Life's Fast Moving Opportunity - 1 Thessalonians 5

    First of all, I want to thank you for all of your care and support for our family over the past week and a half.  Many of you came to visit us.  Several offered to help or brought us meals.  John David is a blessing, but you have also been a blessing and an encouragement to us.
    Second, I want to let you show you some pictures of the newest member of our family, and this is not John David.  Let me introduce you to Elliana Renae Palmer, or Ella for short.  Ella was born on Tuesday - three weeks early.  Michael and Elizabeth went to our hospital for a check up and were holding her in their arms three hours later.   John David and Ella were born 4 days and 32 minutes apart.  Sarah and Elizabeth were in the same hospital, on the same floor, just across the hall from each other.
    These are special times - full times - full of love and meaning and opportunity.  We couldn’t have planned it like this if we tried.  This was a beautiful, serendipitous blessing.  
    But these days will not last forever.  These moments are passing.  We can only experience them now.  You know what parents say to each other: Cherish these moments.  Before you know it, he’ll be riding a bike.  Blink twice, and she’ll be entering college.  They grow up so fast. 

    This is not far from our text today.  This week, we are finishing our study on 1 Thessalonians, so we’ll read all of chapter 5.  It’s pretty long, so we’ll take it in sections.  Let’s start with just verse 1.

1 Now concerning how and when all this will happen, dear brothers and sisters, we don’t really need to write you.

    You can’t catch it very well in English, but Paul actually uses two different Greek words for time here: chronos and chairos.  Chronos is for the simple progression of time - tick, tock, tick, tock.  One second after another, one hour, one day.  Chronos is the kind of time when you say, “Their plane arrives Friday September 2 at 1:05 pm.” 
    But Chairos is a different kind of time.  Chairos is focused on the quality of time rather than the quantity of time.  Chairos is closer to the idea of an opportunity or when we look back on a particular period in our life and say, “Those were good times.”  Chairos is like that moment of opportunity when there is an opening in a horse race, and the rider has to go fast before it closes.
    To help explain the nature of Chairos, the ancient Greeks depicted Chairos as a young man moving fast, with wings on both his back and feet. He is tipping the scales in one direction for now, right now only.  One scholar explains, “His hair is long in front and bald behind; he must be grasped, if at all, by the fore-lock.”  If you want to catch Chairos, you have to get ahead of it, or it will get away.
    I played American football in high school, and I played defense.  My job was to tackle whoever had the ball.  Everyday in practice we did tackling drills.  Everyday, my coaches would shout, “Get your head in front!  You’ve got to get your head in front!”  When that running back is coming your way, you only have one chance.  If you don’t get our head in front and wrap up, he’ll probably get away.
    This is how it works with Chairos.  You have to get your head in front because it’s moving fast.  You have to tackle it with both hands and wrap up.  If you want all the Chairos moments in life, you have to be very intentional about how you live.  If you want real life, you can’t get lazy, or life will pass you by.
   
    The next several verses describe the this charios moment. 

2 For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. 3 When people are saying, “Everything is peaceful and secure,” then disaster will fall on them as suddenly as a pregnant woman’s labor pains begin. And there will be no escape.
 4 But you aren’t in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won’t be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief.

    The first part of this chairos time is that Jesus is coming back, and we don’t know when.  Paul says, twice that Jesus will come “like a thief.”  No one can plan it or predict it.  It could be today, tomorrow, or 10,000 years from now.  We don’t know, but when he comes, it will be too late to make changes.  When Jesus comes again, it will be wonderful for everyone who is ready and terror for everyone who is not ready.  The simple message of Jesus’ second coming - the ultimate chairos - is: Live ready.  Always be ready.

    The second part of this chairos time is in the next few verses.

 5 For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night. 6 So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded. 7 Night is the time when people sleep and drinkers get drunk. 8 But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation.
 9 For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us. 10 Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever.

    It is as if our world is singing us a lullaby, trying to get us to go to sleep.  Our world is passing out the liquor, trying to get us perpetually drunk.  So many things in this world are mere distractions.  Money, entertainment, fashion, houses, cars, work, success, travel, test scores, self-righteous condemnation of others, email, Facebook, IPods, music, cynicism - don’t get drunk on this stuff.  Don’t let this stuff lull you asleep.  All of these things can get in the way of the One Real Thing - Jesus Christ, and Life in him. 
    Paul’s message to us today is: Don’t live like everyone else.  Don’t work like everyone else.  Don’t play like everyone else.  Don’t talk like everyone else.  Don’t let the darkness consume you.  Instead, be awake.  Be alert.  Be sober.  Live a life of light.  Hold on to faith, love, and hope.  The final truth about you is that God loves you and saves you through Jesus.  Hold on to Jesus, and you will live with him forever.

