Be Strong

Read 2 Thessalonians, Acts 18:12 thru Acts 19
 
2 Thessalonians 1:3-5 Dear brothers and sisters, we can’t help but thank God for you, because your faith is flourishing and your love for one another is growing. 4 We proudly tell God’s other churches about your endurance and faithfulness in all the persecutions and hardships you are suffering. 5 And God will use this persecution to show his justice and to make you worthy of his Kingdom, for which you are suffering.
 
PAUL celebrated a growing faith and love in the church in Thessalonica. The new believers had become so strong in their faith, they were able to withstand persecutions from the Jews and the Greek cultures.
   Persecution is always present in the church. It seems God has allowed it as a means to test the faith of individuals and his corporate church. God’s will is his church is the light of God unto the world. The light shines brightest when darkness surrounds his people who glow in God’s glory. Allow the King of Glory to build your faith. Be prepared to stand and be a light for your Savior.
 
To the Extreme
 
Acts 19:10-12 This went on for the next two years, so that people throughout the province of Asia both Jews and Greeks heard the word of the LORD. 11 God gave Paul the power to perform unusual miracles. 12 When handkerchiefs or aprons that had merely touched his skin were placed on sick people, they were healed of their diseases, and evil spirits were expelled.
 
PAUL was teaching in the synagogues and debating with people. There was much opposition. But the Spirit kept Paul persistent. And God helped his apostle reveal God as the Holy Spirit’s power miraculously healed the sick.
   Since sin entered the world, God has been making himself known with his creation power. God’s intense love activated his healing miracles through his chosen servant Paul. To the sinner’s mind, the very thought of an eternal God, who would come to earth, live in poverty, suffer severely, die a criminal’s death, then rise again to glory was foolishness!  It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. (1 Corinthians 1:22)
   The LORD God reveals himself as extreme love. The essence of the gospel is a loving sacrifice for undeserving people. That’s why the LORD  is still making his name known in extreme ways today. There are many, many accounts around the world of similar types of circumstances in which God has healed multitudes. God will overcome sin and heal humanity. To do so he will choose times to gloriously heal the broken. God’s healings bring people to attention. God glorifies his name. He saves lives on earth to change lives for eternity.