Why are people more likely to be converted when messengers work as a team?
Together we have a "corporate witness," which is what persuaded many of us to believe. And each team member contributes in unique ways. When I reflect on my own conversion, it didn't result from hearing one teaching or from one conversation. It was what I learned from interacting with multiple people AND from watching them interact with each other. That's what made the difference.
So, if this is true, then one of the best things you could do if you're sharing your faith with someone, is to try to get them around your Christian friends.
Let's continue reading. Finally, for the first time, we hear about God's role in conversion.
1 Thessalonians 1:5 for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction…
Here for the first time, we hear about God's role in the conversion of the Thessalonians. Paul and Silas shared the gospel. That means they explained how Jesus' death on the cross for our sin makes it possible for us to come to God as is and receive forgiveness. And as they explained the gospel, God, through the Holy Spirit, brought power and conviction. In other words, the Thessalonians didn't just hear the gospel, they experienced the power of the Holy Spirit in their hearts, driving home the truth of what Paul was saying.
The first few times I heard the Bible taught, I felt like the teacher knew me and was speaking directly to me. Have you ever had a similar feeling? What is that? That's the Holy Spirit letting you know this message you are hearing is true and you need to respond to it.
So what? Well, from this we can infer two additional truths about God's role in conversion.
First, God can work through messengers despite their limitations. When we are explaining the way of salvation to someone, it's easy to think it's me and them, my word and their reaction, and that's all that's going on. But that's not the full picture! When I was investigating Christianity, I had conversations with people about it. Some Christians were persuasive, some weren't. But during that time, I also remember having the sense that God himself was dealing with me in a personal way. That's how the Holy Spirit works in someone's heart. So if you are committed to sharing the message, don't focus on your lack of knowledge; focus on how actively God is working in the life of the person you are speaking to. Take comfort in that!
Second, God stands ready when you come to him to provide additional evidence that he is there. I mentioned there are good reasons for believing in Christianity, and there are. But there is another form of evidence that goes beyond knowledge—evidence you can experience. God is alive, and when you come to him, you will experience his presence in a variety of ways: you'll have new desires to care for people, new interest in his Word, the Bible, new feelings about the choices you are making. God is real, and one of the best evidences you'll ever have of his reality is his presence in your life. But that only comes after you put your trust in Christ.
If you are here and don't know Christ and have sensed the power and conviction of the Holy Spirit, I urge you, don't harden your heart. Respond! Call out to God for mercy and learn for yourself experientially that he is indeed there!
Let's pull a few more elements of conversion from the last part of chapter 1:
1 Thessalonians 1:5b …just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. 6 You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 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, so that we have no need to say anything.
There's a lot here, but let's focus on two final things we can learn about conversion: one has to do with the messengers and one with the recipients.
The messengers were people of outstanding character.
Paul says in v. 5, "you know what kind of men we proved to be among you." What is he talking about? He's referring to character, to the way that he and Silas conducted themselves. When Paul showed up in Thessalonica, he wasn't there to abuse or mistreat anyone. He wasn't there to rip them off or to get rich. Instead of taking from the ThessaloniansE.g., This is Wesley So, an elite chess player from the Philippines. He was ranked second in the world at one point. Elite chess players aren't known for being Christians, but when Wesley was going to school in the US he was befriended by a Christian family. They took him into their home and supported him so he could devote more time to playing chess. This family called Christianity a "thinking man's religion" and encouraged Wesley to ask questions, and study the Bible for himself. He noticed how they spent their time and money, how they went the extra mile to help people, and he became a Christian.E.g., This is Abbas Hameed, an Iraqi policeman who worked for the U.S. military. He met an American sergeant named Scott Young and says, "as soon as I met [Sgt. Young], I realized there was something different about him. He had a book in his… pocket all the time. Every time we had a break, I observed him reading, and I was intrigued. Scott told me it was the Bible, and I started to read it every day for myself…"1 Thessalonians 5:8 "For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you…"
And notice how widely they were spreading the message: "not only in Macedonia and Achaia but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth…" Maybe to the islands in the Aegean sea, maybe in other parts of the Roman Empire where they had friends and relatives. Who knows? What we do know, and this is our last observation about conversion, is that the messenger has an important story to share.
Paul was only with the Thessalonians for a short time. As we read this letter, you'll see that there were large gaps in their knowledge. But they had something powerful to share. They had their own story. Think about what they experienced…
They saw the dedication of Paul and Silas who shared the gospel with them and lived exemplary lives.
They not only heard how Jesus made their salvation possible by dying for them, they also experienced the conviction of the Holy Spirit that it was true. And they heard good evidence that Jesus was indeed the Messiah.
When they did believe, they became part of a community of people who cared about each other, and they experienced the living God inside them through the Holy Spirit.
If this had been your experience, don't you think you'd be "sounding forth?" They were excited. They had met God. He changed their life. They were persuaded Christ really was the Messiah. So they wanted to share their story and apparently, many people listened.
So, if you're a relatively new Christian and you're thinking, I really don't know enough to bring up Christianity in a conversation, don't underestimate the power of your story. The Thessalonians still had much to learn about following God, but that didn't keep them from telling people about Christ. Your conversion story, including what you found to be persuasive, is worth sharing and you need to share it!
CONCLUSION
To messengers: Paul and Silas set a high standard with their dedication, willingness to give evidence, teamwork, and exemplary character. But it's a standard worth striving for because we have a message people need to hear.
To recipients: There is good evidence to support the claim that Jesus is the Messiah. Your job is to weigh out the evidence and have the humility to turn to Christ if you are persuaded the message is true.
And God? He is clearly involved in all of this. Messengers should remember that God provides power and conviction and can work through your limitations. And recipients should remember that God will pursue you your entire life, exposing your need for him, and periodically sending his people your way with his message. Don't be irritated, see it as a mark of his love, and turn to him!