I Thessalonians 1:5 - …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.
Paul is writing to the Thessalonian church. He confirms that they are a true member of the body of Christ who enjoy all the same spiritual privileges as the converted Jews, without being 
circumcised or following the rituals of the Law. Clearly, the Thessalonian church has been elected or chosen by God. This election is clear to Paul based on their displays of faith, hope and love (see our prior posts).
Paul goes on to point out further evidence of their election by God - the gospel came to them in power, not in word only. What does that mean? Let’s take a closer look.
The first thing we notice is that Paul speaks of ‘our’ gospel. Obviously, this does not mean that Paul and his companions were the authors of the gospel. Salvation comes solely from God; it is a product of his wisdom, grace and mercy, revealed and manifested through his Son Jesus Christ and empowered by his Spirit:
Ephesians 2:8-9 – For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Paul, Silas and Timothy had already fully embraced the gospel (which made it theirs), and now they were fulfilling the commission given to them by God – they were moving about the known world, going where the Spirit led them, and establishing new churches.
So, we find that Paul uses the phrase ‘our gospel’ in the sense that when he and his companions first came to Thessalonica, they were bringing the gospel with them as a precious gift to be given to all who would hear and believe (Greeks/Gentiles as well as Jews). Paul uses this same phraseology in his other epistles as well (II Thessalonians 2:14, II Timothy 2:8, etc). These ministers were happy share the good news so that the Thessalonians could consider the gospel theirs too.
The gospel was obviously preached to them with words, but the message wasn’t vain babbling that went in one ear and out the other. When the gospel was preached, the message came in power. What does that mean?
Well, we can certainly assume that Paul preached powerful sermons, because he was a devout Jew, highly educated and well versed in the scriptures. In fact, he had studied under Gamaliel, a noted religious leader of that day (Acts 22:3). He had also been touched by Holy Spirit and his mind was opened to the truth/fulfillment of the Old Testament prophesies which spoke of the Messiah.
We can also assume that Paul preached in a powerful manner. He was a skilled orator who preached the gospel to countless people, including governors and kings (Acts 25:14 – 26:32).
But no matter how eloquently Paul spoke, he did not have the power to convict men and women of sin and lead them to faith in Christ. That is the exclusive work of Holy Spirit, and that is the power Paul is referring to in this verse.
As the gospel was preached, Holy Spirit enlightened those who were dead in trespasses and sin. The Spirit opened their blind spiritual eyes, unstopped their deaf spiritual ears and softened their hearts of stone to allow the gospel message to take root in their hearts and minds. Thus, Holy Spirit delivered them from the bonds of sin/death and gave them new life through Jesus Christ. Now that’s power!
The power of Holy Spirit was also on display when he confirmed the gospel message with miraculous signs and wonders. This was a common occurrence in the early New Testament church:
Mark 16:20 - And they [the apostles] went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.
When people are miraculously set free from demonic oppression, healed of diseases or otherwise restored to health (mental, physical or emotional), it awakens faith in that person and those who witness the healing. This in turn confirms the truth of the gospel and draws people to salvation. As we have noted before, God chooses to work in partnership with us – when we are faithful to share the gospel, he provides the power for people to be saved and transformed.
But, hallelujah, Holy Spirit doesn’t stop there. Once a soul comes to Christ, he then proceeds to sanctify the believer, making him over into the image of Christ. The Spirit works with us to produce spiritual fruit within us; he implants his graces of faith, hope and love into our lives. Now that’s power!
I Corinthians 2:4-5 - And my speech and my preaching were not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
On the other hand, there were many false teachers during this time who tried to win converts solely on their oratory skills:
I Corinthians 4:19-20 – But I [Paul] will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but of their power. For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.
One way to discover false teachers is to examine their lives for evidence of the power of Holy Spirit. If that is missing, it should raise red flags! 
Fortunately, in the case of the Thessalonians, the genuine gospel was received with ‘full conviction’ or full persuasion of its truth. In other words, there was no doubt, uncertainty or skepticism in their minds about the truth and validity of the gospel.
They not only fully believed it, they also fully embraced it ‘heart and soul’. In fact, this whole chapter indicates that the Thessalonians accepted the gospel with an uncommonly strong conviction. It completely changed their lives. This is further evidence that they had been chosen/elected by God.
