THE K I NG ' S BUS I NESS Christians there are today into whose heads it never enters to “ wait for His Son from heaven.” Their conversion is very imperfect. Paul speaks of this Son who is coming as the One “ whom He raised from, the dead, even Jesus.” By that resurrection from the dead He was proclaimed and demonstrated to be the Son of God. (Rom. 1 :4). This Son, adds Paul, “ delivereth us from the wrath to, come (more literally, from the wrath, the coming).” There is a wrath of God coming upon this world (cf. Col. 3:6; Rom. 2:5-11; Rev. chapters 6 to 21:8). From this wrath the Son of God, who .was once crucified and made atonement for our sins (2 Cor.-5:21; Gal. 3:13; 1 Pet. 2:24), and was then raised because of our justification (Rom. 4: 25), and then ascended to the right hand of the Father and ever liveth to make intercession for us (Heb. 7:25; Rom. 8:33, 34), and is soon coming again as our Saviour (Phil. 3:20; Heb. 9:28), “ delivereth us.” THURSDAY, Dec. 26. 1 Thess. 2:1-4. This chapter gives us a picture of a model ministry. From vs. 1-12 we have a description of the character of the ministry of Paul and his companions in Thessalonica; in vs. 13-16, of the way in which the Thessalonians received the word; in vs. 17-20, of Paul’s great love and longing for them. In the closing verses of Ch. 1 Paul has spoken of the report by others of his entering in unto the church at Thessalonica. Now he appeals to their own knowledge of it, “ yourselves, brethren, know our enter ing in unto you, that it hath not been found vain.” Many a minister’s and missionary’s entering in unto people has been found “ vain,” i. e. utterly empty and ineffective. Paul’s was not. Why not? Because it was in the power of the Holy Ghost (cf. 1:5) , and because further more, it was “ not of (rather, out of) error, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile.” Paul had a good excuse for exercising great caution in preaching the Gospel in Thessalonica: he had just been “ shamefully entreated” “ at (in) Philippi.” We know that in Philippi he had been scourged and thrown into a dungeon and his feet made fast in the stocks (Acts 16:22- 24). Most men would have kept very quiet at the next town they reached, but Paul did not. He and his compan ions “ waxed bold in our God to speak unto you the Gospel of God in much
1108 echoing notes of a trumpet) not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place their (your) faith to Godward” had “ gone forth.” It was not so much that they had gone forth as missionar ies (though seemingly the Christian merchants that went forth from Thess- alonica also played the part of mission aries) hut their life of faith had spoken, sounding forth far and near. The loud ness with which their faith itself spoke made it unnecessary for Paul to “ speak anything” about their faith to those to. whom he went. Instead of Paul’s hav ing to say anything “ they themselves (i. e., the people of Macedonia and Achaia) reported concerning us what manner of entering in we had unto you,” i. e., how mighty his entering in had been in the power of the Holy Ghost. The people of Macedonia and Achaia, furthermore, told of the genu ineness and thoroughness of the con version of the 'thessalonians. There were three noteworthy facts about their conversion: (1) They “ turned unto God from idols.” That is what a true conversion always is, a turning unto God away from idols. Doubtless many of the Thessalonians were literal heathen idolaters, but every unconver ted man is in reality an idolater. His idol may be wealth or fame or pleasure or .someone he loves or himself, but every conversion is a turning away from giving some idol or idols the supreme place in the heart to give God the supreme place in the heart (cf. 1 John 5:20, 21). (2) They began “ to serve a living and true God.” Every genuine conversion results in a life of service to God. Conversion is the start, life long service is the continuation. The God thus served is the God of the Bible. He and He alone is “ a living and true God.” All other gods are false and all other gods are dead. The god of many professed Christians is a dead god. He is a god that once lived and touched men, but he lives no more. But the God of the Bible is a God that ever liveth, a God to whom we can speak and who speaks to us today. Are you serving a liv ing or a dead god? (3) They began “ to wait for His Son from heaven” (cf. 1 Cor. 1:7, 8). Those converted under a full preaching of the Gospel will begin to wait for Christ (cf. John 14:3; Tit. 2:13; Luke 12:35-38). The full Gospel is the Gospel of Christ crucified, Christ risen, Christ ascended to the right hand of God the Father, and Christ com ing again. But how many professed
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