Introduction
This year at WOW we are continuing to build a community of women, a community of faith. I encourage each of us to be prayerful - for one another and for our friends. The following scripture is a great one to pray for each other.
2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
So we keep praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honoured because of the way you live and you will be honoured along with him. This is all made possible by the grace of our God a our Lord Jesus Christ
This week we are investigating the work of faith that God brings about in us and through us.
1 Thessalonians 1:1-3 NLT
This letter is from Paul, Silas, and Timothy. We are writing to the church in Thessalonica, to you who belong to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. May God give you grace and peace. [2] We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. [3] As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Background to this passage:
This is thought to be the first letter written by the apostle Paul - to the Thessalonians not long after he preached to them. Since then they had endured serious persecution and yet had remianed faithful to the Gospel. They had allowed their faith to be at work in their lives changing the way they lived and engaging in good deeds.
Acts 17 is the background to the Thessalonian church, and tells of its beginnings and the persecution that followed. The church began with a group of people who were Jews, God fearing Greeks and prominent women. As an aside, note that God was interested in reaching women and they had a vital role to play in the formation of the church.
Acts 17:1-9 NLT
Paul and Silas then traveled through the towns of Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. [2] As was Paul's custom, he went to the synagogue service, and for three Sabbaths in a row he used the Scriptures to reason with the people. [3] He explained the prophecies and proved that the Messiah must suffer and rise from the dead. He said, "This Jesus I'm telling you about is the Messiah." [4] Some of the Jews who listened were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with many God-fearing Greek men and quite a few prominent women. [5] But some of the Jews were jealous, so they gathered some troublemakers from the marketplace to form a mob and start a riot. They attacked the home of Jason, searching for Paul and Silas so they could drag them out to the crowd. [6] Not finding them there, they dragged out Jason and some of the other believers instead and took them before the city council. "Paul and Silas have caused trouble all over the world," they shouted, "and now they are here disturbing our city, too. [7] And Jason has welcomed them into his home. They are all guilty of treason against Caesar, for they profess allegiance to another king, named Jesus." [8] The people of the city, as well as the city council, were thrown into turmoil by these reports. [9] So the officials forced Jason and the other believers to post bond, and then they released them.
This week we are focussing on "faithful work". Faithfulness is important for the follower of Christ. Habakkuk understood that “the righteous person will live by his faithfulness” (Habakkuk 2:4)
Habakkuk 2:4 NLT
"Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked. But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.
The "faithful works" of the NLT is better translated "work of faith" - God gives us faith for salvation and faith to live. We all have a portion of faith to live. In Thessalonians it seems to refer to the practical application of faith in our lives - a course of conduct - a way of living -that comes from faith. Faith at work in us - if we will exercise our faith. There are many aspects of the work of faith in our lives. We will think about the work God does in our lives and through our lives that is exercised by faith.
Faith can be defined as:
A conviction of truth - a strong and welcome conviction that Jesus is the Messiah - a predominant idea of trust.
So the work of faith means that God has saved us through faith and continues to work in us. We can therefore trust that God is at work in us. He begins the work of faith in us and he will bring it to completion. The Thessalonians, who lived in a world of idols and sexual immorality, not unlike ours, had allowed God's work in them to produce a change. They had moved from idolatry and debauchary to faith in Christ and a life of purity. It was not easy but faith at work in them was bringing a change.
God promises that the work he starts in us he will complete. Much later in his life, Paul was encouraging the Philippians with the same thought.
He writes:
Philippians 1:6 NLT
And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
He who has begun a good work in you: the work of faith is prompted by God and is continued by God, in partnership with us. Later in Phil 2:12-13 writes to encourage the church to work out their salvation. This means to put into practice the things of God in our lives. It implies effort on our part - exercising our faith in obedinece to the word of God and the will of God for our lives. The reason is that God is at work in us to help us live for him.
What does all this mean practically for us in our lives.
1. Apply faith
Allow God to work. Do the practical things that need to be done but apply faith to the work of God in our lives. Lets say God is challenging us to get something in order in our lives - maybe it's our finances or relationships etc. We recognise that we need to make some changes - in our thinking and in our action.
What do we do? Firstly, know what God's good pleasing and perfect will is for your situation. Read the word and pray for God's direction. Then secondly, look past the circumstance and see with the eye of faith to God's good plan and purpose for your life. Speak it out in faith.
The Thessalonians were commended for their faithful work. They chose to turn away from idols and to worship God. They chose to endure persecution to live in the way they knew God had called them to live - to change and be different to those around them.
The society they lived in was full of pressures and debauchery and lust - and they were commended for choosing a pure holy life instead - the work of faith in their lives. It was not easy - they were being severely persecuted for it.
Apply faith. Let God do his work. Then take action. Do what you know you need to do - if it means getting coaching or counselling, or you need help, then do what you need to do. Be active and proactive.
What about things as simple as our general health and wellbeing. Feeeling stressed? What is the practical application of this? The Bible tells me to talk to God about those things - and then to make some really practical changes. This is applying faith. Looking beyond the circumstance to live in a way that pleases God.
What areas of your life is God challenging you to apply faith to change?
2. God is at work
Faith cannot be applied to a situation when we are caught in the circumstances and refusing to lift our eyes from it to God's good plan and purpose.
When we take our focus off the situation and look to God, we give faith the opportunity to be at work in our lives. When we lift up our head and let God do his work in us and through us we will understand that he is not slow to respond - he is at work.
Philippians 2:12-13 NLT
Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. [13] For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.
"For God is at work" - His work in us is to give us the desire and the power to do what pleases him. In other words - God is at work in us enabling us to not only know what he wants us to do, but actually at work empowering us to do it.
The work of faith means we understand this and we set about to live in a way that honours God and brings glory to him regardless of circumstance. We live in a way where we work hard in service for his kigdom, on our own personal lives and on removing anything that is getting in the way. And we apply faith to this knowing that God is also at work enabling us to do his will.
Its a partnership - he actually did the hard bit pouring out his grace and his Spirit. It is when we do not apply faith that we find ourselves at an impasse. God is at work, but our stubborness stops us from making progress. The prompting of the Spirit in our lives - that situation where you know God is speaking to you but you don't want to change - God's continuous prompting- is evidence of his ongoing work in us.
Wanting to change is a good starting point. If you don't want to change then no amount of love and encouragement from others will have any difference. When we want to change we can actually begin to make a difference and God is able to move.
3. Cultivate the work of faith
Learn to apply your own faith - not springboarding off someone elses.
We all have situations that we face where we have to apply faith. Acting in faith - not knowing the outcome - faced with all sorts of struggles and yet choosing to be faithful in the way we live - choosing to continue to live in obedience - choosing to do what you know is right - even when all around seems terrible - this is applying our own faith.
Heb 11 is a good starting point for examples of applying faith. Read the chapter sometime. Sure, we can get support, prayer, love, encouragement and advice. That is all good and all valid and very important. But in the end we have to walk our own walk. Do we want to be facing the same issues and challenges in five years time because we were too stubborn to apply faith now? Let's be women who know how to take responsibility for our own walk and be open to the work of God in us.
Most importantly there are people in our community who desperately need a relationship with Jesus. We have the opportunity and privilege to be the friend who, living a life where faith is at work in us, can be the carrier to others of the good news of the love and grace of God.
Conclusion
In the end - God wants us to be in a place of grace with him - where we work out our salvation - where we apply faith and are making changes in our lives so that we can be in right relaionship with him - and so that others will see his good work within us and glorify him too.
