What happened when the Thessalonians heard Paul's gospel message?
When the Thessalonians heard Paul's gospel of the grace of God—how Christ died for their sin—they believed it. They turned from their idols to the true and living God, demonstrating the manner of Paul's entering in among them, as recorded in First Thessalonians 1:9.
Les teaches that when Paul went into the pagan, Greek city of Thessalonica, he came with no fanfare and no trumpeting introductions. He simply confronted people with the Gospel of the grace of God, how Christ had died for their sin. The result was that they believed it and turned from their idols to the true and living God. First Thessalonians 1:9 is cited to show what manner of entering in Paul had unto them. Les explains this was typical of Paul's converts in pagan communities, and he notes they had such a love for him. He also compares this to the Galatians, who entered into the joy of salvation by grace and then faced pressure to return, a pattern Les says happens today with new believers.
For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God;
More Questions
What happened when Paul preached the gospel in Thessalonica?
When Paul preached the gospel to pagans in Thessalonica, they believed and turned from idols to the true and living God, as 1 Thessalonians 1:9 describes.
Why did the Thessalonians turn from idols to God?
In 1 Thessalonians 1:9 the Thessalonians are described as having turned to God from idols, and the stated purpose of that turning was that they might serve the living God.
What does it mean that the Thessalonians turned to God from idols?
The Thessalonians' conversion is described as turning to God from idols in order to serve the true and living God, and their own testimony showed what kind of entry Paul's team had among them.