1. How the gospel makes Christians 1 Thessalonians 1:1 - 10
The occasion for the letter
- Paul was on his second missionary
- In Thessalonica, he went into the synagogue and preached Jesus.
- Some Jews and God-fearing Gentiles came to believe and the church was born.
- However, very soon, persecution comes and Paul has to flee.
- Because of how short a time he spend there, he was concerned about their faith and sent Timothy to see how they were doing.
- Timothy returns with a report that makes Paul really glad, and he writes a letter.
- In the beginning of the latter, he recounts his ministry to them in that short period
- In this, we can see how the gospel makes Christians. How the gospel produces genuine faith.
- We can look at what happened to the Thessalonians and use it as a reference for our own lives - has these things happen to me? Are the same things that have changed them changing me?
Why is it important to know this:
- Some of us struggle with assurance of salvation
- The bible encourages us to test ourselves to see if we're truly in the faith.
- Some of us are going through Alpha, Beta, Gamma
- You're single and you have a love interest. You wanna know if he's really a Christian.
You have people under your care, people you're discipling - family member, child, parent, spouse.
We want to be like Paul – overjoyed with the progress of our faith.
I have four points, all begins with P, and after every point, we'll have some practical questions to see where we're at in reference to scripture.

2. The gospel comes by God’s plan
The gospel comes as an initiative from God.
Observe how Paul talks about the Thessalonians work of faith, labour of love, and steadfastness of hope - yet God is the one getting the credit and thanks.

3. 2 We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, 3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labour of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you,
Verse 2 – “we give thanks to God”
In verse 4, Paul gives the reason he is thanking God.
“For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you”
Paul basically wanted to tell them – I know you’re saved!! And Paul could have used several other phrases:
That your faith is genuine / that you are moved from darkness to light / that you belong to God.
Paul is teaching us something important:
The gospel comes to us and affects us and changes us because God first chose us.
Let’s look at the words of Jesus in the Gospel of John.

4. 35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
John 6:35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
What does this “not hunger” and “never thirst” mean? See verse 40.
John 6:40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
“If you come to me, if you believe in me, you’ll have eternal life. I will raise you up on the last day”

5. 35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
John 6:36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe.
So Jesus makes Himself known and available to people, yet some will not believe. They just won’t come to Jesus. Why?
John 6:37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.
44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.
What will you say to God at the judgment if he asks, “Why did you believe on my Son while others didn’t?” You will not say, “Because I was smarter.” No. Surely you will say, “Because of your grace. Had you not chosen me, I would have been left spiritually dead, unresponsive, guilty.” - John Piper

6. The gospel comes by God’s plan
The gospel is not man trying to reach God; it is God coming to mankind.
The gospel is not man climbing up a mountain to reach self actualization; it is God coming to adopt children.
The gospel is not we love God in order to obtain His favour; it is Him demonstrating His love for us – while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
The gospel is we love, because He first loved us.
The gospel comes as an initiative from God.
- Moses was tending sheep in the desert, Gideon was making wine, Abraham was living… Peter was fishing, Paul was on his way to persecute Christians…
God always comes as an interruption into our lives.
My story… growing up as a pastor’s kid.
Our coming to Jesus is always rooted in God first coming to us.

7. The gospel comes by God’s plan
So here’s a practical question you can ask yourself, or maybe your teenage child who grew up in church all his life:
“What made you decide to be a Christian?”
“When did you start to take your faith seriously?”

8. The gospel comes through preaching

9. 5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.
Verse 5 - because our gospel came to you not only in word
The gospel means good news. The gospel is news – information that needs to be communicated with words.
Note the term “our gospel” – it’s a specific news. There are sentences and statements, affirmations and denials that make up this gospel.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is so specific that Paul says in Galatians 1:  But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.

10. 5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.
There’s a phrase that’s been very popular over the years
“Preach the gospel at all times. Use words if necessary”.
Basically, the message is that our lives and our actions should always communicate the gospel. We should showcase God’s love with our actions.
The problem with this quote though, is saying we don’t have to use words to preach the gospel, just our actions will do.

11. But many religions advocate good works and kind deeds.
Good works alone won’t communicate the good news of Jesus.
We gotta use words… Words like what Paul used when he preached to the Thessalonians.

12. And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.”
Acts 17:2 - 3 And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.”
This is the essence of the gospel – the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Christians are not a group of people that just gathers every Sunday in an air-conditioned hall and sing songs to a God who is loving and forgiving.
Christians are people who believe that there’s a God who created mankind in his image.
Which means that we were made to glorify Him, and honour Him.
But all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God – we don’t honour Him like we should, we don’t love Him like we should.
And because He is a just and righteous God, our sins have to be punished.
But because He is also gracious and kind, He sent His perfect Son to take the punishment in our place.
And for those who repent and trust in Jesus, we are no longer condemned.
Acts 17:2 - 3

13. The gospel comes through preaching
Practical questions:
What is the core message of Christianity?
What is the good news of Jesus Christ?

