"And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost:"

In this text, the fidelity cycle is described. The Lord is a wonderful example for us. Faithful people serve as examples of the Lord's character and zeal for us. Then we demonstrate that life of faith by living it ourselves. The Gospel is, in other words, more than just words! The Gospel is the good news of Jesus taking root in someone's life until the fruit it produces is sufficient to serve as an example of the Lord for other people to see and start living it as well! Both receiving and imparting the Gospel occur.

It's so easy for us to let what's going on around us decide how we feel. Paul tells this group of new Christians who are being attacked that their new life in Christ has brought them joy, even though things look bad around them. Their happiness wasn't just a temporary, situation-based surface feeling. Instead, they had been happy to hear the strong message of salvation. This joy did not depend on what was going on in their lives. It was based on the way their Savior lived, on the fact that He was always with them through the Holy Spirit, and on the fact that Jesus could save them.