The church in Thessalonica was known for six things: their work of faith, their labor of love, their enduring hope, receiving the word with joy despite persecution, warmly welcoming the apostles, and turning from idols to serve the living God.
We're going to 1 Thessalonians chapter 1. Listen to how Paul describes this church.
This letter is from Paul, Silas, and Timothy. We are writing to the church in Thessalonica, you who belong to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. May God give you grace and peace.
We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. 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.
We know, dear brothers and sisters, that God loves you and has chosen you to be his own people. 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. 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. As a result, you have become an example to all the believers in Greece, throughout both Macedonia and Achaia.
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, 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. 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 1:1-10 (NLT)
How many of you want that to be the testimony of NoLimits Church? I want the word of the Lord just ringing out from this place to people everywhere. And they're already saying it.
Last week Caleb told me somebody came up to him at a restaurant and said, "You're part of NoLimits Church, aren't you?" They wanted him to come be part of a gathering they were having. People already know.
It reminds me of a prophecy from two or three years ago. It was prophesied that we wouldn't have to wear the t-shirt, people would just know. "You're part of that church, aren't you? Can you pray for me?"
We have what people need. God didn't fill us up so that we could be fat. He filled us up so that we could give what we have to those around us.
Because you're full of the Holy Spirit, you have the answer in every situation, so you can relax and trust God to give it to you right when you need it.
The Holy Spirit contains the wisdom of God. So you don't even have to question, "What if I don't know what to tell them?" He'll tell you what to tell them.
But if you get caught up in your head, you're going to miss it. That's why you've got to learn to relax. When you're relaxed, it means you trust.
I used to get so worked up about Sunday mornings. I'd make myself sick on Saturday night. I couldn't eat dinner, and I couldn't eat breakfast Sunday morning, because I was so nervous about whether my message was right.
I'd write it all out ahead of time just to make sure I got it right. Then in my walk with the Lord, He taught me to calm down. He said, "I'm thankful for what you're doing, but would you calm down?"
When you calm down, you hear so much clearer and the word comes so much easier. He worked so hard to get it to me when I was worked up. The Father wants you to hear.
So if I don't know what I'm going to preach until I step up on this stage, that's all right with me. If I don't know what I'm going to say to someone until I'm face to face with them, that's okay too. The Lord is going to give me the answer right when I need it.
The work of faith is the everyday job of every believer to wrangle the mind, and the labor of love is the intense, hard work of loving people even when it feels like taking a beating.
The first two things this church was known for were their work of faith and their labor of love (1 Thessalonians 1:3). This kind of thing gets me curious. We'd call "work" and "labor" synonyms, so I looked up the difference.
The word work there means normal daily labor. It's an employment, like going to work every day. You have a responsibility as a believer to live in faith every day.
It's work to believe. The employment of the believer is to wrangle the mind. It's to bring the mind into subjection to the Word and to take every thought captive.
Your mind wants to be loose and do what it wants. It thinks it's the boss of everything, and it wants to sound so smart. Have you noticed your mind saying, "We've got this figured out. We know what they're doing wrong and why they did it"?
Your mind is full of assumptions, and it thinks they're spot on. I can tell you they're spot wrong most of the time. You perceived it the wrong way, you took offense, you got bothered, and now you can't even see it the way God sees it.
Now the labor of love. The word labor means a beating, like you took a beating. It ties into the labor a woman goes through when she's having a baby.
When you step out and extend God's love, it can feel like you're taking a beating. You're extending love and they're not. It makes you want to give up, but love never gives up.
So if loving people feels like laboring a baby, you're on the right track. This church kept loving people even while they were being persecuted. They were loving the very people who were persecuting them.
Enduring hope means having an eager, unwavering expectation for the return of Christ.
This church was known for faith, hope, and love. Their enduring hope meant they were eager for Jesus to come back, and nothing could shake that expectation.
Somebody could come up to you and say, "If He was going to come back, He would've come back already." And you'd say, "He's coming back." That's an unwavering expectation.
I'm going to occupy till He comes, and I'm going to have the best time until He comes. But there's an eagerness inside of me to see Him face to face. Would you look out across America and say people are eager for the Lord's return?
Truly receiving the word means receiving it with joy, and holding on to it even when persecution comes.
