The Power of the Gospel | Lesson 3

In this message, Pastor Josh Strelecki, Pastor-Teacher, walked through 1 Thessalonians 1:5 to show how the gospel first came to the Thessalonians and what that means for us. He highlighted that Paul’s “our gospel” arrived “not in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance.” The gospel is not mere religious talk or human wisdom; it is the very power of God unto salvation, carried by weak vessels but effectually working in those who believe. It came to Thessalonica through great distance, in the midst of persecution, and it overturned their thinking—turning them from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven. This same message is distinct from all other words, sanctified by the Holy Ghost, and able to penetrate to the heart and conscience.

Pastor Strelecki exhorted us to remember how the gospel first came to us and to recognize what it has produced: a work of faith, a labor of love, and a patience of hope. The Thessalonians received the word “in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost,” becoming followers of Paul and of the Lord, even under pressure and opposition. We, too, have been entrusted with this powerful gospel; our task is not to dress it up with flattering speech or human technique, but to proclaim it plainly and confidently, trusting its inherent power. Rather than letting Scripture become competing “content” alongside our devices and distractions, we are called to open this book, believe what it says, and allow its power in the Holy Ghost to renew our minds, shape our relationships, and anchor us with much assurance in what God has done and will yet do in Christ.