Answer: The Lord's church in the city of
Thessalonica became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and
Achaia, and their faith in God had become known everywhere.
This happened because they became imitators of those who had taught
them the Gospel and imitators of the Lord, welcoming the message
with the joy given by the Holy Spirit in spite of severe suffering,
(verses 6, 7 and 8).
MORE INFORMATION AND/OR OTHER SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:
The Greek word for "model" is typos, from
which comes "type." Typos originally means
"an imprint" (John 20:25), then "an
image" (Acts 7:43), and so a pattern
(Hebrews 8:5). In a majority of instances in
the New Testament it carries the connotation of
"example" or "pattern." Here it means
"a model for others."
The faith of the Thessalonian church had become known
everywhere. The Lord's message "rang out"
from them, not only in Greece (Macedonia and Achaia were the two
Roman provinces into which Greece was then divided), but became
known everywhere. The original meaning was that their faith
in God sounded forth as a trumpet or thunder; it reverberated like
an echo. The model they presented and became to all the
believers in Macedonia and Achaia, and the fact that their faith in
God had become known everywhere was aided by Thessalonica's
strategic position. It was the capital of the Roman province
of Macedonia, a busy seaport, an important city of communications
and commerce on the Egnatian Way (the military highway which linked
Rome with the East).
All of the saints in the Lord's church, each
congregation of His children, every member of His body should be
models/examples for believers, and for those outside of
Christ. We are to accomplish this "ringing out"
(a process that is not sporadic, but continual) of the Lord's
message by the command of our Lord, and it is to be accomplished
everywhere:
Matthew 24:14: [Jesus said,] "And
this Gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a
testimony to all nations, and then the end will
come."
Mark 16:15-16: "He [Jesus] said to
them, 'Go into all the world and preach the Good News to all
creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but
whoever does not believe will be condemned.'"
Acts 8:4: "Those who had been
scattered preached the Word wherever they went."
Acts 17:30: "In the past God
overlooked such ignorance, but now He commands all people
everywhere to repent."
Acts 24:5: "We have found this man
[Paul] to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all
over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene
sect..."
Romans 1:7-8: "To all in Rome who
are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to
you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because
your faith is being reported all over the world."
1 Corinthians 1:2: "To the church
of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called
to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the Name
of our Lord Jesus Christ--their Lord and
ours..."
2 Corinthians 2:14-16a: "But thanks
be to God, Who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ
and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of
Him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who
are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we
are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of
life."
Colossians 1:3-6: "We always thank
God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,
because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love
you have for all the saints--the faith and love that spring
from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have
already heard about in the Word of Truth, the Gospel that has come
to you. All over the world this Gospel is bearing fruit and
growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you
heard it and understood God's grace in all its
Truth."
1 Timothy 2:1-4: "I urge, then,
first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving
be made for everyone--for kings and all those in authority,
that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and
holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, Who wants
all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the
Truth."
1 Timothy 4:12: "Don't let anyone
look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the
believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in
purity."
