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Following is an excerpt of "Work and Wait (1 of 9)" by Keith Krell added on 10/16/2009.
This content is part of a series.
Work and Wait (1 of 9)
Series: No Rest for the Righteous
Keith Krell
1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Do you have a favorite sports team? If so, I want you to lock that team into your mind for just a moment. Perhaps you graduated from the UW or WSU, so you are a die-hard Husky or Cougar. If so, God bless you. What happens when your favorite team wins a big game? You respond like this: "WE DID IT! WE WON!" You may run around the living room high-fiving, chest-bumping, and doing a little jig. Now my question is: What role did you play in this victory? Maybe you bought a jersey or a cap, but the truth is you didn't do anything that contributed to your team's success. Yet, you feel intense ownership because this is YOUR team.

If you and I can feel this strongly about our favorite sports team, how much more intense should our feelings be for our local church? We need to think of the church as "we," not "they." Although churches are made up of individuals, when you and I speak of the church we must never say "they." Instead we should say "we"...for we are the church! In the book of 1 Thessalonians, we will learn about a church that we can get excited about. Although there are no "perfect" churches, the church in Thessalonica is a model church. As we study this church, we will learn how we can be a church that glorifies God and leads the world to Him. Specifically, in 1 Thess 1:1-10, we will see that God uses the church to encourage leaders. Encouragement is found in the lives that we live.

1. Leaders need encouragement in ministry (1:1-5). In this first section, we discover that even godly and competent leaders need encouragement. Even though many leaders look confident and secure on the outside, on the inside they can be discouraged and insecure. God's leaders are constantly under attack from Satan and need to be encouraged. In 1:1, Paul introduces his letter with these words: "Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace." Paul has written 13 New Testament books, yet this is the shortest of any of Paul's greetings. He is obviously fond of this church and they are familiar with Paul and his traveling companions. Paul does not include his official title "apostle" in either 1 or 2 Thessalonians. This is also true of Philippians and Philemon. In Paul's other nine epistles he uses his title, most likely because he is "under fire" from others. The reason for its omission in every case appears to have been the intimate and affectionate character of his relations with the parties addressed. Paul includes "Silvanus and Timothy" because they were with him in Corinth when he wrote this letter, and these men had also assisted him in the building up of the Thessalonian church. More importantly, Paul seems to be affirming team leadership as the basic New Testament pattern. Paul was a team player that shared ministry and trained others to do ministry. In your ...

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