Faith, Love, and Hope in Action (I Thessalonians 1:1-10)
A. A city where the gospel came to life (1-3)
1 Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you.
2 We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers.
3 We continually 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.
1. Work produced by faith
2. Labor of love
3. Endurance inspired by hope
B. Through the Holy Spirit, ideas become actions
1. Chosen by God, filled with the Spirit, and following the Lord (4-7)
4 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you,
5 because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake.
6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.
7 And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.
2. Leaving idols and serving the one true God (8-10)
8 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,
9 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,
10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead--Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.
Summary
The Bible doesn't teach faith, love, and hope as abstract values, but introduces them as the driving force for action. God has chosen us and filled us with the Holy Spirit so that we can live out our faith, love, and hope. Let's look to Jesus as our example of how to follow and serve the one true God. To do so, we need to leave behind our various idols with the help of the Holy Spirit.
For Discussion
1) How are faith, love, and hope manifested in action?
2) What are things that easily become idols in your life?