So Timothy left Paul and returned to Thessalonica. What do
you think he found? He found these Christian men and women standing strong.
Their faith had been tested, but they were the victors. So very often, new
converts fall into temptation when there are no mature Christians to disciple
them. Even mature Christians find themselves giving in to the tempter when they
isolate themselves from brothers and sisters in Christ. Tempted to return to
their old lives and idols, giving in to the pressure of family and friends. And
while those who are truly saved can never lose their salvation, they find
themselves weak and powerless.
I am reminded of the story I heard years ago and I have used
it often. It seems that a Christian man had become depressed and discouraged
and had stopped attending church. His wife was concerned and asked the pastor
to stop by and visit him. It was a cold blustery day when the pastor rang the
doorbell. The man answered the door, and when he saw the pastor, he said, “You can
come in, but I don’t want to talk about church!” The pastor entered the house,
and they sat down in front of the fire. Neither man said a word. After several
minutes had passed in silence, the minister took the fireplace tongs and
grabbed a large chunk of wood that was fiery red. He set it apart from the
fire, and soon the glowing ember changed from fiery red to grayish black as it
cooled. After a few minutes, the pastor returned the ember to the fire, and
almost immediately the ember caught fire and turned bright red. As the pastor
got up to leave, the man said, “See you in church this Sunday.”
The moral of the story: the fire dies in our hearts when we
isolate ourselves from our brothers and sisters in Christ, but it can be
rekindled by spirit-filled worship. See you in church!
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