Call: When Paul and Silas first went to Thessalonica they exclaimed, "this Jesus whom we proclaim to you is the Christ" (Acts 17:3). They proclaimed the gospel, reasoned from the Scriptures, and explained how Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead (1 Thess. 2:9, Acts 17:2-3). They called men and women to repent and believe in Jesus. The wicked men rejected it and grew violent (Acts 17:5); but there were others to whom God granted His saving grace so that their ears were opened and their hearts believed. These young converts were not left to guess what salvation looks like in their lives. Instead, the trio lived piously before them and urged them to walk in a manner worthy of God who calls them into His own kingdom and glory (v.12). The elect will heed this call and live holy lives in fellowship with Christ as we progress toward glory (1 Cor. 1:9; 1 Thess. 4:7; 2 Thess. 2:13-14).

Walk: We are instructed and implored to live consistently with the holiness of God and His sanctifying message (vv. 11-12; Lev. 20:8; John 17:17; Acts 20:32). Yet, our learning does not consist of dead tradition, self-empowered grind or worse yet by unbiblical instinct (Isa. 29:13; Mk. 7:6-7; Jude 10). Rather, by faith, we are alive to God in Christ and present our lives to righteousness (Rom. 6:11, 19). By the Spirit, we do not carry out the desires of the flesh but delight to uphold the commandments of God (Ps. 119:40; Gal. 5:16; Rom. 8:4). Consequently, God shines His light of life through us as we endeavor to show His sanctifying grace (Isa. 9:2; Mt. 5:16). As we wait for the Son's return (1 Thess. 1:10), our conduct in the present establishes a continuity with the future as it extends into God's kingdom and glory (v.12; 2 Cor. 5:9; 1 Tim. 4:8).