Message of the Week

The Little White Community Church

Series on I Thessalonians

Scripture: I Thess. 1: 1-10 Jan. 25, 2026

Message: “Deep Conviction!”

By Pastor George Gnade

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Introduction: 1. Today we are beginning a new series of messages based on the Book of I Thessalonians. According to Acts 17, after Paul was released from prison in Philippi, he went to Thessalonica where he immediately faced more opposition because of his faith in Jesus.

2. So he did not stay very long. But we are told in Acts 17: 4 that “some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Gentiles and not a few prominent women.”

3. In I Thess.1: 1-3, we learn more about these converts. 

These verses are the introduction to this letter. 

a. In vs. 1, Paul introduces himself and his helpers, namely Silas and Timothy, and wishes the Thessalonians “grace and peace.”

b. Then in vs. 2, he shares how he regularly prayed for them. If God uses one of us to lead someone to the Lord, then we should regularly pray for them just as Paul did. Any new Christian needs to know he is not forgotten. 

4. Then Paul shares in vs. 2 how he thanked the Lord for them.  

a. When a mother has a new baby, it is normal to rejoice with her. Whenever a person accepts Christ, we should rejoice with them too.

b. Giving thanks for them and praying for them helps them realize how important this is to God as well as us. 

5. In vs. 3, Paul gets even more specific. Many of you may be familiar with I Cor. 13:13, where it says: “Now faith, hope, and love abide, these three, but the greatest of these is love.” He seems to have that verse in mind as he gives thanks for God’s work in their lives.

a. First he mentions their “work produced by faith.” “Without faith, no one can please God” (Heb. 11:6). This is not the power of positive thinking. It is the power of God that becomes available to us when we believe in Jesus.

b. Secondly, he mentions “your labor prompted by love.” Jesus taught us “to love one another as He loved us”

(John 13:33). There are no limits to what God can do in and through us when our faith in Him is combined by acts of kindness to those around us.

c. Thirdly, Paul mentions “your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” As Paul shared Christ with them, they saw the suffering and hardships that he endured. Clearly they learned from him that their faith in Christ could result in suffering and hardship for them too.

6. That may be one of the most important things for new Christians to learn, that we may have to endure hardship as we live for Jesus. But the hope of eternal life and the many ways Jesus blesses us make up for the hardships.

7. Obviously Paul was thankful for their progress in the faith, showing that they really meant what they did when they gave their lives to Jesus.

a. Following this introduction, Paul begins the main part of the letter by sharing some comments about what “we know.” “We” is referring to Paul, Silas and Timothy.

b. That will be followed by a section on what “they” know,” meaning the Thessalonians themselves..

c. Finally, the last section we are studying today will concern what “others know” or have heard about them.

A. Let us begin with what Paul and his helpers knew.

1. In vs. 4, he writes: “Brothers loved by God, we know that He has chosen you, because our gospel has come to you, not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction.”

a. I have had many situations where I did not know if a person was really saved or not. God is the only one who really knows. I can’t be the judge of that.

b. But Paul was totally convinced that the conversion of this group from Thessalonica was real. As Paul expressed it, that they were “chosen by God.” That is because the only way any of us can be saved is by listening to the Holy Spirit when He speaks to us.

2. That is exactly what Paul observed. Many people hear the gospel but it goes in one ear and out the other. It is just words. But in their case, God’s words brought “deep conviction.” You could see the effect the gospel was having on them. Paul says it came “with power” caused by “the Holy Spirit.”

a. It reminds me of the memorial service for Charlie Kirk. Everyone there felt the Holy Spirit moving among them and saw people responding with deep conviction.

b. O how I pray that our services would result in deep conviction, with a desire to repent and get right with God, a desire to really know God in a deeper, fuller way.

B. Let us now consider what the Thessalonians knew.

1. In vs. 4b- 5, the Bible says: “You know how we lived among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord.”

a. In I Tim. 1:15, Paul shares how he was one of the worst sinners before he was saved. But clearly the Lord saved him and helped to change him.

b. The Thessalonians could see the difference. They could see how sincerely he tried to live a life that pleased the Lord so he could encourage them to imitate him even as he encouraged them to imitate Christ.  

2. Vs. 6 continues: “You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy that is given by the Holy Spirit.”

C. Finally, let us consider how others responded to what they saw in theThessalonians.

1. Vs. 7-8 continues: “So you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia – your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore, we do not need to say anything about it because they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us.”

2. Please notice what others went on to say. In vs. 9b-10, it says: “They tell how you turned from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead – Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.”

a. Notice, the Thessalonians not only changed how they lived and served God, but clearly they understood what Jesus did for them by dying on the cross.

b. They understood how He died to save us from the wrath to come.

In conclusion: 1. That is the kind of change that God desires of us. He wants us to repent of our sins and change the way we live; and, in the process, God wants us to put our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.

a. That is the kind of deep conviction that God desires. It is a conviction that changes us. It is a conviction that others can observe. 

b. It is a life now lived by faith in Christ, a life in which the love of Jesus shines through to others, and a life filled with the hope of the gospel as we wait for Jesus to come again.

2. By God’s grace, if people can see this in us, they will want what we have. That is how churches grow.  That is how the church in Thessalonica grew. May we continue to so live for Jesus so that our church will grow too.  Amen!