A Church Living in Faith, Love, and Hope

September 14, 2025
Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 1:1–4 (ESV)
1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace to you and peace.
2 We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers,
3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
4 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you.

Background
Today, we begin studying the First Letter to the Thessalonians. We receive the Word from chapter 1, verses 1–4.
Let us first look at the background of this letter. Thessalonica was the capital of Macedonia, a large city facing the Aegean Sea, an important hub of commerce and transportation.
During Paul’s second missionary journey (around AD 49–50), after planting the church in Philippi, he came to Thessalonica and preached Christ from the Scriptures for three Sabbaths in the synagogue. As a result, many Greeks and influential women believed, and a church was born.
However, the Jews who did not believe became jealous, gathered some troublemakers, and started a riot (Acts 17). They accused Paul and his companions before the authorities, saying, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also… they are acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” Thus, from its birth, the Thessalonian church was placed under persecution and suffering. Because of this intense opposition, Paul and Silas had to flee by night to Berea (Acts 17:10).
The letter begins with “Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy.” Silvanus (also called Silas) was a prophet trusted by the Jerusalem church and a co-worker of Paul during the second missionary journey. He had been sent with Paul and Barnabas to deliver the decision of the Jerusalem Council to the church in Antioch. After Paul and Barnabas separated, Silas became Paul’s co-worker and ministered with him in Thessalonica, Philippi, and Corinth.
In this context, Paul remembered the Thessalonian believers and thanked God for “your work of faith, labor of love, and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” Even in the midst of persecution, the church lived by faith, love, and hope. This is also a vision for us today.

I. Paul’s Posture of Prayer
In verse 2, Paul says:
“We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers.”
Here we see that Paul did not pray just once, but continually remembered the believers in his prayers. For Paul, prayer was not a formality; it was an expression of love and the very center of his ministry.
This has deep meaning. The church and believers are always placed in spiritual battle. Satan seeks to shake our faith, and persecution and suffering cannot be avoided. The Thessalonian church, soon after its birth, faced fierce opposition from the Jews.
Yet Paul chose the most powerful way to support them: prayer. His prayer entrusted the believers to God’s hand, and it was also a spiritual battle to help the church stand firm.
This is a great lesson for us. The church and believers must continually support one another through prayer. Everyone faces trials. Yet in prayer, we remember each other before God and strengthen one another so that faith will not be shaken. Prayer is the most practical act of love. It strengthens the family of God and gives us the power to stand firm even in suffering.

II. Three Pillars that Sustain Christians
In verse 3, Paul writes:
“remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Here we see three pillars that sustain the Christian life:

1. The Work of Faith
   Faith does not remain as a thought in the heart. Faith is revealed in concrete actions. The Thessalonians, even under persecution, demonstrated their faith through deeds, and their example became an encouragement to many. Faith is not merely a feeling or emotion; it is practice. Especially, God sees our actions when they are most difficult for us.

Illustration: A professor who takes attendance on a rainy day.
We too should be those who show our faith not only in words, but in our daily actions. Faith also means bringing our flesh into submission to God’s will. Our flesh desires to do whatever it wants and avoid what it dislikes. But the born-again Christian is led by the Holy Spirit in the opposite direction. To live in obedience to that leading of the Spirit—that is faith. The same is true for love.

2. The Labor of Love
   The “love” of the Bible is a love that involves labor. The love of this world depends on feelings—it loves when it feels like loving, and stops when it does not. But biblical love can be seen in Jesus. He loved us even when we did not love God—indeed, even when we were His enemies—and He went to the cross for us. Love without self-sacrifice or endurance is not the love of Scripture.
   Love that cares for one another and serves others always requires some cost. But it is precisely in such labor that the love of Christ is revealed. And next comes endurance.
3. The Endurance of Hope
   What Paul especially emphasizes is “endurance.” Although we are children of God, life does not always go as we expect. Sometimes our desires are not quickly fulfilled, and sometimes our prayers seem unanswered.
   Here we must remember: God’s plan is not that we live according to our own will, but that our character be shaped to display His greatness. Modern parents may often indulge their children too much, but our heavenly Father does not give us everything we want. Instead, He gives us growth of eternal value.
   That is why “endurance through hope” is necessary. When we have endurance rooted in the hope of the Lord’s return, we can continue walking without falling, even in trials and difficulties.

