Well, folks, maybe you want to grab your Bibles at this point and turn to Acts chapter 17.
And as we mentioned this morning, we're starting a new series looking at the book of 1 Thessalonians.
Maybe, Johnny, you could chuck the PowerPoint on the screen. Acts 17.
We went on holiday a few years ago with a company called Jet2.
Has anyone ever flown with Jet2? Yeah?
Getting to that stage of life where it's all about the package holiday.
Love about Jet2.
So we went on holiday with Jet2.
And at that time, I made the mistake of ticking the box that said,
I would love to receive future notifications and emails.
Someone never fallen for that one before.
Thank goodness for GPDR. I'll tell you that.
So there we are.
So I'm hearing from Jet2 all throughout the last couple of years.
And I find out last summer that Jet2 have now got a flight route from Edinburgh to this city in Greece called Thessalonica.
Now, why should I go there on my holidays, you're asking?
Well, let me, this is what they say on their website.
If you haven't got summer plans, Thessalonica, okay, this is what they write.
Greece's second biggest city is a cultural treasure trove of ancient delights and modern entertainment.
You can see shimmering Macedonian gold and Byzantine works in world-famous museums.
Immerse yourself in the atmosphere at historic districts dotted with inventive restaurants and arty cafes.
Fancy that one?
No?
Thessalonica?
Well, tonight we're going to meet some people who travelled to Thessalonica.
Paul, Silas and Timothy travelled to this city roughly 50 AD.
Thessalonica back then was a very different place to what it is today.
Very different place.
In the context of Acts, with your Bibles open there, chapter 17, we're on Paul's second missionary journey.
God's spirit, remember the driving force behind the proclamation of the risen Jesus to the world.
The spirit has taken Paul and his companions into Europe.
And praise God that that was true at that point, because we wouldn't be here if it wasn't.
Firstly, they go to Philippi.
And having spent some time there and having seen God do some incredible things through the gospel message
as it was proclaimed from the lips of Paul and his companions,
they've left Philippi and they've made the 100 mile trip south.
And you'll see it there along the Ignatian Way, which is the superhighway connecting the east to the west.
And they've arrived at this city called Thessalonica.
Now, three things to know about this city in 50 AD.
In fact, four things to know about this city in 50 AD.
Here's the first thing.
It's a large city.
Paul's day, you're looking at well over 100,000 people.
In fact, if you read some commentators, they'll tell you, some historians,
they'll tell you that it was maybe even closer to 200,000 in this city in 50 AD.
Now, that's a lot of people.
A lot of people.
Put that into context.
Dundee has a population of 130,000 people.
So this is no backwater village that Paul and his companions have hit.
It's a major city, a large city.
And the reason that it's going to be a large city is because it's an affluent city.
We see it there on the map.
It's a city that sits on the coastline of the Agen Sea on an important trading route.
So people all around the region are coming to Thessalonica to do business
because there's money and there's fame to be made in Thessalonica.
Because of that influx of people.
Thirdly, it's a diverse city.
Many different people from many different places,
each bringing with them many different cultures,
many different ideas,
many different philosophies.
It's a diverse city.
And lastly,
it's a religious city.
A mixture of Greco-Roman religions.
A mixture of people who are loyal to Rome,
everything of Rome and to Caesar.
And in this city,
you've got a sizable Jewish population.
Big enough that it justifies having a synagogue in this city.
And of course,
that's when,
sorry,
that's where Paul and his traveling companions head straight forward
when they get to this city.
That's Thessalonica in a nutshell.
50 AD.
Large,
affluent,
diverse,
religious.
And God births a church
in this city.
Through Paul's preaching of the gospel of the risen Jesus,
God births a church
as this message takes root
in the hearts of men and women
as people are saved.
Now that gives me at this point,
I don't know about you,
but it gives us great confidence
as we think about our city.
That even when we think we're up against it,
even when it's so hard
that we think God couldn't do that,
yes he could.
God births a church
in this city.
So if you've got your Bibles there,
let's turn to Acts 17
and let's see what happened
when the gospel hit Thessalonica.
And as we read it through,
and Brenna's going to come in just a minute
and read it to us,
I want you to look for the two different reactions
that we see to Paul's message.
Two different reactions
that we see all the way through.
And I'll invite Brenna up at this point
to read it to us.
Acts 17.
Well folks, if you have your Bibles there,
then let's continue the story.
Let's read 1 Thessalonians chapter 1
and the first 10 verses.
