We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing. 2 Thessalonians 1:3 (NIV)

The television series BAND OF BROTHERS was set in World War 2. It was about a company of soldiers as they trained and later fought across Europe. Some lived, some were wounded and others died. The show was aptly named. Those men who began their military service as strangers came to love each other as brothers.

Paul writes under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and says all believers should thank God because of the strong faith and love of the Thessalonians church members. Even as he was writing he knew their love for each other was growing. They had heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ and not taken it lightly but embraced it, shared it and made it the center of their lives.

There are countless stories of missionaries who traveled to far away destinations and never returned. Sometimes they would send back letters saying they had found Heaven on earth and would not be returning. The Amazon, the islands of the South Pacific, the jungles of Southeast Asia and even the remote regions of the polar caps became home from which they would not venture. They would be enthralled by sights and sounds of those distant lands. But in each of those stories what caused them to stay was a love for and from the peoples they shared the Gospel.

Can you imagine loving and being loved so strongly that you would forsake everything you held dear? There are people who say, "I’m looking for a church were I belong." They go from church to church without ever settling or finding the "perfect" church. The reason they never find the "perfect" church is because they are not willing to love and be loved passionately. A church is a band of brothers and sisters sharing the victories and the losses of life. When one rejoices all rejoice and when one grieves, all grieve.

The example of Jesus is – He went to the cross and died because He loved us passionately. We are called to take up His cross and follow Him. Follow His example and love those of the church with passion, share their lives and allow them to share yours.