Thessalonians Series (Part 1)
A Church Is Born

A father took his son to a large city museum, thinking that the visit
would entertain the boy. But for two hours the lad did nothing but sigh
and complain. Finally in desperation he said to his father, "Dad, let’s
go someplace where things are real!"

Some people feel that way when they read the Bible. They think they are
in a religious museum, looking at ancient artifacts that have no meaning
for life in today’s scientific world. But they are wrong. No book
published has more meaning for our lives, and more relevance to our
problems, than the Bible.

Two of Paul’s earliest letters are 1 and 2 Thessalonians. (It is possible
that Galatians was written first.) Paul was on his 2nd missionary journey
when he came to the city of Thessalonica and preached the gospel and
established the church there.

These two letters were written to real people who were experiencing real
problems in a world that was not friendly to their Christian faith. You
and I can easily identify with these people because we live in a similar
world and face many of the same problems. Once you understand the
background, the burden, and the blessing of these two letters, you will
see how up-to-date and practical they are.

THE BACKGROUND (ACTS 17:1-15)
Acts 17:1-15: "When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia,
they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. {2} As his
custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he
reasoned with them from the Scriptures, {3} explaining and proving that
the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. "This Jesus I am
proclaiming to you is the Christ, " he said. {4} Some of the Jews were
persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing
Greeks and not a few prominent women. {5} But the Jews were jealous; so
they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob
and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason's house in search of
Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd.
{6} But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other
brothers before the city officials, shouting: "These men who have caused
trouble all over the world have now come here, {7} and Jason has welcomed
them into his house. They are all defying Caesar's decrees, saying that
there is another king, one called Jesus." {8} When they heard this, the
crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. {9} Then they made
Jason and the others post bond and let them go. {10} As soon as it was
night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there,
they went to the Jewish synagogue.

{11} Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the
Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and
examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. {12}
Many of the Jews believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women
and many Greek men.

{13} When the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the
word of God at Berea, they went there too, agitating the crowds and
stirring them up. {14} The brothers immediately sent Paul to the coast,
but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea. {15} The men who escorted Paul
brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and
Timothy to join him as soon as possible."

You can visit Thessalonica today, only the travel guide will call it
Thessaloniki. (It used to be known as Salonika.) It is an important
industrial and commercial city in modern Greece and is second to Athens
in population.

It is an ancient city, originally named Therma from the many hot springs
adjacent to it. In 315 B.C. it was renamed Thessalonica after the half
sister of Alexander the Great. When Rome conquered Macedonia in 168 B.C.,
the city was made capital of that entire province.

In Paul’s day 200,000 people lived there, most of them Greeks, but also
many Romans and a strong Jewish minority. Today it has a population of
300,000, and is one of the few cities that has survived from the New
Testament era of apostolic ministry.

Luke explained how Paul came to Thessalonica and how the church was
founded (Acts 17:1-15). Paul went to Macedonia in response to a "call"
from a man in Macedonia who said, "Come over into Macedonia and help us"
(Acts 16:9). Paul, Silas, Luke, and Timothy arrived first in Philippi
where they led Lydia and her household to Christ and there established a
church.

Paul and Silas were arrested on false charges, beaten, and put into jail.
But God delivered them and they were able to lead the jailer and his
household to faith in Christ.

After encouraging the new believers, Paul and his friends left Philippi
(though Luke probably stayed behind temporarily) and headed for the
important city of Thessalonica.

They bypassed Amphipolis and Apollonia (Acts 17:1), not because they had
no burden for the people in those cities, but because Paul’s policy was
to minister in the large cities and then have the believers reach out
into the smaller towns nearby. It is about 100 miles from Philippi to
Thessalonica.

PURPOSE OF THE EPISTLE:
The abrupt departure from Thessalonica so soon after the beginning of the
church naturally left Paul anxious about the condition of the brethren.
When Timothy joined Paul at Athens (cf. Ac17:14-16), his concern prompted
Paul to send Timothy at once back to Thessalonica to encourage and ground
the new disciples in the faith and to learn how they were enduring
persecution (cf. 3:1-5).When Timothy returned to Paul in Corinth (cf. Ac
18:5), the news was mostly encouraging (cf. 3:6-7). Despite persecution
they had remained strong (2:13-16), and even proved themselves to be an
example to others(1:6-8). Yet, as with any young church, they needed
further instruction concerning holy living (cf. 4:1-12). They also needed
to be reassured that their loved ones who died in Christ would not miss
out on the blessings involving the coming of our Lord (cf. 4:13-18).
Therefore we can summarize by saying that Paul's purpose in writing was:
· To praise them for their steadfastness under persecution
· To instruct them concerning holy living
· To correct any misunderstanding, especially about the second coming of
Christ

THEME OF THE EPISTLE
This book is unique in that every chapter ends with a reference to the
second coming of Christ (1:10; 2:19; 3:13;4:13-18; 5:23). With his
emphasis on steadfastness and holy living, an appropriate theme might be:

"HOLINESS IN VIEW OF THE COMING OF CHRIST"

Paul’s commission was to take the Gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15; Eph.
3:1-12), but he always started his ministry among the Jews. The local
synagogue was the place where the Old Testament Law was known and
revered. Paul could get a sympathetic hearing in the synagogue, at least
until persecution began.

