You Became Imitators of Us and of the Lord - 1 Thessalonians Series

 

 

Hello everybody, my name is Dean Davis and this is “Multiply,” the podcast that provides a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.

The Apostle Paul told the Thessalonian Christians, “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.”  Paul was a church planter and so are you. I’m a church planter too.  We know church planters.  And there is nothing that fills us with more joy than when we see our disciples following Jesus by following our example. I can almost hear the joy and satisfaction in Paul’s voice when I read his words nearly 2,000 years after he wrote 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.   

There are many ways to make disciples. Preachers make disciples. Teachers do too. Evangelists make disciples sometimes and so do pastors. But regardless of our gifting, the best way to make disciples is to model the way to live with our behavior. Talk is cheap.  But living a life of love in the face of hardships is not easy.  And every church planter I have ever known has been acquainted with sorrows. Persecution, rejection, family members who do not understand our devotion to God, sickness, spiritual warfare.  All of this is part of the life of a church planter. Jesus suffered the same kinds of trials that we do.  The Bible says that he was a “man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” But for the joy set before him Jesus kept going, he kept walking in faith, he fulfilled the will of his Father.

I promise you, your disciples are watching the way you deal with hardships, the way you deal with sorrows. They want to know what it means to truly trust God. Your example of walking by faith in spite of hardships builds their faith and makes them want to imitate you.

That is exactly want happened with Paul, Silas and Timothy. Their faith and their perseverance in the face of suffering served as a strong and positive example to the Thessalonian believers.  They appreciated the quality of the church planters’ life so much, they began to imitate it.

The Apostle Peter said, “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.” How wonderful it is to know the example of our Savior. How amazing that he invites us to follow in his steps. How amazing it is that our disciples should imitate us and live by our example. It is a glorious privilege to be connected to Christ In such a fruitful way. It is a great honor to see the life of Christ flow through us to transform others!

So be encouraged my brother; don’t quit my sister. Jesus has shown you the way and He is with you!

This has been “Multiply.” And I’m Dean Davis asking, “Who will you share this encouraging word with today? 1T-08

#EncouragementForVillageChurchPlanters #InHisSteps