. . .because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.
– 1 Thessalonians 1:5a
I have believed the gospel of Jesus Christ for over thirty years, and over the course of those thirty years, there have been days, months, and even years when it just seemed like a well-articulated idea. It was a truth that didn’t functionally matter in my life. I believed the gospel in word, but I hadn’t submitted to it in such a way as to experience its power. And it is in the power that truth is made fully evident.
Unlike any other good news, the gospel of Jesus is powerful. It doesn’t merely inspire. It doesn’t merely inform. It transforms. It is “the power of God unto salvation,” (Romans 1:16) the means God uses to bring us to spiritual life, to sustain us in that life, and to enable us to live well for Jesus.
What this means for you and me today is that the gospel is sufficient for our needs and our desires. It is our hope. It gives us strength to resist temptation. It not only corrects us, through it the Holy Spirit empowers us to “live in a manner worthy of the gospel.” (Philippians 1:27) So through the gospel, God gives us the means to obey the gospel and live lives that honor Jesus. That is power, and it is ours in Christ.
I originally wrote this post for my church, Immanuel Nashville, in our Daily Pulse email. If you want encouragement from God’s word delivered Monday thru Friday to your inbox, I encourage you to subscribe.
