Right now we look at the headlines in the news and we see the need for transformation in our government / politicians, we need transformation in our systems of education, we need transformation in our medicine / mental health, we need transformation in how ethnic and cultural groups relate to one another, and in 1 Thessalonians we are going to see how it is only Jesus that can bring the transformation we long for in ourselves, and in our world. 

I don’t mean Jesus as ethereal, hypothetical, heavenly thoughts, but it is Jesus who gives us the perseverance, courage, and power to keep pressing into this world, so that we might taste of heaven, not just in eternity, but we can taste of heaven here on earth.  That’s the dream!   

The Gospel

The gospel is the good news of Jesus.  The gospel is the means by which the God of Scripture will restore His creation to Himself, and the gospel is sprinkled throughout all of Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, but, the word “gospel” is actually specifically referenced in verse 5. 

1 Thessalonians, “1:5 for our gospel did not come to you in word only…”

Notice that the Apostle Paul refers to the gospel as “our gospel.”  In chapter 2 the Apostle Paul will refer to the gospel as “his gospel” so that the gospel is personal and the gospel is powerful, but we need to make sure that we are clear on the message of the gospel.