1 For you yourselves know, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain. 2 But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict. 3 For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive,4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. 5 For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. 6 Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. 7 But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. 8 So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.
9 For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. 10 You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. 11 For you know how, like a father with his children, 12 we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.
REFLECTION:
For Paul, evangelism was always delightful and exciting. Paul’s proclamation of the Gospel was not to win the approval of the Thessalonians, but to please God who knows his heart and motivation (v4).
In the brief time Paul was with the Thessalonian Christians, he developed a close relationship with them as he shared the Gospel. He spoke of himself “like a nursing mother taking care of her own children”. And “like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you” (v12).
The Lord has entrusted us this Good News. What is your attitude towards spreading this Good News? When you share the Good News, what are you more concerned about: the way that people might respond or what God’s purposes are?
Ask God to give you encouragement to be a gentle and loving evangelist.
PRAYER:
Stay with God for a little longer. Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you. Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.
Around AD 51, Paul, Silas and Timothy brought the message about Jesus the Messiah to the city of Thessalonica. Many people became believers, but there was a riot when Paul and Silas were accused of defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus (see Acts 17:1-9). They narrowly escaped with their lives and had to flee.
A little later Paul became concerned that the believers in Thessalonica might fall away from the faith due to the opposition they were facing. So he sent Timothy to encourage them (as a Greek he could make the trip more safely). When Timothy returned to Achaia with the welcome news that the Thessalonians had remained faithful, Paul wrote to express his joy.
In this short letter, Paul first recalls his time in Thessalonica and gives thanks for their continuing faith, despite trials and challenges. He teaches them to avoid sexual immorality, to love one another sincerely, and to work hard to earn their own living.
Paul then addresses a key pastoral question: What is the Christian hope for those who have died? He explains that believers who die before the royal appearance of the Messiah are not lost, but will surely be raised from the dead when he comes. He reminds the Thessalonians that Jesus will appear suddenly and unexpectedly. They should therefore live in such a way that they would be unashamed to greet him. Throughout the letter Paul’s basic message is, “Keep up the good work!”
1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace to you and peace.
The Thessalonians’ Faith and Example 2 We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, 3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you,5 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. 6 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, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 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. 9 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, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
REFLECTION:
For Christians, faith, love and hope are not just abstract ideas. We see this in the example of the church of Thessalonica. The Thessalonian Christians were remarkable as a truly committed church. They not only received the Gospel—they acted on it! They had faith that produced work, love that prompted labor, and hope that inspired endurance (v3). Their actions became an example and a source of joy for Paul and other churches who heard about what God was doing among the Thessalonians.
A church should be a prominent and unmistakable shining light to the community in which it exists. What is the reputation of your church or cell group throughout the community? How can you help your church or cell group become such a shining light?
How do you live out and act in faith, love and hope as a Christian in your everyday life?
PRAYER:
Stay with God for a little longer. Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you. Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.
1 Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens! 2 Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his excellent greatness!
3 Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp! 4 Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe! 5 Praise him with sounding cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals! 6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!
REFLECTION:
All prayer finally, in one way or another, becomes praise. Psalm 150 is placed as the concluding prayer of the church’s book of prayers. No matter how much we suffer, no matter our doubts, everything finds its way into praise: the final consummating prayer.
The final, jubilant psalm in this great Old Testament book pictures a people who gather before the Lord to praise His works and character with every resource they possessed, until all living things join in with shouts of joy.
What circumstances or feelings in the last year, however momentarily, have made a praising person out of you? Reflect on that again in joy, celebrating with Christ.
Augustine claimed that a “Christian should be a hallelujah from head to foot.” What needs to be done to get to that point?
Gather the reflections and insights that have come from your study of the Psalms for the past few months and turn them into a time of concluding and celebrative praise.
PRAYER:
Stay with God for a little longer. Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you. Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.
