This week,
we shall conclude the study of the book of 1 Thessalonians of the New Testament.
(1) How did the Apostle Paul describe the time he was forced to leave Thessalonica?
(2) Why did he try to return to them?
(3) Whatever happened to prevent him from returning, why did he attribute the hindrance to the work of Satan?
(4) We often hear believers blame Satan for certain trouble in their lives or that of their churches. What might be the marks that such is the work of Satan?
(5) In what sense did Paul consider the Thessalonian believers as his hope, joy, crown and even glory? (2:19, 20)
(6) Are there any Christians in your life whom you consider your hope, joy, crown or even glory? How so?
(7) Why was Paul so worried that he had to send Timothy to visit the Thessalonian believers after his abrupt, forced departure?
(8) What did Paul mean by saying that “we were destined for them (i.e. trials, especially persecutions)” (1 Thess. 3:3)?
(9) Are we all destined for trials?
(10) What can trials do to us? And how should we face trials? (Jas. 1:2-4)
(11) Pause and reflect on the main message to you today. How may you apply it to your life?
“For we want to come to you—certainly I, Paul, did again and again—but Satan stopped us.” (1 Thess. 2:18)
I am greatly troubled when I hear a Christian call another Christian, Satan. It is even worse when such an accusation is said during a public prayer, attributing any opposition to our idea or suggestion concerning church matters as the work of Satan.
They seem to find their legitimacy or precedent in Jesus’ rebuke over Peter in Matthew 16:23 and in this passage to the Thessalonians by Paul (1 Thess. 2:18). However, we have to recognize that such an attribution of a person as Satan or of certain deeds by Christians as the work of Satan is few and far between in the Scripture.
First of all, it is the Lord and not any of the disciples who called Peter Satan, and the Lord’s rebuke was certainly out of love as He understood that as wrong as Peter was, he acted out of love for Him. Yes, the cold, hard fact was, Peter’s love for Christ served to lure Christ out of His commitment to die for all of us on the cross. It was because the severity of such an act is a stumbling block to the eternal plan of salvation that Jesus had to equate Peter as Satan. However, there were numerous other occasions when His disciples “do not have in mind the things of God, but things of men” (Matthew 16:23) and yet Jesus never rebuked them as Satan. Their argument over who was the greatest is a case in point (Matt. 18:1-5) and Peter’s denial of Jesus is another (Matt. 26:69-75).
In the case of Paul not being able to go to Thessalonica as soon as he wanted to, we really have no idea what might be the circumstance that caused Paul to attribute it to the work of Satan. Since Satan is called the “prince of this world” by our Lord (Jn. 14:30) and he is the one who is also called “the accuser of our brothers” (Rev. 12:10), I would be very reluctant to call any of our brothers or sisters in Christ, Satan. It is very likely that whatever prevented Paul from going to Thessalonica came from the world, and not necessarily from within the body of Christ. As a result, any action by the world that goes against the body of Christ and His Kingdom is that of the “prince of this world” and can safely be described as the work of Satan.
While our brothers and sisters might at times act in a way that is blatantly against the biblical principles and unity of the body of Christ, under such circumstances, we can rest assure that the “accuser” has already seized the opportunity to accuse them before God, and there is no need for us to give him a hand in this respect. Therefore, we need to pray for them and not to shame them or call them as Satan, but intercede on their behalf before the throne of grace.
(1) What was the purpose of sending Timothy to Thessalonica, according to 3:5?
(2) What, besides faith, was the good news brought back by Timothy according to 3:6a?
(3) From 3:6b, can you detect some of the worries that Paul had about the Thessalonian believers?
(4) Should Paul worry about such things? Why or why not?
(5) 3:8 is an interesting verse, “For now we really live”. What did Paul mean by this and why? What if they, the Thessalonian believers, did not stand firm?
(6) What kind of joy was being described by Paul in 3:9?
