1 Thessalonians 1: Examples of A Healthy Church Congregation

1 Thessalonians 1 is a short chapter, and because of that, it’s often overlooked. I believe if you look deep enough into scripture, you’ll hear the Holy Spirit speak to you.

Oftentimes we go through life at breakneck speed. Nothing happens fast enough because we always have another thing to head towards.

Being busy is one of the issues we have in our lives. Being busy stops us from hearing the voice of God. When we feel beat up, we run around and stress out. When this happens, it’s almost impossible to hear his voice.

This is one of the reasons God told us to work 6 days and rest on the 7th. But even more, we should have some free time in our days. This time can be used to relax, and focus on God. We weren’t built for this modern life of constant stress.

As Christians, we need to take care of ourselves, teach those around us, and share the love of Jesus with our neighbors. Anything else is a waste of time.

1 Thessalonians 1: Paul Sends His Greetings

1 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.

1 Thessalonians 1:1

I feel like Paul has a stamp for his greetings because almost every letter introduction he writes is the same. The only difference I see is the writers of the letters seem to change up. And that’s usually explained why in the letter.

However, a sentence always stands out to me. Paul usually prays that the readers of his letters receive grace and peace from God, and 1 Thessalonians 1 is no different.

I believe this prayer extends 2000 years from the time it was written to now. I don’t know if Paul knew what kind of impact he’d make on the world, but even if he did, I don’t think he’d care.

The only thing he wanted was Jesus, and the share his love with the people around him.

It’s a mindset that’s lacking in the American Church today, myself included. I like to go about my day, doing good but keeping my head down.

But I often wonder, when am I going to speak up? When will I tell the people around me about the love of Jesus?

It’s a scary and sobering thought, and I need to do this more. As I read 1 Thessalonians 1, I’m already feeling a conviction to get off my butt and hang out with more people.

1 Thessalonians 1: The Faith of Thessalonian Believers

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.

1 Thessalonians 1:2-10

1 Thessalonians 1 A Breakdown of Healthy Believers

In the first chapter of 1 Thessalonians 1, Paul talks about how proud of these Christians he’s become. He talks about their love for God, and how their love propels the good news around the world.

He reminds them that they do hear the Holy Spirit, and they should continue to listen to him. Also, they’ve become examples to all the believers in Greece.

This is something that awaits all believers when we follow the holy spirit. The Holy Spirit is our lifeline. He directs and guides our daily lives. Also, he comforts us when things go badly.

One of the themes I write about a lot is how much our focus should be on Jesus. I write this to remind myself daily. But I also want everyone else to know.

God is the only thing that matters in this life. A new car, house, or family, doesn’t. These things are all good, and God gives us these blessings. But nothing should take the place of God in our lives.

The Church in 1 Thessalonians 1 is full of ardent followers of Christ. They give, pray, and help everyone around them. They’ve done it so much that the other churches have heard of them, and they see a proper example.

That’s the type of Christian I want to be. We need to set a better example as we live life and focus on him. Only then will we see the world transformed for him.