    Then, Paul gives the Thessalonians a long list of commands - 19 commands to be exact.  Paul is telling us how to get ahead of this chairos opportunity of life in Jesus.  How do we tackle this life in Christ thing?  Paul spins off the commands in three basic breaths. 
    First, he talks about community.

11 So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.  12 Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance. 13 Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other. 14 Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone. 15 See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.

    So this chairos opportunity - this life with Christ thing - is a team effort.  We can’t do this alone.  We need each other.  My football coach used to say that we should be gang-tackling every play.  Pile on.  Load up.  Every victory is a victory for the whole team.  Don’t let each other go it alone. 
    Give strength to each other through your words.  Build each other up.  Be the kind of friend who adds to your friend’s character and life.
    Honor your leaders.  Sure we’re going to make mistakes, but nobody gains by taking hits on our leaders.  Respect them, but don’t just respect their position as leaders.  Love them deeply as brothers and sisters.  Because whether you see it or not, they are working hard for you.
    Don’t be afraid to tell people they are slacking.  Encourage those who are shy or don’t think they have much to offer.  Encourage them to get in the game and use their gifts.  Be tender with the weak - whether they are weak physically, emotionally, or spiritually.  Be patient with everyone - everyone!  Hold each other back when they seek revenge - whether it’s in word or deed.  Work together to do good for everyone - inside and outside the church - inside and outside your ethnic, social, economic, political, theological group.
    Basically, this section is a deep affirmation of our mutual dependence.  The God-Life is a fast moving opportunity, and we’ll never catch it by ourselves.  We need each other’s help to live in the fullness of the chairos time.   We need each other’s help to keep awake to the Spirit.

    Next, Paul tells the Thessalonians to live with prayerful gratitude.

 16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

    Easier said than done, right?  Always be joyful ... uh huh.  Never stop praying ... most of us are doing good to start praying.  Be thankful in all circumstances ... even 3am poopy diapers?
    Yet, this is God’s will for all who belong to Christ Jesus.  Go back to verses 9 and 10: “God chose to save us ... Christ died for us so that ... we can live with him forever.” This overrides all our current circumstances.  Sure, sometimes life sucks.  Sometimes you’ll lose your spouse or your house or your job or your self-esteem or your friends - or in the worst times - maybe most of those all at once.  But through it all, God still chooses to save you ... and Christ still died for you ... and you can still live with him forever.  Choose to focus your attention there.  Let Christ be your joy.  Cultivate an attitude of gratitude, and amazingly you’ll find that there is so much to be thankful for.

    Paul finishes his commands with a challenge to go all out for real life.

19 Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. 20 Do not scoff at prophecies, 21 but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. 22 Stay away from every kind of evil.

    Paul is warning against two extremes here.  On one hand, we can miss the Holy Spirit because the Spirit is unpredictable and uncontrollable.  We can stuff down those holy urges to do the possibly inappropriate but wonderfully good thing.  We can scoff when people speak the truth.  We can live all tied up in knots.  But on the other hand, we can accept anything and praise anything.  We can become gullible Christians who believe everyone who puts on a good face and say amen - no matter what the preacher is saying. 
    Instead, Paul says, go for what is real.  Really let the true Spirit out - even if it’s disruptive.  Listen to what the prophet says - even if it’s uncomfortable.  But, don’t be duped.  Don’t let someone give you fools gold.  Don’t let your boss or your society or your friends or your boyfriend define life for you.  They’ll sell you a counterfeit.  They will tell you, “This is real.  This is what life is all about.  This is the path to success and happiness and satisfaction.”  Test everything.  Go for the Real Life.  Ditch the garbage.  Go for the Christ-life, no matter the cost.

    So, let’s review.  Like any good preacher, Paul is happy to tell us what to do.  With hardly taking a breath, Paul says:

• Encourage
• Build up
• Honor
• Respect
• Love
• Live at peace
• Warn
• Encourage
• Take care
• Be patient
• Prevent revenge
• Do good
• Be joyful
• Always pray
• Be thankful
• Give the Spirit freedom
• Avoid cynicism
• Test everything
• Hold on to good
• Trash the bad.