Maybe you want to turn there just now.
Glorious message of Acts 17.
The gospel has hit Thessalonica.
And through his word,
despite great opposition,
did you notice it,
God has birthed this church.
And Paul,
having been forced to leave this city
after only such a short time,
wonder you've got that in Acts 17 as well,
something between two to four weeks.
He's desperate to hear,
desperate to hear that these Christians
are still standing.
So desperate, in fact,
that he sent Timothy,
his traveling companion,
back to them
to find out how they're getting on.
And Timothy's returned to Paul,
who's most likely at this point
in the story in Corinth.
And he's brought with him
encouraging news
about these Thessalonian Christians
that although there are a few issues,
that although it is hard,
that these guys are still going strong.
And that news has thrilled Paul's heart.
And he pens this affectionate letter
back to his beloved Thessalonians.
And we pick it up
from verse one of chapter one.
Here's the heart of Pastor Paul,
as I've got to know him this week.
Here's where he writes.
Paul, Silas and Timothy,
to the church of the Thessalonians
in God the Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ,
grace and peace to you.
We always thank God for all of you
and continually mention you
in our prayers.
We remember before our God and Father
your work produced by faith,
your labor prompted by love,
and your endurance inspired
by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
For we know,
brothers and sisters loved by God,
that he has chosen you
because our gospel came to you
not simply with words,
but also with power,
with the Holy Spirit
and with deep conviction.
You know how we lived among you
for your sake.
You became imitators of us
and of the Lord,
for you welcomed the message
in the midst of severe suffering
with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.
And so you became a model
to all the believers
in Macedonia and Achaia.
The Lord's message rang out from you
not only in Macedonia and Achaia.
Your faith in God
has become known everywhere.
Therefore, we do not need to say
anything about it,
for they themselves report
what kind of reception you gave us.
They tell how you turn to God
from idols
to serve the living and true God
and to wait for his son from heaven
whom he raised from the dead,
Jesus who rescues us
from the coming wrath.
Amen.
And we trust that God would bless
the reading of his word to us
this evening.
Well, I wonder if you were like me
when you were young.
Did you read these books?
Remember these books?
Where's Wally?
I used to love these books
when I was young.
Here's a question for you
really simply.
How did you spot Wally?
How did you spot him?
The first hat.
Okay.
Anything else?
Come on.
His glasses, okay.
I'm looking for an answer here.
What else was he wearing?
The stripy top
to put out your misery.
Here he is.
Okay.
He was the one wearing
the red and white stripy top.
That's how you spotted Wally.
Now here's my question
for you this evening
and this is going to be
the question we're going to
try and answer this evening
in the next 20, 25 minutes or so.
How do you spot a Christian?
How do you spot one?
Park the question
and we're going to move through
and see if we can answer it
by the end of tonight.
How do you spot a Christian?
Because here's how this works out
in my everyday life.
This is my walk to the office
every morning.
I walk George Street,
Princess Street,
Royal Mile,
Meadows, Brunsfield.
That's my walk every morning
and I see hundreds of people
on that walk
and I can spot the workers
and I can spot the students
and I can spot the football fans
and I can spot the mums,
I can spot the dads,
I can spot the Jehovah's Witnesses
and I can spot the Mormons.
I was really up for a chat this week
and I went towards two groups
of Mormons walking
through the Meadows
and they both beelined me.
I couldn't believe it.
Really up for a talk.
I can spot all those kinds
of groups of people
on my walk to work each morning.
Here's the question.
How do you spot the Christians?
How do you spot a Christian?
These verses are going to help us
answer this question.
You'll spot a question
not by what they're wearing.
You'll spot a Christian
by how they're living.
I love Luke's account in Acts
of what happened
when the gospel hit Thessalonica.
What happened there?
I wonder if you've noticed
that the two reactions
as the gospel hit.
It's kind of the same reaction
as you see all the way
through the book of Acts,
is it not?
And it's kind of the same reaction
that you see today
when you tell people about Jesus.
Revival or riot?
Yeah?
Revival or riot?
Or as Rico Tice puts it
in his book Honest Evangelism,
hunger or hostility?
It's the same thing.
Hunger or hostility.
That's the pattern.
Here is a church
that's been birthed
in a pressure cooker.
I think it's fair to say that.
They didn't get eased
into Christian life, did they?
It wasn't like
they got a honeymoon period.
They are straight in
and they are straight up against it.
Now, try and get into their shoes
at this point in the story.
Paul's only been there for what?
