God Gives a Message with the Power to Change Lives

Sermon preached at St. Mark’s, Honey Brook, PA

by The Rev. Tom Pumphrey, October 19, 2008

Proper 24, year A: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 (NRSV) Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.

We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you, because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake.

And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it. For the people of those regions report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming.

This is the time of year that Charlie Brown specials start to appear on television. I’ve always enjoyed the way that adults are portrayed in these cartoons: you only see their feet and lower legs. And when any adult speaks, especially the teachers, all you hear is an unintelligible “Wah-wa-wah, wah, wahhh....” Sometimes in our experience of school, or church, or life, words are meaningless, and they pass over us without notice.

Paul, writing to the church in Thessalonica addresses this kind of experience. He opens his letter with words of thanksgiving for the Thessalonians, saying that the message of the Gospel came to them “not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.”

Receiving a message in word only is like hearing the teachers in a Charlie Brown special, or like listening to the economics news a month ago, full of unintelligible jargon. But when the message comes with power, we hear it like that teacher that you remember, whose words meant something to you and caught your attention. Words with power are like hearing that economic news now that you understand the impact that this news might have for you.

This week, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson called the CEOs of nine leading banks together for a meeting and exhorted them to sign an agreement with the government to help them in this crisis. Whereas banks and CEOs might take months negotiating an agreement, these leaders received Paulson’s message with the power—they knew that the situation was dire, and that Paulson’s words had the power to change the situation and impact numerous lives. They signed within the hour.

When the Thessalonians heard Paul’s message of the good news of Jesus Christ, they received the message not in word only, but in power—power to change their lives. They took notice and accepted this message with an impact on their whole lives. God gives us words with the power to change lives.

Paul writes that the message came to them in power and in the Holy Spirit. Think about that teacher or subject in school that not only got your attention, but drove you to select your career, or that conversation that led you to change your job or change the way you serve your family or relate to others in your community. God the Holy Spirit works in us to take action, to live a new life. The Holy Spirit gives words of life, with the power to change lives.

Paul writes that the Gospel came to the Thessalonians not in word only, but in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. The word “conviction” is an interesting word. Conviction comes from the word “convince,” but it also has the meaning “to correct” as well. Hearing the message with full conviction means knowing convincingly in your head and passionately in your heart. Full conviction means that nothing stands in the way of your devotion. Full conviction means hearing the message and accepting it by taking action for the better.

Full conviction is the difference between an addict acknowledging his addiction, and taking action to seek recovery. Full conviction is what happened to my cousin who was a smoker. Everyone would tell him that he should stop smoking, and all he heard were the Charlie Brown teachers saying “Wah-wah-wa, wa, waahhhh...” And his doctors would tell him that this was bad for his health (“Wah-wah-wa, wa, waahhhh...”). But when he had a heart attack, and his doctor told him that smoking was the only reason for his heart attack, he received this message with full conviction. Every day, he still must take action to stop smoking—not just a passive activity, but taking action for the better, for he knows his life depends on it.

Full conviction means dedication, it means commitment, consistency, even in the face of hardship. Paul writes “for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.” Full conviction means changing lives for the better. God gives words with the life and power to change lives for the better.

So, what about us? What about you and I? What would it look like to receive the good news of God’s love in words only? I suppose that we would be merely spectators in worship, while others participate in prayer and praise. We would be spectators in ministry, watching the grace of God move in other people’s lives. We would be spectators to the fullness of life that God wants to give us.

But if we receive the message in power, then we are driven to know God more and more deeply. When we receive the good news of God’s love for us in Jesus Christ in power and in the Holy Spirit, we take action in response to what we hear. When we receive the good news of God in full conviction, we grab hold and commit with all our heart, not as a passing fad forgotten by lunchtime, but with dedication to worshipping and serving God passionately. In power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction, we help to bring a message of joy that will be received, not with words only, but in power, in the HS, and with full conviction. This is the message from God with the life and the power to change lives for the better.

Listen to what Paul writes to the Thessalonians and to us: “We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you, because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake… for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. [and in Honey Brook, and Morgantown, Elverson and Glenmoore…] For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it.”