Nobody was going to heaven from Thessalonica. It was a spiritual wasteland: no Jesus, no hope. Jesus had come into the world, done His amazing work, and returned to the Father; but the folks way over in Thessalonica were completely oblivious. It was a long way from Bethlehem, Golgotha, and the empty tomb.
Somehow, though, Thessalonica eventually became home to a strong, faithful church.
What did it take for that to happen? It took people leaving. Not leaving Thessalonica and the church there, but leaving other places and churches and going to Thessalonica.
It took Paul, the apostle, who had previously left Jerusalem, leaving an impactful ministry in Antioch (for the second time). It also took Silas, a church leader who also had previously left Jerusalem, also leaving his new church and ministry in Antioch. Further, it took a young layman named Timothy, who was a new believer, leaving his home and his young church in Asia Minor.
Paul had already left Antioch once. He and Barnabas had been sent away by the church to do a gospel “cold-calling” project in Asia Minor. That’s how the gospel had gotten to Timothy’s family in the first place. Now Paul was leaving Antioch again. The pattern of leaving is painfully clear.
So Paul and Silas went trekking into Asia Minor. They revisited the places Paul and Barnabas had evangelized earlier, and, as they went through Timothy’s town, he joined the mission team. When they tried to take the gospel north, God sent them west: farther and farther from home, across the Aegean Sea into Macedonia.
From city to city, down the road, they went, sharing the good news. When they reached Thessalonica, they went into town, where they shared the gospel for several weeks. Some of the people came to saving faith. Others were so upset that they ran the mission team out of town — but not before a nascent fellowship was established, which grew into the strong, faithful church mentioned above.
The notion of “going” out on mission can be very exciting! Sharing Jesus in a different culture, with those who have either never heard of Him at all, or who have never received a personal, incarnational, and intelligible invitation to believe, can be thrilling and life-changing. Going is necessary!
That’s why the 2023 convention theme is “Let’s Go!”
But “Let’s Go!” from a different angle means “Let’s Leave!” That’s not very appealing, but it is absolutely necessary for the Thessalonians of our present world to have any chance to know and follow Jesus.
The Christians in Thessalonica got it. Some of them left home and church to take the gospel further away. Paul said to them: “For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth ” (1 Thessalonians 1:8a).
The dread of leaving has stopped many a potential short- or long-term missionary in his or her tracks. This fear will paralyze us if we dwell on what we might miss if we go. In order for the world to be reached with the gospel, I believe that many pastors, lay leaders, and others are being called by God to leave behind impactful and fulfilling ministries here, for the sake of people who need them there — whether short-term, mid-term, or long-term.
Thank God that Paul, Silas, and Timothy were willing to leave, in order to go — and thank God that Jesus was willing to leave, in order to come. Don’t fight the call to leave: Go with it!