Faith Worthy of a Good Reputation

Dan Sullivan   -  

[6] And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, 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 not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. [9] For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, [10] and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
1 Thessalonians 1:6–10 ESV
It’s funny how different groups have reputations. Bad reputations we call stereotypes (and we feel bad when we see those) but good reputations honor the whole group that they represent. When a kid from a ‘good family’ does something good, you say “Well yeah, he’s a Seymore” and that reputation is strengthened. 
The Thessalonians had done that. Their faith had been something that was notable enough to spread to neighboring provinces and beyond. Their hospitality towards Paul and his companions was also well-known. Paul said he would travel and he didn’t even have to tell people about Thessalonia because the reports of their conversion travelled faster than he did. 
As we are continually learning and growing in our identity in Christ, we are also learning and growing as a group. We have a reputation as Christians to people outside of the faith, and a reputation as One Lifers to those who are Christians in the area. Within our network, we have reputations as East-siders, Mt. Vernon, Henderson, and West-siders. 
The Word of the Lord ‘sounded forth’ from Thessalonia to these other parts of their region. Let us imitate Christ and be united in our faith to such levels that we could introduce ourselves to someone and at the mention of our faith community, they would know what that means. So that people would know the sticker on the car meant those people would let you merge, or that if the parking lot is full, there must be something cool going on that I want to be a part of. 
Build up that faith that leads to a good rep. It will follow back up the line, from your family, to your campus, to our church, to the region, and to the world. 
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