“We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father; knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God. For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. ” 1st Thessalonians 1:2-5

Yesterday, we noticed that church is so much more than just a club or place where we go to meet friends. The church is IN God the Father and IN Jesus Christ. Our worship and fellowship time together at church are when we enter heaven’s throne room for a while and fellowship closely with our Bridegroom.

The believers at Thessalonica obviously understood this amazing fact. Paul’s description of their devotion to God and response to the gospel is a high mark to which we can compare our public worship.

The believers at Thessalonica were actively involved in worship and responded verbally and physically to the wonderful message of sovereign grace. They did not sit passively and just listen to Paul’s words. They applied them to their personal lives and it made a remarkable difference. They had a strong assurance of salvation, and Paul and everyone else could see it!

Their active belief reflected in their growth in faith and knowledge of God’s word. It reflected in their devotion to Paul and others in self-sacrifice of time, reputation, and livelihood. And most of all, it reflected itself in their daily understanding of the world. They were no doubt persecuted just like Paul was but they looked for the day of the Lord’s return with hope and joy!