Serving And Waiting

by Martin, J. | Category: General | Jul 1954

Two points are indicated as characteristic of the Church of God in Thessalonica: they "turned unto God from idols, to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven ... even Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 1. 9, 10). "Serving," and "waiting" cover the Christian's activities, suggesting, respectively, present and future, practical and ideal, aspects of our position. "Service " springs from faith, "waiting" from hope, and both are wondrously enhanced by a demonstration of Christian love.

Faith, love and hope are the essentials of practical Christian experience. Their expression is seen respectively in work, labour and patience (1 Thessalonians 1. 2). "Work" (Gk. Ergon - deeds) speaks of a thing done, a matter of achievement. "Faith, if it have not works, is dead in itself," wrote James (chapter 2.17); and with this Paul agrees. Faith is ever a living active principle, "working through love "and producing fruit (Galatians 5.6, 22, 23). "Labour" (Gk. Kopos a beating, wearying-out work), on the other hand, stresses mainly the energy expended, the pains taken in the accomplishment of anything. Whereas "work" may be a pleasure, "labour" is always a toil. "Labour" is the test of true love. It is the word used of women's toil in service in Romans 16.12, and of the Apostle's own manual labours (1 Thessalonians 2.9), and of his own labours as a servant of Christ (1 Thessalonians 3.5).

The "waiting for His Son from heaven" may be seen in their "patience of hope." Here "patience" implies the active endurance and bravery, through the toil and heat of battle, of a campaigning soldier inspired with the hope of victory. Here "hope" is (as it were) the parent of "patience." Such endurance and courage gave testimony to the spread of the Gospel (1 Thessalonians 1.7). It is a patience that comes from a hope vested in our Lord Jesus Christ, a hope which is the key-note of the Thessalonian Epistles.

In a world that has known much change since the time of the writing of the first letter to a Church of God, there is still great and crying need for the exercise of Christian attributes that may be dimmed in lustre by the roll-on of years-" Now abideth faith, hope, and love, these three, and the greatest of these is LOVE" (1 Corinthians 13.).

Martin, J. | Jul 1954
General