How Are We Known?

           I put up a picture of me in the Navy playing in a band and one comment was, “Which one is you.” Since that photo was taken, my hair is longer and I have added a few pounds so it is hard to see which one is really me. Recognizing people can be important at times. It was said that the sign of the fish was a recognition that was used for early Christians. The Greek word for fish is Ichthus. It is five letters and have become an acronym for Jesus Christ, God's Son, Savior. It was said that a person upon meeting an individual would draw a curve in the sand and if the other person was a believer, they would put the bottom cure on the sand thus making the outline of the “fish symbol.” There was also another way that people were recognized as believers such as the church in Thessalonica. First Thessalonians 1:7-8 says,”So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.” 

          The reputation of the church in Thessalonica spread because their works were a witness to their faith. Paul's statement made it plain that wherever he went, he heard about the work that was going on in Thessalonica. We pretty much have become attached to a local group of believers, which some refer to as a church and others refer to it as an assembly. In either case, it consists of a group of people that believe basically the same thing. How are they known by others? Are you known by your name? I was in one church that was known throughout the community by the name of the one who was building it. Nothing else was known in the community about its purpose or activity. There were two churches in my home town and they were simply known by the doctrine and the location, one being a Christian Church, Disciples of Christ and the other one the local Methodist church. In some case we are known by our location such as the fact that many live in what is called, the Bible belt. It is an area in the United States that is predominantly evangelical and so it is loosely called the Bible belt. Very few churches if any are known by their example of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. If the Apostle Paul were to come to your area, what would be said about the witness of the local churches? Some are known by their music and entertainment value and others are acclaimed because of their ministry to children and youth and some are known by their involvement in sending missionaries around the world to spread the Gospel message. The message from Thessalonica had spread throughout Macedonia and Achaia. That is a big area for not have our modern means of communication. The church at Thessalonica fulfilled the commission in Acts 1:8. They were telling others. They were the witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ. May we be doing the same. Praise God today for the message of salvation.