Between two to four weeks?
Three Sabbath days?
That's a short amount of time.
You think how quickly
three weeks goes in your life.
Would it not be
such an easy thing to do
for these jealous Jews
to come along
to these new Thessalonian Christians
and begin to attack
Paul and his message?
Can you really trust
what Paul said?
Is Jesus really the Messiah?
Have you got it wrong?
Would it not be
the easiest thing
for these Thessalonian Christians
to think in their mind?
Have we been duped?
Have we got it all?
Do we understand it?
No one likes being conned, do they?
Nobody likes being conned.
I think about it all the time
when I find out
that somebody's paying
less a month
on their mobile phone contract
than me.
Nobody likes finding out
that they've been conned.
It'd be the easiest thing
in the world
for these new believers
to ask themselves,
are we really Christians?
To doubt it in their minds.
Have we really got it?
Well, this letter,
Paul writes from his heart
to let them know
that from what he knows
about them,
from what he's heard
about them,
he writes this letter
with great words
of assurance
as if to say,
I look at you guys
and I spot Christians.
As we'll journey
through these verses,
we'll come on to see
that Paul looks at them
and there's three things
that he sees,
three marks
of a real deal Christian.
And verse four,
I think,
is the key for us
to understand
what's going on here.
What does Paul say
as he thinks about these people?
I think you might be Christians.
I'm pretty confident of it.
No, he says,
we know.
Get a certainty
in his language there.
We know.
Know what?
That God chose you.
That you were,
spiritually speaking,
in the dark.
You were separated
from the God
who made you.
You had no interest in him.
You preferred the darkness.
And God,
moved by nothing
other than his sheer grace
and love.
Moved into your life
by his spirit.
He reached into your hearts
and if you like,
he flicked on the light.
He turned on the light.
And in that moment,
he took you
in the palm of his hand
and he declared over you,
you are mine.
Isn't it how often
we think that being a Christian
is a small thing?
Here is Paul saying
to these Christians,
it is a big thing
that the Lord has done
in your life.
He chose you.
How do you know that, Paul?
How do you know that?
Well, two reasons,
verse six.
Here's the first one.
You welcomed.
You welcomed the message.
So in that moment
when you heard the message
about what God
had done for you
in sending his son
to die for your sin
and the son
whom he raised to life
to demonstrate
to the world
that he is my king,
this Jesus
who will return
as we heard this morning
to judge the world.
When you heard this message,
it didn't just make sense to you.
It became
wonderful to you.
It hit you.
Get the language
of what he's writing here.
It hit you with what?
Deep conviction.
As if to say
through the power
of the Holy Spirit
working in you,
you knew
deep down in your gut
all of you
you knew it was true.
What the scriptures say
about God,
what the scriptures say
about the world,
what the scriptures say
about you.
You knew it was true.
Isn't that?
I was reflecting on it
this week.
Remember the
gospel made sense
to me for the first time.
It's true.
It's just true.
Deep conviction.
And these guys did it.
And I find this
so encouraging.
They did it
even when it didn't
make sense to do it.
Because when they
put their hands up
and declared to the world
that Jesus is my king,
it cost them big time.
Not just a few
raised eyebrows.
What does he say?
Severe suffering.
I mean,
think back to the character
Jason that we met
in Acts 17.
Did you get him?
Jason.
People banging
on his door.
People dragging him
out to face trial.
Why would you keep
on going?
There is no other
explanation for that
other than the work
of God in your life
helping you to understand
that in Jesus Christ
you have something
that's worth standing for
and something that's
far greater
than any fleeting
pleasure of the world
that you used to chase after.
That's what we were singing
at the start, wasn't it?
Lord, there's none like you.
There is none like you.
There's a Christian man
called Augustine.
Prominent in the church
in the third century
and in his previous life
by his own admission
he was anti-God.
Anti-God.
Didn't want to hear about it.
In fact,
reveled in his sin.
Shoved it in God's face.
Loathed the very mention
of God's name.
He was,
as he writes
about himself,
he was a pleasure seeker.
And here is what he writes
in his little book
called The Confessions
which if you haven't read it
can I encourage you to do it?
Really just his spiritual autobiography
of what happened
when he became a Christian.
Here's what he writes
and here is this language.
This is what the gospel
felt to him like
when he first heard it.
How sweet
all at once it was for me
to be rid of those fruitless joys
which I once feared to lose.
And here's his prayer.
You drove them from me, Lord.
