“Paul and Silvanus and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers; constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father, knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you; for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.” 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5
We don’t write letters much these days. We communicate by texting, e-mailing, and cell-phoning. We use shorthand and abbreviations and then wonder why the original intent is lost on the recipient. There is no mistaking the message of this thoughtfully written in long-hand letter from the apostles to the Thessalonians. It is a note of praise, a letter of encouragement, and a statement of facts. Paul, Silvanus and Timothy are letting the Thessalonians know how well they are doing in their faith journey. They tell them what they have seen with their own eyes; that by the power of the Holy Spirit they have been chosen by God as living witnesses to a life of faith in Jesus Christ.
I wonder, if the apostles came to my town today, to my home today, would they leave and then write me the same letter? I hope and pray they would, and I hope they would continue to pray for me as they did the Thessalonians. We can all learn from their example and offer to support each other in our own faith journey, continually lifting each other up in prayer. Grace and peace to you all.
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