Persevere with Faith, Love and Hope

Persevere with Faith, Love and Hope

Date: Feb. 16, 2022

Passage

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 (ESV)

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.

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.

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Daily Bread

Key Verse: 1:3

remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

INTRODUCTION TO 1 THESSALONIANS
“Living in the Light”
In this wonderful epistle (which is Paul’s first epistle written around 51 A.D.), Paul simply plants faith, love, and hope in the church in Thessalonica.
In Acts 17, at the busy, large seaport of Thessalonica, Paul preached in the synagogue on 3 Sabbaths and evangelized many Jews and Gentiles, including some prominent women. When some other jealous Jews stirred up persecution against Paul and started a riot, he left for Berea, and then Athens. Wanting to help the new believers, Paul tried twice to return but was hindered. Instead, he sent Timothy, who brought back a glowing report of their standing firm.
In this epistle, Paul responds to doubts and questions they had regarding Jesus’ Second Coming and what would happen to their loved ones who had already died. The letter is divided into 2 parts: thanksgiving and instruction. The letter also contains 3 prayers, one at the beginning, one in the middle and one in the end. Through the study of this epistle, we learn how Paul gives basic instructions to new Christians on how to live in the light of Jesus’ Second Coming with faith, love, and hope. We learn how to be godly, to grow in grace, to be sanctified, to live with hope in Jesus’ return, and to live in community with other believers.
His prayer and instruction were the keys to helping this vulnerable, new church to grow spiritually. Let’s learn from Paul’s example and go back to the basics of raising new disciples and church planting.

Paul greets the young church officially on behalf of Paul’s team of leaders. He encourages them with Jesus’ grace and peace, assures them that they are constantly in his prayer, and acknowledges their dedication to the Lord. Their faith, love and hope were a model to other believers. Often, we struggle alone in the spiritual battle and feel no one knows or remembers us. Paul knew this about the Thessalonians, and this was his impetus to begin his letter writing to churches, known as the epistles.

Paul reminds them how they came to faith. The underlying truth is that God loved and chose them. They believed the Word, and the Holy Spirit worked powerfully in them with conviction. They turned away from polytheism, accepted the one true God, and imitated Paul’s way of life joyfully.

The Thessalonians, some of high status, were new Christians. Though they were vulnerable and had much to lose, they endured fiery persecution, shared the message, and waited for Jesus' Second Coming. Their story inspires us today. Our simple faith in Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins and our hope in his resurrection challenges this post-Christian era. To endure trials, we must live in the light of Jesus’ Second Coming as they did.

Prayer: Prayer: Father, empower us with your Spirit to believe your words, to joyfully overcome trials with faith, love and hope, and to share the gospel.

One Word: One Word: Persevere with faith, love and hope

Repent of Compromise with the World

Revelation 2:12-29

Key Verse: 2:16

Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth.

Today's Question

What are the reasons for the second commandment?

See answer and references

IIT UBF - University Bible Fellowship at IIT