Paul’s Work in Thessalonica
1Brothers and sisters, you know that our visit to you was not a failure.
2But before we came to you, people in Philippi had abused us with insults and made us suffer. You know all about that. And then, when we came to you, many people there caused us trouble. We told you God’s Good News but only because he gave us the courage we needed.
3We had nothing to gain by asking you to believe the Good News. We were not trying to trick or fool anyone.
4No, we did it because God is the one who gave us this work. And this was only after he tested us and saw that we could be trusted to do it. So when we speak, we are only trying to please God, not anyone else. He is the one who can see what is in our hearts.
5You know that we never tried to influence you by saying nice things about you. We were not trying to get your money. We had no greed to hide from you. God knows that this is true.
6We were not looking for praise from people—not from you or anyone else.
7When we were with you, as apostles of Christ we could have used our authority to make you help us. But we were very gentle with you. We were like a mother caring for her little children.
8It was our deep love for you that made us happy to share God’s Good News with you. But not only that—we were also happy to share even our own lives with you. That’s how much we had come to love you.
9Brothers and sisters, I know that you remember how hard we worked. We worked night and day to support ourselves, so that we would not be a burden to anyone while we did the work of telling you God’s Good News.
10When we were there with you believers, we were pure, honest, and without fault in the way we lived. You know, just as God does, that this is true.
11You know that we treated each one of you the way a father treats his own children.
12We encouraged you, we comforted you, and we told you to live good lives for God. He calls you to be part of his glorious kingdom.
13Also, we always thank God because of the way you accepted his message. You heard it and accepted it as God’s message, not our own. And it really is God’s message. And it works in you who believe.
14Brothers and sisters, you are just like God’s churches in Judea that belong to Christ Jesus. I mean that you were treated badly by your own people, just as those believers were treated badly by other Jews—
15the same Jews who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets. And they forced us to leave their country. They are not pleasing to God, and they are against everyone else.
16And they are trying to stop us from teaching those who are not Jews. They don’t want them to be saved. But they are just adding more and more sins to the ones they already have. Now the time has come for them to suffer God’s anger.
Paul’s Desire to Visit Them Again
17Brothers and sisters, we were separated from you for a short time. But even though we were not there, our thoughts were still with you. We wanted very much to see you, and we tried very hard to do this.
18Yes, we wanted to come to you. I, Paul, tried more than once to come, but Satan stopped us.
19You are our hope, our joy, and the crown we will be proud of when our Lord Jesus Christ comes.
20You bring us honor and joy.
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