I was reading through the book of 1 Thessalonians this week, and I stumbled across a phrase, and a challenge, that I’d never noticed before.

Paul wrote this letter to the Thessalonian church while he was in Corinth, right around the halfway point of the first century. The church in Thessalonica was a young, small church in a very large and pagan city. These early Christians faced sever challenges to their faith at every turn, including persecution and social pressures, temptations from their old, previous lifestyles, and conflicts with other Christians. Paul’s letter to these readers sounds strikingly familiar to our culture today.

In the first chapter, Paul is expressing his thanksgiving for the believers in this church, sharing how they labored and endured in the face of the trials they were experiencing. Paul writes of how they were chosen by God and how they became imitators of the Lord, in spite of severe persecution and suffering.

And then, he writes verse 7:

And so you became a model to all the believers…

A model…

How many times have I read this passage and never noticed this phrase?

Paul uses the churches he writes to in a similar manner on several occasions. He holds up specific churches as examples for others to see, using them as an encouragement for others to emulate. But he does it differently here in 1 Thessalonians. Here, he states that they are a model.

By extension, I believe that this applies to us as well. As believers, we are called to be a model to other believers.

Originally, the Greek word used here referred to a mark or an impression made by striking something, such as the image on a coin. In an ethical sense, this word referred to a model or pattern for others to follow. And that’s how Paul uses it here.

The Thessalonian believers did such a great job imitating Christ, and Paul, that they became an example for the rest of Christianity in their region. They became the example for others to follow, even as they followed and imitated Christ.

As believers, we are called to model our faith for others, too. We are to live such lives, closely resembling what we find in the Scriptures and in Christ, so that others look to us and see how to live for Christ.

Sometimes, that means we have to model difficult things. It’s not always easy to model such teachings as taking up our cross daily. Or turning the other cheek. Or helping those less fortunate than ourselves. Or enduring through persecution. Or tithing. Or loving the unlovable. Or praying for your enemies. Or…

But, regardless of how easy or hard it may be, we are called to model our faith.

So, what are you modeling?

What are you modeling in your faith? In what areas do you need to step it up? You can share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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