1 Thessalonians 1:3-10

"Dear Father, Thank you for the great numbers of believers in Jesus Christ, for their works of faith, their labors of love, and their steadfastness of..."

"Dear Child of the Father, While Paul was in Corinth, he waited anxiously to hear how the new believers in Thessalonica were doing. The Thessalonians...."

"You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. And so you became a..."

"Dear Father, May our faith serve to call them to wait for your Son from heaven, whom you raised from the dead, Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath..."

Inspirational illustration of 1 Thessalonians 1:6-7 -- 6You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. 7And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia

Jesus reminds us that real love involves our tangible demonstration of that love in acts of kindness, help, and service. Demetrius Collins and Phil Ware lead us in a virtual, DIY, worship through words and music using YouTube videos to call us into the mission Jesus gave us to be his bodily presence sent into the world just as the Father sent him.

What's in style in your neck of the woods? Have we lost our focus by getting so upset over so many things that don't really matter?

"We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord..."

"You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit."

"The Lord's message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia — your faith in God has become known everywhere. "

"[O]ur gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction."

"So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you. In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord. "

"Many persons want to know their election before they look to Christ, but they cannot learn it thus, it is only to be discovered by "looking unto..."

Inspirational illustration of 1 Thessalonians 1:8 -- The Lord's message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia--your faith in God has become known everywhere.

Inspirational illustration of 1 Thessalonians 1:3 -- We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Save your fork ... the best is yet to come! As Christians, we have hope because of what we are waiting, or more importantly, whom we are waiting for.

Why do we keep getting up? Ron Rose talks about getting up after we have fallen down again and again, and keep on going.

When we see one of these risk-takers and God-seekers, they deserve a Pat on the Back! Max Lucado reminds us to give risk-takers, God-seekers, and hard-workers a pat on the back.

Is it more than just mere words? The gospel is about a lot more than words -- without the power of a transformed life it means little.

Shouldn't you take a little rest at least once per week? We work hard and that is good, but we also need to rest faithfully and easily and enjoy the rest God has called us to keep.

So what does repentance mean, anyway? Repentance is more than feeling sorry about sin. It's a change, a change of mind that brings about a change in life.

How beautifully these three words speak to the fullness of our Christian walk! Bill Sherrill reminds us of the importance of faith, hope, and love -- not just as theological concepts, but as integrated real-life motivation and actions.

God has given us a way to experience the saving work Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. Phil Ware continues his series on "What is CORE" by talking about baptism and why it is important.

"Dear Precious Child of the Father, Today I want you to read the prayers of Paul for the new Christians in Thessalonica. Frequently your scholars..."

Do you really believe in the God of power? Bill Sherrill reminds that if we don't believe in the God of power today, it will be hard for those who don't believe in God to listen to us talk about the great deeds of God from long ago.