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He Wants Me To Mimic Him
"And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything" (I Thessalonians 1:6-8 NKJV).
Thessalonica was one of the places Paul visited early in his ministry, and I Thessalonians was the first Epistle Paul penned. There is a vital key word in each of these verses. "Followers," in verse 6, is an interesting word. The English word "mimic" is from the same root word: one who copies somebody, an actor. Many translations use the word "imitators". The word "example", verse 7, comes from the same root as the word "type": something that makes an accurate impression every time, like an official seal or a printer's lead slug. Other translations use the word "pattern" or "model". Notice also the words "sounded forth", verse 8. "Echoed" is our English word from this same Greek root. An echo is a fairly close reproduction of any sound made. If you are at a place where this phenomenon is heard and shout the word "steak", it will not echo back as "hamburger". "Resounded" (Amplified) is another good translation.
What a powerful threesome Paul, and Silvanus, and Timothy must have been! The believers at Thessalonica mimicked these three, who in turn were mimicking the Lord. This is not the start of a new sect or denomination, but a description of a group of people who received the Word in spite of opposition and with real Holy Ghost joy, and were forced to ask the question: "How then shall we live?" And the answer was to imitate the preachers in believing the same truths, walking in the same way, and minding the same things. The old saying is still true: "What kind of a church would my church be, if every one were just like me?" Or the chorus some sing, "Can others see Jesus in me? Can others see Jesus in me? How will the world see Jesus, unless others see Jesus in me?"
The next key word is even stronger -- "type" or "example": "It properly denotes anything caused or produced by the means of 'blows', and hence a mark, print, or impression, made by a stamp or die; and then a resemblance, figure, pattern, exemplar -- a model after which anything is made" (Albert Barnes). Two whole provinces, Macedonia and Achaia (Greece), felt the effect of the change in the lives of believers in Thessalonica. And even other places further afield knew about them. Life-changing, world-changing faith in God is desperately needed again in this day. We need Christians who will come "out of the closet" and let God's views be made known to the world in which they live.
The third key word is "echoed". And what was echoed? "The word of the Lord", not some popular and catchy slogans. You were taught the Word, and you echoed it out to somebody else. It is the Word of the Lord, not something off the top of your head. The Word of the Lord is that which must be echoed forth. Over 2,000 times in the Old Testament alone, we have the phrase, "Thus saith the Lord". God has spoken His Word; we must echo it forth. It is the Word of the Lord that has to be sounded out in this day and hour, as it was originally given when "holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (II Peter 1:21).
It was at first involuntary -- a result of people talking about what had happened to them when they "turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God", and then it became voluntary, when they made their life-style an evangelistic tool that opened the door to telling others about the word of the Lord. We must echo out the integrity of the Word, for this is man's basic problem. For example, the basic problem of prayer is not a problem of believing, but it is a problem of the integrity of the Word of God. The basic problem in any area of the believer's life is the problem of the integrity of the Word of God. Either it is God's Word or it isn't. If we believe that it is, and it is accurate, then we should echo it out as the Word of the Lord. We need believers to take this stand, and speak with authority that this is "the Word of the Lord".
"For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe" (I Thessalonians 2:13). We thank God that when you received the Word, you welcomed it, not as a fabrication of man's imagination, but as it is in truth (in reality) the Word of God. Paul is saying that when we taught you, we taught you what we know to be the Word of God. Just how much of the greatness of the revelation he shared with the Thessalonians in person we do not know. But whatever he shared with them was the Word of God. It may have been "milk" or it may have been a good piece of "steak," but it was the Word of God. The Thessalonian believers accepted it as such, and found that it worked "effectually in those that believed" (KJV), "which is effectually at work in you who believe [exercising its superhuman power in those who adhere to and trust in and rely on it]" (Amplified). It works; that is the greatness of it. It will work for you if you will to believe what it says. It is God's Word, and it is effectual. -- Peter Wade
Recent additions to our web site
Four new audio teachings in the "Exciting Ephesians" series by Peter Wade: "Get Out of the Graveyard", "He Is Our Peace", "God's Secret Is Yours", and "Get Your Hands on Your Wealth".
Two other audio teachings by Peter Wade: "He Cares For You" and "Perfect Peace".
Two more chapters from the 1849 book Christ is All by Stephen Tyng -- "In Christ: Hope" and "In Christ: Security" -- both will lift you to the mountain top of faith.
The first chapter in a new section of the book "The Wealth, Walk and Warfare of the Christain" by Ruth Paxson: "A Walk of Unity".
Insights From Every Chapter Of The Bible
G. Campbell Morgan was a well-known preacher and writer of over 60 books from the first half of the 20th century. In each issue of this newsletter he gives a comment from one verse in every chapter of the Bible. We continue with Paul's first letter to the Corinthians.
"We received... the Spirit which is of God, that we might know..." (I Corinthians 2.12).
This is really a very wonderful declaration, which we are in danger of failing to apprehend. Let it be noticed that it follows Paul's quotation of a passage from the prophecy of Isaiah; and then let us remember how constantly men quote that passage in order to prove that the things that God has prepared for them that love Him cannot yet be known. This use of the passage, moreover, is almost invariably with reference to the future blessedness of the people of God. Now as a matter of fact this use is entirely unwarranted. Isaiah was referring to God's method of working for those who wait for Him.
Paul was referring to all the Divine wisdom, as manifested in redemption. These are the things which cannot be apprehended by the seeing eye and the hearing ear of human intelligence. They need Divine revelation and interpretation; they must be made known by the Spirit of God, Who alone knoweth the deep things of God. Here, then, is the wonder of the statement. We are not to live in ignorance of these things. "We received... the Spirit which is of God, that we might know." Does not this fact rebuke an attitude of soul to which we are prone, and which may seem to be that of rest and humility? The child of God who has the Spirit of God has no right to be content not to understand the deep things of God. The Spirit is ours, that we may know. Therefore we should give all diligence to know, in dependence upon the teaching of that Spirit.
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