1 Thessalonians 1:8

"For from you hath sounded forth the word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is gone forth."

As a sweet-smelling ointment keeps not its fragrance shut up in itself, but diffuses it afar, and scenting the air with its perfume, so conveys it also to the senses of the neighbors; so too illustrious and admirable men do not shut up their virtue within themselves, but by their good report benefit many, and render them better. Ye have filled, therefore, all your neighbors with instruction, and the world with wonder. For this is meant by the expression, "in every place." And he has not said, your faith is noised abroad, but "has sounded out"; as every place near is filled with the sound of a loud trumpet, so the report of your manfulness is loud, and sounding even like that, is sufficient to fill the world, and to fall with equal sound upon all that are round about. For great actions are more loudly celebrated there, where they have taken place; afar off indeed they are celebrated, but not so much.

But in your case it was not so, but the sound of good report was spread abroad in every part of the earth. And this has also arisen from their vehemence. For as if he were speaking of something living, he introduces the word "gone forth"; so vehement and energetic was their faith. "So that we need not to speak anything," says he, "for they themselves report concerning us what entering in we had unto you." They do not wait to hear from us, but those who were not present, and have not seen, anticipate those who were present, and have seen your good deeds. So manifest were they everywhere made by report. We shall not therefore need, by relating your actions, to bring them to equal zeal. For the things which they ought to have heard from us, these they themselves talk of, anticipating us. And yet in the case of such there is frequently envy, but the exceeding greatness of the thing conquered even this, and they are the heralds of your conflicts. And though left behind, not even so are they silenced, but they are beforehand with us. And being such, it is not possible for them to disbelieve our report.

The fame of your virtue has caused the preaching to become known to all, and you have shown yourselves to be teachers of all. The expression "sounded forth" — he speaks as if of a trumpet, sounding loudly and heard over a great distance.

Your example, says the apostle, filled Macedonia and Greece with word and teaching, and every place with amazement, that in such a short time you showed such faith. As if speaking of something animate, the apostle used the word: "spread abroad."

So strong and effective is the fame of your faith that people do not even wait for us to say something about you; on the contrary, every time we begin to speak in order to bring them to a similar emulation, they anticipate us with their own accounts of your exploits.

Your goodness was added to this, for the word of the Lord sounded forth from you, that is, the Lord has been preached; in other words, your fame was diffused not only in Macedonia and Achaia, who are your neighbors, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, that is, a faith which God accepts, which joins you to God, and which is edifying everywhere: "Your faith is proclaimed in all the world" (Rom. 1:8). And proof exists for all this, so that we need not say anything. It is the practice of a good preacher to use as an example the blessings coming to others: "Your zeal has stirred up most of them" (2 Cor. 9:2).

For from you, the Word of the Lord was spread
Because of them the word of God has spread, so many who were previously silent from fear were made bold by their example, and preached openly and in many places.

not only in Macedonia and in Achaia
who are their neighboring locations