Open to 1 Thessalonians 4:1, may I remind you this morning that as Christ’s church, we have a mission that Paul summarized as pleasing God.
1 Thessalonians 4:1 Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; NKJV
Paul’s teaching involved a continuous urging and exhorting of the believers in Thessalonica to stay on track with their mission in life of pleasing God at every level of their lives. The word translated ‘to please’ God is a fascinating word in Greek (aresko; 19 times in New Testament) that means: “to please; to strive to please; to accommodate oneself to the desires and interests of another”
Paul continuously reminded them that they had a mission every day of life, and that was to please God. Think about life today and each new day you start, as launching out on a mission to please God all through the day and night, everywhere you are, and in everything you do. That was the mission that marked the New Testament saints.
Secondly, we find that Paul also taught them that their message was simply the gospel of the grace of God. The message was simple and easy to remember and repeat. In a confusing world with many false messages, they declared God’s message. So like them, We Have a Message.
Turn to Acts; this mission is accomplished by the proclamation of a message Paul summarized as the gospel of grace (Acts 20:24).
Acts 20:24 “But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. NKJV
Acts 20:32 “So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. NKJV
The message of grace—that God did everything possible to be done for salvation, and anyone can come to Him merely by faith seems impossible. And as Paul says, it sounds foolish (1st Corinthians 1:18). But the message of the gospel of grace, summarized by the cross of Christ, is what we are to share.
From GEW-11b – Grace-Energized Living is the Titus Two Model for All Women (070722AM)
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