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Message Notes
“Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.” —1 Thessalonians 1:1
How do we know if we are a church with the right stuff?
- Our Commitment to Each Other
“We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” —1 Thessalonians 1:2-3
What virtues did these Christians display toward one another?
- A working faith
- A labor love
“If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.” —I Corinthians 13:1-3
- An enduring hope
“A man can endure anything as long as he has hope, for then he is not walking to the night, but to the dawn.” —William Barclay
Where does an outward lifestyle like that come from? The Holy Spirit
“For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.” —1 Thessalonians 1:4-5
- Our Commitment to Lost People
How?
- They were imitators of the gospel
“And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.” —1 Thessalonians 1:6-7
- They shared the gospel.
“For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything.” —I Thessalonians 1:8
- Our Commitment to Christ
“For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.” —1 Thessalonians 1:9-10
“An idol is anyone or anything, other than God, that holds your confidence, trust, or allegiance.” —Tony Evans
These believers had two purposes for their lives:
- To serve the living and true God.
- To wait for His Son to return from heaven.