The Method Pt. 1 The God That Seeks 1 Thessalonians 1:1–5

1 Thessalonians 1:1–5 NIV  Paul, Silas and Timothy,  To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:  Grace and peace to you. 2 We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. 3 We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake.

Paul says in  verse 4, "For we know, brother loved by God, that He has a chosen you." Understanding this text starts with being able to comprehend that our God is a personal being of purpose and plans.  God has a plan and purpose for our lives.  There simply is no denying that, He is a God of purpose, a God of plans. So Paul says, "He has chosen you." He has sought you. He is the God who seeks. He is the God who was in control of Thessalonica long before Paul showed up. He is the God who had chosen, or sought these people at this church before Paul had ever even arrived on the scene. Therefore Paul contends, "We know brothers, loved by God, that He has chosen you."

  Wow, what an incredible thing! As I think back to the time before I was a Christian, I am so thankful that God continued to seek me despite the fact that I rejected Him the first time, and the second time, and the third time, and the fifth time, and the tenth time, and the twentieth time, and the thirtieth time, and the fortieth time, and the fiftieth time. I kept walking away but He continued to pursue me. I had heard the gospel and my friends had told me about Jesus. They had invited me to youth group. They had invited me to church camp. I thought, Oh rubbish. That's a bunch of foolishness. Who needs all that stuff?
I walked away time after time after time. I am so thankful that God continued to seek me. He continued to pursue me. He continued to stay with me. I'm thankful that, as the book of Ephesians says, "Even when I was an enemy of God, He continued to love me, and He continued to seek me, and He continued to pursue me."

  Paul wanted these people in Thessalonica to know that he (Paul) loved them.  Twenty eight times, in the book of 1 and 2 Thessalonians, Paul greets these people as brothers, brothers in God, or brothers in the faith, and things like that…28 times. It's remarkable.
But more than that, he wants to remind them that God loves them. He says, "Brothers loved by God."  You will only find this phrase two other times in the New Testament. Once in the book of 2 Thessalonians, the letter he wrote to this same church. The second is in the book of Romans. Paul doesn't use this phrase often. It is the most affectionate and loving phrase you can pen whenever you want to tell somebody in the Greek language that they are loved by God.

He wanted to remind them that he (Paul) loved them and God loved them as well because they served a God who seeks, and a God who loved them despite their deficiencies, a God who loved them despite their moral shortcomings, a God who loved them despite their evil ways, a God who had been seeking their very souls from the beginning of time. He wanted to remind them they were loved by God. And the message is the same for believers today.  God loves you, and He is seeking your soul.

 It is so good to know that there is a God who is a God of plans and purposes, and He seeks our souls. No matter how many times we run, no matter how many times we hide, no matter how bad we've been or how far we've gone, He continues to pursue us. His method begins with His love for us and His desire to have a relationship with his most treasured creation.  No matter who you are or what you have done God is pursuing you not for vengeance or revenge, but instead for relationship.