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Our text is 1 Thessalonians 1:5-6

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. You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message amid severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.

Recall how the old English translations of Matthew\u2019s gospel began, \u201cAbraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren\u201d. Well, Paul plays a riff on that genealogy in this letter. But its not a long line of names, rather, it\u2019s a spiral with only two characters: the gospel and the church. The song goes something like this: the apostles preached the gospel begetting the church, the church preached the gospel begetting the church, the church preaches the gospel begetting the church, on and on and on all the way down to you and me.

When we think of church, we imagine buildings, people, policies, worship services, committee meetings, Bible studies, and so on. But Paul will have none of that. All those things are good and useful and probably even necessary, but they do not make church. We have already discovered two things that define the church: a community that lives in God and a community distinguished by faith, love, and hope. See our past two devotions for reflections on these two.

Now Paul adds a third element that determines if a community is a church: \u201ca community loved by God and chosen by him.\u201d In our conversations about church, we usually focus on what we do. Paul would have us put the spotlight on what God does. What God does is primary. This is encouraging. Even when the church does a poor job at being the church, she is still the church. He is confident that he is writing to a church because the gospel of Jesus Christ was proclaimed, and the people responded with faith and changed lives.

Gospel proclamation has two components: words and power. We are not thinking here of the persuasive and logical arguments of apologetics, but rather the story of Jesus told, accompanied by the power of the Holy Spirit. Blind eyes and hard hearts do not appreciate the gospel. The Holy Spirit\u2019s internal work penetrates heart, mind, conscience, will. The Word is the Spirit\u2019s Sword (Ephesians 6:17). As someone has quipped, \u201cthe Spirit without the Word is weaponless; the Word without the Spirit is powerless\u201d.

So, here we ought to pause to reflect on the state of our hearts. The spiritual heart is an odd thing. It may be soft one day but the next considerably harder. The events of life impact us and the state of our hearts. Thus, heart work is essential for the Christian. The Psalmist warns, \u201cThey close up their callous hearts\u201d (Psalm 17:10), and encourages us to pray, \u201cTest me, Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind\u201d (26:2) and \u201cCreate in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me\u201d (51:10).

Paul reminds us that the Christian life is caught. These new Christians imitated the apostles. The proclaimers of the gospel had a spiritual joy that enabled them to suffer for the gospel without complaint. In the Christian life, suffering & joy are often close companions. Again, this is the work of the Holy Spirit. Those loved and chosen by God, show and tell the gospel. Focus on the first part of that sentence, the second part will come. The Holy Spirit is powerful enough to make that happen in each of us.

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together\u2014spirit, soul, and body\u2014and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he\u2019ll do it! The amazing grace of Jesus Christ be with you! (1 Thessalonians 5:23,24,28 The Message).