You who are the true
and the sovereign joy.
You drove them from me
and get this
and you took their place.
Oh Lord my God,
my light,
my wealth
and my salvation.
So what Augustine is saying there
that in God
he found a greater joy.
A far superior joy
than anything
that he was previously
basing his life upon
and chasing.
That's what's been true
about these Thessalonian believers.
This message of the risen Jesus
it became to them life
and they welcomed the message.
You welcomed,
secondly you became.
Became what?
Imitators.
You see that word in the passage here?
Imitators.
Greek word,
mimitai.
Now you see
that's where we get
our English word mimic from.
So you saw something
and you copied something.
Now my colleagues here at the church
and I'm not going to look at them
at this point.
They'll tell you
that one of my most annoying traits
is that when I get excited
about something
I do the clap and rub.
Does anyone else do the clap and rub
when they get excited?
Do you know where I learnt that from?
I learnt it from my dad.
Okay?
And my brother
does exactly the same thing.
In fact it's a sight
when we get together
at Christmas time
and we go to watch a football game
and see when our team
is looking like it's doing well
the three of us sitting next to each other.
It's a sight to behold.
But I learnt it from my dad.
I mimicked my dad.
That's what Paul is saying here
about these Christians.
They began to mimic
their family.
They began to copy
the family traits.
They started copying Paul.
And Paul is saying here
that's incredible
because do you know
where we learnt it from?
Do you know who we're trying to copy?
The Lord Jesus Christ.
This is who we are living for.
This is who we are copying.
Together
we are heading for him.
Friends,
is it not a beautiful
little example right here?
And we'll think more
about this next week
so I'm conscious
of not stepping on toes
for next week.
Is it not a lovely
biblical example
of what discipleship looks like?
Seeing
and copying.
Seeing
and copying.
Just as a little side,
we'll come into the lay-by here.
A little side
from my heart
at the minute.
I wonder if you're so encouraged
when you look around
this church at the minute,
this church family
and we see so many young people.
So many young people.
What a privilege it is
to be able to have
so many kids
as part of this church family.
But with that privilege,
does it not come
an incredible responsibility
to take seriously
modelling the Christian life
to these young minds?
Saying,
do you know what?
Do you want to see
what the Christian life
looks like?
Do you want to see
what pursuing righteousness
looks like?
Do you want to see
what it looks like
to seek first
the kingdom of God
and his righteousness?
Do you want to see
what a life
lived in love
and in service
of the Lord Jesus
looks like?
Then look to us.
Look to me.
Copy me.
I think about,
I just think about
my little girls
growing up in the world,
the world that they're
growing up in.
And the truth is,
if we're not discipling
these children,
the world will be
discipling these children.
What an incredible
responsibility we have
to these young minds
to say,
do you want to see
what real authentic
Christian faith looks like?
Watch us as we model it.
Sharing word and heart,
sharing gospel and life,
being disciples
that seek to make disciples,
passing this on,
mimicking the Lord Jesus Christ,
seeking to imitate those
who are also running
this race of faith.
Because Paul looks
at these Thessalonians,
he looks at the way
they welcome,
he looks at the way
they imitate,
and look what he writes
at verse 7.
This is incredible.
Other people
in the surrounding regions,
people that they've
never met,
people that they
never will meet,
they've heard about them.
Is that not encouraging?
How encouraging
must that have been
for these Thessalonians
to hear?
So presumably Paul,
as he continues
to travel around
speaking to others
about Jesus,
he hears that people
have heard about
what God has done
in the lives
of these Thessalonian Christians.
He's heard about it.
The Lord's message
has rang out.
See the language
he's using?
Through you,
the bell was sounded.
God shouted his message
loud and creel
and people heard.
God has used you
and through you
he's used it
to spread the gospel message
and encourage people
around the world
to live for him.
Now I find
that an incredible thought.
I find it incredible
hearing how God
is at work in Barcelona
through people
that I will never meet.
To have an example
of this in my life
this week,
I came to our
Wednesday night prayer meetings.
I love our Wednesday
night prayer meetings.
Love them.
Becky was telling us
a bit about Sudan,
the country of Sudan
and particularly
how we can pray
for that country
and pray for the Christians there.
And Becky told us
that in Sudan
the government there
are seeking to create
a country
with one culture,
one language,
one religion
and it's not Christianity.
So for anybody
who wants to convert
from Islam to Christianity,
the death penalty
is a serious possibility
for you.
