JOHN R. RICE QUOTES OF THE WEEK

 Now he said, "Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ." [1:1] Grace and peace. Remember the order of these words. It always is first grace, then peace. And that is the way it must be. The only way we can have peace is to have grace from God and to have His loving mercy smile upon us. - John R. Rice {Comments on 1st Thessalonians, pg. 3]

Man's preaching is sorry business if it be man only and not God.

How often through these years I prayed for the breath of God to be upon me as I preached. . . . our preaching must be in the power of the Holy Ghost. - John R. Rice {Comments on 1st Thessalonians, pg. 4]

You can't serve God acceptably and do the work of God acceptably without the power of God. - John R. Rice [Comments on 1st Thessalonians, pg. 4]

Oh, for preaching that touches people, that convicts people, that makes people conscious of their need. The word isn't enough. When I preach I often say that I can only reach ears; the Spirit of God must reach the heart.

Paul says, "I remember when I was there in Thessalonica, I preached the word, and not only the word, but in power and in the Holy Ghost." - John R. Rice [Comments on 1st Thessalonians, pg. 5]

In Bible times they taught Christians to expect Jesus to come in their lifetime. And these people in Thessalonica were waiting "for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come."

Here is an interesting thing. In this little book [1st Thessalonians] of five chapters, every chapter ends on the second coming." - John R. Rice [Comments on 1st Thessalonians, pg. 8]

Paul, it seems you would have been scared to preach so plain, since that got you in trouble at Philippi. But Paul said, "When God shook that old jail down and the jailer came weeping and asking how to be saved and we got him and his family saved, I was ready to begin another meeting, have another fight, and get in jail again, if need be." - John R. Rice [Comments on 1st Thessalonians, pg. 9-10]

Christians ought to live like Christians. - John R. Rice [Comments on 1st Thessalonians, pg. 14]