Being a people of Thanksgiving // Thessalonian Model

Book Study of 1 Thessalonians

What would make a group of people worthy of high praise as mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 1:2? What qualities did they carry that Paul boasts so highly of them and says that he always thanks God for them? Do people around you thank Jesus because you are alive? I am genuinely thankful for each person sitting in this room. I am thankful that you are giving Jesus your time and investing in your spiritual health and your spiritual walk with Jesus. No time spent with Jesus is ever wasted time. It is always beneficial, even if it is 2 minutes, or 2 hours. Any time invested with Jesus is always a benefit to your health and well-being.

How many of you know what a thesis statement is? It is a sentence in your essay that summarizes the entire point of the paper, and you spend your whole paper proving this one thesis statement. Here is the thesis statement for why Paul is grateful for the church in Thessalonica: We remember your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.  These are the reasons that Paul was thankful for this church. They worked because of the faith they carried, they labored because of love, and they endured intense things because they had hope in Jesus. 

Thessalonians were three things that caused Paul to be amazed and impressed. The Thessalonians were chosen, imitators, and models.

1. Chosen (verse 4 & 5)

    They were chosen because they were more than just talkers! They didn't just talk about the good news of Jesus they Walked it out! It says in scripture that they received the Gospel with more than just words but with Power and deep conviction. Some Christians are really great at talking, but when it comes to walking out their faith they fall so short. Honestly, it is upsetting because it gives Jesus a bad name and paints an inaccurate picture of Him. We need to be more than good talkers, we need to walk out the good news of Jesus in our actions and with power. 

2. Imitators (verse 6)

    Imitate means to copy. In this verse it says that they were imitators because they welcomed the message of the Holy Spirit. Honestly this steps makes me incredibly happy, because copying someone doesn't require a lot of thinking. Imitating Jesus is simply doing what He does.

3. Models (verse 7)

    This is like next level imitating. Not only are we as believers called to imitate Christ, but the next step of maturing is becoming a model for what Christ stands for and what Christ loves. I think of it as like being an actual model. People are looking for hope, they are looking for direction, they are looking for purpose and I think people are looking for things that are real. I think people are sick of fake things that promise the world and let them down. I think people are apathetic and passive, but they do not want to be. I think people want to see believers walk in true passion. I think the world is over passive apathetic gray toned personalities, and they want to see people that will stand up for something real and be genuine. Jesus is the most genuine, honest, real, person you will ever meet, and we are called to be that for the world.

Small Group Questions

1. What does the phrase work produced by faith look like in a regular day to day example?

2. What does the phrase labor prompted by love look like?

3. What does the phrase endurance inspired by hope look like?

4. Did you know Jesus is thankful for you? How does that make you feel?

5. Did you know there is power in being thankful?

6. Why do we need to have thankfulness?

7. What did you read in the Bible this week?

8. Prayer