Day 339, or December the 5th. Relax and enjoy
being a believer. Our thoughts today are rooted
in 1 Thessalonians chapter 1 verse 5. 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. And now the big picture surrounding
this verse. Paul wrote two letters to the church
in Thessalonica. Both were quite short and were
written to a church planted by Paul on his second
missionary journey after leaving Turkey and arriving
at Philippi before travelling south through Greece
to Athens via Thessalonica. The modern -day city
of Thessaloniki stands where the ancient city
was established, on the main road from Rome to
the east. The main emphasis in his first letter
is to stay focused whilst waiting for the return
of the Lord Jesus. It appears that believers
were idly waiting around rather than living vibrant,
effective Christian lives. And now today's action
step. We can so easily get into all sorts of
problems when it comes to spreading the gospel.
For years, I thought when you had an opportunity
to witness, you had to cover everything. I cringe
to think how many folk I have personally deterred
by this approach, but the Holy Spirit is still
in control. The secret of good witnessing is
a good deed or a timely word, not a whole stage
-managed passion play. When Paul writes to the
believers in Thessalonica, he tells them to live
the life. While the gospel is spread through
the power of the Holy Spirit, of course, Paul
and his team lead lives that radiate at Jesus.
I find that really encouraging. We don't have
to be super -witnesses, we just have to be God's
people acting as salt and light. Pleasant manners
in shops and as you drive, honesty with money
and genuine friendliness with a Christian flavour,
and no swearing. All of us can do this, so don't
get worked up about how to witness. Just live
your life to the full and let the Holy Spirit
do His work.