March 12, 2020
1 Thessalonians 1:6-8
You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.  And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it...
New International Version (NIV)
               There is victory in endurance.  Tallowood is a 57 year old church, planting churches that plant churches.  In my small town in Germany, I grew up in the shadow of the steeple of a church hundreds of years old.  So how long does it take to establish a church in a community?  Paul only had three sabbaths to teach in the synagogue of Thessalonica before his opponents chased him out of town.  But the gospel he preached took hold like a seed in fertile soil.  The message was received with power and deep conviction in the Holy Spirit.  A church born out of suffering was able to stand strong.

                Paul praised the Thessalonian believers for three things:  their work produced by faith, their labor prompted by love and their endurance inspired by hope.   These new believers learned in three weeks how to live with faith, hope and love. 

                Faith works.  Love labors.  Hope enables us to endure.  When the Thessalonians witnessed Paul’s suffering they were strengthened to face their trials as well.  The Holy Spirit gave them joy in the midst of their suffering as they received the good news.  Following Paul’s example they took the message they received and shared it with others.  Everyone in the ancient world knew about the faith of the Thessalonians.

                How will we respond to the tremendous suffering in our world?  One way is to give up.  The other is to endure.  As Christians lived with endurance and perseverance in their suffering the ancient audience was watching and listening.  The non-believers asked Christ-followers the reason for the hope that was in them.  They responded with the good news of God’s redeeming love.  Steve Camp wrote an inspiring song based on C. T. Studd’s quote, “Some people want to live within the sound of chapel bells, but I want to run a mission a yard from the gates of hell.  To everyone you meet, take the gospel and share it well.  Look around you as you hesitate, another soul just fell.  Let’s run to the battle.” 
Pray with me:       
Father, we do not ask you for easy lives but for strength to face the inevitable trials.  May our faith work, our love labor and our hope enable us to endure.  Help us to trust you as we tremble.  We are not immune to the world’s burdens or exempt from its suffering.  May our endurance inspire others to put their hope in you, too.  We pray in Jesus’ name.  Amen.    
Join us in memorizing the Word.  Scripture for this week:    
Matthew 5:21-22
You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’  But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,' is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
Our 2020 Every Day with Jesus readings will follow the Foundations New Testament reading plan.  Copies of the reading plan are available at Tallowood Baptist Church, or download your copy at REPLICATE.ORG 
We would love for you to join us as we read the New Testament through this year, five chapters a week.  In addition I will continue my long-standing practice of reading one Psalm a day through the year.  Use Robby Gallaty’s H. E. A. R. plan to study each chapter (also found at REPLICATE.ORG). Highlight verses which speak to you, explain what they mean in your own words in a journal, apply them to your own life, then respond by doing what God tells you to do.  
Joyfully, 
Duane 
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