Church Planting – Reach a Higher Altitude

1 Thessalonians 1:5-10

It's just a fact of life:  we all imitate.  We imitate somone we see, something they say, or something they own.  The question is:  Why do we imitate others?  To be like them!  We have the expectation that imitating others will make a difference in our lives and/or add value to our lives.

1:6 =  "You became imitators of us and of the Lord."

(1)  What did they imitate?  (see vss 2-3)

(2)  Who did the church imitate?  Paul, Silas, and Timothy  (church planters)

(3)  What was the added value to the church?  Severe suffering with joy!

1:7 =  The imitators became the imitated.  The Thessalonian church became a pattern community of believers.  NOTICE:  This is the ONLY place - the ONLY church - Paul makes the point that the Thessalonian church is the pattern for other churches.

1:8 =   "Your faith in God has become known everywhere"

Throughout the New Testament the characteristic mark of God's people is their faith - their dependence on Jesus Christ alone for everything.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

(1)  Who are you imitating?  Relate this question to your personal life, marriage, parenting, as a couple, etc.)

(2)  Why are you imitating ________?

(3)  Who imitates you?  Who imitates your faith?

(4)  What is needed for your church to become a model for other churches?