For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you, because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake. – 1st Thessalonians 1:4-5 (New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition)
I watch more basketball this time of year than any other. The first two rounds of the NBA playoffs I spend most of my evenings, once I am done with whatever meetings are scheduled, catching at least a bit of a game or two. (And this past week has not been particularly great for watching the Sixers, I might add.) During most of the season I watch perhaps half of one game per week. There’s generally just too much else going on, so I don’t often get around to it.
All season long, though, I do listen to podcasts about the NBA. I can tell you which players are having good seasons, which teams play which style, and quite a few other details about what is happening in the league. I just don’t watch many of the games. I have a great deal of second-hand knowledge of what is happening, but that is not the same as really participating in following the games. It is only when we get to the playoffs that I take the time to enjoy the drama of the close games, the athleticism of the best players, and the excitement of the competition. Only in the playoffs do I take the time to take joy in watching basketball. Only in the playoffs do I actually act like a fan. The rest of the year I’m really just pretending, relying on what others say.
That difference between a first-hand experience and second-hand information also applies to our lives of faith. It can be easy to settle for knowledge about the church, the Christian tradition, and even what faith means. Having that second-hand knowledge, though, is not the same thing as first-hand engagement with living out faith. There’s nothing wrong with second-hand knowledge, but it is intended to supplement the first-hand experience of actually participating. At its best, the second-hand discussions enhance the first-person experiences. They are not meant as a replacement for actually watching the games, or actually opening our eyes to God’s presence in our life. Too often we settle for the second-hand knowledge, confusing it with the joy of a first-hand experience.
At the beginning of 1 Thessalonians, Paul greets the church by recognizing that the gospel did not come to them in word only. In other words, the gospel was not simply second-hand information for them. Rather, it came to them through the words but also with power and the Holy Spirit and through conviction. That is, the gospel was not simply information but rather a first-hand experience of God entering their life, bringing faith and an experience of new life in Christ. May our lives of faith, too, but more than information and words, but also an experience of the Spirit moving in power to bring us to conviction.