1 Thessalonians 2:13, NIV - And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.
One thing that never ceases to amaze me, is the fact that God has given us so much freedom of choice. It is just not in His nature to try to control our every thought and action, even though He certainly has the power and authority to do so. God loves a worshipping heart that has chosen of its own freewill to be a worshipping heart. God loves to walk and talk with people who have freely chosen to walk and talk with Him. God is into relationship, and real relationship requires freedom to choose it or reject it.
In Paul’s first Letter to the church in Thessalonica, he made the statement that you see at the top of this page. He was very excited about this particular group of believers because they had accepted the Word of God as the Word of God. I know how he felt. There is nothing more exciting than seeing a person’s whole life be slowly but steadily transformed from the inside out by the work of Christ in their hearts. Mean people become loving people, frightened people become bold people, stingy people become generous people, and it goes on and on.
Earlier I this letter, Paul says this, “For we know, brothers 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; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.” (1 Thessalonians 1:4-6, NIV). Paul highlights the fact that as soon as his team began to minister in Thessalonica, they saw immediate, tangible, results in the lives of the people. He says that the Gospel came with power, with evidence of the Holy Spirit, and with conviction. Conviction is that inward work of the Spirit and the Word, that tells us that God wants to bring change to our hearts, minds, and actions.
How we choose to approach God’s Word has everything to do with how much power, conviction, life, and transformation we actually experience from it. Many, many people today choose to view God’s Word a simply one opinion among many, one option on the table, something that men have conjured up that can be taken or left. As postmodernism and its relativist worldview continue to grip our culture, more and more people give God’s Word the same level of authority that they give to the words of human beings. We often exalt our own personal opinion about a given subject over what the Scripture clearly says–how arrogant!
If we don’t grant the Word of God the authority it deserves, we will never experience anything like the full measure of its power in our lives. It’s our choice. To what, or to whom, do we grant the ultimate authority to speak into our lives? When you hear the Word of God taught, spoken, prophesied, do you say, “yes Lord,” or “I don’t think so?” When you read your Bible, do you take the time to be quiet and allow the Holy Spirit to speak the Word into your life? Again, the choice is ours every day. Word of God, or word of man–you make the call.
