A Church Worth Imitating — 1 Thess 1:1-10 Daily Word

Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonian church encourages believers living out their faith through the work of faith, the labor of love, and the steadfastness of hope. He praises their exemplary faith in turning from idols and returning to God, and shows them how to live in the hope of Christ’s return.

[Scripture]

Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you. 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, 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. And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. The Lord’s message rang out from you not only into 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, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath. (1 Thess 1:1-10, NIV)

[Daily Word]

Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonian believers encourages them as they live beautifully with the work of faith, the labor of love, and the steadfastness of hope. He praises their exemplary faith in turning from idols and returning to God.

Today’s message recaps the events from Acts 16-17 and introduces Paul’s letter to Thessalonica.

Paul and Silas met Timothy in Lystra during Paul’s second missionary journey (Acts 16:1-15). Since Timothy’s father was a Greek and his mother was a Jew, he was half-Jewish and did not need to be circumcised. However, since the mission would involve both Gentiles and Jews, Timothy was circumcised to avoid unnecessary friction with the Jewish community. When Paul went to Philippi with them, he healed a slave girl who was possessed by a spirit of divination (16:16-26).

Paul and Silas, being Jews, were severely beaten and imprisoned by Gentiles who opposed them. However, God guided them even in prison, and when a great earthquake opened the prison doors, God had the jailer hear the gospel. Because of the earthquake that night, Paul and Silas were released. Following God’s leading, they passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica.

There, the three men found the Jewish synagogue and taught the Scriptures for about three weeks. The audience who received the message included wealthy women, Jews, and Greeks who heard and believed.

However, there were Jews who were envious and jealous of the people flocking to hear Paul’s message. They used ruffians to persecute not only Paul and Silas but also the Gentiles receiving the gospel. At this time, a Gentile named Jason is mentioned in Scripture (17:5).

The Thessalonian believers, thinking they needed to protect Paul, Silas, and Timothy, sent them to Berea at night. There also, people heard and believed the gospel. So the Jews from Thessalonica followed them to Berea and persecuted the preachers. In this process, Paul had to continue moving from Berea to Athens, and then to Corinth. Throughout this ordeal, Paul remained concerned about the Thessalonian church and wanted to know how they were doing. So when Silas and Timothy arrived in Macedonia while he was staying in Corinth (17:15), Paul sent Silas back to Philippi and Timothy to Thessalonica.

And Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonian church is the content of today’s passage.

While there are many churches on this earth, there is no perfect church. However, there are healthy churches we should emulate. Paul particularly thanks the Thessalonian church for their exemplary faith and encourages the believers’ faith and commitment. Paul introduces them as people in God the Father and Jesus Christ, which means they dwell in God daily, experience God’s power, and live it out. So whenever Paul thinks of them living beautifully with the work of faith, the labor of love, and the steadfastness of hope, he cannot help but give thanks to God.

Healthy churches always have exemplary believers.

The more believers who resemble Jesus and imitate the Lord, the healthier the church becomes.

Many of the Thessalonian believers were from Gentile backgrounds. Because of this, they were constantly persecuted by conservative Jews who insisted that one must be circumcised to believe in God. And they faced double persecution from fellow Gentiles—for believing in an invisible God and for believing in Jesus, who was already dead. Yet the Holy Spirit constantly gave them joy in their hearts, enabling them to overcome their hardships. This exemplary faith became a model for all believers and spread everywhere, earning them a good reputation.

In all of this, the Thessalonian believers turned from idols and returned to God.

They changed direction from a life that loved and enjoyed sin to a life that pleases God. When we seek and do what pleases God, many things become beneficial to us. We depart from sin, are freed from worry and anxiety, and the work of the Holy Spirit within us enables us to forgive others, love them, and find joy in prayer.

The reason the Thessalonian believers could rejoice even amid persecution was that they drew near to the Lord. By drawing near to the Lord, they were no longer in a position to sin. By drawing near to the Lord, the Holy Spirit comforted them, enabled them to overcome all things, guided their way, and turned it all into a blessing.

May we believe this message today and lay down all the idols we have held, trusting only in God, who guides our way.

1 Thessalonians, Paul, Thessalonian church, exemplary faith, turning from idols to God