    Is anyone else tired?  Wow!  Seriously, can you believe those preachers?!  Paul is like, “Look folks, you’ve got to get serious.  Chairos isn’t going wait around.  When the chairos comes, it comes.  You’ve got to be ready.  You’ve got to get ahead of it and tackle it as a team, and that takes effort.  You can’t be lazy or careless.  Get up, and wake up, and go get this Christ-life!”

    To be honest, I really jive with Paul here.  I get what he’s saying.   Living well takes hard work and intentional effort.  Life will pass us by.  Living Jesus’ way doesn’t happen by accident.  Life in the Spirit happens through practicing the good spiritual habits.  I get it.  I want to tighten my shoe laces and flex my muscles and do this thing!
    

    But then Paul starts praying, and he throws off my balance. 
 23 Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. 24 God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful.
 25 Dear brothers and sisters, pray for us.
 26 Greet all the brothers and sisters with Christian love.
 27 I command you in the name of the Lord to read this letter to all the brothers and sisters.
 28 May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

    Paul says, “Time is going fast.  Christ is coming suddenly.  Be ready.  Be holy.  Be peaceful.  Don’t mess up.  Do this.  Do that.  DO, DO, DO, DO, DO, DO!  Make sure you DO IT!”
    Then, Paul says, “God, you do it.  God, you are the God of peace, so make them thoroughly peaceful.  Give them your shalom wholeness and holiness.  Make them like you.  Keep them in the Chairos moments until Jesus comes again.  God, you do it.”
    Then, Paul returns his attention to the Thessalonians and says, “This God who calls you to holiness is faithful, and God will do it.”  The holy, faithful God will do the holiness.  We just have to let him do it in us. 
    This is one of the great mysteries of the Christian faith.  We have things we have to do.  We have to participate in our own salvation.  If we just lay down on the couch or go about our regular work, nothing will happen.  We have to get involved.  We have to stay alert and attune our minds to God.  But we can’t actually do all of this.  We actually can’t be the people God calls us to be.  We can’t just lace up our shoes and run this race.  God has to do it in us.  We have to participate, but our participation is to stay open to God’s work in us. 
    It’s like the difference between a rowboat and a sailboat.  On a rowboat, there is only one way the boat moves.  You have to row it.  You are the sole source of power for that boat.  You have to pull and push and move the oars, and it is hard work.  But on a sailboat, you are not actually the source of power for the boat.  The wind provides the power.  On a sailboat, your job is to catch the wind.  You move the sails and adjust the rudder and let the wind move you. 
    Life in Christ is life in the Spirit.  The Wind of the Spirit is always blowing all around us.  Our job is to put down our oars and to work the sails.  It feels a little awkward at first, but it gets better.  We still have things to do.  We still have to sense the direction of the wind.  We still have to work our sails, but it is so much easier than rowing.  God does the real work, and we just let God work through us. 
    This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  We are sinners, but God loves us anyway and chooses to save us.  Christ died for us.  Now we have a choice.  Will we go it alone and try to do everything ourselves?  Or will we trust in God’s grace and let Jesus transform us from the inside out?
    Life - the eternal chairos moment - is all about living in God’s grace through Jesus.  In the beginning, grace.  In the middle, grace.  In the end, grace.

    Time is moving quickly.  Is is it passing you by?
    Jesus will come again.  Would you be ready if he came today?
    We have work to do.  Are you doing your part?
    We can’t do it alone.  Are you helping others?  Are you letting others help you?
    God does the real work.  Are you living open to the Spirit?

23I pray that God, who gives peace, will make you completely holy. And may your spirit, soul, and body be kept healthy and faultless until our Lord Jesus Christ returns. 24The one who chose you can be trusted, and he will do this. (CEV)

Turning the World Upside Down (1 Thessalonians 1)

For the next five week’s we’ll be walking through a little New Testament book called 1 Thessalonians.  It’s pretty small - just five chapters and only about two pages in my Bible, but it was actually written to a really important city.

