1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Paul, Silvanus,  , and Timothy:  To the church of the Thessalonians  in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to you and peace.  We always thank God for all of you, making mention of you constantly in our prayers. We recall, in the presence of our God and Father,  your work produced by faith,  your labor motivated by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.  For we know, brothers and sisters loved  by God,  that he has chosen you,  because our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, in the Holy Spirit,  and with full assurance. You know how we lived among you  for your benefit, and you yourselves became imitators of us and of the Lord when, in spite of severe persecution, you welcomed the message  with joy from the Holy Spirit. As a result, you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia  and Achaia.  For the word of the Lord rang out from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place that your faith  , in God has gone out. Therefore, we don’t need to say anything, for they themselves report  what kind of reception  we had from you: how you turned  to God from idols  to serve the living  and true  God and to wait  for his Son  from heaven, whom he raised from the dead   #— #Jesus, who rescues us  from the coming wrath.