I Thessalonians 1:7 “So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.”
Paul explained that He and the ministers with him had simply preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the glory of God, not themselves. And, he applauded the Church at Thessalonica for receiving the Word and actively living the Word. They had lived the Word so effectively that they became “ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia”; that is, not only did they believe and obey the Word, but they actively set a pattern of behavior, based upon the Word, that others could see and emulate. Furthermore, they “sounded out the word of the Lord”; that is, they announced the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout their region of influence, “Macedonia and Achaia”. Now, everyone did not and will not rejoice in this blessed Gospel, but those who did “believe” rejoiced in “the word of the Lord”. Those who “believe” are those who have been given Spiritual Birth by the Holy Spirit (John 3:1-8; Hebrews 12:2); the Gospel does not give Spiritual Birth, the Holy Spirit does. The Gospel gives us the joyous “light” of understanding (II Timothy 1:10), not Spiritual Life. The world in which this blessed Gospel was so effectively spread, was no less corrupt or immoral than our society is today; actually gross immorality, mixed with idolatry, was institutionalized and attached to government. But, God worked mightily among these people and His blessed Gospel was effectively “spread abroad; so that we [the Apostles] need not to speak any thing”. Let us pray that the Spirit of our Almighty God will again so effectively move within us that His Ministers will be blessed to Preach His Glorious Gospel with such power that their preaching will be as “a flame of fire” (Hebrews 1:7) and “the word of the Lord” will be “sounded out” in ever direction so that there will be great rejoicing in the Land!