Furthermore, there were always many Gentile "God-fearers" in the
synagogues, and through them Paul could begin a witness to the pagan
Gentiles.

Add to this Paul’s great burden for the Jews (Rom. 9:1-3; 10:1), and the
historical principle of "to the Jew first" (Rom. 1:16), and you can see
why Paul and his associates began their work in the synagogue.

It is interesting to study the words Luke used to describe Paul’s public
ministry in the synagogue (Acts 17:2-3).
· Reasoned means "to discourse using questions and answers." Perhaps
"dialogue" would be a good synonym.
· Opening simply means "explaining." Paul would read a portion of the Old
Testament Scriptures and explain their meaning with reference to Jesus
Christ and the Gospel.
· Alleging literally means "to lay beside." Paul put the Scriptures
before them in an orderly manner, showing them how they harmonized.
· Preach means "to proclaim, to announce." Paul did not simply teach the
Scriptures; he proclaimed Christ and urged his listeners to receive Him
by faith.

We can learn much from Paul’s approach to evangelism. He used the Word of
God, and he declared the Son of God. He started where the people were and
led them into the truth of the Gospel. (When Paul preached to Gentiles,
he started with the God of Creation, since they had no knowledge of the
Old Testament Scriptures. See Acts 14:8-18; 17:16ff.)

He ministered in the synagogue for three Sabbaths, and the Lord worked in
power. Many people believed in Jesus Christ, were baptized and were
saved, including a number of high-ranking women. However, the unbelieving
Jews began to oppose the work, and Paul and his helpers had to leave the
city.

They went forty miles to Berea and there had a good ministry; but the
Jews from Thessalonica followed them and caused trouble. It was then that
Paul left for Athens, and from there to Corinth.

How long did Paul minister in Thessalonica? Does the statement "three
Sabbath days" (Acts 17:2) mean three weeks only, or that he preached in
the synagogue only three weeks but continued in another place? We know
that Paul was there long enough to receive two "home missions offerings"
from the church in Philippi (Phil. 4:16). Also, Paul worked at his
tentmaking trade to support himself (1 Thes. 2:9; 2 Thes. 3:6-15).

If Paul were there only three weeks, he certainly taught the new
Christians a great deal of basic Bible doctrine. As we study these two
letters, we will discover that almost every major doctrine of the
Christian faith is mentioned.

Even though Paul’s ministry in Thessalonica was not a long one, it was
solid enough to leave behind a thriving church. When he left for Athens,
Paul told Timothy and Silas to remain there and help the new church and
then to join him later. When they did meet again, Paul sent Timothy back
to Thessalonica to encourage the Christians and assure them of his love
and concern.

(He had tried to go back twice, but was hindered; 1 Thes. 2:17-18.) It
was when Timothy rejoined Paul at Corinth and gave him the report on the
new church that Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians. He wrote 2 Thessalonians just
a short time later.

All of this background teaches us several helpful lessons. Obviously, God
uses people. God did not send angels to evangelize Thessalonica; He sent
a converted Jewish rabbi and his friends, including a young man who was
part Jew, part Gentile. God still uses people—dedicated people who will
obey His leading and share His message.

Here is a second lesson: the Gospel is still "the power of God unto
salvation" (Rom. 1:16). It did not require years to set up a church in
Thessalonica. God’s power was effective in changing lives, and a church
was founded in less than a month. Paul reminded them that the Gospel came
to them not "in word only, but also in power in the Holy Spirit" (1 Thes.
1:5).

Finally, Satan still opposes the Gospel and persecutes God’s people; but
persecution can be a means of growth. As we study these two letters, we
will see that God’s Spirit strengthens and encourages suffering saints as
they go through the difficulties of Christian life.

THE BURDEN
Why did Paul write these two letters? First, he wanted to assure his
friends of his love and concern. After all, he left the city hastily at
night, and he did not want them to think he had deserted them.

Also, Paul’s enemies were attacking his character and telling the new
believers that their leader was really a greedy charlatan who preached
religion in order to make money (1 Thes. 2). There were plenty of
itinerant rogues in Greece who did just that, and some were spreading the
word that Paul was one of them. In this letter, Paul assured his readers
of his love for them and his honesty in ministering to them.

