Proclamation:
“And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and
Achaia. The Lord’s message rang out from
you not only in Macedonia
and Achaia, your faith in God has become known everywhere …” 1 Thessalonians 1:7-8 (NIV)
Explanation:
These words were written in a letter by the apostle Paul,
under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers in the church
at Thessalonica. In this first chapter,
Paul praised them for their efforts in the name of The Lord and he thanked God
for them in his prayers. (1 Thessalonians 1:2-3) They were believers who developed a deep
conviction and were empowered by The Holy Spirit of God. (1 Thessalonians
1:4-5) They became a model for all
believers.
Application:
It is not just preachers who should spread The Word of God,
all believers also have the potential to do so because of the indwelling of The
Holy Spirit. All believers can be models
of Christ-like behavior for the world to see, and all can share The Word of God
with those unbelievers that they encounter.
Our faith in God and our love for God should cause us to want to share
Him with others. We just need to
recognize that to the world, our actions speak much louder than our words. We need to exhibit Christ-like behavior if
our message is to be effective. The
change in our behavior from our previous sinful ways will speak for itself.
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