1 Thessalonians 1:6

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Summary

And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost:

Ye

And of

Received

With joy

General references

1 Corinthians 4:16

Bible References

Ye

For you brothers became imitators of the churches of God in Judea, which are in [fellowship with] Christ, for you people also suffered the same things from your own countrymen that they did from the Jews,

So, I urge you to imitate my lifestyle.

You people should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.

And they did not [just] do as we had hoped, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and [then] to us through the will of God.

Brothers, you people should join together in imitating me, and take note of those who are following my example.

[We did this], not because we did not have a right [to support], but so we could become an example for you to imitate.

And of

Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wants to be my follower, he should deny self [i.e., of always having its own way] and lift up his cross [of responsibility] and [then he can] become my follower.

So, Jesus spoke to them again [i.e., to the Jewish authorities. See 7:45], saying, "I am the light of the world. The person who becomes my follower will never live in [spiritual] darkness, but have the light of [i.e., for his] life [i.e., followers of Jesus will not live in error and sin but in truth and righteousness]."

You call me 'Teacher,' and 'Lord,' and you are right in doing so because that is who I am.

So, as dearly loved children, you people should [try to] be like God.

And who do you think would [try to] hurt you if you become enthusiastic for doing what is right?

Dear [friend], do not imitate what is evil, but [only] what is good. The person who does what is good is [a child] of God; the one who does evil has not seen God [spiritually].

Received

And because of this we also thank God continually that, when you people received the message of God, which you heard from us, you did not accept it as a message from [mere] human beings, but as it truly is, the message from God, which is at work in you believers.

and so we [i.e., I] sent Timothy, our brother and God's fellow-worker in [the ministry of] the Gospel, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith,

Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, no one who has left his house, or brothers, or sisters, or mother, or father, or children or property for my sake and the Gospel's sake [i.e., to become a servant of the Lord],

But [other] Jews became jealous and, recruiting certain ungodly riffraff, they gathered a mob and brought the city to near-riot conditions. They [even] attacked Jason's house and attempted to bring Paul and Silas before the [assembly of] people.

Now, brothers, we want you to know about the favor God has given to the churches in Macedonia.

Therefore, we ourselves speak proudly about you among the churches of God because of your steadfastness and faith amid all the persecutions and afflictions that you are enduring.

With joy

"And I will ask the Father and He will give you another Helper [i.e., besides me], who will be with you forever.

When the apostles left the Council meeting, they were rejoicing over being considered worthy to suffer [such] shame for the name [of Jesus].

So, the church throughout all of Judea, Galilee and Samaria was multiplied in number, enjoyed peace, was built up [spiritually] and lived in awe of the Lord and was comforted by the Holy Spirit.

But the [newly won] disciples [of the Lord] were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

And not only this, but we also rejoice in our troubles, knowing that [experiencing] troubles produces endurance;

The Holy Spirit Himself bears testimony [along] with our [human] spirit that we are the children of God.

May God, [the source] of hope, fill you with complete joy and peace as you believe [in Christ], so that you may have an abundance of hope in the power of the Holy Spirit.

But the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness,

For you showed sympathy for those who were in prison and accepted it joyfully when your [own] possessions were taken away, [because] you knew that you yourselves had a better and more permanent possession [in heaven].

Because of this you can be very joyous, even though it is necessary for you to have suffered many trials for a little while.

General references

So, I urge you to imitate my lifestyle.