Former Blackout Artist

For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. – 1 Thessalonians 1:4-5

I was reading 1 Thessalonians 1 this morning, and I found myself lingering over these words: “For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you…” Indeed there is a certain tenderness in that, but also a kind of calming certainty. Paul says, “we know.” Not because he had special insight into heaven’s decrees, but because he had experienced what God had done in his own life.

He goes on to say that the gospel came not simply with words, but with power, with the Holy Spirit, and with deep conviction. And as I thought about that, my mind wandered, as it often does, to some of those dear saints from church history—men like Martin Luther and John Calvin, and later on Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, and Charles Spurgeon. I’ve spent many quiet hours reading about their lives, and I never seem to tire of it. It’s become a favorite pastime for me.

What’s always struck me is how evident it is that God was at work in them. Their words weren’t empty, there was considerable weight to them. I get the sense that when they spoke of Christ, they weren’t merely passing along information. The truth had laid hold of them first.

But as I sat there today, it seemed to me that Paul wouldn’t have us put too much distance between ourselves and them. The same apostle who spoke so confidently about the Thessalonians could just as well speak of any believer in whom the gospel has truly taken root. After all, isn’t it the same God who calls? The same gospel that is preached? The same Spirit who gives life? The same deep conviction that settles into the heart and won’t easily be shaken? Yes. Yes it is!

The circumstances differ, of course. Not many of us have stood in pulpits before thousands, or found ourselves at the center of great movements. Most of us came to Christ in quieter ways. Maybe it was a sermon heard on the radio… or a passage read that finally clicked with us. It might’ve been a conversation that lingered. Probably nothing outwardly remarkable.

And yet, if we are in Christ, something just as real has taken place in us!

The gospel came to us, not merely as words, but as something more. At some point, the truth became weighty. Our sin became personal and Christ became our only hope. And whether we could explain it clearly at the time or not, there was a growing sense that this wasn’t simply a message to consider, but one to believe and rest in.

And that, Paul says, is evidence of God’s choosing.

I think sometimes we read about those men from the past and naturally assume that what they experienced must’ve been of a different order than what we experienced. But I’m not so sure that’s right. The same divine hand that opened their eyes has opened ours. The same Spirit who stirred their hearts has stirred ours.

It may not feel as dramatic. It may not appear as fruitful to us, or in the eyes of the world, but the root of it is indeed the same.

That thought encourages me greatly! It reminds me that my faith doesn’t rest on how interesting my story is, but on the quiet, powerful work of God who brought my dead heart to life. And if He’s done that, then there’s no way He’ll abandon what He has begun.

So I closed my Bible this morning with a simple kind of gratitude. Not for anything remarkable in myself, but for the realization that God, who worked so powerfully in ages past, has not changed. He’s still calling people to Himself… still making the gospel more than just words.. still giving His Spirit, and still pressing His truth with deep conviction.

And, by His grace, He has done that for us.