(7) As Paul concludes this first part of his letter, I suggest that you do a quick review of what you have studied so far, and see if you can summarize these first 3 chapters in a statement.
(8) As he concludes this part of recollecting the events surrounding his first visit to Thessalonica and the encouragement he received from Timothy’s report, Paul bursts into a benediction-prayer in 3:11-13. Think carefully about his prayer in these ways:
a. Breakdown his prayer into smaller divisions
b. Identify the essence of each of his prayers
c. See how you may emulate Paul’s prayers
- for those you care about
- for yourself
(9) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord.” (1 Thess. 3:8)
Maybe you are taken aback like I am at the statement made by Paul in the captioned verse above. Why would he say that since the Thessalonians believers are standing firm in the Lord, they “really live”?
Allow me to share with you the insight of John Chrysostom of the 4th century B.C. as follows:
“What is comparable to Paul, who thought the salvation of his neighbors was his own, being so affected towards all, as really towards members? Who now would be able to break forth into such speech? Or rather, who will even be able to have such a thought? He did not require them to be thankful to him for the trials which he suffered for them, but he was thankful to them that they were not moved on account of his trials. As if he said, that to you rather than to us was injury done by those trials; you were tempted rather than we, you who suffered nothing, rather we who suffered. Because he says, Timothy brought us these good tidings, we feel nothing of our sorrows, but were comforted in all our affliction; not in this affliction only. For nothing besides can touch a good teacher, as long as the affairs of his disciples go on to his mind. Through you, he says, we were comforted; you confirmed us. And yet the reverse was the case. For that when suffering they did not yield, but stood manfully, was sufficient to confirm the disciples. But he reverses the whole matter, and turns the encomium over to them. You have anointed us, he says, you have caused us to breathe again; you have not suffered us to feel our trials. And he has not said, we breathe again, nor we are comforted, but what? 'Now we live', showing that he thinks nothing is either trial or death but their stumbling, whereas their advancement was even life. How else could any one have set forth either the sorrow for the weakness of one’s disciples, or the joy? He has not said we rejoice but 'we live', the life to come.
“So that without this we do not even think it like to live. So ought teachers to be affected, so disciples…”
(NAPF, Vol. 13, 3401)
In this second part of his letter, Paul appeared to be responding to some of the concerns brought back to him by Timothy regarding the church in Thessalonica.
(1) The US
Declaration of Independence contains these words,
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
But as Christians, what is more important, the pursuit of happiness or the pursuit to please God? Why?
(2) Paul appeared to be fond of using the phrase “more and more” to the Thessalonians (1 Thess. 4:1, 10; 2 Thess. 1:3). In 4:1, he applied this to live a life that pleases God. Is it just a nice expression by Paul, or is it something that can be pursued? How may you then please God “more and more” in your life?
(3) In urging the Thessalonians to please God more and more, the first thing Paul reminds them of was sanctification, and yet he seems to focus first on “sexual immorality”. Why? Is it the only impediment to sanctification?
(4) In dealing with sexual immorality, why does Paul seem to focus on “avoidance” ?
(5) What might be the key to controlling our body in this respect?
(6) How then can we distinguish ourselves from the heathen in this respect?
(7) Paul appears to be addressing immorality against brothers within the church (4:6). Read Proverbs 6:29-35 regarding similar warnings in the Bible.
(8) Why does Paul emphasize the Holy Spirit in this respect in 4:8?
(9) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living.” (1 Thess. 4:1)
The
US Declaration of Independence contains these words,
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
This well-meaning statement has been foundational to the upholding of human rights, and rightly so. However, as Christians, we have bought into this statement, especially the last element as if it were from the Scriptures. There is no doubt that God delights to give us happiness, but can the pursuit of happiness be our goal of life? Absolutely not. It is not our happiness, but God’s happiness that should be the pursuit of every Christian.
