When last we were together, we looked at verse 7 and how the Thessalonian believers became an example of Christianity for an entire region. Word about their faithfulness to the gospel had spread as far as Macedonia (their province), as well as the adjacent province of Achaia. In and of itself, that is simply astounding; these believers had become the standard by which other Christians were imitating. Now, in verse 8, Paul takes it further as he elaborates on the spread of the gospel as a result of the Thessalonians, as well as showing just how powerful their example of Christ was. So, if you are in fellowship and ready to study Biblical truth, let's jump in.

1 Thessalonians 1:8 (NASB) - For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything.

According to Paul, in this verse, the impact of the Thessalonians' faith didn't just stop at the borders of Macedonia & Achaia; instead, it had a much broader reach than they could have ever imagined. That being said, there are a few points that we want to extract from this passage as we break it down and exegete it. There are three things in particular that we want to look at: 1) the phrase "the word of the Lord", 2) what it means for it to have "sounded forth," and 3) just how far the gospel message spread as a result of the Thessalonians' faith.

The first thing that we want to take a look at is the phrase "the word of the Lord" because it is an interesting phrase that doesn't occur all that often in the New Testament. In its simplest terms, the word of the Lord is the gospel message that is both proceeding from and concerning the Lord. The gospel is a message that comes from God, as well as being a message about God. This is the message that the Thessalonians were making known through their faith. Interestingly enough, this phrase is used by Paul only in the Thessalonian epistles (1 Thess. 1:8; 4:15; 2 Thess. 3:1); but, it is also frequently used in Acts (8:25; 13:44; 15:35; 16:32; 19:10; 20:35). Similarly, Paul also uses the phrase "word of God" a total of eight times (Rom. 9:6; 2 Cor. 2:17; 4:2; Col. 1:25; 1 Thess. 2:13; 1 Tim. 4:5; 2 Tim. 2:9; Titus 2:5), as well as "word of Christ" a single time in Colossians 3:16. Regardless of which phrase Paul uses, they are all interrelated and synonymous with the phrase "the gospel of God" (1 Thess. 2:2, 8, 9; Rom. 1:1; 15:16; 2 Cor. 11:7). Simply stated, the Thessalonians were proclaiming the good news concerning Jesus Christ.

Now, this message that the Thessalonians were living and preaching was one that was impactful and reverberating. The Scripture quotation above states that it "sounded forth" from the Thessalonians. This phrase "sounded forth" comes from the Greek word exēcheō (Strong's G1837) and only occurs this one time in the Greek New Testament. Its definition means "be caused to sound forth, ring out" (BDAG). It is a compound word that comes from the Greek words ek (from, out of) and ēcheō (to sound). Used a total of eight times in Philo, the word generally means to sound out of a trumpet or thunder, or reverberate like an echo. Paul's use of exēcheō in this passage marks how strong and clear the gospel was coming forth from the Thessalonians; it was sounding forth and spreading like the crashing of thunder and carrying like an echo.

Back in verse 7 Paul specifically made mention of the regions of Macedonia and Achaia, stating how the gospel reached those regions. Given the size of those regions and the methods of travel during that time, this was no small accomplishment; but, amazingly enough, the gospel spread even further than that! How was that possible? First, let's remember the location of this city. It was a part of the Egnatian Way, as well as a major port city; combined, this made it a prime location to serve as a gateway and facilitator for the gospel to spread throughout the entire known world. With many travelers and merchants coming through the city, it was an easy means for the gospel to spread worldwide. Without having to leave their city limits they were able to share the gospel with a multitude of people who were simply passersby or were there to conduct business. Not only that, but it is also feasible that these believers also sent out their own missionaries into various regions so that they could spread the gospel further than just their own city. All they had to do was head east or west on the Egnatian Way or hop on a boat and set sail for whatever destination they desired.

Paul then wraps up this verse by giving one more example of how far their message had spread and how quickly it was doing so. As a result of the widespread ministry of the Thessalonians, Paul states that much of his work had been done for him because he would arrive in a new city and he didn't need to say much because they had already heard the gospel message. Being an apostle, this had to be an awesome experience for Paul, hearing about the faith of the Thessalonians as soon as he walks into a brand new city, which likely became a great aide and witness in his gospel preaching.

All in all, the faith of the Thessalonians is inspiring. They were an example for an entire region and they made sure that the gospel message went forth to the ends of the known world. And all of this was because of their faith. How awesome is that?! We need to let that be an inspiration to us as believers, we should strive to be like them. We should want to be an example of Christlikeness to all, and do whatever we can to make sure that the gospel goes forth. As we move to verse 9, we will see how great their example was, so much so that they were giving commendation & bearing witness to the Thessalonians' faithfulness. Until then, keep walking in the light!