June 12, 2023 | Be On Mission
Model Citizens of Faith
Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 1(NIV)
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.
Devotional
We again leave the chronological narrative of the book of Acts to look at a few of the New Testament letters. In Acts, Paul had just visited Thessalonica, being run out of town by a riotous mob. However, all was not lost. Some of the Thessalonians became believers, as Paul wrote, “our visit to you was not without results” (1 Thess. 2:1). Even in a hostile environment, Christianity took root in Thessalonica and began to grow and spread.
So Paul wrote them two letters not too long after he had left them. He wanted to encourage the new believers to stay strong in the faith. Over the next week and a half we will explore these books of 1 & 2 Thessalonians.
The traveling team of Paul, Silas and Timothy were still together, as they had been in Thessalonica. This must have brought encouragement to the believers. Paul used the pronoun “we” five times in this opening chapter of 1 Thessalonians. What would each of these have meant to the first Christians in that challenging setting?
We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. (v. 2)
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. (v. 3)
For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. (v. 4-5)
You know how we lived among you for your sake. 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. (v. 5-6)
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, 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 (v. 8-9)
Poem
Constant
Just like the ticking of a clock
Continues without mention
So often is the case of one
Who’s faith has full dimension
Such constancy, love’s labor true
With steadfast hope conviction
Displays the power of the Word
Worthy of imitation
Despite affliction, she clings firm
With joy, he meets derision
Awaiting God’s deliverance
Each second, Christ, their mission
