The power of the Gospel

13 For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe. - 1 Th 2:13.

In this second chapter of 1st Thessalonians, Paul recounts his visit and establishment of the Church in Thessalonica. After having just been treated maliciously in Philippi, the missionaries were not deterred from continuing to boldly preach (v2) the Gospel that was welcomed and accepted not as the word of man, but rather the as word of God. (Vs 13) Despite being “Professional Missionaries” vs 9 shows us that Paul and his companions worked to support themselves that they would not be a burden on anyone. His conduct here is out of a motivation to be a true servant of the people. Interestingly enough the Gospel, in a nutshell, is service. Jesus tells us in Matthew 20:28 “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Not only can we serve people by Preaching the Gospel, but actually living it. It has been said that actions speak louder than words, and we clearly see that Pauls actions boldly backed his bold preaching. Could his suffering in Philippi, relentless bold preaching, and heart of servanthood have been a deciding factor in why the Thessalonians accepted his preaching as the Word of God?