TREMENDOUS TURN AROUND 1 THESSALONIANS 1

Have I turned from my idol worship to serve the living God?

Have I turned to the true God and given up my idols?

1 Thessalonians 1:9 (ESV) 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,

“They turned from idols to serve the living God”.

1 Thessalonians 1:8 (ESV) 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.

Holy Spirit, Paul the Apostle states that the reason the message of the Gospel was received by the Thessalonians with such transforming effect in such a brief time was because the Gospel came not only in Word, but in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. We humbly ask for Your same work here in each of our lives here today. Help us see what idols we need to turn from in our own lives which are cheating our full worship of You. And we pray for a tremendous turn around in our lives today, like we read You accomplished in the lives of those You transformed in Thessalonica. Transform us, Holy Spirit, today, we pray in the same way.

1 Thessalonians 1:5a (ESV) 5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.

Have I turned from my idol worship to serve the living God?

James 1:22–24 (NASB95) 22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; 24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.

Chicago police estimated that more than 2 million people turned out along the parade route and at the rally in Grant Park today, more than the turn-out for the Stanley Cup celebration in 2010.

Worshipping Christ with your life is the exact polar opposite of idolatry.

Christianity exposes idolatry for what it is: Worship of man made things, in order to manipulate life to make it better yourself.

Did you know that God calls sexual immorality idolatry? Did you know that God calls immorality idolatry? Did you know that God calls impurity idolatry? Did you know that God calls evil desires idolatry? Did you know that God calls greed idolatry?

Ever looked at a man or woman and lusted after them? Ever bought more than you needed? Ever horded stuff for security? Ever desired to really hurt someone? Ever had impure thoughts?

Ephesians 5:5 (NIV) 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person— such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

Colossians 3:5 (NIV84) 5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.

So here is the question, American Christians in the room: Have I turned from my idol worship to serve the living God?

1 Thessalonians 1:7 (ESV) 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.

1 Thessalonians 1:8 (ESV) 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.

1 Thessalonians 1:9 (ESV) 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,

1 Thessalonians 1:1–10 (ESV) 1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. 2 We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers,

3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of 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 only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. 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.

So here is the question: Have I turned from my idol worship to serve the living God?