And I heard that
and I thought,
wow,
wonder if anybody's
becoming a Christian.
But despite that threat,
people are still
becoming Christians
in Sudan.
Isn't it encouraging
to hear
that they have weighed up
the cost of following Jesus
and it's worth it.
God has been at work
in the lives
of those people there.
People that I will never
meet in this life.
But people
who I think
it will be a joy
to say to
when I meet them in glory,
all of God's people
worshipping are three
in one God together.
I'll be able to say to them,
see the way that you
welcomed that message.
See the way that you
imitated Jesus Christ
in such severe suffering.
I heard about it
around the other side
of the globe
and let me tell you
what encouragement it was
to hear about your faith.
Friends,
how do you spot a Christian?
Look at what the people
in Macedonia
and Achaia are saying
about these
Thessalonian Christians
at the second half
of verse 9
and verse 10
and here's where we come
to our three marks
of the real deal Christian.
What is it people
are saying about them?
Here's the first thing
that they've turned.
They've turned.
They were heading one way
and now because God
has so graciously
acted to transform them,
now they're heading
another way.
From what?
Idols.
Maybe physical idols.
The false gods
of the culture
that people up
and down that land,
up and down their city
are bowing to.
Maybe just the values
and dreams of the world
that they chase
along with everyone else.
Money, comfort,
sex, power, fame.
Tim Keller in his book
Counterfeit Gods,
another one of you
looking for a summer read
to kind of recommend that one.
He defines an idol
like this.
What is an idol?
It is anything more important
to you than God.
Anything that absorbs
your heart and imagination
more than God
and anything you seek
to give,
anything you seek
to give you
what only God alone
can give.
Well, these Thessalonians,
they used to live
for these things,
but they've turned
and now they're living
for what?
The living and true God.
Living and true God.
Paul said,
you've turned to worship
and serve what?
The substance,
the reality,
the giver of life,
the God who speaks
and lives
and acts in this world
and the God
who acts
to save,
to forgive,
to restore,
to give life
by His Spirit
to His people
through the message
about His Son.
That's the God
who you serve now.
The living God.
It's a wonder
if you're here tonight
and you're still
living for idols,
longing for the things
of the world
that you think
will give you purpose
in life.
The things that will be
here one day
and they will be gone
tomorrow.
Well, God beckons you
in His Word tonight
to come to Him.
To come to Him,
the living
and the true God.
The one who is
eternally the same
yesterday,
today and forever.
To come to Him
and to have life
in His name.
To become a worshiper
of this living
and true God.
The reason that you were made
in the first place.
These Thessalonians
are known for their turning.
Secondly,
they are known
for their serving.
Not themselves.
but the living
and true God.
Because they've got hearts
that have been grasped
by God's grace,
they now serve Him.
It is not a duty,
it's a delight.
His purposes
are their purposes.
Their money
is His money.
His mission
is their mission.
Their possessions
are His possessions.
And together,
they have become
the people
of the living God.
and these Christians
have become known
for their loving service.
And not just how they serve,
but who they serve.
Let me ask you this evening,
think about the people
that you work with.
Think about the people
that you rub shoulders
with every day.
Family, friends,
people that live
in your stairwell.
If we were to ask them tonight
as they look into
our lives,
we had to ask them,
who do you think
that they serve?
I wonder what they would say.
Friends,
to quote Bob Dylan,
you're going to have
to serve somebody.
I was almost singing it there,
I'm not going to sing it.
Indeed,
you're going to have
to serve somebody.
It may be the devil
or it may be the Lord,
but you're going to have
to serve somebody.
What do people,
as they look into our lives,
who is it that they see
that we serve?
See,
the watching world
was in no doubt
as to who these
Thessalonian Christians serve.
No doubt whatsoever.
The question is,
who do people think
that we serve?
Remember when I used
to work in law,
I had a good friend,
Christian friend
who I worked with,
we were at the same firm
for a couple of years.
And I moved on
from that company,
went to work down
in Bristol for a while.
We moved back
a couple of years later
and I met him
in the street
when I was out and about
in Edinburgh
when I first moved back.
I said,
mate,
great to see you.
And you can imagine
the first question
I asked him,
you still at that firm?
You still at that firm?
And he said,
no,
I've moved on
from that firm,
I've got another job.
I said,
why did you leave your job?
And he said to me,
I had to move on
because it got to the point
that the hours
they were asking me to work,
they were just getting
in the way.
I said,
what do you mean?