The following story by Steve Farrar serves to illustrate how wrong-headed and wrong-hearted we have become as we make the pursuit of own happiness our goal of life:
“A number of years ago when I was pastoring, a man sat in my office. He was in his early sixties, had been married to the same woman for nearly forty years, and had five grown children and numerous grandchildren. He had been a committed Christian since coming to Christ in high school. For years, he had been a pillar in the evangelical community, serving as a leader in the church as well as on the boards of various Christian ministries. He had an excellent grasp of the Scriptures and had influenced hundreds of young people for Christ.
"Why were we meeting? To discuss his teaching a Bible class for men? To look into the possibility of his mentoring some younger men in the church? No. We were meeting to discuss why he was involved in an immoral relationship for the past five years with a girl younger than his own daughter.
"He didn’t even try to deny his sin. A sharp thinker, he had developed a tight web of rationalizations that even included some scriptural references. As I continued to probe and slice through his web of excuses, finally, after about thirty minutes, he heaved a great sigh and blurted out, ‘Don’t I have a right to be happy?’.
"In that one statement he captured the spirit of our age."
(Excerpt from Point Man, by Steve Farrar)
(1) Since the Thessalonians did love “all the brothers throughout Macedonia”, why did Paul urge them to do so more and more? Do you think it might have something to do with the possibility that they had yet to reach out to or care about the needs of churches beyond Macedonia?
(2) What are the next things that Paul urged them to do in pleasing God in v. 11?
(3) How are these things related?
(4) How might the Thessalonian believers justify such a lifestyle?
(5) How damaging might such a lifestyle be to effective witnessing for Christ?
(6) Now the Apostle Paul turns to the mourning for the death of our loved ones in Christ in vv. 13-18:
a. What does our Lord teach about “mourning” in the “beatitude” (Matt. 5:4)?
b. Does Paul ask us not to mourn or grieve then?
(7) There are those who mock the hope of Christians in the resurrection of “those who have fallen asleep (i.e. died) in him (Christ)” as wishful thinking. How does Paul answer such critics in v. 14?
(8) According to The Lord, what is the sequence of His return?
(9) I think we should not read the sequence of events only, but immerse ourselves in the glory and majesty of His coming. Imagine yourself as one of those alive at His coming, what might be the most exciting part of this experience?
(10) As a result, there is a right way to grieve, and a wrong way to grieve. Only the right way to grieve will be blessed as Jesus says in the beatitude. What then is the proper way to grieve according to this passage?
(11) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“Brothers, we do not want you to be asleep or to grieve like the rest of men who have no hope.” (1 Thess. 4:13)
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 is one the great passages we can use to comfort those who have lost a loved one in Christ. I like to use it in my preaching at Christian funerals because it not only gives us comfort and hope, but a comfort and a hope that is absolutely not wishful thinking.
In officiating the funerals or memorials of Christians, I often hear well-meaning, but misguided eulogizers say things like the following:
“He (meaning the deceased) is looking at us now.” (Well, sorry, only God is omnipresent!)
“He is enjoying his most favorite drink now in heaven.” (No kidding!)
“He is having fun skating, skiing, fishing (or any hobby that the deceased was noted for having) with the Big Guy.” (All this “fun” depends on gravity!)
I know, I shouldn’t be too harsh on them, but they do not really know what to say, especially if they themselves are not Christians. So, they end up saying things that amount really to wishful thinking!
Unfortunately, when it comes to my turn to preach from the Scriptures, many continue to think that what the Bible says also amounts to nothing more than wishful thinking. Far from it, exclaims Paul:
“We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep (i.e. died) in Him.” (1 Thess. 4:14)
What the Apostle Paul is saying is that our hope in the resurrection of the dead is not based on wishful thinking, but rather, on the historical fact of the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the only person whose tomb is still empty because He has risen from the dead to prove that He is not just a man but God—the Creator and Giver of life. As a result, those who died in Him, meaning those who, in their lifetime have believed in Him and received His resurrected life into their hearts, will be resurrected too at the time of the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is not wishful thinking because this risen Christ had been seen by many of His disciples, and “He appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time,” testified the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:6.
