Daily Dose of the Word of God - 1 Thessalonians: 1-10

Gregg DeMey, Lead Pastor

Transcript

Gregg DeMey 0:07  

Good morning and welcome to Elmhurst CRC's Daily Dose of the Word of God. It's Thursday, February 20, and this is Gregg DeMey, Lead Pastor at the church. God is inviting us to get more of His word into our hearts and lives. Today's reading takes us into the epistles, notably the first letter that Paul wrote to the Thessalonian church. Paul, Silas and Timothy writing here.

Gregg DeMey 0:34  

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 in 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.

Gregg DeMey 1:59  

After starting a new church in Thessalonica, the apostle Paul had left there abruptly after only a brief time. As a result, some of those new baby Christians hadn't received very much instruction and there was a little tension about what to do day to day - if Jesus was really going to come back soon as they thought. From the outset of his letter to the Thessalonians, Paul encourages them to live consistent, hard-working and steady lives in response to their newfound faith. A model and generous faith, really. In verse 3 of this opening chapter, Paul commends 3 things. First, their hard work produced by faith. Secondly, labor, prompted by love. And third, endurance, inspired by hope in Jesus Christ. Wouldn't it be amazing if those three qualities were true of our day to day lives as members of the body of Jesus Christ at ECRC? Hard work, labor and endurance. The Thessalonians were heavenly minded, but also of immense earthly good. What a church.

Gregg DeMey  3:13  

Let's pray together. Lord, in your name, we want to work hard today in whatever you ask us to do. We want to labor in love. Things are going to get rough and rocky, so we aspire to endure in what you ask of us, knowing that Jesus went the distance - all the way to the cross and the tomb and beyond to fulfill his hard work and your calling on his life. May we follow faithfully in his footsteps. In his name we pray, amen.