“So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure” (2 Thessalonians 1:4).
TEXT — 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12
Message
In tribute to perseverance, Winston Churchill, a two-time Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, said, “The nose of the bulldog is slanted backward so he can continue to breathe without letting go.”
The church in Thessalonica had the tenacity of the bulldog as far as faith was concerned. Taught by Apostle Paul and his ministerial companions, this church was well grounded in the doctrines of Christ. In today’s Bible text, the apostle acknowledged their flourishing growth in the faith and their abounding mutual love, for which they felt bound to thank God. The faith and patience of this church shone brilliantly in the face of much persecution at the hands of the Jews and their countrymen. As such, they became a model of what God’s grace can do when effectively communicated to sincere and faithful hearts.
Paul and his fellow missionaries heard good testimonies from different places about the outstanding growth and steadfastness of the brethren in Thessalonica. They boasted of this church to believers in other locations. It is most gratifying to know, as believers, that our spiritual state gives encouragement, joy, and fulfilment to those who have laboured over us. This can only happen when we humbly embrace the grace of God as we apply our minds to the authentic word of God. We cannot hope to enjoy the Christian life or muster sufficient strength to withstand the slightest persecution when we rebel against our spiritual mentors and live in clear violation of God’s word.
It is clear from today’s text that a significant motivation for the perseverance of the Thessalonian Christians was the expectation of the second coming of Christ. If so, for them, it ought to be more for present-day Christians because the end is now nearer. It is dangerous to remain lukewarm, worldly-minded, or careless at this crucial hour. Will you, this moment, focus your mind and, through sincere prayer, appropriate the grace of God for a triumphant Christian life?
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
We are great now through him