Thessalonica (now Thessaloniki) is still the second largest city in Greece, but it is some 2,300 years old.  Around the New Testament times, it was the capital of Macedonia - the northern half of Greece.  And it was rich, very rich.  It had an excellent port, comfortably nestled into the northernmost port of a gulf.  It was also centrally located on the major Roman highway running east and west through the empire.  All of this led to lots of importing and exporting.  They worked hard, and they had lots of cash.

Thessalonians were also very religious.  Like most ancient Greeks and Romans, they worshiped a wide variety of gods.

• Of course, there were the traditional gods of Greek mythology, but the most prominent in Thessalonica were Dionysius and Artemis.  

• Dionysius was the god of wine and ecstasy.  His followers were famous for wild drunken party-parades which “freed” everyone from all their social inhibitions.
• Artemis was worshiped both as goddess of wild animals and goddess of fertility.  

• Thessalonians also adopted two Egyptian gods: Isis and Osiris.

• Isis was the goddess of motherhood, fertility, and magic.  Her statues often showed her nursing a son.  Also known as the Queen of Heaven, she offered salvation and eternal life to all in exchange for humility, confession, and repentance.
• Osiris was Isis’s brother and husband, and he was supposed to be the god of the afterlife and underworld.  Osiris was believed to die every year and be raised from the dead by Isis’s tears.

• Cabirus was a god who was murdered by his brothers.  People worshiped him with water baptism, confessing their sins, and being symbolically cleansed by his blood.  His worshipers also did an intense dance celebrating the male sexual organs.
•   Last but not least, the Thessalonians worshiped Caesar - the Roman Emperor.  They printed coins declaring Caesar to be a god.  Their down-town forum had statues of the current and past Caesars on prominent display.  Caesar was said to be the son of God and divine ruler of the world, the bringer of peace for all humanity.

Thessalonians worshiped these gods at temples, at work-related banquets, at social parties, at sporting events, and at private altars in their homes.  Worshiping more than one god was no problem for them.  If you found another god who might be able to help you, then you just added that god to your worship mix.

So that’s Thessalonica, now let’s take a look at Paul, who wrote this letter.  Paul was one of the first Christian missionaries, and he always traveled with a team.  Acts 6-17 tells the story of Paul’s his second missionary journey when he took along Silas and Timothy.  As they began their journey to the northern part of Turkey, it seemed like God prevented them from going northward.  One night, Paul had a dream that a man from Macedonia was calling to them for help.  So they changed plans and went to Macedonia - northern Greece.  

First, they went to Philippi, and things went well at first - with a few converts.  But before long, there were riots in the streets because of these Christian preachers.  All three were arrested, “severely beaten with wooden rods,” and put into prison.  God miraculously busted them out of prison, converting a prison guard along the way, and the missionaries left town.  

When they arrived in Thessalonica, they first went to the Jewish synagog and started preaching.  That synagog had a lot of Gentile observers - kind of like seekers, where were interested in the Jewish religion.  When they heard that Jesus is the Messiah, they believed and joined in with Paul’s group.  The local Jewish leaders got jealous and started a riot.  They dragged some Christians downtown and appealed to the city rulers, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also” (Acts 17:6).  The Jews turned the crowd against them by pointing out that Christians claimed there is only one God and one Lord Jesus.  

This was a dangerous and subversive belief.  What about all the other gods?  What about Dionysius and Cabirus?  If Artemis gets angry, will she stop our women from having children?  If Isis hears that our own people are denying her, will she still give us eternal life?  And what about Caesar?  Will Caesar crush us all because these fools reject him?  The city was in uproar.

Some of the Christians posted bail for Paul and his team, and they skipped town - basically running for their lives.  The same story was repeated in the next town - Berea.  Paul and his team were naturally very worried about the Thessalonian believers.   They knew it was going to be tough going for them.  They knew that others in Thessalonica would not understand and would try to make them give up on Jesus.  Would their faith withstand the struggle?  Would the church of the Thessalonians survive?

Finally, when Paul couldn’t stand the waiting any longer, he sent Timothy back to Thessalonica to bring him a report.  (Maybe it still wasn’t safe for Paul to go.)  In chapter 3 Paul says, “But now Timothy has just returned, bringing us good news about your faith and love ... So we have been greatly encouraged ...  It gives us new life to know that you are standing firm in the Lord” (1 Thes. 3:6-8).  This encouraging news prompted Paul to write a letter of encouragement and advice to the church in Thessalonica.  

