Not In Word Only (1 Thessalonians 1:5a)

 


Monday, 1 December, 2025


Psalm 74

Isaiah 40:1-17

1 Thessalonians 1


Observance: Andrew, apostle and martyr [Transferred from November 30]


Not In Word Only (1 Thessalonians 1:5a)


...because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.


What kind of men must they have been? What is St Paul talking about, when he says that he came not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction?


There is a type of religion that is all head. We know the doctrines; we know the meaning behind the phrases of the ancient creeds. But if it has not penetrated into the heart; if it does not have what St Paul describes as “full conviction”, then it is nothing. Too much mysticism is much the same thing. If we are all about feelings, emotions, spiritual experiences, and wanderings of the imagination, then there is no full conviction either. When was the last time you heard a mystic preach the evangelical gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ?


St Paul, with his co-worker St Timothy, and his note-taker Silvanus, came to Thessalonia not only in word – for they had the Old Testament, and they reference it regularly. They also came in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. Not how St Paul says “in” the Holy Spirit. He talks a lot about being “in” Christ – here he talks about being “in” the Holy Spirit.


Being in the Holy Spirit is to be in God completely. It is to confront all the personal issues that plague our heart and our deeds and bring them out before God. It is to be honest with God about the fact that only the righteousness of Christ is what makes one worthwhile. And it is to be therefore, through this, filled with power, and by coming out the other side, act with full conviction.


How attached are you to your own righteousness? Do you desire the full conviction, power, and indwelling of the Holy Spirit that St Paul talks about? Are you willing to humble yourself utterly to get there?


Perfect and holy Jesus, you uphold the universe by your powerful word: give us the true humility that leads to the conviction of your holy apostles, that we may lead lives filled with the power of your Holy Spirit.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

For The Sake Of Ten (Genesis 18:32)

Image
  Monday, February 3, 2025 Psalm 78:16-38 Genesis 18:22-19:11 Luke 2:1-7 Observance: First Anglican Service at Sydney Cove, Conducted by Richard Johnson, Sydney, 1788 For The Sake Of Ten (Genesis 18:32) From this wonderfully pastoral tableau, of the old man and his wife entertaining three divine guests, comes a dark shadow. Approaching from the valley below them comes the cries of iniquity of the cities of the plain: Sodom and Gomorrah. Rising from their feast, the three men turn from blessing Abraham and Sarah to executing divine judgement. And the story just gets darker from here. But Abraham, in his boldness, has this immortal conversation with God, a conversation that uncovers for us whispers of Jesus’ words about people who are “salt” and “light”. God desires that none should perish, but that all should turn from their sins and live. And for the sake of just ten righteous people, the disaster about to befall Sodom and Gomorrah could be turned away...
Read more

Monday, July 25, 2022

  Monday, July 25, 2022 Psalm 62; 63 Hosea 1 Romans 4:1-12 He only is my rock and my salvation: my strong tower, so that I shall not be moved. The prophecies of Hosea are rich with vivid imagery. Look at these names: firstly, “Hosea” means “salvation”. So too do the names Joshua and Jesus. Then Hosea has three children: “God scatters”, “Not pitied”, and “Not my people”. This is because the children are part of the marriage between Hosea and Gomer, which is an image God is showing to the nation. It is to our profit that God has used real-life events to communicate spiritual imagery and divine truths. We find it very easy to understand our relationship with God as being a faithful wife to a loving husband. We can reconcile this message with what Paul has to teach us today in Romans. He makes the very important observation that Abraham was given God's righteousness as a result of his faith before, not after, his circumcision. Again, this is God using real-life events...
Read more

A Foolish Thing (2 Chronicles 16:9)

Image
  Monday, July 1, 2024 Psalms 1; 2 2 Chronicles 16 Titus 1 Observance: Coming of the Light, first missionaries to the Torres Strait (1871) A Foolish Thing (2 Chronicles 16:9) I think we all hope that, as we get older, we also get wiser. The Biblical command is for the young to listen to the old, ideally so that the wisdom of years is passed on to the next generation. But is it possible that we might go the other way; that we might become foolish as we age? King Asa had a turbulent experience in life. He had his ups and downs. His first major decision as king ended up upsetting the northern kingdom and throwing them into rebellion against them. But then he learnt from that mistake, and listened to and trusted in the Lord. This listening and trusting held him in good stead when he was threatened with the enormous invasion of a million men, when the Lord won him a mighty victory against an army that outnumbered his own more than two to one. But n...
Read more