14. The gospel comes in power

15. 5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.
“Because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.”
Was it in signs and miracles? Possibly.
Was there tongues and the gifts of the Spirit? Probably
But the power spoken about here was specifically manifested in the form of transformed lives. People transformed by power
“You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake”.
The gospel didn’t just come in words, it came in physical representations in Paul & Silas & Timothy.
As they ministered in Thessalonica, their lives were testimonies that gave credibility to their message.

16. 5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.
Mahatma Gandhi, India’s famous civil rights activists said this:
I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.
And we know what he says is true…
When I was a teenager, I met a lot of people who have bad experiences with Christians.
I never understood them until I was about 20, when I started to see all the ugly sides of church people.
Took me a few more years to realize that I myself was one of those bad Christians.
Oh how many people turn away from God because of the supposed people of God.
The gospel message loses credibility when the messenger’s life isn’t in sync with the truth of the gospel.
Illustration: 15 years in youth ministry. Youths that stay in church always have Christian parents that live out their faith.
Their faith affects every area of their lives.

17. 5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.
You see, the gospel isn’t mere words for the Christian, it’s a power – it’s a force that grips you and changes you.
The gospel turns proud people into humble people, because in the gospel, we’re not just people with good hearts but sometimes make bad decision; we are all sinners in need of a Saviour.
The gospel turns anger people into patient & forgiving people, because in the gospel, we learn about the forbearance of the loving kindness of God.
The gospel turns selfish people into generous people, because in the gospel, we have Jesus who gave up everything for us.
The way we think about work, money… it all changes.
For Paul and Silas and Timothy, the gospel transformed their lives so much, that they were willing to be suffer for the sake of the gospel.

18. But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict.
1 Thessalonians 2:2

19. For you remember, brothers, our labour and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.
The gospel so powerfully transformed them that their lives powerfully testified of the gospel.
In the face of much hardship, they were still giving everything towards advancing the gospel.
So much so that the Thessalonians also became like them.
1 Thessalonians 2:9

20. 6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything.
- 6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything.
That the gospel came to them also not in word only, but in power; they not only heard the sound of it, but submitted to the power of it. It did not merely tickle the ear and please the fancy, not merely fill their heads with notions and amuse their minds for awhile, but it affected their hearts: a divine power went along with it for convincing their consciences and amending their lives. Note, By this we may know our election, if we not only speak of the things of God by rote as parrots, but feel the influence of these things in our hearts, mortifying our lusts, weaning us from the world, and raising us up to heavenly things. – Matthew Henry.

21. The gospel comes in power
Practical questions:
“What area of your life has changed the most because of your faith? How did the gospel affect that change?”
“How much percentage of your money is given to help others?”
“Would you let your child become a pastor / missionary?”

22. The gospel comes as a promise
Finally, the gospel comes as a promise.
To be sure, the gospel has transformative powers because it is fuelled by a promise.
Illustration: We make decisions in life based upon promise.
That job looks promising – I will finally be recognized, my work will be appreciated.
That holiday destination looks promising – I will finally get the rest I need.
That relationship looks promising – I will finally be loved.
Whatever that is promising, we place our faith in it and we serve it.
Whatever difficulty that comes, because of the hope that we have in the promise, we persevere through.
Of course, that’s until something more promising comes along.
The gospel also comes as a promise. But is it more promising than the rest? Can I place by faith in it? Can I serve it?

23. 9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
The gospel comes with a promise of a Saviour.
The Thessalonian church were people that Paul found in the Jewish synagogue – Jews and God-fearing Gentiles.
And they were holding onto a different promise – the old covenant.
“If you obey me, I’ll bless you. I will be for you. But if you don’t, I’ll curse you. I will be against you”
So they were in the synagogue because they were trying save themselves through their own righteousness.
So when Paul says “you have turned to God from idols”, their idol was self-righteousness.
They were putting their trust in their own good works.

24. 9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
You know why we seek for happiness? That appreciation from work, that love from someone, that sense of achievement for completing something big…
Because we want to distracted from the dread that we feel deep down – we know that judgement is coming.
In our conscience, we all know there’s a God and he will judge us. And we know that if he gives us justice, we will be condemned.
So in that appreciation from work, having someone to love us, or even in Christian service, we want to feel that we’re good enough.
The gospel comes both as bad news and good news.
The gospel tells us that we aren’t good enough. Even our best efforts are merely dirt on the carpet. That’s the bad news.
The good news? There is someone good enough who comes to perform a divine exchange.
He takes our sin upon himself, and he gives us all his “GOOD ENOUGH”.

25. 9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
The gospel comes both as bad news and good news.
The gospel tells us that we aren’t good enough. Even our best efforts are merely dirt on the carpet. That’s the bad news.
The good news? There is someone good enough who comes to perform a divine exchange.
He takes our sin upon himself, and he gives us all his “GOOD ENOUGH”.

26. 9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
And when we see the cross as Christ’s finished work, purchasing for the deliverance from the wrath to come
We know that the gospel isn’t just promising, it has already delivered.
We can say along with the Thessalonian church - “I will trust Him. I will serve Him. I will hope in Him”

27. The gospel comes as a promise
Practical question:
- “What gives you more joy? Being loved by God or being appreciated at work?”
- “If you die today, what will make God receive you into heaven”