Skye Jethani tells how in one of Dallas Willard’s last interviews, the interviewer asked, "When you look at how off track the church is, do you ever just throw up your hands in despair?" Willard smiled and said, "Never." "But how can you not?" the interviewer asked. "Because," he said, "I know Christ is the head of his church and he knows what he's doing."
The church at Thessalonica had a lot of problems. But God had not given up on them. How do we know? Paul was still writing to them, encouraging them. “Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” This is our hope! In all circumstances, Christians are still in Christ.
If that were not enough, the Holy Spirit is at work in his people. Paul says, “Don’t quench the Spirit.” What about sermons? “Don’t treat them with contempt,” Paul says. “Test them all.” When Paul first preached in Thessalonica, mean people chased him out of town. He came next to Berea and found a receptive, “noble” group of people. They tested everything Paul said against the scriptures. Even in messages we don’t like, there may be a kernel of truth which helps us on the journey to Jesus. In listening to sermons as in life, we hold firmly to what is good and we reject what is evil. All the while we know God has not given up on us. How do we know? Well for starters, he is still speaking to us by his Spirit through his word.
