Growing in faith

Albert Bogle November 06, 2025 2 1

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2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12 (NIV)

1 Paul, Silas and Timothy,

To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

2 Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing.4 Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.

 

11 With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith. 12 We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Authentic shared worship expressed with one another builds up community! Writing songs of praise and encouragement is a biblical concept. Paul writing to the Ephesians encourages them to make melody in their hearts (see Ephesians 5:19). It’s a great phrase that highlights the internal aspect of worship that is then poured out and shared with each other in song.

I have always encouraged congregations to write their own praise songs. We’d name a date for the recording and members would be encouraged to submit their homemade worship songs. What was most inspiring was to hear the congregation singing the words of encouragement that one of their own number had written. Have a listen to St Andrew’s Bo’ness congregation singing a song written by Anne Mahoney and Ian Walker, entitled Faith, Hope and Love.

Let’s use the lyrics of this song as our prayer today:

Faith hope and love

Precious gifts from God

Given to his people by the Spirit

All else may disappear but these three shall remain

And love is the greatest gift we can inherit

With faith we may have power that can move mountains

And hope for life eternal still unseen

But Love’s the special prize the crown and glory

That shapes us like Lord Jesus - Love supreme

Faith, hope and love

Precious gifts from God

Given to his people by his Spirit

All else may disappear

But these three shall remain

And love’s the greatest gift we can inherit

Love’s patient kind and never envies others

Love keeps no score of wrongs nor goes astray

There’s nothing love can’t face it’s never ending

Love will endure though all else wears away