Paul wrote of the Thessalonians that “they turned to God from idols, to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his son from heaven” (1 Thess. 1:9–10). This “about face” occurred, says the apostle, because “when you received the Word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it actually is, the Word of God, which is at work in you believers” (2:12). Preaching, therefore, was not merely talk about God. It was God Himself working through the message and