And he said,
well,
in the midst of other things,
the hours they were asking me
to work,
do you know what?
It was stopping me
ever going to the prayer meeting.
That's what he said.
It was stopping me
ever going to the prayer meeting.
And the application of that
is not give up your job.
The application of that
is to look at somebody
and know who they serve.
I was in no doubt
as to who that
brother of mine
served
when I heard him say that.
Friends,
do people know
who we serve?
These Thessalonians
are known
for their serving
of the living
and true God.
Second mark,
they serve.
Third mark,
they wait.
For who?
Jesus.
The son of the living God
to return.
The same Jesus,
do you see in the verses there?
That God raised from the dead?
Says Paul is at the underscore
the certainty
of his return.
That is now the event
that should shape your life.
That is now the moment
that should be fixed
on your horizons.
And they longingly wait
for Jesus to return.
In fact,
as we're going to journey
through this letter together
over the summer,
that we'll see that
waiting for Jesus to come back
is such a prominent theme
in this letter.
And Paul wants them
to be in no doubt
that it's going to happen.
Because he realizes,
and it's true
in the Christian life,
isn't it?
To be focused
and to be certain
on that day
finds it affects
our every day.
And waiting while
is not a matter
of resting
nor is it a matter
of hesitating.
It's a matter
of anticipating.
Waiting is not a matter
of twiddling your thumbs,
wondering whether
it's going to happen.
Waiting is not a matter
of crossing your fingers,
hoping that it might
one day happen.
Waiting is a matter
of lifting our hands
in worship
and using our hands
in service,
knowing the truth
and living in the truth
that one day
is going to happen.
Jesus will return.
And what will he do?
When he comes,
he will deliver us
from the wrath to come.
He will save us
from God's righteous judgment
of all things.
It's amazing there
in the English.
We don't quite get
the sense of the
full justice
of the Greek word there.
Jesus, literally the one
delivering us
from the wrath to come.
As if to say,
not only will he deliver us
that day,
but even now,
in some small measures
we were saying earlier,
as God transforms us
by his spirit
more into the image
of Christ,
even now, friends,
we're being delivered
for the things
that used to dominate
our lives.
And one day God will judge.
Even now,
God is,
through Jesus,
delivering us.
And until he does,
friends,
we would devote ourselves
to his service
to be met one day
with those words,
well done,
good and faithful servant.
You waited well.
Somebody once asked
John Wesley
what you would be doing today
if he knew that Jesus
would be returning tomorrow.
And he looked at his diary,
he looked at what he had on today
and he said,
I would be doing just that.
Just that.
Friends,
do we model
that same kind of readiness?
These Thessalonians
are known
for their waiting.
What does Paul see
in them?
Verse 3,
his famous triad
that you see
all the way through
his letters,
faith,
love,
and hope.
What do people
know about them?
That they've turned,
that they serve,
that they wait.
Of course,
the two sets of three
are intrinsically linked,
aren't they?
Faith,
how is that faith
manifesting itself?
How has it manifested itself?
In their turning.
Love,
how is that love
manifesting itself
for the Lord,
for their fellow brothers
and sisters,
for the people of the world
in their serving?
And hope,
remember,
not clutching at straws,
hope based on the facts
about God.
How is that hope
manifesting itself?
In their waiting.
Turn,
serve,
wait.
Turn,
serve,
wait.
Turn,
serve,
wait.
Friends,
as we close,
how do you spot a Christian?
Not by what they're wearing,
but by how they're living.
Three marks of a real dull Christian.
Someone who's turned.
Someone who serves.
Someone who weighs.
Acts 17.
These men who have caused trouble
all over the world
have now come here
and Jason has welcomed them
into his house.
They're all defying Caesar's decrees
saying
that there is another king,
one called Jesus.
And I was thinking in my head
just as we close,
I was thinking in my head
when this first,
when this group of Christians,
when they first met together,
can you imagine that meeting?
Can you imagine that meeting
the first time they got together?
Looking at each other,
thinking,
why are we here?
Why are we here?
Oh, I know why we were here.
What's the first song
we're going to sing?
What's the first hymn
that we're going to sing
in this very first meeting
of this church in Thessalonica?
Jesus is Lord.
Yet from his throne eternal,
in flesh he came
to die in pain
on Calvary's tree.
Jesus is Lord.
From him all life proceeding,
yet gave his life a ransom,
thus setting us free.
Jesus is Lord.
Praise him with hallelujahs
for Jesus is Lord.
Mears.
The First