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Thanksgiving for the Thessalonians’ Faith
We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers.
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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.
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And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.
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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,
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Paul’s Ministry in Thessalonica
You know, brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not without results.
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For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you.
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You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness.
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Instead, we were like young children among you. Just as a nursing mother cares for her children,
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so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.
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in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. In this way they always heap up their sins to the limit. The wrath of God has come upon them at last.
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Paul’s Longing to See the Thessalonians
But, brothers and sisters, when we were orphaned by being separated from you for a short time (in person, not in thought), out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you.
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For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter had tempted you and that our labors might have been in vain.
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Timothy’s Encouraging Report
But Timothy has just now come to us from you and has brought good news about your faith and love. He has told us that you always have pleasant memories of us and that you long to see us, just as we also long to see you.
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Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith.
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Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you.
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May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.
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May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.
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Living to Please God
As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.
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and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before.
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And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more,
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and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you,
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so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.
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Believers Who Have Died
Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.
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After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
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He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.
