Introduction to 1 Thessalonians

The church at Thessalonica was the second one that Paul started in Macedonia.  The city was one of the most prominent of the region and was strategically located along the Ignatius way which means it received many visitors who were traveling this major trade route.  Paul’s initial visit was cut short by the persecution he faced from the Jews in the city.  So he fled from there to Berea where the Jews from Thessalonica followed him and kicked him out of that city where he left his traveling companions Silvanus and Timothy.  Paul went on to Athens and then Corinth where he stayed for about a year and a half.  While in Corinth Paul sent Timothy back to Thessalonica to check in on the church, encourage them and then report back to Paul as to how they were doing.  This letter is Paul’s response to Timothy’s report.  Paul has some very high praise for the church as well as some very important instructions about vital areas for their Christian life.  We can be greatly benefited by this book because it gives us a very good model for ministry that we can follow as well as some important teachings on fundamental doctrines as well as practices for believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.   

PAUL’S VIEW OF THE CHURCH: Paul’s love for this church is obvious as he recognizes how drastic their transformation was.  They had turned idols to serving the Lord and as a result they had become examples to believers all over the region.  The faithful reputation of the church was spreading as people who passed through the city observed and heard the love of Christ in their lives.  Paul recognized this as the powerful work of the Spirit of God using Paul’s, Timothy’s and Silvanus’s words and lives to graciously bring about this multiplication process.  Like any group of new believers that are having an impact, they were coming under attack by the fierce opposition in the city.  Paul challenges them to stand steadfast in this time by asking them to remember the way that the Gospel came to them in the first place.  Paul points to their compassion that was like a nursing mother that cared for them and challenges them to continue ministering in that loving manner.  Paul reminds them of their conviction as dedicated laborers who got up early and stayed up late so as to be able to meet their needs while also working in order to provide for their own needs.  He also reminds them of their courage and how has a father they corrected and confronted them when they were sin.  These qualities continue to be vital for the advance of the Gospel today.  Paul loved this church and the church loved Paul but Paul felt the need to warn them of the continued persecution and suffering that they would face as they followed the Lord.  If we are going to be examples of the love of Christ that has an impact of the world we must learn to love and live in the way that Paul, his companions and the church in Thessalonica did.

PAUL’S VISION FOR THE CHURCH: God has called us to walk in holiness before Him.  When he separated us from the world to Himself He expects us to be holy and pure in our relationships with one another.  Sexual immorality is one of the most prevalent characteristics of the world but God has a very different vision for His children.  He has created the sexual relationship to be enjoyed within the context of marriage.  When we have sex outside of the context of marriage or awaken sexual desires that cannot be biblically fulfilled we are defrauding one another and displeasing the Lord.  God calls us to love one another in purity and sincerity and to work hard in order to provide for our needs.  The Lord also has a plan for His children concerning death.  When a believer dies he goes to the presence of God.  Paul revels that not all believers will die but that one day the Lord will return and rapture all believers to be with Him and at that time all the dead in Christ will be resurrected and we will all be united with Christ in heaven.  This event could happen at any moment and will mark the beginning of what Paul calls the Day of the Lord.  God plans to pour out His wrath on the sinfulness of man and will judge this earth in much the same way as He judged the world in the days of Noah.  However, this time the judgment will be with fire and not water.  The world will be overcome by this day of wrath but God has not appointed us to have to suffer through that Day of Judgment.  The rapture of the Church, the resurrection of the dead and the believer’s freedom from the wrath of God are truths that should comfort all believers.  God calls us to honor those who teach the Word of God in our midst and to submit to the authority of those who He calls to lead.  We are to confront sin in one another’s lives, encourage one another when we are down and strengthen those who are weak with and attitude of patience.  In essence Paul’s vision for the church is that we be pure in life, confident in death and loving towards one another.