Read 1 Thessalonians 2:9-12 You yourselves are our witnesses—and so is God—that we were devout and honest and faultless toward all of you believers. – 1 Thessalonians 2:10 (NLT) Along with pure motives, we must make every effort to see that our way of living squares with what we say we believe. People will believe what they see we are. If…
Read 1 Thessalonians 2:4-8 Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts. 1 Thessalonians 2:4b (NLT) Not-yet-believers will naturally be suspicious of our motives when we present the gospel, for we are calling them to change. Therefore we must continually examine our motives to make sure we are really living in obedience…
Read 1 Thessalonians 2:1-3 You know how badly we had been treated at Philippi just before we came to you and how much we suffered there. Yet our God gave us the courage to declare his Good News to you boldly, in spite of great opposition. 1 Thessalonians 2:2 (NLT) As we follow God and meet with success, opposition will…
Read 1 Thessalonians 1:8-10 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 – 1 Thessalonians 1:8 (NLT) Faithfulness brings results, even when they are not visible…
Read 1 Thessalonians 1:4-7 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. – 1 Thessalonians 1:5a (NLT) The Good News is God’s Good News. Thus, when the Good News is preached, with both words and deeds, God’s power also…
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. – 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 (NLT) The Thessalonian church was characterized by faithful work, loving deeds, and…
Read Acts 17:1-6 This letter is from Paul, Silas, and Timothy. We are writing to the church in Thessalonica, to you who belong to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. May God give you grace and peace. – 1 Thessalonians 1:1 (NLT) Because our ways are not God’s ways, the Gospel is often a disruptive force in our…
Read 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. 1 Corinthians 12:1 (NIV) The manifestation (revelation) of the Spirit is not the gift. The gift is the Holy Spirit himself. The Spirit prompts us and we begin to act. The Spirit is manifested…
Read John 14:15-23 When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. – John 14:20 (NLT) When Christ is in us, we come to know God experientially, from seeing Him show up in our lives on a regular basis. God is then able…
But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. – John 14:26 (NLT) The Spirit speaks to us in many ways, always moving us toward closer agreement with Jesus. Very often He reminds us of things we have already learned about God and…