"Remembering without ceasing..."
Text: 1 Thessalonians 1:3
THE PRACTICE OF PRAYER
The apostle Paul and his team obviously made prayer a very real and definite part of their life and ministry. Prayer was not just a formal way of addressing God at stated times. Prayer was offered “without ceasing”.
“Remembering without ceasing your work of faith,
labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord
Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father.”
1 Thessalonians 1:3
1. “Remembering without ceasing”
a) Understanding the phrase “without ceasing”.
i) It does not mean praying “non-stop” for twenty-four hours.
ii) That would have been an impossible thing to do.
b) An attempt to apply the idea of the present participle “remembering”.
i) The word “remembering” is a present participle.
ii) It suggests that praying was made frequently.
iii) The verbal idea is emphasised by the NKJV translators.
2. Three things stood out about the Thessalonians
a) “Your work of faith”
i) They found a genuine faith in Jesus.
ii) Their faith found appropriate expression in “works”.
b) “Labour of love”
i) With faith in Christ came love for the Lord.
ii) This love for the Lord moved them to labour for Him.
c) “Patience of hope”
i) The word “patience” may be translated “perseverance”.
ii) The Thessalonians found that their faith and their love brought about a sense of “hope”.
iii) Together, faith, love and hope created within their hearts a strong spirit of perseverance.
3. “In the sight of our God and Father”
a) The faith of the Thessalonians was very real.
b) What they had would stand the test of being in the sight of God the Father.