"Not only the gospel but our own selves" (1 Thess 2:8)

When you read Paul's letters with even a hint of emotional investment you will hear his deep love for the church. The entire chapter of 1 Thessalonians 2 you can hear the heartbeat of family love and attachment: "brothers and sisters" (v.1, 14, 17) "we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her children" (v.7), "we dealt with each one of you like a father with his children" (v.11), and perhaps most gloriously, "When we were made orphans by being separated from you—in person, not in heart—we longed with great eagerness to see you face to face. ... For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? Yes, you are our glory and joy!" (v. 17, 19-20)

As you read these words, it’s important to remember that this kind of heartwarming language is not fodder for Hallmark movies or Chicken Soup for the Soul. It comes straight from the gritty reality of a small, persecuted sect in the first century after Christ. How did they thrive and grow under persecution? Their deep bonds with God and one another became the source of joy that strengthened them. Intriguingly, this biblical reality is reinforced by contemporary neuroscience. Real, sustainable transformation is rooted in the kind of relational joy Paul describes, a joy that grows when three specific ingredients are present: an interactive relationship with God, a sense of belonging in a multi-generational community, and specific relational skills that can be trained. 

In other words, if you want to experience real transformation,what we must share is  “not only the gospel but our own selves.” "So deeply do we care for you,” Paul wrote, “that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us." There's no question Paul's mission in life is to preach the gospel (Rom 1:1, 9 & 16; 1 Cor 1:17 ; Gal 1:6; etc.), yet here in v. 8 lies a powerful discovery. Whereas among the Corinthians Paul "determined to know nothing ... except Jesus Christ and him crucified" (1 Cor 2:2), among the Thessalonians he "determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves." There's no greater way he could communicate the value of his love for them than to share himself just as he shares the gospel. 

And in many ways, this is exactly how God loves you. Paul’s sharing of himself reflects the pattern of God, whose sharing of himself in Jesus Christ is the very message of the gospel More than once in his letters Paul urges the brothers and sisters to imitate him as he imitates Christ (1 Cor 11:1; 1 Thess 1:6). Extrapolating from these verses, then, imagine that what Paul writes is what God himself might write to the Thessalonians, and to the family of God today. Imagine these lines being spoken by God to you and me:

Indeed, this IS the gospel: when we were lost and separated from God, he came in human flesh, face to face, to seek us out and save us in Jesus Christ. Our heartbeat at Alive & Well is the same: that this joyful, earnest, relational love of God might dwell among us and empower us together for joyful transformation.

 1 The is one of the main arguments of the book The Life Model: Living from the Heart Jesus Gave You (Friesen, James G., E. James Wilder, Anne M. Bierling, Rick Koepcke, and Maribeth Poole. Pasadena, CA: Shepherd's House, 1999.)

Jessie +