1 Thessalonians 1:4-8

"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..."

"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..."

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

"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."

"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.

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.

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.

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?

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.