He even went out of his way not to be a burden, by working on the side to pay for his living expenses instead of depending on the young church for support. And he affirms them for responding to the gospel and following Christ even though they were enduring great suffering because of it; God would deal with their persecutors.
What resonates as you reflect on this passage? Are you suffering intense persecution in order to follow Christ? Probably not. Do you feel like you’re having to defend yourself from malicious or misguided accusations? Hopefully not. But what about your motivations for serving or even just for coming to youth group? Are they as righteous and selfless as the Apostle Paul’s? Or are they more mixed and messy?
Paul sets a clear example for why and how we should serve and belong in the church. We’re to please God above one another. We’re to be sincere in our interactions and not flatter others to be liked or get ahead. We’re to be honest and not wear masks that hide our real selves, motives, and struggles. We should do nothing out of greed or jealousy. The list could go on….
So why do you come to youth group, and why do you serve? (If you’re not serving in some way then talk to a Doulos member, counselor, or Pastor Jon and we’d be happy to help you plug in!) Our hearts are often deceitful and it can be hard to discern our true motivations for serving. Sometimes we want attention, we want to be liked and praised, we want to attain a special status, we want friends, we think we can get something out of it, etc. It’s easy to serve for selfish reasons—instead of selfless reasons—and we can be good at hiding these impure motives. But nothing is hidden from God, who sees all, and whose son is our ultimate example of a suffering servant.
Take some focused time to intentionally search your heart and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any impure motives within you. Think about what makes you angry when you are serving, and why—that’s one good way to reveal our true motivations. Confess your sins here and receive the grace and strength from God to repent and serve instead out of selfless love for Christ and all He has placed in your care.
Read Psalm 139 as a concluding prayer.
Discipleship - 1 Thessalonians 1
Read: 1 Thessalonians 1
This semester I’m taking a class entitled “The Ethics and Theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.” For those of you who have not yet heard of him, Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor-theologian who lived during the Third Reich in Nazi Germany. He was perhaps best known as the only pastor who was involved with a plot to assassinate Hitler, and for that reason he was sent to the Flossenburg Concentration Camp and was executed a few weeks before the end of World War II. Dietrich Bonhoeffer visited America twice. In 1930, he came to New York City’s Union Theological Seminary for a postgraduate year. There he met with a fellow friend: Paul Lehmann. My professor, who herself was a close friend of the Lehmanns, would share often of Paul’s stories concerning Bonhoeffer, about the strength and vitality of his faith. Much of this vitality can be sensed in one of Bonhoeffer’s famous books: Discipleship. I recommend it to all of you.
We often think of discipleship as a “mentorship” sort of relationship. Indeed, at WCAC we have a very strong discipleship program that I think all of you should be involved in if you have not yet. But why do we have that program? Why is this discipleship important? For Bonhoeffer, discipleship is ultimately about following Christ, no matter the cost. In his famous first chapter, Bonhoeffer talks about “cheap grace.” The idea of forgiveness without repentance, Christian living without suffering, etc. is cheap grace because it is, to put it differently, cherry-picking the Gospel, picking out what you like about it, and leaving out what you don’t like. We see this all the time. People talk about loving God, but not giving up the things that enslave us, like other gods, money, etc. People talk about following God, but not repenting of sins from our old selves. That is cheap grace.
Bonhoeffer argues that Christianity is about “costly grace,” a grace so costly it costs us our very lives. We see this in the passage we read today. It’s great that God has graciously made Godself known among the Thessalonians (vs. 4-5), but is that enough? What makes the Thessalonian church so much different than just any church that claimed to have received Jesus? We see it in verse 6: they imitated the apostles, who themselves imitated the example set forth by Jesus. And they did that despite “severe suffering”. And in doing so, they preached the Gospel without words, with the Gospel making inroads into Macedonia and Achaia. Paul concludes thusly: “We do not need to say anything about it (v. 8).” Why? The fruits of their witness were plain enough for everyone to see.
Discipleship is fundamentally about imitation. In Jesus’ times, the rabbis would’ve understood what that meant. To be a rabbi begins with becoming a disciple of a famous rabbi. Whatever your master did, you do too. You want to be like your master. If he drank Earl Grey Tea, you’d drink Earl Grey Tea as well, even if you hate it. In our day and age, it’s easy to water down what discipleship is about. Oh, Jesus could not possibly be against homosexuality. Oh, Jesus couldn’t possibly be against having wealth. Oh, Jesus couldn’t possibly be against war. What’s wrong with living in the suburbs? What’s wrong with being patriotic? And by watering down what discipleship is about, we move closer and closer towards cheap grace. Before long, our discipleship becomes a “Denny’s Discipleship.” You meet at Denny’s (McDonald’s or Chik-Fil-A), get your meal, sit together, pray, eat, and then address the most pressing theological and ethical issue of our time: “What do you think of Theo Epstein?” And the rest of the “Denny’s Discipleship” is not so much about Christ as it is about the Cubs and whether this will be the year they’ll experience World Series Resurrection. So much for discipleship.
