1 Thessalonians 1:1-3: The Motives of Movement

What makes you move? Or, more accurately, what makes you stay? Every action generates a reaction, but inaction generates tension. The Switchfoot song Dare You to Move puts it like this: 

Welcome to the fallout. 

Welcome to resistance. 

The tension is here, tension is here, between who you are and who you could be--

Between how it is and how it should be.

What makes you decide? Paul, one of the early Christian leaders, wrote to a group of new believers making brave decisions and bold moves. This group--a new church--responded enthusiastically to Paul's introduction to Jesus the Messiah. But soon afterwards, other citizens and city officials turned hostile towards them, arrested their host and forced Paul to leave secretly (Acts 17). Worried about their situation, Paul penned a short letter to encourage them, and us.

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. - 1 Thessalonians 1:1-3

Faith vs. Fear. The first motive for movement is faith. Each of us is intimately aware of our own deficiencies. We try to hide them. We try to divert attention from them. We try to overcome them. Why? So that, under the scrutiny of family, friends, colleagues, or even God, we will appear without flaw. That is the fear motive. Fear is a powerful motive, but ultimately it is destructive, because it isolates us from others and from God. But Paul encourages us to act out of faith-a bedrock trust in God's love for us. Fear says that my relationship is always in danger. Faith says that my relationship is secure. So I move forward without constantly looking over my shoulder. 

Love vs. Self. The second motive for movement is love. Our built-in survival instinct evaluates evaluates the world based on how it impacts us. When my company was considering layoffs, what's my concern? How it affects me. When I'm in an argument, what am I worried about? How I was hurt. That is the self motive. Self is a powerful motive, but ultimately it is deceptive, because it tries to re-orient the universe so that it revolves around us when it does not. Paul encourages us to act out of love-a focus on the best interests of others. Self says that it is about me. Love says that it is about God and other people.

Hope vs. Disappointment. The third motive for movement is hope. Our biggest decisions are the riskiest ones. Commitments set you up for disappointment, whether in marriage, education, a career path, or your trust in Jesus or in yourself. The bigger the commitment, the bigger the potential letdown. The church in Thessalonica had put a big bet on Jesus, risking their relationships, their standing in society, their jobs and their safety. Hope required a daily decision, in the face of opposing voices, to focus on Jesus' priorities for their lives. Disappointment says: hedge your bets, just in case. Hope says: let it ride on Jesus.

Paul shows us the motives for movement. But what about our destination. If we move aimlessly and we are lost. If we don't move at all and we are dead. God offers us a direction for our lives, which we will look at more as we plunge forward into the next parts of chapter 1.