This letter is from Paul, Silas, and Timothy.
We are writing to the church in Thessalonica, to you who belong to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
May God give you grace and peace.
2 We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. 3 As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ.
4 We know, dear brothers and sisters, that God loves you and has chosen you to be his own people. 5 For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true. And you know of our concern for you from the way we lived when we were with you. 6 So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you. In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord. 7 As a result, you have become an example to all the believers in Greece—throughout both Macedonia and Achaia.
8 And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Macedonia and Achaia, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God. We don’t need to tell them about it, 9 for they keep talking about the wonderful welcome you gave us and how you turned away from idols to serve the living and true God. 10 And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God’s Son from heaven—Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment.
Terrie's Comments:
After the Thessalonians heard the good news they took action. They turned away from idols in their lives... they didn't just cut back or spend more time with God than with their idols, they turned away from them. They realized that serving the one true God meant serving Him only. They were living in the Hope of Jesus Christ coming back and to their heavenly home.
They also couldn't stop talking about this hope. They were excited about the good news of Jesus Christ who saved them from the "terrors" of the coming judgement. They talked so much about it that Paul didn't have to say anything because people were telling him about the Thessalonians and the good news before Paul could open his mouth. These people were changed... inside and outside... They were looking forward to the second coming of Jesus Christ and everyone around them knew it!
So what does my faith look like? Am I so excited about the second coming of Christ and everything he has done for me that those around me hear about it? Do people even notice that I am a follower of Jesus Christ? Do I display that hope in my life?
This past Sunday in my Sunday school class I brought a box of chocolates to class. We were talking about God caring about what you are like on the inside (your thoughts, feelings etc) just as much as what you are like on the outside (your actions). A chocolate needs to taste good on the inside and the outside to be delicious. If a chocolate doesn't taste good on the inside then it isn't enjoyable to eat... if a chocolate doesn't taste good on the outside then it isn't enjoyable to eat. For a chocolate to be delicious and truly enjoyed it needs to be good on the inside and the outside. God cares that our insides are transformed so our outsides are an overflow of what is going on in our hearts and minds. God wants to refine us on the inside so we are delicious and attractive to the world around us inside and out.
Tori's Comments:
"We always thank God for you and pray for you constantly." Do I pray like this?
"ringing out from you to people everywhere" The word of God is infectious. It should be spreading. Do I notice that in my own life?
We are writing to the church in Thessalonica, to you who belong to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
May God give you grace and peace.
2 We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. 3 As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ.
4 We know, dear brothers and sisters, that God loves you and has chosen you to be his own people. 5 For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true. And you know of our concern for you from the way we lived when we were with you. 6 So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you. In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord. 7 As a result, you have become an example to all the believers in Greece—throughout both Macedonia and Achaia.
8 And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Macedonia and Achaia, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God. We don’t need to tell them about it, 9 for they keep talking about the wonderful welcome you gave us and how you turned away from idols to serve the living and true God. 10 And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God’s Son from heaven—Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment.
Terrie's Comments:
After the Thessalonians heard the good news they took action. They turned away from idols in their lives... they didn't just cut back or spend more time with God than with their idols, they turned away from them. They realized that serving the one true God meant serving Him only. They were living in the Hope of Jesus Christ coming back and to their heavenly home.
They also couldn't stop talking about this hope. They were excited about the good news of Jesus Christ who saved them from the "terrors" of the coming judgement. They talked so much about it that Paul didn't have to say anything because people were telling him about the Thessalonians and the good news before Paul could open his mouth. These people were changed... inside and outside... They were looking forward to the second coming of Jesus Christ and everyone around them knew it!
So what does my faith look like? Am I so excited about the second coming of Christ and everything he has done for me that those around me hear about it? Do people even notice that I am a follower of Jesus Christ? Do I display that hope in my life?
This past Sunday in my Sunday school class I brought a box of chocolates to class. We were talking about God caring about what you are like on the inside (your thoughts, feelings etc) just as much as what you are like on the outside (your actions). A chocolate needs to taste good on the inside and the outside to be delicious. If a chocolate doesn't taste good on the inside then it isn't enjoyable to eat... if a chocolate doesn't taste good on the outside then it isn't enjoyable to eat. For a chocolate to be delicious and truly enjoyed it needs to be good on the inside and the outside. God cares that our insides are transformed so our outsides are an overflow of what is going on in our hearts and minds. God wants to refine us on the inside so we are delicious and attractive to the world around us inside and out.
Tori's Comments:
"We always thank God for you and pray for you constantly." Do I pray like this?
"ringing out from you to people everywhere" The word of God is infectious. It should be spreading. Do I notice that in my own life?
Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!
CHOCOLATE ANALOGIES YES TERRIE
ReplyDeleteAnytime I can use chocolate to teach about Jesus is a great day!! And Harden and Huyse chocolate is the best!
ReplyDelete