Paul loved this church very much. He prayed for it day and night. He was concerned for them, knowing they were going through persecution and wondering if he had done enough while he was there.

With all the theology taught by Paul through his preaching and his letters, the most important lesson he teaches the church is to focus on others. He consistently looked out for others. He was concerned about others. He prayed for them. He taught them for their good. He loved them. He suffered for them. He gave himself, like water poured out, for them.

We should follow his example.

Before we fall back into Christianized selfishness where we only concentrate on our own walk, let’s ask these questions:

What do others need from you?

How can you make this a better church?

What can you do to help others in their walk?

Who do you need to pray for?

Who is struggling that needs encouragement?

Who needs someone to stand with them?

Who needs to know that aren’t in this alone?

What will you do to show them you care about them?

What will you do to show you care about this church, about this community?

Every believer is called to be a minister. Filled by the Holy Spirit, we each have responsibility to pour into others. We cannot become stingy with the Spirit who is given to us. We must share Him with others. We must give to others in some way.

Ministry takes many forms in the church. Some are teachers. Some preachers. Some work with children. Some help with finances. Some work with the poor and some use their creative skills to share the gospel. Some have a large audience, some work with small groups, or one on one.

Take these traits and apply them to your ministry. Ministry is not for the fainthearted. It is not for those who are looking to get famous or those who want to be liked. It requires much from us.

The power of ministry is not in our labor or personality, it is the gospel that resides at the center of all that we do.

Will anyone remember your church? If your church suddenly disappeared, would anyone miss it?

Many churches have a bad reputation or no reputation. The church in Thessaloniki was not one of those.

It had a rough beginning. After spending three weeks in the synagogue, Paul was forced out and began a meeting in a home, Jason’s home. Over the next weeks, maybe months, the church grew until the Jews began a riot. Jason was arrested and fined and Paul was secretly spirited out of town. Like any church, they had their problems and they underwent persecution. Yet this church endured with faith, love and hope.

They had faith that worked. Faith without works is dead – James 2:17

Faith is the response of the soul of man to the word of God. You can’t just say, “I believe.” Faith is expressed by repentance and obedience.

They did the hard labor of love

Love is hard work. It’s messy. Forgiveness is difficult. Bearing with others is hard work. But it’s worth it.

They held on to hope in the face of persecution

Hope in Christ will never disappoint. Be assured, the Lord is sovereign.

All of this was born out of their response to the gospel.

What you do with the gospel is the determining factor in whether your church is remembered. What you do with the gospel is the determining factor in whether you are remembered.

Will anyone remember you? Will anyone remember your church?

What you decide to do with the gospel is the sole determining factor.

Will you receive it with joy? Will you live by faith? Will you work harder at loving? Will you persevere in hope?