PRAYER FOR THE PROCESS, NOT THE PROMISE

3  I thank my God every time I remember you.
4  In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 
5  because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 
6  being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. —Philippians 1:3 - 6

Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel.
As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone
else that I am in chains for Christ.
And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear. —Philippians 1:12 - 14

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. Thanksgiving for the Thessalonians’ Faith.
2 We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers.
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.
For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you, —1 Thessalonians 1:1 - 4

1. The work of prayer is produced by faith in faith.

We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, —1 Thessalonians 1:3a

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. —Hebrews 11:1

But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. —James 1:6 - 8

2. The labor of prayer in the process is prompted by the love for the promised.

We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted
by love, —1 Thessalonians 1:3a-b

LABOR DEFINED: Expenditure of physical or mental effort especially when difficult or compulsory.

because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, —Philippians 1:5

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.
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. —1 Thessalonians 1:5 - 6

But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. —Matthew 9:36

3. The work of prayer produced by faith and the labor prompted by love, gives birth to the promise of Jesus.

In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. —James 2:17

17  Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present to heal them. 
18  Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him. 
19  And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus. —Luke 5:17 - 19

When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” —Luke 5:20

And when He saw [their confidence in Him, springing from] their faith, He said, Man, your sins are forgiven you! —Luke 5:20 (AMPC)

21  And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
22  But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts? 
23  Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise up and walk’?
24  But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.”
25  Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. 
26  And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen strange things today!” —Luke 5:17 - 26

For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you, —1 Thessalonians 1:4

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, —1 Thessalonians 1:8