1 Thessalonians 2

Paul’s Ministry to the Thessalonians

1 You all know how our visit was not a waste.

2 Even though we caught heat in Philippi, we stepped up and boldly preached God’s message to you all, even in the middle of opposition.

3 Our message is not fake, sneaky, or self-serving.

4 God gave us the gospel to trust us with it, and we are not out here trying to please people, just God, who checks our hearts.

5 You know we never tried to butter you all up or chase paper. God’s our witness.

6 We did not seek praise from people, not from you all or anybody else, even though we had the right to ask as apostles of Christ.

7 Instead, we were gentle, like a mom caring for her kids.

8 We cared so much about you all that we shared not just the gospel but our lives, too, because you mean that much to us.

9 Remember how hard we worked, day and night, so we would not be a burden while we preached the gospel to you.

10 You all are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous, and blameless we were with you believers.

11 You know how we treated you all like a father treats his kids,

12 encouraging, comforting, and urging you to live worthy of God, who called you into His kingdom and glory.

13 We thank God because when you all heard His word from us, you did not take it like just some human idea, you accepted it as God’s word, which is at work in you believers.

14 You all imitated the churches of God in Judea that are in Christ Jesus. Just like they suffered from their own people, you caught heat from yours.

15 Those folks killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and they kicked us out. They do not please God and are hostile to everybody,

16 trying to stop us from preaching to the Gentiles so they can be saved. They are piling up sins, and God’s wrath is about to hit them.

17 But fam, when we had to leave you all for a little while, it felt like we lost a piece of ourselves. We wanted so badly to come back.

18 We tried to visit, especially me, Paul, but Satan blocked us.

19 What is our hope, joy, or crown when Jesus comes back, It is you all!

20 You all are our glory and joy.