Paul’s next point is that the Thessalonian believers are well aware of ‘what kind of men we proved to be among you’. Paul often appeals to his converts as true/competent witnesses of his own conduct and character.
Unlike false teachers who only serve themselves and seek their own glory, Paul and his companions overcame difficulties, suffered abuse/persecution, endured hardships, paid their own way and yet were continuously faithful to minister day in and day out. Their actions were consistent with the gospel they preached. For this reason, the Thessalonians could be sure that Paul was a true minister of the gospel, sent by the Lord for their good.
I Thessalonians 1:6 – 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,
Here is another way that Paul knows/recognizes that the Thessalonian believers are chosen or elected by God – they imitated Paul, Silas, Timothy and the Lord. What does that mean?
I Corinthians 11:1 – Be imitators of me [Paul] as I am of Christ.
First, let’s examine the word ‘imitate’. One of the definitions of ‘imitate’ is to produce a semblance or likeness of something in form, color, character, conduct or manners; to counterfeit or to copy.
For most of us, that word has a negative connotation; we associate it with something false or deceptive.
For example, you can buy various foods at the store which are imitation. Imitation crab meat looks very much like the real thing. It is of similar color, form and even taste. But it isn’t crab – it is made from minced white fish combined with sugar, starch, flavoring and other additives.
The same could be said of imitation cheese, which is made from non-dairy ingredients like vegetable oil, protein, emulsifiers and flavoring. (Personally, I am not convinced this is really food… perhaps we should rename this product ‘phony cheese’!)
And of course, we have all heard stories of counterfeit money – fake currency that is designed to resemble real money in color, form and quality, but is completely worthless.
My point is that based on this common definition of the word imitate, we might be tempted to think that it would be a bad thing for the Thessalonian Christians to imitate Paul and his companions. We might get the idea that their walk with Christ was phony or fake.
But ‘imitate’ has another definition – one that is a bit less common. Imitate can also be defined as ‘to follow a pattern, model, or example; to strive to copy in acts, manners, etc.’. 
If the Thessalonian Christians are imitating Paul, Silas and Timothy in this way, then they are striving to live their lives in a holy manner. They were witnesses to the kind of men these ministers were, and they strove to follow their examples or patterns.
In general, we surmise that these former idol worshipers are now casting aside their old ways. They no longer bow down or sacrifice to idols, observe new moon festivals, or utilize cult prostitutes. They are leaving behind such sins as unforgiveness, envy, lying and stealing. They are probably speaking in a manner which shows mercy and grace to others without using detestable language.
They no doubt observed how their spiritual leaders responded when contradicted and confronted by ungodly men or unrepentant Jews. They saw examples of how to handle persecution and suffering. These examples were of infinite value to the newly established church in Thessalonica.
Although Holy Spirit is working within the Thessalonians to prompt these changes, they were looking at their spiritual leaders/teachers as an example of what to do and what not to do.
Specifically, Paul makes mention of three areas in which the Thessalonians imitate their leaders:
- Receiving the word in much affliction.
- Experiencing the joy of Holy Spirit.
- Becoming an example to other believers.
Receiving the word with much affliction: Based on what we read in our introduction, we know that these men and women became believers in a city where Christians were generally harassed and persecuted (See Acts 17:4-10).
At a time when some people abandoned the gospel out of fear or intimidation, there were men and women in Thessalonica who still received the gospel. They were willing to follow Christ no matter the cost! They found the ‘pearl of great price’ (Matthew 13:45-46) and no amount of suffering or affliction was going to stop them from being a child of God!
How then, were they to handle affliction/persecution?
From their spiritual leaders/examples, they saw how to walk a fine line – to be courageous for the gospel, but not to put themselves in harm’s way unnecessarily. For example, Paul was forced to flee the city of Thessalonica, however, Silas and Timothy were able to stay. They continued the work of establishing the church and standing for truth without being antagonistic to those who opposed them.
We know that the civil authorities were involved, so legal charges were going to be filed against some of them, including Jason, Silas and Timothy. We see the leaders paying the required fee and they no doubt appeared for the hearings. In other words, they did not promote civil disobedience, even though they were speaking the truth.