Therefore, in 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul is not urging us not to grieve and mourn for our loved ones, but that our grieving and mourning should be done so with hope, not wishful thinking, believing (in fact, knowing) that our separation with our loved ones in Christ is only for a while; soon and very soon, our Lord will bring them along in His return. It is with such a glorious and solid hope that we will experience the second Beatitude of our Lord, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (Matt. 5:4)
(1) The Apostle Paul likens the day of the coming of The Lord to that of a thief. In what ways would it be like a thief to the people of the world?
(2) Why would it be a surprise to the people of the world?
(3) What will be the consequences for them?
(4) Honestly, will it be a surprise to you?
(5) How then can we avoid being caught by surprise?
(6) In urging us to be alert and self-controlled, why does Paul use the imagery of a soldier?
(7) What is a breastplate for?
(8) In what ways can faith, and in particular love, be our breastplate?
(9) What is a helmet for?
(10) In what ways can the hope of salvation be our helmet?
(11) What will be the consequence for us upon His return?
(12) Have you been encouraged by Paul’s exhortation? Why or why not?
(13) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief.” (1 Thess. 5:4)
Because of what the Lord says in Matthew 24 about His coming like a thief (24:42-44) and the fact that no one knows about the day or the hour of it, I have always accepted the notion that His coming would be a surprise to all. The Apostle Paul clarifies here (in 1 Thess. 5) that it is like the coming of a thief only to those who live in darkness, but to us who are not in darkness, it should not be like a thief and we should not be caught by surprise (1 Thess. 5:1-5).
In my youth, as a new believer, I always struggled with my lack of desire for the Lord’s coming. I do not believe I necessarily loved the Lord any less then. In fact, I always admire the simple and innocent faith I had, coupled with the intense love for the Lord which I can only described as “first love” (Rev. 2:4).
However, it was also true that in those days, while my mind told me that I could die and see the Lord anytime, my heart honestly did not share the same recognition. In fact, there was so much to see, to learn, to conquer and to achieve in the world. Yet, I found myself praying often to the Lord, asking for an increased sense of longing for His return.
Now, that many of my peers and especially those older than me in the family have gone ahead of me to see the Lord, and I myself, having gone past “middle-age”, am in struggling health, I have an increased and acute awareness of the shortness of life. It is not that I do not prayerfully plan ahead, but each thought of the future is definitely tempered with an awareness that I may not be around for long on this earth. In a way, this is biblical and spiritually healthy. However, I can’t help but understand that it is still not the same as having an increased longing for the Lord’s return.
To recognize that I can go home anytime is different from the recognition that the Lord can return anytime. If I am gone, people around me can still have the chance to know the Lord. The Lord can and will certainly raise up others to take my place. But if the Lord returns, those who have not known the Lord will perish eternally. There is no second chance. That’s the surprise that will come upon them, indeed, like a thief! As Paul says, “destruction will come on them suddenly, and they will not escape.” (1 Thess. 5:3).
As a result, I need to continue with the prayer of my youth, “Lord, give me an increased sense of longing for your return”, so that I may also have an increased sense of urgency to reach the lost.
(1) With the instruction in vv. 12-13, what was the problem that Paul tried to address among the Thessalonians believers? Why would such a problem happen even in a church like theirs?
(2) How then can you express respect and especially “highest regard” to those in leadership and especially the pastors of your church?
(3) What are we to do with the idle? Why does Paul urge us to take such a strong action?
(4) What are we to do with the timid? What might they be “timid” about? What might be the cause of such timidity?
(5) What is meant by the weak? In what ways might they be weak? How can we help them?
(6) Under what circumstances would we be less than patient with others whether at home or in the church? How can we practically exercise patience?
(7) How do we normally pay back those who wronged us?
