1 THESSALONIANS 1:1-10
1 THESSALONIANS 1:1-10
New International Version
1 Paul, Silas and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace and peace to you.
2 We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. 3 We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
4 For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. 6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. 7 And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, 9 for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell 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 rescues us from the coming wrath.
1 THESSALONIANS 1:8
The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it…
REFLECTION
Living the way that Jesus taught us to live—in a family of believers—is countercultural. This was true for the church in Thessalonica, and it’s true for us today. The world may look at us and see that there’s something different about the way that we live. It’s because we are not living with our own interest in mind, but with our focus on God’s kingdom. This kind of faithfulness is bound to turn heads.
RESPONSE
The reputation of the church in Thessalonica spread throughout the entire region. What example do you want to set for your community?
In what ways are you spreading the word about your faith?
Prayerfully consider the example that you are setting for those around you and how that may be in or out of alignment with what you would like for it to be.
