1 Thessalonians
2 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, 3 remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father, 4knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God. 5 For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake.
We have been contending for the wrong thing. My quest for healing and raising folks from the dead has had a good motive but not a pure motive. On some level, I have wanted power for my reasons and not God’s. Yes, I believe. Yes, I struggle with doubts and fear of man. And, yes, I will overcome both.
But, God’s power will flow from a heart motivated by love. For God is love. When we approach another human out of love and compassion, God will give us all the power we need. We wont be afraid of what they think. God doesn’t care what they think. If they doubt, etc. He still loves them. So must we. There is no fear in love. If we approach others through love, we can approach the darkest looking people on the planet. And, God will meet us right there. For His heart is for His children. We too must be for His children.
Their gospel came in:
1) Power
2) Holy Spirit
3) Much Assurance
Their prayers focused on remembering:
1) work of faith
2) labor of love
3) patience of hope in Jesus
Faith, hope & love…but the greatest of these is LOVE!
1 Corinthians 13:13?And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
If we want more power from God, we must go to the source, which is love. We cannot be moved to power for power’s sake. We must be moved to love the person and expect God to move in power.