I have the honor of preaching through the first letter of Paul to the Thessalonians. The study has been incredible, and my mind is being blown with each passing day of mining the depths of the words of the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul. As a side note: one of the greatest joys of preaching from week to week is having my soul fed regularly, and outside of my normal devotional time, with the Word.
Paul says the following of the Thessalonians:
"We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers,
remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of
hope in our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thessalonians 1:2–3, ESV).
What Paul mentions in verse three are what can be referred to as "missional marks." They are referred to as such because this is what takes place in the heart and life of a person who has been transformed by the gospel. They become people on mission to expand the kingdom of their new Lord, Jesus Christ. Paul gives thanks for these believers (v2) because their lives demonstrate a thankfulness to the Lord who has rescued them from the wrath that is coming (1 Thessalonians 1:10). This thankfulness is expressed in their looking like Christ in the world in the following ways:
Their Work of Faith
In summary this means that they Thessalonians demonstrated actions and virtues that reflected a change of allegiance from Rome and its gods, to Christ as Lord of all. The word "work" is where we get our English equivalent, energy. Paul is highlighting that their faith - which is true of genuine faith - energized them to behave in ways that reflected their loyalty and love for the Lord. Paul "saw their faith" he did not simply hear about it. They were not working, however, for salvation. They were already "in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" (v1). They, as all genuine believers do, worked because the love of God compelled them to live and love in ways that were consistent with the life of their new Lord!
Their Labor of Love
Labor signifies toil, strain and exertion. These words do not seem to go with the concept of love that most have, but, in reality, biblical love is difficult. Biblical love is not emotion, per-se, rather it is acting in ways that are good and benevolent towards others., Those in and outside of the church. The reason why Paul gives thanks to the Thessalonians is because they are loving in ways that show the love of Christ. For me to love in this way demands that there exists an offense towards me from someone else.
Loving people who love me demands nothing but loving people who treat me wrong is loving like Jesus because that kind of love demands that I bear a cross. If I am failing to be kind to those who are not kind to me or if I fail to serve and sacrifice for those who, in my estimation, do not deserve it, I am not reflecting the fact that I have been loved by Christ. The test of genuine Christianity is working out our faith in actions of cross-centered love. If this is not the marks of my life or of a church, I am not on mission with the Lord.
Steadfastness of Hope
Perseverance is at the heart of what it means to walk with Christ. The challenges that face authentic faith are immense and, according to what we see taking place in the world, deadly. For the Thessalonians in the first century this was also the case. Yet, Paul thanks God because when he looks at their lives he sees a group of people who are unbending and unyielding in their devotion to Christ. They are persuaded that the hope they received from the gospel is worth the hurt they will receive from the world. This is not "wishful thinking." This is a certainty that is rooted in the promises of God which shapes and dictates their present behavior. They hope because they believe that what is coming from the Lord is of greater delight than what the world offers in exchange for their hope. They refused to live like men and women concerned about earthly possesses, fame, glory, and stuff! They have met Jesus, the Savior of the world and they understand that they have been saved from eternal damnation by His life and, because of that hope, they refuse to stop trusting, serving and fighting for His glory.
If we have been transformed by the hope of the gospel Paul is teaching us that we should look like the gospel. That, in essence, is what it means to be Christ-centered. It means inhabiting the nature and character of Christ and that, according to Paul, means being a people who work gospel faith, labor in gospel love and persevere in gospel hope.