As you begin to read 1 Thessalonians you see the Apostle Paul saying to these folks, "I thank God that you imitated the example of my friends and me."  Wait a minute, is it OK to say that?!!  After all, we've been told countless times "Never look at others; don't follow people because people will fail you every time.  You should only look to Jesus, he'll never fail you."  Actually, that advice is wrong, even unbiblical, because the Bible encourages you in several places to follow the examples of others, to actually imitate them. In the sermon Models, Pastor Tim looks at 1 Thessalonians 1.6-10 where you see God cheering you on to the finish by giving you models to imitate.