This church received the word with joy despite persecution (1 Thessalonians 1:6). Some people receive the word with a sour look on their face. Some receive it grudgingly.
The joy of the Lord is my strength. If you're not receiving the word with joy, you ain't receiving the word. And if persecution comes and talks you out of the word, you didn't really receive it.
So are you receiving it with joy right now? If you get persecuted because of what you learned today, are you going to keep on? Might as well make the choice ahead of time.
They were also known for warmly welcoming the apostles (1 Thessalonians 1:9). At that time, most people wanted to throw the apostles in jail. This church welcomed the people everybody else hated and said, "Come in here. We want you to teach us."
And they were known for turning from idols (1 Thessalonians 1:9). They yielded fully to the Lord and became willing servants. Whatever the Lord says, that's what goes.
The Thessalonians were a heavily persecuted church, and they saw the return of Christ as their rescue from the wrath of God to come, not as an escape from the persecution they were already enduring.
A core focus of this whole letter is the return of Christ. It's mentioned nine times, and this is a very short book. In verse 10, Jesus is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment (1 Thessalonians 1:10).
When the Thessalonians thought about the return of Christ, they thought about rescue. I've had a lot of arguments with people about pre-trib, mid-trib, post-trib, no trib. If you hold one of those other views, I'm not getting on to you today, but I'm hoping to renew your mind with the Word.
One argument I hear is, "You're just trying to escape the tribulation." Well, duh. Who wants to be a part of that? But this letter brings a lot of clarity.
This was not some American fluffy church getting bad comments on Facebook and calling it persecution. People were slandering them and probably beating them up for being believers. Look at chapter 2.
Dear brothers and sisters, you suffered persecution from your own countrymen. In this way you imitated the believers in God's churches in Judea who, because of their belief in Christ Jesus, suffered from their own people, the Jews. For some of the Jews killed the prophets, and some even killed the Lord Jesus. Now they have persecuted us, too. They fail to please God and work against all humanity as they try to keep us from preaching the Good News of salvation to the Gentiles. By doing this, they continue to pile up their sins. But the anger of God has caught up with them at last.
1 Thessalonians 2:14-16 (NLT)
Paul is likening their persecution to what Jesus and the early believers went through. And in chapter 3:
Even while we were with you, we warned you that troubles would soon come, and they did, as you well know. That is why, when I could bear it no longer, I sent Timothy to find out whether your faith was still strong. I was afraid that the tempter had gotten the best of you and that our work had been useless.
1 Thessalonians 3:4-5 (NLT)
The troubles came, and they endured them with great joy. And yet when they looked for the return of Christ, they saw it as their rescue from the great time of testing. They understood the difference between the persecution we go through now and the wrath of God coming in the seven-year tribulation.
The tribulation we face now may seem extreme, especially in some parts of the world. But the wrath of God is going to be like times a million on the suffering spectrum for those who are here. There's a difference.
First Thessalonians 4 says that when Jesus returns, the believers who have died will rise first, and then believers who are still alive will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.
We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (NLT)
Paul made it clear: this isn't him saying it, it's the Lord. He knew people would struggle to believe it. We're going to be caught up in the clouds, and those who died ahead of us are going to be there with us.
Somebody will say the word rapture isn't in the Bible. Okay, I'll stop using that word for you if it causes a problem. We're going to be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and that one is in the Word (1 Thessalonians 4:17).
If that sounds crazy to you, stir your faith. God created this whole place. Of course He can take us up out of here, and He's done it before with Elijah and Enoch.
If somebody teaches about the end times in a way that makes you fearful, they're not teaching it right. Paul said to encourage each other with these words (1 Thessalonians 4:18). If you're not encouraged by being reminded of the coming of the Lord, somebody doesn't have the right viewpoint.
Jesus will return on a normal day when the world least expects it, but believers who are paying attention won't be surprised.
Now concerning how and when all this will happen, dear brothers and sisters, we don't really need to write you. For you know quite well that the day of the Lord's return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. When people are saying, "Everything is peaceful and secure," then disaster will fall on them as suddenly as a pregnant woman's labor pains begin. And there will be no escape.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-3 (NLT)
Everybody wants a date. No one knows the day or the hour, and we've been trying to guess for years. It finally hit me: we don't even know which calendar we're on, so there's no chance we're figuring this out.
