These quotations are from Gordon D. Fee, God’s Empowering Presence: The Holy Spirit in the Letters of Paul (Baker Academic, 2009):
Regarding 1 Thes 1:5-6: “They became converts (v. 5) not on the basis of Paul’s proclamation alone, although ‘word’ was involved as well, but because that proclamation was accompanied by the power of the Spirit, including a deep conviction (probably both in Paul as he preached and in them as they heard)” (p. 849).
“It would never occur to [Paul] that the miraculous would not accompany the proclamation of the gospel, or that in another time some would think of these two empowerings as “either-or.” For Paul, it is simply a matter of, ‘of course.’ Thus, speaking of his ministry as a whole, he can confidently say to the Colossians, “to which purpose also I labor, contending in keeping with God’s working, which is at work in me with power” (1:29), which in Paul means ‘by the power of the Spirit'” (p. 850).
“The need for revelation by the Spirit at this point is considerable, since it requires an understanding that merely human wisdom could not penetrate in ten thousand years. The gospel, after all, at its most crucial and therefore at its deepest point stands in utter contradiction to human wisdom: that God has redeemed our fallen race by means of the ultimate oxymoron, a crucified Messiah. Without the Spirit, who alone knows the mind of God, human beings do not stand a chance to penetrate this hidden mystery'” (pp. 851-52).
“Whether the ‘power of the Spirit’ in this instance also included accompanying ‘signs and wonders’ is moot (I think it did); but in any case Rom 15:18-19 indicates that such was regularly the case” (p. 849).
