Thessalonians | Week 1
As we step into summer, we’re also launching a new teaching series walking through 1 & 2 Thessalonians, a timely reminder of what it means to be a resilient church in a culture that doesn’t always reflect biblical values. These letters show us how to thrive—not just survive—in a world full of pressure.
Thriving Under Pressure
The church in Thessalonica was birthed in the middle of intense persecution. Paul showed up, preached Jesus, and people’s lives were radically changed. But the gospel disrupted their culture. Paul had to flee for his life, yet the church he left behind? Thrived. They didn’t shrink back in fear. They leaned into Jesus—and into one another.
Paul gets word that this small, persecuted church was becoming a model for believers across the entire region. They endured suffering with joy. They were full of faith, hope, and love. They lived transformed lives, and those lives started transforming their city.
So how do we do that? In a city like Austin—a place full of noise, distraction, and competing worldviews—how do we live as a church that actually makes a difference?
A Godly Life Starts with Prayer and Grace
In 1 Thessalonians 1, Paul says:
“We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers.”
One mark of a godly life is that we pray continually for the people God’s placed in our lives. Not just casually or when things go wrong—but regularly, by name. Prayer keeps our hearts soft. It aligns us with heaven. It unlocks grace for relationships that feel stuck.
If you’re struggling to love someone, feel distant in your marriage, or frustrated with a co-worker—try praying for them every day for 21 days. Watch what God begins to do in your heart.
Then Paul says something equally powerful:
“Your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”
That means our doing should flow out of our being. We don’t work to earn God’s love—we work because of it. If we serve without being deeply moved by what Jesus has done in us, we’ll burn out. But if our labor is prompted by love, it becomes joy.
It’s Not About Arguments—It’s About Power
Paul goes on to say that the gospel came to the Thessalonians not just with words, but with power, the Holy Spirit, and deep conviction. That’s our model.
It’s not about being the smartest person in the room or having the best theological argument. You don’t need a seminary degree to share your faith—you just need to be available and full of the Spirit. Don’t argue. Don’t try to win debates. Instead, ask God to move in power.
Sometimes that looks like praying for your barista. Sometimes it’s offering a Bible verse to a co-worker that God laid on your heart. You plant seeds—God brings the harvest. People aren’t changed by clever arguments. They’re changed by encounters with the living God.
The Roadmap for Transforming a City
In the last part of 1 Thessalonians 1, Paul lays out a simple, radical vision:
“You became imitators of us and of the Lord… and so you became a model to all the believers… the Lord’s message rang out from you… your faith in God has become known everywhere.”
That’s it. Imitate Jesus. Model that life for others. Multiply it. Life-on-life discipleship. Not flashy. Not complicated. But it changes the world.
And that’s our dream. Not just to fill rooms on Sunday, but to raise up a people who live on mission all week long. People who own their geography—their neighborhoods, schools, workplaces—and say, “God, move through me here.”
You don’t need a platform to bring revival. You just need intentionality in relationships. What if you invested in 3 people? What if they did the same? What if all of Austin heard?
We don’t need permission from the culture. We don’t need to have it all together. But we do need to be people of prayer, people of power, and people of purpose.
Let’s be the kind of church that thrives under pressure, that models the love of Jesus, and that refuses to settle for anything less than kingdom transformation—in our homes, in our city, and in our generation.