Terry Storch

Writing about life, leadership, faith, and anything else I find interesting.

1 Thessalonians 1 - Echo

 

We took a departure from Paul's writings to enter Holy Week. That was fun to write and journal about Holy Week, and now we are back on Paul’s writings. We jump into 1 Thessalonians now, and lots to get out of these letters. I am looking forward to learning a lot. Here we go;

1 & 2 Thessalonians are Ecological epistles. This is a huge word that just means letters about the end times. 1 Thessalonians is a focus on Jesus Christ and his church, and 2 Thessalonians is about the anti-Christ and the world. 

1 Thessalonians chapter 1 is concise, but there is a lot of meat and take away in these ten short verses. Don’t be mislead or tricked just to think this is only a little thank you opening. Let’s dive in!

“For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake.” - ‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭1:4-5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This is another way to look at the Big Bang! Yes, the Big Bang of the Gospel of Christ. Called and equipped with the Gospel is what is being said here in v4-5. The gospel came to you not merely with words but also with power. Paul and his team went to the capital of Macedonia, Thessalonica, and were only in the city for three months. That's not a very long time to engage with the church, teach and transfer the Gospel of Christ into them. But we read here they were chosen, called, set apart and empowered by the Holy Spirit. The Gospel came to them, grew in them, transformed them, and supernaturally enabled them. 

“You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.” - ‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭1:6-7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This is such a great few verses here, that could easily get missed. Let’s not miss this... You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. In the middle of suffering, chaos, and craziness of the world, they received the message with joy and openness. Feedback, and change, and probably some challenging discussions, they received this message with an open heart, open mind, and with joy. They were not defensive, combative, or challenging, and they received feedback in the midst of severe suffering with joy. And this was being an imitator of the Lord. So much for us just to take this message in, and apply it to our lives. They were receiving feedback with joy in the midst of suffering! So good, but we must move on.

“The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,” - ‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭1:8-9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Here it is, the critical message for us to hear loud and clear. The Lord’s message rang out from you. God has become known everywhere. There it is, the Echo of Christ, our calling as a follower of Jesus is right here. The words rang out, or in other versions, sounded forth came from a term that we get our word Echo from. Why is this key, and a central message of following Christ? The Gospel is not something personal. The Gospel is not intended on just transforming a single life, and the Gospel is meant to reverberate through the world; it’s designed and crafted and intended to be an echo.

The gospel came to them and then went through them. This is the central mission of being imitators of Jesus, evangelists. We are transformed and changed by the Gospel and are compelled to share that with others. 

“Be imitators of God in everything you do, for then you will represent your Father as his beloved sons and daughters.” - ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭5:1‬ ‭TPT‬‬

Lord, thank you for this powerful reminder of being a deliverer of your message. Lord, you have touch and transformed our lives, and we are called to live that out and be the echo of the Gospel with our lives. May we be a good imitator of you today. 

other writing
John 20 - The Gospel

John 20 - The Gospel

The Gospel, the Good News! Jesus, Son of God, was born of Mary, lived as the Son of Man, died, and rose to life to rescue the world and bring about a new life. The central message of the gospel. Jesus, the centerpiece! John 19 & 20 cover the brutal death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

In this scene, I can not imagine how the disciples felt. John describes them as overjoyed...but those words just fall short of what I can imagine this moment was like.

John 19 - The Magnitude of the Cross

John 19 - The Magnitude of the Cross

The day of Jesus' crucifixion fulfilled 28 Old Testament prophecies. Scripture was fulfilled! Beyond that, trying to wrap my mind around what happened this day, on the cross, and fully grabbing the magnitude of the cross is mind-boggling.

Sure, we can dumb this down or simplify it to a place where I just don’t believe it is anywhere near accurate. We can get into penal substitution and argue over was God full of love or was God full of wrath and hate that he killed his son. To me, John 3:16 is pretty clear on the love part.

John 18 - Jesus levels an army

John 18 - Jesus levels an army

In John 18, we come to the great betrayal. Judas came with the soldiers, officials, and chief priest and Pharisees. We know the scene. But this morning, I saw something I don’t remember reading and surly don’t remember learning about.

“So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons. Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?” “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.” - ‭‭John‬ ‭18:3-6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

John 17 - The Lords Prayer

John 17 - The Lords Prayer

John 17 is Jesus looking heavenward and praying to God the Father. So much beauty and mystery in this prayer. One thing that jumps out to me is that Jesus, fully God, and fully man prayed. Jesus is God fully. Why did he need to pray, He was One with the Father, He was God...and yet he prayed. This is so powerful;

“And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.” - ‭‭John‬ ‭17:5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

John 16 - What does it take to believe?

John 16 - What does it take to believe?

By the end of John 16, Jesus had done countless miracles, preached some amazing sermons, transformed so many lives, and developed a close and personal relationship with his disciples. So, when reading these verses, I am just utterly confused on so many levels.

“I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.” Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.” “Do you now believe?” Jesus replied.” - ‭‭John‬ ‭16:28-31‬ ‭NIV‬‬

John 16 - Undervaluing God in Spirit

John 16 - Undervaluing God in Spirit

Jesus’ time on earth is quickly coming to a close, and he finishes up his last sermon or teaching to his disciples as they walk to Gethsemane. This final teaching was a heavy one that no doubt left his disciples with a heavy heart. Jesus said it this way;

“...None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things.” - ‭‭John‬ ‭16:5-6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus goes on to say;

John 15 - Constant Growth

John 15 - Constant Growth

We were built for growth, constant growth. From birth, all the way until our death, we were designed by God for constant growth. The problem is, we often can find ourselves stuck in a belief, a phase, or a part of life where we stop growing.

One of the most brilliant investors embodies this understanding. Charlie Munger, at 96 years old, is still learning and growing as a person. I love this quote:

“Knowing what you don’t know is more useful than being brilliant.”
- Charlie Munger

John 14 - The Gift of Peace

John 14 - The Gift of Peace

John 14 opens with Jesus, saying, Don’t let your hearts be troubled. And the chapter closed down with Jesus saying Don’t be troubled or afraid.

A message that needs to resonate with our spirit and our inner self. This was such a good reminder, reading through John 14 over and over. This passage lifted off the screen.

“But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart…

John 14 - Troubled Hearts

John 14 - Troubled Hearts

The world today seems so volatile and chaotic. Everywhere you look, whatever we read and see on TV just seems to be troubling. Last night, I noticed my lovely wife Tweeted this;

“I can’t be the only one who watches the news and is simply embarrassed right now, right? (Dear Jesus, we tap out. Come on back.)”

I find this first humorous, but then I also find it sad. It’s true, watching the news as a Christ-follower is pretty embarrassing. In John 14, we see Jesus…

John 13 - Unselfish Concern

John 13 - Unselfish Concern

Summarizing John, chapter 13, looks like this. The Lords Supper takes place. Jesus washes the disciple's feet. Jesus calls out Judas, and Satan enters him. Night comes, Judas leaves, and Jesus says he must go, and where I am going, you can not come. To cap it all off, Jesus also calls out Simon Peter and tells him that he will deny and completely disown Jesus three times. Whoa, a really full chapter, and historical day.

Nestled in the wrap up of the day is the parting message Jesus leaves his disciples, a message Jesus is sharing with us right now.

 
thoughtsTerry Storch