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Articles
Imitators of the Churches of God: The Gospel Realized (I Thessalonians 4:13-5:11)
“For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus…” I Thessalonians 2:14
After providing practical instruction about excelling in faith, Paul continues to remind the Thessalonians what their gospel walk is all about. Jesus Christ is coming back. It’s a topic Paul has referenced in every chapter so far, but now he provides more clarity about this issue that has been on the mind of those in Thessalonica. Christ’s return should be on the forefront of our minds as well. The message and promise of the gospel will be fully realized when Christ returns.
We need to acknowledge the reality of Christ’s coming. The Christians in Thessalonica were expecting Jesus at any time! However, there was some confusion among them. While we do not know everything about His return, we know what we need to know. Here are the facts, as Paul reveals them:
Christ “will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God,” I Thessalonians 4:16a
This will be an event that no one will miss. Everyone will hear this loud and clear!
“...the dead in Christ will rise” I Thessalonians 4:16b
The Thessalonian brethren seemed worried that the faithful who already passed away would not go to heaven, but Paul says they will actually rise first!
The faithful who are living will then rise “to meet the Lord in the air,” I Thessalonians 4:17a
We aren’t given much information about this, but what a marvelous occasion it will be to join the Lord in the air!
“...thus we shall always be with the Lord.” I Thessalonians 4:17b
This is the best news of all. We don’t know much about heaven, but we know heaven is where God is. As our late brother Dee Bowman used to say, “If you miss heaven, you’ve just missed all there is.”
No one knows when Christ will return (I Thessalonians 5:1-2).
Whether we are still alive or not when He comes back will make no difference (I Thessalonians 5:10).
Because the time of the Lord’s return is unknown, we need to consider our readiness for Christ’s coming. This is why we strive to be “imitators of the churches of God” (I Thessalonians 2:14). Remember the movie Home Alone? When the young boy happens to overhear the burglars’ plans to rob his house, he spends the day preparing for their return by setting various traps. We need to live our lives in expectation of Christ’s return at any moment. I Thessalonians 5:8 says “But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.” Our faith in God and expectation of Christ’s return motivates our obedience unto God and love for one another.
If we are ready for Christ’s return, then we can look forward to the reward of Christ’s coming. Paul says to “comfort one another with these words” (I Thessalonians 4:18) and to “encourage one another” (I Thessalonians 5:11) in light of Christ’s return. Interestingly, we’ve seen this idea in our study of Daniel. In Daniel 7:18 we read, “But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.” What more can you ask for?
The Thessalonians could find comfort in Christ’s return because of their faithfulness. They were waiting for Jesus’ return by serving Him as “a living and true God” (I Thessalonians 1:9-10) and sharing their faith with those in the world around them (I Thessalonians 1:8). Let us, in turn, imitate their example as we wait for the promise of the gospel to be realized at Christ’s return.