These three—faith, love, and endurance—are essential for us today as well. When faith is expressed in deeds, when love is shown through sacrifice, and when hope is transformed into endurance, we can believe that God’s power will be revealed through our lives.

III. Confidence and Response in Being Chosen by God
Here we find a great assurance for believers. We did not believe by accident; we were chosen within God’s eternal love and plan. This is not pride, but sure evidence that we are loved by God. Even in persecution and trials, the assurance that “I am not abandoned by God” sustains our faith.
Yet this “election” is not meant to be merely a source of comfort. Knowing that we are chosen produces spiritual strength. Paul here is explaining the reason behind faith, love, and hope in verse 3. Turning faith into work, love into sacrifice, and hope into endurance is possible only because we have been chosen by God.
For some, the doctrine of election becomes an excuse for complacency—“I don’t need to do anything. I don’t have to try.” But that is not the leading of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit leads us to put the assurance of our salvation into action.
Our lives are ordained by God. But this does not mean that no matter what we do, His plan will simply unfold in an automatic way. God is so great that His plan surpasses our understanding. If it surpasses our understanding, it is not to discourage us from thinking, but to invite us to reflect more deeply on its meaning. We have the freedom to make a good response. Therefore, we were chosen to live in a way that pleases God.
Understanding election produces assurance of salvation, and assurance of salvation leads us to use our lives for God.
Thus, we are called to live daily with gratitude for God’s grace, using the time and gifts we are given fully for Him. At times this may seem wasteful; at times it may feel costly. But if our life can be offered to God, then it is a blessed life indeed. In this sense, the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer is great.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906–1945)
Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor and theologian who, from his youth, deeply considered the mission of the church and its responsibility to society.
In the 1930s, as the Nazi regime rose to power, he strongly opposed the “German Christianity” that submitted to Hitler, and as a central figure of the Confessing Church he sought to preserve the true nature of the church.
He had the option to remain safely in England or America. But he believed that “Christians must live with the suffering people,” and deliberately returned to dangerous Germany.
Later, he was arrested for alleged involvement in a plot to assassinate Hitler, and endured imprisonment. Just before the end of the war, on April 9, 1945, he was executed by hanging at Flossenbürg concentration camp.
At first, I could not understand his choice. Why return to Germany knowing he would be killed? Was there not a better way to live than to die so young? But his perspective was different. He was a man who looked beyond death. Those who live in faith and love have assurance of what lies beyond death.
His last words are reported to be: “This is not the end, but the beginning.” For him, death was the moment when God put a period to earthly life and welcomed him into the eternal home.

Bonhoeffer’s Testimony
Bonhoeffer’s life was a concrete testimony of “the work of faith,” “the labor of love,” and “the endurance of hope.” He demonstrated faith not only in words but in deeds. Because of love, he gave up safety and stood with the suffering. And with endurance, he followed Christ until the very moment of death.
Like the Thessalonian believers, he lived as one chosen by God in the midst of suffering.

Application for Us
We do not know how much time remains in our earthly lives. But the day will surely come. Until then, we are called to faithfully practice works of faith and acts of love. And when that day comes, we will see the Lord Jesus reaching out His hand to welcome us on the other side of death.

Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father,
We thank You for Your Word to the Thessalonian church. We thank You that You call us to live by faith, to labor in love, and to endure with hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. Strengthen us, Lord, that our faith may be seen in action, our love be shown in sacrifice, and our hope be steadfast in trials.
We remember especially those suffering in body, heart, or spirit. May Your comfort and healing surround them. Teach us to pray for one another faithfully, just as Paul continually remembered the believers.
Lord, help us to live as Your chosen people—not in complacency, but in mission. May our lives reveal Your greatness and point others to Christ.
We pray this in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.