Faith, Hope And Love Series

Paul couldn’t stand it any longer. He had to know how the church in Thessalonica was doing.

After all, he had poured himself into that congregation and sacrificed deeply to teach its members the gospel. But now Satan was attacking it with persecution, doubt, and trial.

Were the believers maintaining their faith, or had they abandoned Paul’s teaching?

Desperate to hear a report, he sent his young protégé Timothy to check on the Thessalonian believers. When Timothy returned, his report brought joyful relief. They were indeed keeping the faith, and they longed to see Paul.

However, they also had some questions that needed answers from the apostle’s inspired pen. [NIV Storyline Bible Intro to 1 Thessalonians]

Welcome to the launch of our teaching series on Thessalonians. For the next number of weeks we will be exploring this book, an early letter from the Apostle Paul to the church in Thessalonia.

The letter was written in love. The tone is one of encouragement. It is never patronizing.

Paul wanted this young church to thrive in the midst of a culture around it that presented a lot of challenges for the Christians there. He loved them like a parent.

Unable to physically be with the new believers, Paul encourages their faith and strengthens their hope in view of Christ’s imminent return.

Paul probably wrote 1 Thessalonians by AD 50, roughly 20 years after Jesus’ execution and resurrection. This may actually be the earliest of Paul’s letters.

A quick overview: The Church’s chief point of confusion was Christ’s second coming. Indeed, Paul mentions it at least once in every chapter.

Some Thessalonians apparently believed that Christians who had died would miss out on the second coming. So Paul famously explained that at the Lord’s coming, the dead in Christ will rise first.

Then those who remain will be caught up with Him in the air, and all of His people will then live with Him forever (1 Thes 4:13–18).

There also may have been confusion as to the timing of the second coming, for Paul warned that it will come unexpectedly, “like a thief in the night” (1 Thes 5:2).

In the meantime, believers are to be vigilant and godly, abstaining from sexual sin (1 Thes 4:1–8) and working for a living rather than being lazy (1 Thes 4:11; 5:14). [NIV Storyline Bible Intro to 1 Thessalonians]

Paul, Silas and Timothy established the church in Thessalonica on Paul’s second missionary journey (Ac 17:1–9). Here’s the account from the book of Acts:

Acts 17:1 When Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,” he said. 4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women.

5 But other 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.[a] 6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers 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.

Because of persecution, Paul and Silas fled from Thessalonica to Berea. From there Paul wrote to the Thesalonians.

Sometime later (perhaps AD 51/52) he sent 2 Thessalonians in response to further information about the church there.

Thessalonica was a bustling seaport city at the head of the Thermaic Gulf. It was an important communication and trade center, located at the junction of the great Egnatian Way and the road leading north to the Danube.

It was the largest city in Macedonia and was also the capital of its province.

Recent converts from paganism were thus left with little external support in the midst of persecution Paul’s purpose in writing this letter was to praise the new converts for their perseverance and to encourage them in their trials, to give instruction concerning godly living and to give assurance concerning the future of believers who die before Christ returns.

He wrote it with Silas and Timothy, 2 faithful companions in his missionary ventures.