For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake.  (6) And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, (7) so that you became examples in all of Macedonia and Achaia who believe.  (8) For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place.  Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything.  (9) For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to 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, even Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come.

The letter to the Thessalonians was written by the apostle Paul who founded the church there. Thessalonica was the largest city in Asia Minor. It was a strategic port and commercially thriving city as a center and crossroad of trade in the ancient world.  Paul often wrote letters of rebuke or correction to the churches he founded but not to the Thessalonians – this letter was one of celebration of their acceptance of the gospel and the transformation of their lives as elect of God.

Paul begins verse 5 recapping the history of the remarkable reception of the gospel by the Thessalonians as evidence of the power of the Holy Spirit working within the faithful –  Paul is assuring them their faith is genuine and they are elect of God.  Their real saving faith – the evidence that they truly believed the gospel Paul preached – was their service to each other, their evangelizing and their steadfastness.  Their words and actions spread to “every place”.  They turned from a culture of idols to God, implicit in which was repentance and renunciation of religious and cultural practices of the day.  And this dramatic change/transformation took place in the midst of threats and real persecution.  Apparently no price was too high to pay.

The gospel Paul preached in Thessalonica was not just words or information but came to the faithful in the power of the Holy Spirit and the word of God was confirmed in their hearts.  They clearly had a real saving faith which produced a work of faith in their transformation.  And their sure hope is expressed in verse 10 –  that they waited for the return of Jesus who was raised from the dead and has delivered the faithful from the wrath to come

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  (2) We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, (3) remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father, (4) knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God.  (5) For our gospel did not come to you in word only,  but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake. 

The letter to the Thessalonians as written by the apostle Paul. Paul went to strategically important cities on his missionary journeys and he chose Thessalonica because of its geographic location – it was an important city of Commerce in the ancient world. Paul would begin his preaching in the local synagogue where he was welcomed to speak as a visiting rabbi. After three weeks the enthusiasm of the Jewish community for the gospel was strong enough for the Jews to expel Paul from preaching further. We do not know if he continued elsewhere in the city but it appears he might have done so long enough for the threatened Jewish leaders to target his followers causing paul to leave  that  city.

In his opening words of this epistle Paul omits to identify himself as an apostle indicating he had no need to remind them of his authority; clearly the converts in Thessalonica respected and honored him. Also it is clear in the strong language used invoking God the Father and our Lord Jesus Chrise as the source of their faith which they received when the gospel was first preached to them – the power of God was manifested in them in a remarkable manner. Paul refers to them as the elect of God meaning This was not just their hope but their sure knowledge that salvation had come to them.  There was a powerful manifestation of the working of the Spirit among them not just in acceptance and living the gospel but spreading Christianity both by word and by example. Their conversion seems to have been based on a firm conviction that what was taught by Paul was real as in verse 5 where Paul writes that the gospel  did not just come to them by word only but also in power.

I often wonder what went on in those early days of the church when the word of Christ  Jesus – the gospel which turned wisdom on its head and was revolutionary in the message -spread throughout the known world in the face of persecution even to death. The gift of faith is real and transformational and in just these opening verses of Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians we see that their reaction was immediate and authentic.

I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound.  Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.  (13) I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  (14) Nevertheless you have done well that you shared in my distress.  (19) And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.  (20) Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever.  amen.

The letter to the Philippians was written by the apostle Paul. He wrote this letter while in prison in Rome for preaching the gospel and in our verses today he tells the church in Philippi that he is content in whatever state he is in – even though his current condition was unjust and might end in his execution.  Paul didn’t just preach this, he lived it

The occasion for this letter was to thank the church at Philippi for their financial gift and he combines the lesson of contentment in the Lord with his thanks. At the moment of faith in Christ believers are transformed and become new men and women – they are justified in Christ; made right with God and begin the process of sanctification. Paul is content in any situation because he believes that the Lord is sufficient for his every need. Paul believed that God would supply his every need and that he was not in any situation by chance. He believed that the faithful don’t need anything that is not supplied and  contentment in every circumstance is the key to living well; not just in times of need but in times of prosperity and abundance as well. This way of life is not just God working through us but God working in us.  Paul is affirming the sufficiency of Christ for the believers EVERY need and is modeling what he has learned.

Christ is the treasure of every believer and where our treasure is, there our hearts will also be.

Rejoice in the Lord always.  Again I will say, rejoice!  (5) Let your gentleness be known to all men.  The Lord is at hand. (6) Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; (7) and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ. (8) Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things.  (9) The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. 

The letter to the Philippians was written by the apostle Paul when he was a prisoner in Rome because of the gospel. In our verses today Paul sums up his main theme in Philippians – Christian behavior in a lost world. This message was to bolster the faithful in a world where Christian persecution was a real and present danger.

Paul tells his readers to rejoice in the Lord – and repeats this to underline the importance of his injunction. The peace of God which surpasses all understanding is a promise, not a prayer. This peace is not dependent on this world but exactly the opposite; it is found in the grace of God alone through Christ Jesus. The joys/pleasures of this world are shadows of the real thing – imperfect and fleeting – never satisfying.  Anxiety and joy are mutually exclusive and if we give in to anxiety we are living in this world and have not trust in The sovereignty of God. Ignorance of the providence of God is the cause of all impatience, confusion and doubt.

We cannot live to please ourselves – not if we have true faith.  The only way to realize the peace of God is try to please God.  Our real life is led in our heads and our thoughts shape our conduct:  thoughts become words, become actions, become habits, become our character and inevitably become our destiny. Life lived in the context of eternity should be taken very seriously indeed. Think biblically.

Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, (2) fulfill my joy by being likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.  (3) Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mindset each esteem others better than himself.  (4) Let each of you look out not only for his own interests,  but also for the interests of others. (5) Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, (6) who, being in the form of God,  did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, (7) but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bond servant, and coming in the likeness of men.  (8) And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.  (9) Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, (10) that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, (11) and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 

The letter to the Philippians was written by the apostle Paul. In our verses today Paul is encouraging the faithful there to attend to their everyday lives in their new standing in Christ.  The church Paul founded at Philippi was no different than that of any church today in that there are always human problems with human dealings.

Our faith is a gift and is eternal and at the moment of belief we are given the indwelling Spirit and made right with God through Christ Jesus.  But justification is a process and we are flawed people, so Paul reminds us that if we have known Christ our default reaction should be to seek a renewed  spirit in both the good times and the bad. In every situation and especially during any conflict we should live Christ like – to live to please Him.

God does not cut people off and neither should we – our love and reaction should not depend on another’s response.  If we claim to love God and don’t love others we are mistaken about loving God.  Every conflict is an opportunity to live to serve the Lord – to search our mind and hearts for selfish and prideful actions disguised as service – pride is opposed to harmony.  It is vainglorious and driven by a sense of our own importance.  Self fulfillment should not be our goal  This world we live in at present is fleeting and the outcome of all time and history is certain – Christ is risen and will come again.  Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Christ is Lord.

My favorite, c.s.Lewis, writes in Surprised by Joy:  “Shut your mouth, open your eyes and ears.  Take in what is there and give no thought to what might have been there or is somewhere else.  That can come later, if it must come at all.  (And notice here how the true training for anything whatever that is good always prefigures and, if submitted to, will always help us in, the true training for Christian life.”