Words at Work

For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus. For you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, just as they did from the Judeans (1 Thessalonians 2:14).

One evidence of God’s Word working in the believers was the Thessalonian believers’ fortitude when they suffered [persecution] from [their] own countrymen—the Greeks in Thessalonica. Paul said that the word of God continued to work in the believers’ lives. Paul knew that God’s words are not mere sermons or documents but a real source of transforming power. In Galatians 1:11-12, Paul said that “The gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.” It is not magical in the sense that we can leave a Bible verse for someone and expect that he or she will become a Christian instantly. But those who read the Bible and study Christ’s life in the Gospels can still be convinced of their need for salvation. Don’t be afraid to encourage your non-Christian friends and family to read God’s Word. It does work wonders.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
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