Introduction to 1 Thessalonians:
The city of Thessalonica (or Salonika) was founded in 297 B.C. and was the chief seaport of ancient Macedonia and an important commercial and military center. After Paul and Silas were forced to leave Philippi, they traveled along the Via Egnatia, the great Roman highway to the East, to Thessalonica (Acts 16:39-17:1) where Paul taught in the synagogue for the Sabbath. The Jews did not take kindly to losing a considerable number of adherents and stirred up the locals to bring them to the city officials and accused them of promoting treasonous ideas (Acts 17:5-10). It was not clear whether Paul jumped bail, but he left quickly at night to Berea. As a result, Paul felt that he did not have enough time to ground the new believers in Thessalonica in doctrine and desired to return there, but was hindered by Satan (1 Thess. 2:17, 18). Consequently, he sent Timothy to complete the work he had begun while he headed to Athens.
1 Thessalonians was likely written by Paul around AD. 50-51 when Timothy returned to him in Corinth (Acts 18:5), bearing good news about the strong faith, love and hope of the church, except that there appeared to be some moral problems (which were not atypical among churches within the Roman empire), and also some erroneous concepts concerning the return of the Lord. So we find that this letter is neatly divided into two parts: Chapters 1-3 which contain words of encouragement, recounting their time in Thessalonica, ending with a benediction in 3:11-13; and chapters 4-5 which address problems likely reported by Timothy.
For more detailed background, you may wish to consult other fine biblical commentaries.
Before our reflection today, apart from reading the above “Introduction”, it is also helpful to read Acts 17:1-10 to get a sense of how the church in Thessalonica was started. If you were those first converts in Thessalonica, what kind of a relationship would you have with Paul, Silas and Timothy—the three greeters of this letter?
(1) Have you noticed that Paul did not address himself as an “apostle” here (as he did, say, in his letters to the Corinthians). What might be the reason?
(2) What emotions might you have (as one of the first converts) while reading this letter?
(3) This letter opens with two thanksgivings: One in 1:2-3, and the other one in 2:13. Let’s pause for a moment and reflect on the first thanksgiving and see whether your life and that of your church (and in that order) are marked by the following:
a. Work produced by faith (i.e. does the way you live have anything to do with faith)?
b. Labor prompted by love (i.e. is any of the ministries you are involved in girded by love—for God and love for the people you serve)?
c. Endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ (i.e. if you are not giving up, why? Or, if you are quitting, why?)
(4) With this thanksgiving, what kind of a church in Thessalonica is being portrayed?
(5) How much might it have meant to these Thessalonian believers when Paul reminded them that they were loved by God (1:4)? What would it mean to you?
(6) According to Paul, what was the proof that they had been chosen by God? (1:5)
(7) Does the same proof apply to you? Why or why not?
(8) According to Paul, what did they have in common with him (1:6)?
(9) Do you share the same commonality with Paul and the Thessalonians?
(10) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
In praising the faith of the Thessalonians, Paul highlights several aspects of their faith that are worth noting and imitating:
(1) They have become a model (or pattern) to the believers in their own region (Achaia) and beyond (Macedonia). In what way(s) can your faith be a model or pattern to those around you?
(2) In what way(s) can your faith NOT be a model or pattern to those around you?
(3) Their faith was such that it was “the Lord’s message” that rang out from them. What was the message that Paul referred to in vv. 9-10?
(4) “Turning from idols to serve the living and true God”: What price did they have to pay according to Acts 17:1-10 (the passage referred to in yesterday’s devotion)?
(5) What idols have you turned away from?
(6) What price did you have to pay, if any?
(7) “To wait for His Son from heaven—Jesus”: Can you think of way(s) that these Thessalonians would have to demonstrate such an attitude of waiting?
(8) In what ways are you demonstrating that your faith is also marked by such a waiting? Or, does your life have any mark of such a waiting? Why or why not?
(9) What kind of wrath have you been rescued from by the Lord? (For the wrath of God, you may want to read Mal. 3:2, Rev. 14:10; 15:1; 16:1, 19 and 19:15)
(10) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
(1) As you were reading the first 6 verses of this chapter, have you noticed the repetition of words like “not” and “nor”? Try to highlight these or similar words of a negative connotation.
(2) What do you think might be the reason for Paul’s defense?
(3) Why did Paul bring up his suffering and insult in Philippi (Acts 16:11ff), the city they visited prior to Thessalonica? Did his suffering in Philippi have any impact on his endeavor or ministry in Thessalonica?
(4) Paul’s defense was basically about his character. What characteristics, according to Paul, should mark the essence, motive and approach of a man (or woman) “approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel”? (2:3-5)
(5) In particular, what should mark the message of such a person?
(6) What should mark the motive of such a person?
(7) What should mark the approach of this person’s ministry?
(8) What analogy did Paul use in v. 7 to refer to his relationship with the Thessalonian believers?
(9) What marks such a relationship (as a mother) according to v. 8?
(10) What is meant by “not only sharing the gospel but our lives as well”?
(11) What is the difference between sharing the gospel only and sharing both the gospel and our lives?
(12) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note:
Wherever Paul went, as we learn from the Acts of Apostles and from his epistles (and even from that of Peter), he encountered fierce opposition from without and within. Although no details are available about who the attackers were in Thessalonica, this passage offers us a glimpse of the criticisms he received.
(1) As apostles of Christ, Paul and his companions could have taken financial support from the Thessalonians, but why didn’t they?
(2) Instead, how did they manage to survive?
(3) What was the second analogy Paul used in v. 11 to refer to his relationship with the Thessalonian believers?
(4) What marks such a relationship (as a father) according to v. 12?
(5) How did Paul demonstrate his credentials in urging the believers to live lives worthy of God, according to v. 10?
(6) Can you say the same about your own life? Why or why not?
(7) Now Paul expressed his second thanksgiving about the church in Thessalonica. What was it?
(8) As we listen to the preaching from the pulpit every Sunday, how should we demonstrate that we accept the message “not as the word of men, but as it is the word of God”?
(9) Try to compare the suffering of the churches in Judea (as detailed by Paul) with that of the Thessalonian church. How similar were they? In what way might they be different? How should the Thessalonian church be encouraged, as a result?
(10) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?