A little while ago, I produced a verse by verse series in Philippians. I really enjoyed that exercise and have been wondering if I should take on another book. Well it turns out that 1 Thessalonians is the victim of my machinations, and hopefully, the thoughts produced by this fantastic book will edify and encourage the reader.

As with Philippians I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.

1 Thessalonians 1:6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit,

Our verse today speaks of the response of a portion of the Thessalonian populace had to the love of God becoming evident to them.

The result of a rag tag group of men, tent makers and such, entering into a synagogue and speaking of a Rabbi that rose from the dead. The began to imitate them.

To imitate. The Greek used in this verse (and the following) is μιμητής mimētḗs. In only one of the six times the apostles used this exhortation, was the subject of imitation only God.

1 Corinthians 4:16 I urge you, then, be imitators of me.
1 Corinthians 11:1 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
Ephesians 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.
1 Thessalonians 2:14 ESV – For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews,
Hebrews 6:12 ESV – so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Five of the six times saints were directed to imitate, the subject were saints or apostles. This is illuminating, for we often hear the battle cry “I only follow Jesus”, or “I only trust and follow God”. The Word is rife with commands, exhortations and instruction that we are to follow God and not man, and yet we see the apostles exhort believers, or at least describe believers as those who imitate, or follow them.

This is quite audacious.

Should we expect the same today? Are there men and women that follow so closely that we could (or should) see them as worthy of following in their shadows, imitate a lifestyle that would honor God.

That is a big question, and one that I believe Paul provides additional guidance on for the modern saint.

Let’s track with what Paul is saying.

They followed / imitated Paul in much affliction. These folks didn’t see a man teaching on the “Best Life Now” and then decided they wanted immediate gratification, or a man teaching they had influence over God, that they could demand things from an all powerful God to splurge on they own self interests.

They followed in the midst of affliction.

Now, the term affliction is a very interesting word. When I first tripped over this word in my studies years back, I couldn’t help but speak it out load. θλῖψις thlîpsis. It is a rare word to have the “thl” sound, and I couldn’t help myself from saying out loud as I walked about. But enough of my idiosyncracies!

Thlîpsis speaks of pressure. Oppression, affliction, tribulation, distress, straits and of a pressing together.

It is a force outside of our lives that is causing discomfort, pain and stress. It is not stress. Let me, for a short moment, try to explain the difference, from a strictly physical point of view.

Consider an inanimate object, sitting on a table. At one point, a large mass is laid on this object. This mass is a foreign object that is affecting the object. The effect of this mass on the object is the pressure we speak of. The reaction of the object to this mass is what we define as stress (or strain, but that is another topic). Stress may be developed as a reaction of the object to the mass being applied to the object.

Say the object is a brick and the mass is a feather. Internal within the brick a very minor stress is developed. Let’s go the opposite extreme for the sake of ridiculousness. Say the object is a marshmallow, and the mass is a concrete block. After massive deformation, and due to no internal strength in the marshmallow, we can conclude that the internal strength of the marshmallow is insignificant. Deformation was the reaction to the pressure applied to the marshmallow, giving us evidence of the internal strength of the marshmallow.

So let’s recap. These folks followed Paul, in the midst of pressure, showing evidence of an internal strength that was able to withstand being “deformed” back to their previous lifestyle. The pressure may have become quite intense, but the strength within the believers was equal to the task.

My question to you, my dear reader, is what was that inner strength? The passage speaks of the inner strength, and I would suggest Paul makes it clearly evident of the inner strength these folks relied upon.

Note that Paul speaks of these believers receiving affliction, accepting pressure with the joy of the Holy Spirit. He doesn’t describe their internal strength as being a moral fortitude, a righteous anger, or a holy determination. The strength these folks had received was joy. Joy of the Holy Spirit.

These believers seem to have resisted the forces being applied to their lives by the joy of the Holy Spirit. Make no mistake, the forces applied to these believers intended to deform these new believers into a “shape” they desired, a shape that was comfortable and malleable, usable for those who did not believe.

The joy of the Holy Spirit provided these men and women the strength to resist the deformation the world wanted!

Now, back to the big question about who to imitate.

Do you know someone in your life who is following in the midst of affliction, expressing the sacrificial love of God, even to those who despise and hate him or her. They may be doing something right, and he may be a great example to imitate.

Those who tickle your ears with promises of prosperity, success, health and wealth. They may be the ones who demand your loyalty, but it may be wise to consider why you should follow them as opposed to any other false teacher.

It seems we as believers have two choices. Either we follow those who provide (empty) promises or those who warn of earthly pressures.

• Which preacher appeals to you?
• What message are you looking for?
• Where do you find inner strength?

What pressure are you experiencing, in which the joy of the Holy Spirit is providing strength to resist deformation?

Or have you listened to that popular message, allowing deformation as an acceptable reaction to trials or troubles?

Nehemiah 8:10 …And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

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Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion.