For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake.  (6) And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, (7) so that you became examples in all of Macedonia and Achaia who believe.  (8) For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place.  Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything.  (9) For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, (10) and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come.

The letter to the Thessalonians was written by the apostle Paul who founded the church there. Thessalonica was the largest city in Asia Minor. It was a strategic port and commercially thriving city as a center and crossroad of trade in the ancient world.  Paul often wrote letters of rebuke or correction to the churches he founded but not to the Thessalonians – this letter was one of celebration of their acceptance of the gospel and the transformation of their lives as elect of God.

Paul begins verse 5 recapping the history of the remarkable reception of the gospel by the Thessalonians as evidence of the power of the Holy Spirit working within the faithful –  Paul is assuring them their faith is genuine and they are elect of God.  Their real saving faith – the evidence that they truly believed the gospel Paul preached – was their service to each other, their evangelizing and their steadfastness.  Their words and actions spread to “every place”.  They turned from a culture of idols to God, implicit in which was repentance and renunciation of religious and cultural practices of the day.  And this dramatic change/transformation took place in the midst of threats and real persecution.  Apparently no price was too high to pay.

The gospel Paul preached in Thessalonica was not just words or information but came to the faithful in the power of the Holy Spirit and the word of God was confirmed in their hearts.  They clearly had a real saving faith which produced a work of faith in their transformation.  And their sure hope is expressed in verse 10 –  that they waited for the return of Jesus who was raised from the dead and has delivered the faithful from the wrath to come