The challenge for our time today is not liberalism, conservatism, secularism, or whatever “-ism” you can come up with as you try to find a way to fall asleep. No – the challenge for our time today is cheap grace. The challenge for our time today consists of Christians who don’t wish to follow Christ completely, who are unwilling to give up their old idols to serve the one true God; Christians who want to follow Jesus without letting go of their pleasures and possessions. Christians who want to follow Jesus while staying employed. I’m not saying, by the way, that the Cubs, TV, iPods, or a job are bad per se. But so often, they become something we cannot give up.
All the more reason, therefore, that we make authentic discipleship an important part of our fellowship. Let us pray that God will teach us to accept “costly grace” and reject “cheap grace”. May we learn from our disciplers who embody what it means to be saved by costly grace – grace so costly it cost Jesus his dignity and life.
This semester I’m taking a class entitled “The Ethics and Theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.” For those of you who have not yet heard of him, Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor-theologian who lived during the Third Reich in Nazi Germany. He was perhaps best known as the only pastor who was involved with a plot to assassinate Hitler, and for that reason he was sent to the Flossenburg Concentration Camp and was executed a few weeks before the end of World War II. Dietrich Bonhoeffer visited America twice. In 1930, he came to New York City’s Union Theological Seminary for a postgraduate year. There he met with a fellow friend: Paul Lehmann. My professor, who herself was a close friend of the Lehmanns, would share often of Paul’s stories concerning Bonhoeffer, about the strength and vitality of his faith. Much of this vitality can be sensed in one of Bonhoeffer’s famous books: Discipleship. I recommend it to all of you.
We often think of discipleship as a “mentorship” sort of relationship. Indeed, at WCAC we have a very strong discipleship program that I think all of you should be involved in if you have not yet. But why do we have that program? Why is this discipleship important? For Bonhoeffer, discipleship is ultimately about following Christ, no matter the cost. In his famous first chapter, Bonhoeffer talks about “cheap grace.” The idea of forgiveness without repentance, Christian living without suffering, etc. is cheap grace because it is, to put it differently, cherry-picking the Gospel, picking out what you like about it, and leaving out what you don’t like. We see this all the time. People talk about loving God, but not giving up the things that enslave us, like other gods, money, etc. People talk about following God, but not repenting of sins from our old selves. That is cheap grace.
Bonhoeffer argues that Christianity is about “costly grace,” a grace so costly it costs us our very lives. We see this in the passage we read today. It’s great that God has graciously made Godself known among the Thessalonians (vs. 4-5), but is that enough? What makes the Thessalonian church so much different than just any church that claimed to have received Jesus? We see it in verse 6: they imitated the apostles, who themselves imitated the example set forth by Jesus. And they did that despite “severe suffering”. And in doing so, they preached the Gospel without words, with the Gospel making inroads into Macedonia and Achaia. Paul concludes thusly: “We do not need to say anything about it (v. 8).” Why? The fruits of their witness were plain enough for everyone to see.
Discipleship is fundamentally about imitation. In Jesus’ times, the rabbis would’ve understood what that meant. To be a rabbi begins with becoming a disciple of a famous rabbi. Whatever your master did, you do too. You want to be like your master. If he drank Earl Grey Tea, you’d drink Earl Grey Tea as well, even if you hate it. In our day and age, it’s easy to water down what discipleship is about. Oh, Jesus could not possibly be against homosexuality. Oh, Jesus couldn’t possibly be against having wealth. Oh, Jesus couldn’t possibly be against war. What’s wrong with living in the suburbs? What’s wrong with being patriotic? And by watering down what discipleship is about, we move closer and closer towards cheap grace. Before long, our discipleship becomes a “Denny’s Discipleship.” You meet at Denny’s (McDonald’s or Chik-Fil-A), get your meal, sit together, pray, eat, and then address the most pressing theological and ethical issue of our time: “What do you think of Theo Epstein?” And the rest of the “Denny’s Discipleship” is not so much about Christ as it is about the Cubs and whether this will be the year they’ll experience World Series Resurrection. So much for discipleship.
The challenge for our time today is not liberalism, conservatism, secularism, or whatever “-ism” you can come up with as you try to find a way to fall asleep. No – the challenge for our time today is cheap grace. The challenge for our time today consists of Christians who don’t wish to follow Christ completely, who are unwilling to give up their old idols to serve the one true God; Christians who want to follow Jesus without letting go of their pleasures and possessions. Christians who want to follow Jesus while staying employed. I’m not saying, by the way, that the Cubs, TV, iPods, or a job are bad per se. But so often, they become something we cannot give up.
All the more reason, therefore, that we make authentic discipleship an important part of our fellowship. Let us pray that God will teach us to accept “costly grace” and reject “cheap grace”. May we learn from our disciplers who embody what it means to be saved by costly grace – grace so costly it cost Jesus his dignity and life.
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