«　WEEK 3　DAY 1　»

　　1 Thes. 1:1 …To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ…

　　Eph. 1:4-5 Even as He chose us in Him…to be holy…, predestinating us unto sonship…, according to the good pleasure of His will.

　　Rom. 11:36 …Out from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.

　　[The two Epistles to the Thessalonians] were both addressed to the local church in Thessalonica, composed of all the believers in Christ in that city. Such a local church is of the believers and is in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. This indicates that such a local church is born of God the Father with His life and nature and is united with the Lord Jesus Christ organically in all He is and has done. Hence, it is of men (such as the Thessalonians), yet in God and in the Lord organically. Such an organic union in the divine life and nature is the vital base for the believers to live a holy life for the church life, which is the theme of the two Epistles.

　　In 1 Thessalonians 1:1 Paul speaks of the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. The preposition in here is very important; it indicates that the church is in the Triune God. The church is composed of human beings, but they, the believers, are in the Triune God. On the one hand, the church in Thessalonica was of the Thessalonians; on the other hand, this church was in God the Father. (Life-study of 1 Thessalonians, pp. 2-3)

　　The church is not merely in God, but is in the Father…. Father here indicates a relationship of life. God is no longer only our Creator; He is our Father. God is the Father of the church people, for we have all been born of Him. It is a wonderful fact that we have been born of God and that He is now our Father!

　　Suppose your father were the President of the United States. If such were the case, you could refer to him as “my father, the President.”…To refer to our President may indicate that you are a citizen. But if you could say, “my father, the President,” that would indicate that the President is your father and that you have a life relationship with him. In the same principle, we can speak of God as being our Father. No longer is God only our Creator. He has become our Father, for we have been born of Him. Furthermore, Jesus Christ is our Lord. Hallelujah, we have a Father and a Lord!

　　God the Father has a definite purpose in producing many sons. He is not a foolish father, one without a purpose. Rather, He has a purpose and a plan. God’s selection and predestination are according to His purpose. First He selected us and then predestinated us. This indicates that God is the unique initiator and originator. Thus, for the church to be in God the Father implies that the church is in God’s purpose, plan, selection, and predestination. No doubt, the church is also in God’s calling. The church in God the Father is the church in the One who is the initiator and originator.

　　This understanding of the church in the Father is not merely a matter of doctrine; rather, it has much to do with us in our practical experience. A problem among Christians today is that they have many different purposes and plans. There are different initiators and originators. This is not right. We Christians all should have the unique purpose, the purpose of our Father. We should also have the unique plan of the Father. This means that only one—the Father—should be the initiator and originator. We should not originate anything or initiate anything. Imagine what would happen if all Christians gave up their own purposes and plans and had only one initiator and originator. What oneness there would be among us all! There would be no division whatever. (Life-study of 1 Thessalonians, pp. 45, 63-64)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of 1 Thessalonians, msgs. 1, 3, 5, 7-9; CWWL, 1991-1992, vol. 2, “The Intrinsic View of the Body of Christ,” chs. 2, 4