1 Thessalonians 2:11-16

1 Thess 2:11 “As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children, 12 That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory. 13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe. 14 For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews: 15 Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men: 16 Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.”

In verses 1-6 Paul gave an example and an explanation about how not present the gospel of Jesus Christ. In verses 7-10 Paul gave us an example of how we are to conduct ourselves as gospel ministers of the Lord’s people. In this section Paul shows us the result of setting forth a proper example and conduct in the administration of the gospel of Jesus Christ that it had on the members of the church at Thessalonica.

“As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children,” Here Paul sets forth for us an example of the relationship of a gospel minister’s administration of the gospel to the congregation comparing it to how a father exhorts, comforts, and charges his children.

“That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.” A goal of a gospel minister in exhorting, comforting and charging the members of the congregation is that they all walk (live their lives) in a manner worthy of the fact that God has called them unto His kingdom and glory.

“For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.” What a testimony Paul gives concerning the church at Thessalonica for they had received the word of God as the word of God and not just the word of men. How wonderful it would be if all of God’s children followed the example of the church members at Thessalonica. We seem to live in an age when people have selective hearing. They hear what they want to hear and reject the rest. Moreover, we often find people who will gladly receive certain things in the scripture but then reject other parts of the scriptures. The truth is “all scripture is given by inspiration of God” and should likewise be received as the word of God as it is in reality the word of God. Paul said he thanked God without ceasing for the manner in which the members of the church at Thessalonica had received the word of God.

Moreover, when the word of God is received as the word of God and not as just the writings or preaching of men, then it works effectually in those who receive it as such. It changes their lives.

“For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews: Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men: Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.” Here Paul compares the persecutions of the churches at Thessalonica by their own countrymen to the persecutions and sufferings of the churches in Judaea by those Jews who both killed the Lord Jesus, their own prophets and persecuted the preachers and believers of the gospel in Judaea.

Moreover, Paul speaks of the wrath of God that had come upon the Jewish persecutors to the uttermost for their evil deeds.