1Our Coming to Serve Among You Was Not in Vain

I Thessalonians 2:1-13, 19-20

(for three readers; we suggest that IF you have three ministers on staff you have the three of them read this in turn as indicated. Since this epistle to the Thessalonians is penned by Paul, Silas and Timothy, the three-person approach seems to make sense. If you have only two staff people or more than three, reassign the numbers. This was effective for us, and we followed it with each staff person voicing a brief prayer of recommitment to their calling and to the local church congregation.)

1Our coming to serve among you was not in vain.

2As you know, our God has given us the courage needed to declare to you the gospel of God, even in spite of great opposition.

3For our appeal does not spring from deceit or impure motives or trickery.

1Just as we have been called and approved by God to be entrusted with the message of the gospel, even so we speak, not to please mortals, but to please God who tests our hearts.

2As you know and as God is our witness, we never came with words of flattery or with a pretext for greed.

3We did not seek praise from mortals, whether from you or from others, even though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ.

1We have been gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children.

2We care so deeply for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves.

3You have become very dear to us.

1You remember our labor and toil, brothers and sisters; we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.

2You are witnesses, and God also, how pure, upright, and blameless our conduct was toward you believers.

3As you know, we dealt with each one of you like a father with his children.

1We have urged you.

2We have encouraged you.

3We have pleaded with youto lead a life worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

1We constantly give thanks to God for this: that when we had a word from the Lord, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God's word, which is also at work in you believers.

2For what is our hope, our joy, our crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you?

3Yes, you are our glory and our joy!