Matthew 10:16 – “Behold, I [Jesus] and sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”
When we arrive at a moment of affliction/persecution, we should use the wisdom God has given us for our particular situation. We can also rely on Holy Spirit to lead us and give us examples to follow. 
Experiencing the joy of Holy Spirit: The affliction/suffering/persecution of the Thessalonian Christians was bearable because of the joy of the Lord which was given to them through the Spirit.
Joy is the natural outcome when our spirit is united with Holy Spirit:
Acts 13:52 – And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
Romans 14:17 – For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13 – May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
Have you noticed that the gospel does not prevent trials, tribulations and afflictions?
Though the gospel is good news which brings joy and gladness, it often comes to us along with great storms and/or periods of suffering in this life. This should be expected, as our enemy tries to retaliate against us for becoming children of God.
God does not promise us a life free of difficulty (John 16:33). What he promises is something much, much better – his continued presence during those times. When our Father chooses to allow trouble to touch us, he will also give us joy, peace and gladness which will counteract it.
Clearly, the joy that was experienced by the Thessalonians was a result of their relationship with God, not their outward circumstances. The same is true for us. For this reason, our joy can never be taken from us by the devil. The only way he can get our joy is if we let him steal it!
I Thessalonians 1:7 - …so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.
Becoming an example to other believers: The Christians of Thessalonica were met with swift and harsh persecution almost immediately after receiving the gospel. In other cities the apostles often took the brunt of this persecution while the converts were spared, but here the full assault fell upon the infant church.
In the midst of that situation, they followed the examples of their spiritual leaders and in turn became an example to others.
The word ‘example’ is from the root word ‘type’. It denotes anything produced by means of blows as in a mark/print/impression made by a stamp or die. Thus, the stamp or print produces a resemblance, a pattern or an example – essentially a model. The Thessalonians became a model or pattern which other believers should follow.
Paul clearly indicates that their example/influence went beyond the borders of their own city. Remember, Thessalonica was a thriving seaport. The Christians of that city were in a perfect position to spread the gospel to foreigners as they encountered them in daily life. In this way, the gospel crossed national boundaries, spreading to the nation of Greece.
When Greece was overtaken by the Romans, it was split into two provinces.
One province was Macedonia, which was the northern portion. The chief city of that region was Philippi. The other province was Achaia, which was the southern portion. The chief city of that region was Corinth.
Paul credits the Thessalonian believers for providing living examples to the new believers in these other regions/nations. As you well know, Paul eventually established churches in both of those major cities, and we are still reading/studying his letters to the Philippians and Corinthians today! Isn’t it awesome to think that the believers in Thessalonica were a positive, encouraging influence on other churches?
Let me offer you some encouragement:
The life of Paul, Silas and Timothy matched up with the gospel message they were preaching (and Holy Spirit was confirming by his power). How they preached is how they lived. They provided an example for other believers to imitate/follow. 
With that in mind, let’s ask ourselves a question: If new believers were imitating us, would they be living holy lives?
Would they be praising or complaining? Would they be stingy or generous? Would they be trustworthy or unreliable? Would their lamps be empty or full?
Now is a good time to remind ourselves that whether we realize it or not, we are often being watched not only by the world, but by other Christians. By biblically handling things like personal tragedy, severe trials and unforeseen crises, we can be an encouragement and a powerful example to other Christians.
Let me offer you some relief and some strength:
In today’s world, many sinners are searching for happiness. The problem is that happiness is based on outward circumstances. If we get what we want (like a promotion), or we avoid what we don’t want (like an illness), that equates to happiness.
So, by default, we can only make ourselves happy to the extent that we can control all our outward circumstances! Since that is impossible, we can never guarantee our own happiness.
Christians, on the other hand, should be seeking joy. Joy does not come from the world around us; it has a divine source – Holy Spirit. Because it comes to us from God, it can never be taken away from us. Because it is not based on outward circumstances, we can experience God’s joy no matter what situation we are in.
In fact, trouble/affliction actually help us attain greater joy, because they cause us to turn to God for comfort. When we do, Holy Spirit is right there to sustain us by his comfort, strength and joy!