This is one of the things that lets you know it has to happen before the tribulation. If the tribulation was already going on, everybody would be begging Him to come get them. But no, Jesus is coming back on a normal day.
Jesus said it would be like the days of Noah. People were living life and mocking Noah for building a boat for 120 years. Then one day, they went from normal life to drowning.
It was the same in the days of Lot. People in Sodom and Gomorrah were partying, working, and buying. Then fire came down from heaven.
The world will be surprised. They'll probably say the aliens finally came and got us, and they'll be glad we're gone. If you're waiting for some great sign first, that's not how it's going to happen.
But notice who Paul is talking about. He didn't say "brothers and sisters" there. He said "people," meaning the world.
But you aren't in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won't be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief. For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don't belong to darkness and night.
1 Thessalonians 5:4-5 (NLT)
It's still going to come like a thief, on a regular day. But you won't be surprised. You'll say, "I knew it."
You should be eating lunch at work on a normal day and look around and think, "It could be right now." That's why you've got to live every day ready for the return of Christ.
Staying alert and clear-headed means keeping your eyes open for Jesus' return and doing the daily work of wrangling your mind.
So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clear headed. Night is the time when people sleep and drinkers get drunk. But let us who live in the light be clear headed, protected by the body armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation. For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us. Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever. So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.
1 Thessalonians 5:6-11 (NLT)
Paul calls the world asleep because they aren't paying attention. They don't know Jesus is coming. Don't be asleep like them.
How many of us have been guilty of falling asleep on the Lord? That's why we're here for each other. You have my permission to shake anybody who needs to wake up.
The employment of the believer is to wrangle the mind. Is your mind troubled or distracted? Is it like a highway up there and nobody knows which direction to go? Clear your head.
Underline verse 9: God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out His anger on us (1 Thessalonians 5:9). Some people say this isn't talking about the wrath. Yes it is. We're still talking about His return and the tribulation.
You have a good Father. People sing "Good Good Father" and then talk about how God is making people sick. Go sing it again and listen to the words.
He blesses us. He makes you rich and adds no sorrow to it. So why aren't more people living in the blessing? Because they need to wrangle their mind.
People have created their own poverty by the way they think about God. I've been there. My thinking didn't sound like the Bible; it sounded like religious nonsense, thinking I was impressing God by rejecting His blessing.
None of us has ever impressed God. Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God and let Him lift you up. Jesus already did it, so we're not here to perform. We're here to be sons and daughters of the Most High God.
While we wait, Paul says to honor our leaders, live in peace, be patient with everyone, always be joyful, never stop praying, and be thankful in all circumstances.
What do we do in the meantime? Rack up the credit cards? No. Paul gives us our marching orders.
Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord's work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance. Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other.
Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone. See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.
Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:12-18 (NLT)
You do honor your leaders and live peacefully with each other, and I thank you for it. We have a healthy church that's growing and full of love.
Be patient with everyone. No one is excluded from patience. How much more do I have to give them? More.
There is more patience in there because you're full of the Holy Spirit. Some of you think you've come to the end of your patience. You didn't, so draw it out.
Don't ever let yourself come to the end of patience. All that means is you just put a cap on the Holy Spirit.
Always be joyful. Is there ever a time you can choose not to be joyful and stay obedient to the Scripture? Every time you slip into discouragement, you're in disobedience.
You can show up with joy in every conversation, even when you have to warn somebody not to be lazy. "Hey, I've got something to tell you today. You're going to love this. You're going to have to stop being lazy."
Never stop praying. It's amazing how easy it is to stop praying. Life gets busy, and all of a sudden you haven't prayed in days.
That's why it's in there as a reminder. If you don't remind yourself to keep praying, you will stop. If you don't remind yourself that joy is the expectation, you'll fade into crankiness.
Be thankful in all circumstances. That's a tall order. Somebody opens their car door and puts a big dent in yours, and you say, "I'm so thankful. Now I get to meet somebody, practice patience, and meet more people at the body shop."
That's enough for us to work on until Jesus gets back.
Paul says not to stifle the Holy Spirit or scoff at prophecies, but to test everything and hold on to what is good.
Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. Do not scoff at prophecies, but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil.
1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 (NLT)
Don't put a cap on the Holy Spirit. Make room for Him, and don't schedule Him out of your life.
What do we do about false prophecies? Start a YouTube channel and tell everybody? Notice Paul didn't give you anything to do about the wrong ones. He just said hold on to what is good.
If you keep talking about the bad, you give life to it. When I open up the mic, half the room worries someone will say something dumb. But when I come back up, I highlight what was good, say nothing about what wasn't, and it just goes off into oblivion.
The Word says all should desire to prophesy. Prophecy, in simple terms, is God speaking to people. If you believe God wants to speak to someone, step up, and He'll give you one word or show you a picture, and more comes.
Some people hesitate to prophesy because they think they have to get every word exactly right. Can I free you today? You don't and you won't, and God's okay with it as long as you stay humble.
If you're humble, when He tells you to make a correction, you just make it. You're not trying to maintain a reputation. If I explain something wrong that the Lord showed me, I'll tell everybody I explained it wrong and give it another go.
We prophesy in part. Not one person gets the whole thing, because God wants us to work together. So we should ask for help: "Show me the part I'm missing."
When your kids took their first step and fell down, did you say, "You got it wrong"? No, you were excited. That's what God is doing for you.
The gifts inside you are complete. He's working in you to mature you so you can flow in them with accuracy. So we're patient with each other while everybody learns.
The Lord is looking for a heart turned toward Him, not perfection. Relax. Let God do the work, because He's the only one who can.
Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful.
Dear brothers and sisters, pray for us. Greet all the brothers and sisters with a sacred kiss. I command you in the name of the Lord to read this letter to all the brothers and sisters. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
1 Thessalonians 5:23-28 (NLT)
Who's going to make this happen? God will. He who calls you is faithful (1 Thessalonians 5:24).
Our marching orders while we wait are all about how we treat people, starting with the people inside the church, because the world will know us by our love for one another.
People lose sight of how important it is how we treat each other. If we're trying to evangelize and we haven't got things straightened out in here first, we're just going to be a bunch of noise out there.
So the practice happens in here. You'll have many opportunities to be patient with people in this church. Aren't you thankful?
People are going to be doing foolish things from now until Jesus comes back. You can't control that, but you can control your response. Get your eyes off what they did wrong, because that's not your business.
What was the church in Thessalonica known for?
They were known for their work of faith, labor of love, and enduring hope, for receiving the word with joy despite severe persecution, for warmly welcoming the apostles, and for turning from idols to serve God. People everywhere were talking about their faith.
What does "work of faith" mean in 1 Thessalonians 1:3?
The word "work" means normal daily labor, like an employment. The pastor's point is that the employment of the believer is to wrangle the mind, bringing it into subjection to the Word and taking every thought captive.
Is the rapture in the Bible?
The word "rapture" isn't in the Bible, but the event is. First Thessalonians 4:17 says believers who are still alive will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, after the dead in Christ rise first.
Will Christians go through the tribulation?
The pastor teaches no. First Thessalonians 5:9 says God chose to save us, not to pour out His anger on us, and the Thessalonians, a heavily persecuted church, saw Jesus' return as their rescue from the coming wrath, which he identifies as the seven-year tribulation.
What is the difference between persecution and the wrath of God?
Persecution is what believers face now, and the Thessalonians endured it with joy. The wrath of God in the tribulation is something entirely different, "times a million on the suffering spectrum," and Paul says believers are rescued from it.
Why will Jesus come back like a thief in the night?
He will return on a normal day while the world is saying everything is peaceful and secure, just like the days of Noah and Lot. Believers aren't in the dark, so although it will still come suddenly, they won't be surprised.
What should Christians do while waiting for Jesus to return?
Paul's instructions are to honor leaders, live peacefully, be patient with everyone, never pay back evil for evil, always be joyful, never stop praying, and be thankful in all circumstances. The pastor stresses that all of this is about how we treat people, starting inside the church.
What should you do when someone gives a wrong prophecy?
Test everything and hold on to what is good. The pastor says not to talk about the bad, because talking about it gives it life, and if you leave it alone it fades into oblivion.
