For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea…
1 Thessalonians 2:14a
I’ve heard it said that imitation is the greatest flattery. In the case of the Church in Thessalonica, their imitation was worthy of praise! The Church in Thessalonica underwent persecution just as the Church in Judea, and similarly they both represented Christ well through it all.*
When we look around us and try to decide who we are going to be, we often imitate others that look something like however we define “success.” For the Church in Thessalonica, they saw success as representing Christ no matter the cost.
It was a pivotal time for the Church. In fact, at the time that Paul wrote this letter, the word “church” wasn’t even designated for the Christian community as it is today.* The word ekklesia (Greek for “church”) could refer to a wide range of groups included Hellenistic or Jewish groups.* Nowadays, if you say, “I’m a part of a church,” people instantly know that you refer to some branch of Christianity. In the time of Paul, it would be like saying, “I’m a part of community.”
This open meaning to ekklesia prompted Paul to describe the Church in the following two ways:
“of God” - belonging to God*
“in Christ Jesus” - denotes the unity of the churches under Christ*
Where do you find yourself today? Are you at a crossroads or on a journey of figuring out who you are?
Today, take a step.
Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to imitate the Church in Thessalonica. Perhaps today God would have you define yourself as belonging to God and a part of His family. Maybe today God would have you represent Him in some area of your life even if it’s hard.
Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.
Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus.
Feel free to comment at the bottom of this page! We would love to hear from you!
*Holmes, M. (1998). 1 and 2 Thessalonians (p. 82). Zondervan Publishing House.
Shogren, G. S. (2012). 1 & 2 Thessalonians (pp. 110–111). Zondervan.
Green, G. L. (2002). The letters to the Thessalonians (pp. 141–142). W.B. Eerdmans Pub.; Apollos.
Kim, S., & Bruce, F. F. (2023). 1 & 2 Thessalonians (D. B. Capes, Ed.; Second Edition, Vol. 45, pp. 241–244). Zondervan Academic.
Morris, L. (1984). 1 and 2 Thessalonians: An introduction and commentary (Vol. 13, p. 64). InterVarsity Press.
Beale, G. K. (2003). 1–2 Thessalonians (pp. 80–82). InterVarsity Press.
Weima, J. A. D. (2014). Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: 1–2 Thessalonians (R. W. Yarbrough & R. H. Stein, Eds.; pp. 165–166). Baker Academic.