Keep all of this history in mind as we move through this letter.  Let’s read chapter 1 now.

 1 This letter is from Paul, Silas, and Timothy.

   We are writing to the church in Thessalonica, to you who belong to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

   May God give you grace and peace.

 2 We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. 3 As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ.

4 We know, dear brothers and sisters, that God loves you and has chosen you to be his own people. 5 For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true. And you know of our concern for you from the way we lived when we were with you. 6 So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you. In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord. 7 As a result, you have become an example to all the believers in Greece—throughout both Macedonia and Achaia.

 8 And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Macedonia and Achaia, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God. We don’t need to tell them about it, 9 for they keep talking about the wonderful welcome you gave us and how you turned away from idols to serve the living and true God. 10 And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God’s Son from heaven—Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment.

So we need to ask a few questions.  First, why was Paul so happy?  And the short answer to that question is in verse 9.  The Thessalonians had “turned away from idols to serve the living and true God.”  They certainly had enough idols to choose from, and remember that their normal custom would be to add on rather than to turn away.  Normally, when they encountered a new and interesting god, they would add that god to the worship mix.  It was outrageous and almost unthinkable to completely turn away from all their old gods in favor of one new God, and yet, that is what Christianity is about.  

The false gods of Thessalonica offered lots of empty promises - forgiveness, cleansing, protection, pleasure, spiritual freedom, and eternal life.  When Paul was preaching, he must have pointed out that these empty promises become full in Jesus.  What the false gods promised but couldn’t deliver, Jesus gives in a way that passes understanding and outside circumstances.  So when Paul here’s back from Timothy, he is delighted to the depths of his heart to hear that the Thessalonians have left all the false gods to worship Jesus as the one true God.  

But then we need to ask another question.  How did Paul know that the Thessalonians had really turned to Jesus and were still living in Jesus’ way?  What was the evidence that they were still following Jesus?  Verse 3 gives us the answer there.  “We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”  Faith, hope, and love - these are the classic traits of real Christians.  But for Paul these are not passive or hidden.  For Paul, faith is always active and working.  Love is not a mere emotion; it expresses itself in labor.  Hope is not an escapist longing for the future, but something that gives endurance in the right, steadfastness in times of struggle.   For Paul the Christian life is always lived out.  Faith, hope, and love can always be seen by others because they always fuel action.

We need to ask one last question about this text.  How did it all happen?  Paul went and preached, and the Thessalonians responded by changing their whole lives, but how did it happen?  Paul has no doubts about this.  It was God from start to finish.

• The church of the Thessalonians exists in God.  It lives and breathes in God (1:1).
• Paul thanks God for God’s work in the Thessalonians (1:2).
• All of this started with God’s love, and God chose the Thessalonians (1:4).
• When Paul, Timothy, and Silas preached, it wasn’t with mere human words.  God was working behind the scenes and in the hearts of the Thessalonians, confirming the truth of the message (1:5).
• The Thessalonians modeled their lives after Jesus, and the Holy Spirit filled them with joy despite their difficult circumstances (1:6).
• They were so faithful to God’s message that they became part of God’s message as it spread to other places (1:8).
• They recognized their true role as servants and slaves of the living God (1:9).
• They hope in Jesus as he begins their rescue even now (1:10).

The transformation of the Thessalonian Christians has one root cause - God’s amazing love.  God loves them and is working in their lives.  God has filled their hearts with grace and joy and strength to enable their faithful response.  Yes, they must respond.  Yes, they must remain steadfast in the midst of struggle.  Yes, they must do the hard work of faith and love.  But underneath and through it all is God.  God is our only hope.  

The critical factor of the Christian life is opening our hearts to God.  All of the turning and repenting and working falls flat if we don’t maintain an open dependance on God.  It is God who loves us.  It is God who calls us.  It is God who enables us to respond.  It is God who fuels our faith, hope, and love.  Everything we are is in God.  This is the key to life.

OK, so let’s bring this home.  How does this apply to us?  We actually move through the same kind of process that happens here in 1 Thessalonians 1.  

Like the Thessalonians, we also have idols.  They aren’t as obvious because we don’t usually have religious statues or openly religious ceremonies.  But we have all kinds of things that we worship.  The classic trifecta of modern idolatry is power, money, and pleasure.  But this plays out for us in different ways.  

