Rachel Workman: 8 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, 9 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. 10 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.
If salvation were the work of man, we would have every right to be discouraged and quit. But salvation is the work of God, and He uses people to call out His elect “He called you by our gospel” (2 Thess. 2:14). The same God who ordains the end (the salvation of the lost) also ordains the means to the end (the preaching of the gospel). There is no conflict between divine sovereignty and human responsibility, even though we cannot reconcile the two. 2.4 billion people in our world have no visible witness of the gospel in their midst, or no church body. In spite of the outreach of radio, television, and the printing press. I believe Christ intends for that to change.
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John Burnett: 8 For the
word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia
and Achaia, but in every place the news of your
faith toward God has gone out, so that we have no need to say anything. 9 For
they themselves report about us as to the kind of reception we had
with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a
living and true God, 10 and to wait for His Son
from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is, Jesus
who rescues us from the wrath to come. People were hearing about how the Thessalonians had repented
from worshiping idols and turned to the true God, Jesus Christ, who rescues us
from the wrath to come. God opened the eyes of the Thessalonians so that
they could see the sinfulness of their sin and their need for salvation through
Jesus Christ.
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Tomorrow’s reading for 1 Thessalonians 2:1-6
2 You yourselves know, dear brothers and sisters,[a] that our visit to you was not a failure. 2 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. 3 So you can see we were not preaching with any deceit or impure motives or trickery.
4 For we speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts. 5 Never once did we try to win you with flattery, as you well know. And God is our witness that we were not pretending to be your friends just to get your money! 6 As for human praise, we have never sought it from you or anyone else.
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