Yesterday, I was contemplating not getting out of bed because I had a sore and swollen throat. Of course, you know now that I did get out, because if I didn’t you wouldn’t have notes to read! But these notes are a day late because I had body aches, headaches, sore&swollen throat and a slight fever after lunch. Yay.

What to Value When All is Said and Done

1 Thessalonians 2:1-20

• what is the greatest value?
  • people; saved people in presence @ His coming because you risked telling the Good News
  • Thessalonians were unsure if Paul actually loved them, hence these letters
• Evangelism has…
  • no other motive than love for people @ their highest welfare (1 Thess 2:1-6,8)
    • wasn’t about the money, fame, etc.; “nothing for ourselves”
  • entrusted with Good News; seeking to please God; (1 Thess 2:4)
• Evangelism has…
  • no other method than reflection of Good News itself (1 Thess 2:6-12)
    • Good News != part of the world (not part of the world)
    • means justify the end?
• Evangelism has…
  • no other message than the Word of God, not those of a man (1 Thess 2:13)
    • none of our psychobabble…
    • we receive the Word of God as it is, we do not choose which to believe in
  • plant God’s word in people’s minds, like the seed parable
  • every time you bless in front of those with the seed of gospel in them is like watering them, giving them nourishment…closer to growth
• But…how do we know new life has occurred?
  • imitators of Christ; suffer (1 Thess 2:14)
  • Evangelism has…
    • no other confirmation than changed lives (1 Thess 2:13-16)
      • the power to change
      • the presence of common behaviour patterns
        • we all have the same spiritual DNA, same Christian traits…
      • the passion to persevere in spite of
        • i) those who manifest absence of God and oppose evangelism
          • remember from before, “…heaping up sins, will draw away from God and God will draw away from them and build up wrath”
        • ii) Satan putting obstacles in pathway of people
• Evangelism produces…
  • no other comparable joy than that of the souls of people saved and presented to jesus @ His coming (1 Thess 2:17-20)
    • The “Parousia”; the final review and reward for faithful evangelism
    • our Stanley Cup = people in presence of Christ because of evangelism