(8) How then can we express kindness when we are wronged?
(9) How can we express kindness to everyone at home and in the church? How important is that?
(10) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“Hold them in the highest regard in love, because of their work.” (1 Thess. 5:13)
I find it interesting that the Apostle Paul had to admonish such a great, loving church like the church in Thessalonica to respect those in leadership, meaning pastors, in the midst of trials and persecutions.
I wonder what the reasons might be that the Thessalonians would not respect those who were leading and teaching them. Because they were not as well educated? Because they were not as gifted in preaching and teaching? Or, because they were not well organized, not too sensitive to the needs of others or were very forgetful? We do not know.
But we do know that they worked hard. They were providing spiritual leadership and they obviously admonished biblically. And thus, even though they might have other short-comings, Paul says, “respect…and…hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work.” (1 Thess. 5:13)
I think the emphasis is “in love”, because nobody is perfect, let alone the pastors. We need to respect that they have been called by God to minister to us. As long as they work hard to feed and lead us, biblically, irrespective of their other short-comings, we need to accept them and their short-comings in love, and hold them in the “highest regard”, not because they necessarily deserve it, but because of “their work” (i.e. their work as appointed by our Great Shepherd to shepherd us). It is not a very popular notion today, but still the teaching of the Scriptures.
a. Can we really be joyful always? How can we do that? How important is it?
b. What is meant by praying continually? How can we do it? How important is it?
c. How can we give thanks in all circumstances? How important is it?
d. How might being “in Christ Jesus” help us do the above?
(2) What is meant by the Spirit’s fire? What is the purpose of putting a fire within us by the Spirit?
(3) What normally do we do to put out the fire?
(4)What then should we do to stoke the fire of the Spirit?
(5) Why might the Thessalonian believers “treat prophecies with contempt”? Why does Paul urge them not to do so? And why does Paul add that they should “test everything”?
(6) The last instruction deals with good and evil. What do you understand by “good” and what about “evil”?
(7) Does the avoiding of evil amount to holding on to the good? Why or why not? What might be the relationship between the two, if any?
(8) Given the fact that the church in Thessalonica was suffering from trials and severe persecutions, how meaningful was Paul’s benediction/prayer for them in vv. 23-24?
(9) If you are suffering immense trials like theirs, what might be the most meaningful part of this prayer to you and why?
(10) As we come to the close of this letter, take some time to reflect on the key contents of this letter and try to understand why Paul had to “charge” them to have this letter read (in public) to all the brothers.
(11) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note:
When prophesying is mentioned in the New Testament, it has two major components: Prophesying a future event (as in Acts 21:10-11) and preaching. Bible scholars have long since debated if the former has ceased since the time of the Apostles.
“I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.” (1 Thess. 5:27)
I find the last instruction of this first letter to the Thessalonians quite puzzling in that it is really the only time that Paul urges the receiving church to have his letter read in public.
One
of the reasons could be because this was one of the earliest letters, if
not
the earliest, sent by Paul to the
churches (around A.D. 50-51). As a
result, as much the letter would naturally be handed to the leaders of
the church, it was meant to address the entire congregation of the
church. Although the letter sheds a very favorable
light on the Thessalonian church in general, there are still admonitions
that
might present a challenge to the church, especially to some of those in
leadership. Consider the areas of admonition:
- His defense of his integrity of ministry, not being men-pleasing (2:3-6);
- His example of ministering to them as a mother and also as a father (2:6-12);
- Possible doubts and criticisms about Paul’s delay in a return-visit (2:17-20);
- His fear for their faith as indicated by the sending of Timothy to check them up (3:1-5);
- The series of admonition and warnings—from sexual immorality to being idle.
As a result, Paul wants to set a precedent and to make sure that irrespective of how some of the leaders might feel about his defenses and admonitions, this remains an open letter to be read to all. As a result, this letter has been able to remain in circulation to these days.