He had a second purpose in view: he wanted to ground them in the
doctrines of the Christian faith, particularly with reference to Christ’s
return. It appears that the church was going through severe persecution,
and this is always a time of temptation to compromise and give in to
discouragement.

By reminding them of the truths of the Christian faith and what God had
done for them in Christ, Paul encouraged them to stand firm and maintain
their strong witness.

Third, he also encouraged them to live holy lives. Keep in mind that
temptations to immorality were rife in the cities then, and that sexual
sins were not condemned by most people. These letters emphasize purity of
life—a concept that needs to be emphasized in our churches too.

Fourth, the new Christians were confused about the return of Jesus
Christ. Paul had told them that the Lord would return in the air and take
them home, but some of their number had died. The bereaved ones wondered
if their Christian dead would be included in the "catching up" of the
church. Paul explained this in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.

But there was a second confusion. Because the persecutions were so
intense, some of the believers thought that "the Day of the Lord" had
arrived. Paul wrote 2 Thessalonians to explain this doctrine and to
assure them that the Day of the Lord had not yet arrived.

Finally, in this letter, Paul sought to correct some weaknesses in the
church. Some members were not respecting and honoring their spiritual
leaders as they should (1 Thes. 5:12-13). Others were refusing to work,
arguing that the soon-coming of the Lord made this the logical thing to
do (2 Thes. 3:6ff). There was some confusion in their public services
that also needed correcting (1 Thes. 5:19-21).

Confusion still exists about Bible prophecy, with radio and television
preachers contradicting each other (and the Bible) and upsetting the
saints. Is the coming of the Lord near? Must any signs take place before
He can return? Paul answered these important questions in these two
inspired letters.

And what about the matter of practical holiness? It is not easy for
Christians to avoid the pollutions of the world. The sex promoters offer
their wares at almost every newspaper stand and drugstore. Immorality and
infidelity are common themes of radio and television programs as well as
of popular music. The bad examples of famous people make it easier for
young people to say, "Everybody is doing it!"

In addition to being more cautious in daily living, we also need more
order and respect in our local churches. I have discovered that lack of
respect for spiritual leadership is the main cause of church fights and
splits. What Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 and 2 Thessalonians
3:6-15 is greatly needed today.

First Thessalonians is a letter from a spiritual father to his children.
Paul pictured the church as a family (the word "brethren" or "brother" is
used nineteen times in the first letter and nine times in the second),
and he reminded them of what God did for them through his ministry.

The second letter was written to correct certain wrong ideas—and wrong
practices—relating to the doctrine of the Lord’s return.

We have seen the background of the letters, and the burden that motivated
Paul to write them. We shall now consider the blessing of these letters
and discover what they can mean to us.

THE BLESSING
Each New Testament letter has a special message, or blessing, that is
uniquely its own. Romans, for example, emphasizes the righteousness of
God and shows that God is righteous in His dealings with both sinners and
believers. First Corinthians focuses on the wisdom of God, and 2
Corinthians on the comfort of God. Galatians is the freedom letter and
Philippians is the joy letter, while Ephesians stresses the wealth that
we have in Christ Jesus.

What is the special blessing in the message of 1 and 2 Thessalonians? It
is the message of the return of Jesus Christ and how this vital doctrine
can affect our lives and churches and make us more spiritual. Every
chapter in 1 Thessalonians ends with reference to the coming of Jesus
Christ, and each reference relates the doctrine to a practical aspect of
Christian living.

In other words, Paul did not look on this doctrine as a theory to be
discussed, but as a truth to be lived. These letters encourage us to live
"in the future tense" since Jesus could appear at any time. We are to
practice the promise of His return in our manner of life.

Turning to 2 Thessalonians, we discover additional truth concerning
future events and the church. Keep in mind that the second letter was
written to correct the confusion regarding our Lord’s return.
Some believers thought the Day of the Lord had arrived, and they wondered
when the Lord would appear. Perhaps the best way to grasp the major
messages of the two letters is by contrast:

Paul did not write these letters to stir up a debate. His desire was that
these letters bless our lives and our churches. The doctrine of the
Lord’s return is not a toy to play with, or a weapon to fight with, but a
tool to build with. Believers may disagree on some of the fine points of
Bible prophecy, but we all believe that Jesus Christ is coming again to
reward believers and judge the lost. And we must all live in the light of
His coming.

Your study of these letters should give you assurance for the future,
encouragement in witnessing and walking with the Lord, comfort in the
loss of Christian loved ones, and stability in a world that is very
unsure of itself.

Last time updated: Wednesday April 01, 2009 11:40 AM