IN TOUCH DEVOTIONAL 16 APRIL 2024 BY DR. CHARLES STANLEY, TUESDAY MESSAGE
TOPIC: Megaphones for Christ
SCRIPTURE: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
1 Paul, Silas[a] and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace and peace to you.
Thanksgiving for the Thessalonians’ Faith
2 We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. 3 We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
4 For we know, brothers and sisters[b] loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake.
6 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. 7 And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.
8 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, 9 for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell 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—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.
TODAY’S MESSAGE
Picture this: You’re at a professional football game. There are thousands of people in the stands, all cheering as if their shouts are actually willing their team to victory. Now think about your faith. How many believers do you know who put that same passion and intensity into their relationship with Jesus?
In his letter to the church at Thessalonica, the apostle Paul rejoiced in the young congregation’s passion for telling the world about Christ. Because the city was a busy seaport, he knew that the church there had the ear of the whole world. Travelers would hear the gospel and then take it back to their own communities.
By saying that the word of the Lord had “sounded forth” from the church (1 Thess. 1:8), Paul painted a powerful word picture. In Greek, this verb refers to a sound that projects like a trumpet blast or thunder. So, Paul was praising the Thessalonians for being living megaphones proclaiming Christ.
As followers of Jesus, we have the responsibility of sharing who He is and what He has done. Shout it from the rooftops! Fill entire stadiums with the thunder of your praise! Don’t just show the people around you who your favorite sports team is. Make sure they know who your Savior is, too.
Bible in One Year: 1 Kings 8-9
Thought for Today:
