“And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost: So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.” (1 Thessalonians 1:6–7)
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Much is being made today about the fierce opposition to established religious beliefs. Many people have abandoned the teaching of God’s Word, standing against those who continue to follow its principles. Outside of the local church, there is a growing sentiment to silence the message of the Bible. An ever occurring cry from many is that those who follow God are full of hate towards others. The preaching of God’s Word is often labeled as “hate speech.” We, who are believers, should not be surprised. God’s enemy, Satan, has historically used the world as His battleground against God. He is constantly working each day in the hearts of sinful men to undermine belief in God and His Word. As we draw closer to Christ’s return, the opposition to God, His followers, and His word will increase exponentially.
At times, our efforts to be an effective witness for Him seem hopeless. However, if you study the New Testament, the days of Paul’s missionary journeys were not much different. There was a great hostility against those known as Christians or Christ-followers. Paul faced fierce opposition in towns and villages on many occasions as he proclaimed Christ as the world’s Savior.
One such place was the city of Thessalonica. You can read about how Paul encountered great persecution there in Acts 17. Initially, many reacted positively to Paul’s message. Many heard and believed. However, it wasn’t long before wicked men stirred up the city against Paul. Their opposition was so fierce that Paul was forced to escape the city under cover of darkness. I imagine that Paul and those who traveled with him were pretty discouraged by the events in Thessalonica. However, it did not stop them from continuing their mission given to them by Christ. They immediately journeyed to the next town, Berea, and once again proclaimed the good news of Christ. Unlike the wicked citizens of Thessalonica, the Bereans “received the word with all readiness of mind and searched the scriptures daily.” (Acts 17:11) But what about Thessalonica? Their story was not done. Despite the vicious opposition from its citizens, some did believe and remained loyal to Christ. This is the heart of 1 Thessalonians 1:6-7 and answers an important question related to today.
Is there any hope for us as witnesses for Christ amid the increasing opposition of today’s society?
The answer is simply, “yes.” There is hope. The believers of Thessalonica are shining examples of such hope. Note some essential facts in our verses of study for this week.
“And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost: So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.” (1 Thessalonians 1:6–7)
KJV Bible
There is hope because God’s Word will always bear fruit no matter the opposition. History is full of evidence of the power of God’s Word. It happened in Thessalonica and many others places that Paul visited. And, despite Satan and the world’s attempts to silence its message, many still hear its excellent news and believe. The Holy Spirit excitedly points out that many Thessalonians “received the word” even amid “much affliction.” For this reason, we are reminded that our simple obligation is to be good witnesses for Him even when the majority opposes our efforts.
“And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28)
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One of the many beautiful promises of God concerning witnessing is found in what many call “The Great Commission.”
“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matthew 28:18–20)
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You will note that Christ expects us, as believers, to be a witness of Him. We are to teach everyone we meet about all Christ has done for us. As we do, His promise is that He will be with us. Thus, no matter how significant the opposition may be, we can with great confidence share the gospel as we know He is with us. Does this mean that we will not suffer persecution? The answer is no. Christ never said we would not suffer for His namesake. Instead, He stated just the opposite.
“Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.” (Matthew 24:9)
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Opposition to the gospel and our witness of Him should not come as a surprise. Instead, it is to be expected. However, we must also realize that God will reward our efforts just as He did Paul’s.
The Thessalonian believers heard the gospel. Circumstances were not in their favor as they experienced much affliction and opposition. However, their belief in Christ resulted in an unspeakable joy as the Holy Spirit moved into their hearts and lives. The joy of a believer is something the world can never understand until they have met the Savior. The Holy Spirit spoke of that unspeakable joy in 1 Peter 1.
“Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:” (1 Peter 1:6–8)
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These verses express all that the Thessalonian believers experienced. The trial of their faith was indeed remarkable. However, their faith in Christ increased as they loved, believed, and followed the Lord through those trials. In the end, they were able to “rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.”
It is interesting to note their commitment to follow Paul and the Lord. Why follow Paul? Was not Paul a man capable of sinful actions as another man? There is no doubt that he was. He admitted his struggle with his sinful flesh. [Romans 7] It is something we all face. There is no “temptation taken you but such as common to man.” [1 Corinthians 10:13] Why then should believers follow other men?
The mistake is made by placing emphasis on “following.” Instead, we should emphasize the fact that many are “watching” our lives as believers. Thus, our commitment must be to “follow” the Lord through humble obedience to His Word. Then as we “follow” Him, those who are “watching” us will see His hand at work in our lives, and they will desire to imitate our determination to humbly obey and serve the Lord. The word “follow” in our text literally means to “imitate.” No matter what we may think about ourselves, those around us closely watch, admire, and seek to imitate our lives. The real question is this. Are we leading to Christ or away from Christ?
Looking again at our text. We note one last thing.
“And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost: So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.” (1 Thessalonians 1:6–7)
KJV Bible
Our hope is that as we lead others to Him, they will, in turn, do the same as they are “ensamples” to others. The Thessalonian believers became “ensamples” to many other believers. Note the scope of their influence. Believers as far as away as Corinth and Philippi were encouraged by these Thessalonian believers. Macedonia was the region that encompassed Thessalonica, Berea, and Philippi, and Achaia was the region located south of Thessalonica. Its capital was Corinth. God powerfully used these believers. The word “ensamples” has the idea of striking a blow to make a mark. It is the same idea as forming an image from a mold or stamping an image with a die. These believers became powerful instruments for the Lord. Their belief, love, and obedience to the Lord impressed others with such force that they also rose up with confidence as witnesses for Christ.
Is it possible to effectively witness for Christ amidst growing opposition from our current society? The answer is yes, we can. We can as we simply learn to follow the Lord trusting His promises. Is it possible that some of us may suffer? Yes, Christ clearly stated that some will. However, we can be wonderful and powerful “ensamples” to many of His power and grace in doing so.