1 Thessalonians 2:14

“For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God, etc.] As of the Lord and of the apostle, (<520106>1 Thessalonians 1:6) so of the churches of God that were before them, who were gathered out of the world by the grace of God; and who were united in the fear of God, and assembled together for his worship, to bear a testimony to his truth and ordinances, and for the glory of his name: these they followed in the faith and order of the Gospel, and “became like” them, as the Syriac and Ethiopic versions render the word; or “equal” to them, were upon an equal foot with them, as the Arabic; that is, in suffering reproach and persecution for the Gospel, as the latter part of the verse…”

“followers--Greek, "imitators." Divine working is most of all seen and felt in affliction. in Judea--The churches of Judea were naturally the patterns to other churches, as having been the first founded, and that on the very scene of Christ's own ministry. Reference to them is specially appropriate here, as the Thessalonians, with Paul and Silas, had experienced from Jews in their city persecutions (Act 17:5-9) similar to those which "the churches in Judea" experienced from Jews in that country. in Christ Jesus--not merely "in God"; for the synagogues of the Jews (one of which the Thessalonians were familiar with, Act 17:1) were also in God. But the Christian churches alone were not only in…”

“For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judea are in Christ Jesus - Which are united to the Lord Jesus, or which are founded on his truth: that is, which are true churches. Of those churches they became “imitators” - μιμηταὶ mimētai - to wit, in their sufferings. This does not mean that they were founded on the same model; or that they professed to be the followers of those churches, but that they had been treated in the same way, and thus were like them. They had been persecuted in the same manner, and by the same people - the Jews; and they had borne their persecutions with the same spirit. The object of this is to comfort and encourage them, by showing them…”

“Ye suffered the same things - The same fruit, the same afflictions, and the same experience, at all times, and in all places, are an excellent criterion of evangelical truth. As they from the Jews - Their countrymen. 1 Thessalonians 2:15”

“2:14 The evidence that the Thessalonian believers accepted the word of God was that they suffered persecution (1:6). This followed the pattern of the apostles, the churches in Judea (Acts 8:1), and Christ himself.”

“became: Th1 1:6 the churches: Act 9:31; Gal 1:22 are: Th1 1:1; Th2 1:1 ye also: Th1 3:4; Act 17:1-8, Act 17:13; Co2 8:1, Co2 8:2 even: Act 8:1, Act 8:3, Act 9:1, Act 9:13, Act 11:19, Act 12:1-3; Heb 5:7, Heb 5:8, Heb 10:33, Heb 10:34 1 Thessalonians 2:15”