• Through our job, we may worship money and power.  We may be addicted to success.    
• We might be people-pleasers.  We might never say NO to new work.  We might be addicted to being cool or beautiful.  Somehow deep inside we believe we will be worth more if others believe we are worth more.
• We may be pleasure-seekers.  That could play out with food, adventure, entertainment, sex, porn, whatever.
• We might be living our lives for or through our kids.  We might be putting all our hope in their success.  We might be worshiping the college entrance exam: “If the exam goes well, then everything will be OK.”
• We might even worship rightness - which leads us toward continually seeing how others are wrong.

Oh, we have our idols, too.  They are real, and they demand our loyalty like gods.

And, like the Thessalonians, the most common religious response is to add the new god to our household gods.  We accept Jesus.  We welcome him into our lives, but we don’t get rid of our old gods.  We put the cross on the altar right next to the TV and our wallet and our fashion magazines and our inflammatory emails.  Jesus becomes another of our household gods, who demands worship once a week and the occasional nod at morning or at mealtime.  

This is not enough, and deep inside we know it’s not enough.  But we find it hard to do anything differently.  Unlike the Thessalonians, we can’t cut all of our idols out of lives.  We still have to eat.  We still have to work.  We still have to wear clothes and study and find ways to relax.  The Thessalonians could stop going to the temple, but we can’t stop going to E-mart.  

So how do we give our heart’s loyalty only to Jesus in this mixed up crazy world, where idols seem to be hiding all around us?  In Matthew, Jesus says, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and give to God what is God’s?”  Well, what is God’s?  On one hand, we are created in God’s image, so we should give God our very selves.  On the other hand, everything in this world belongs to God, so we should live in this world recognizing everything as a gift from our Creator.  

I think we can find a clue to all of this in Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth: “What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short.  From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who use the things of the world as if not engrossed in them.  For this world in its present form is passing away” (1 Corinthians 7:29-31).  We live in the world, but we aren’t swallowed up by the world.  We use things, but we don’t let the things take over.  Through it all, no matter what, we keep Christ first above all.

And what is the result of this kind of living?  What happens in our lives when we relentlessly pursue Christ?  We have an active faith, a laboring love, and a steadfast hope.  We trust Jesus so deeply that it changes the way we live.  We love other so much that we get involved in their lives.  Our hope in Jesus is so strong that we stand strong in the midst of life’s winds and waves.  

Maybe you like the way this sounds.  But maybe you think it’s impossible to live in this world without bowing down to the idols of this world.  Maybe you think that compromise is an unfortunate necessity.  

Or maybe you’re more like me.  Maybe you see this life of faith, hope, and love, and you want it, and you decide that you’re going to get it.  You decide that you’re going to buckle down and work hard and push yourself until you have the life you want, the life God calls you to.

If you think it’s impossible, or if you think it’s possible through your own hard work, you’re wrong.  This life of total surrender to Jesus, this life of faith, hope, and love - all of this - is only possible through the radical work of God in our lives.  Just like the Thessalonians, this can only happen if God does it.  People who are overcoming addictions know how this works.  First, we admit that we can’t do it.  We’ve lost control, and our lives have become unmanageable. Then, we entrust our lives to God who can do what we can’t.  We give our whole lives to this amazing God who can work a radical healing in us.  God makes it happen, and our job is to live in radical dependence and openness to God’s active presence in our lives.

This week, I’ve been thinking about our church.  Many of you are engaging this conversion process with your whole hearts.  Little by little, we are being transformed.  We are turning to God for help with your addictions.  We are asking for miracles in our personal, and God is answering in amazing ways.  We are standing against our culture of more and pleasure and power.  We are developing more hunger for God and more of God’s love in our lives.  It is a slow, up and down process, but it’s working.  God is working among us.  

When people leave here and move on to other places, many of them write back and say how significant this church has been for them.  Like the Thessalonians at the crossroads of the world, your faith in God is becoming known everywhere (1:8).  As you embrace the message, you are also becoming part of the message.

So today, I want to encourage you.  Continue on.  Hold to the faith.  Keep being converted.  Keep your eyes open for ways you might have embraced idols, and keep cleaning house.  Live with an active faith.  Love in physical tangible ways.  Hope in Christ no matter what - at all times.  And through it all remember that you can’t do it, but God can.  All of this depends on God.  Day by day, moment by moment, let’s open our hearts and lives to God, and let God turn the world upside down through us.