Book of Common Prayer

Paul’s ministry in Thessalonica

2 For you yourselves know, my dear family, that our visit to you didn’t turn out to be empty. ² On the contrary. We had already undergone awful things and been shamefully treated in Philippi, as you know; but we were open and exuberant in our God in declaring to you the gospel of God, despite a good deal of opposition.

³ When we make our appeal, you see, we are not deceiving people. We don’t have any impure motives; we aren’t playing some kind of trick. ⁴ Rather, we speak as people whom God has validated to be entrusted with the gospel; not with a view to pleasing people, but in order to please God, who validates our hearts.

⁵ For we never used flattering words, as you know. Nor were we saying things insincerely, as a cover-up for greed, as God is our witness. ⁶ We weren’t looking for recognition from anybody, either you or anyone else— ⁷ though we could have imposed on you, as the Messiah’s emissaries. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse taking care of her own children. ⁸ We were so devoted to you that we gladly intended to share with you not only the gospel of God but our own lives, because you became so dear to us.

Paul’s fatherly concern

⁹ My dear family, you will recall our hard toil, our labor. We worked night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you while we announced to you the gospel of God. ¹⁰ You are witnesses, and so is God, of our holy, upright and blameless behavior towards you believers. ¹¹ You know how, like a father to his own children, ¹² we encouraged each of you, and strengthened you, and made it clear to you that you should behave in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

¹⁷ “Don’t suppose that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I didn’t come to destroy them; I came to fulfill them! ¹⁸ I’m telling you the truth: until heaven and earth disappear, not one stroke, not one dot, is going to disappear from the law, until it’s all come true. ¹⁹ So anyone who relaxes a single one of these commandments, even the little ones, and teaches that to people, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But anyone who does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

²⁰ “Yes, let me tell you: unless your covenant behavior is far superior to that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get in to the kingdom of heaven.”