Category: Epistles – Is his letter to our church?

Epistle of Paul to the Romans

Epistles ἐπιστολή or Letters

I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read to all the holy brethren.

Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians

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1 CORINTHIANS

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Letters – Is he writing to me?
The short answer: YES.

In their epistles or 1st century church letters the Apostles and other men sent out by Jesus build up the saints [small – ‘s’] or members of local first century churches.

A Disciple or other witness of JESUS would write it. Messengers then delivered these church letters to many isolated worshipers.

Followers of Jesus Christ receive these letters as a major encouragement to their personal faith. Then leaders read them to worshipers of their church.

Although the Epistles 0r Letters to the Church were originally written to churches of the first century,

Romans through Jude will seem like letters to your 21st century church.

What do Peter, Paul, John and others tell us we must do?
Is he talking about an issue in your 21st c. church as well?
How does the writer’s advice, warning, or encouragement to the 1st c. believers apply to you as well
Is the writer of this letter talking about something you need to address in your 21st century ‘christian’ life?

Contemporary Application of the Letters (Epistles)

Most New Testament writers take on specific issues confronting faithful followers of Jesus Christ. These same issues continue to confront believers until the Lord’s coming again in these last days.

Certainly Christ our Lord will come again to those God has chosen for eternal life.

Believers currently suffer more than most of you who know Christ in your local church can imagine.

In other lands Christians continue to suffer by the hand of the ungodly.
Go into all the world

A 21st century Common Era church can see and hear nearly any atrocity of man or artificial imagination of sinful man’s mind, yet ‘christians‘ dare not speak of any absolute truth of the Lord God or talk of JESUS CHRIST.

Will YOU comment on Scripture and share the Gospel?

I invite you to read the inspired word of Scripture written in these LETTERS TO THE CHURCH.

YES, He IS writing to YOU.

Beloved brother or sister in Christ Jesus,

Will you read this ‘CHURCH LETTER’ and talk of JESUS through your comment, sharing and email to me about this ‘Letter to you?”

Roger@talkofJesus.com

II Thessalonians Intro – It is meet and right so to do..
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is meet and right so to do.
Book of Common Prayer – Celebration of Holy Communion Order One in Traditional language

We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth; so that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer: seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; and to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.
Second Epistle of Paul to the Thessalonians 1:3-10
Authorized (King James) Version

A ‘Meet‘ Epistle to the Thessalonian Church
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I am about to go 'formal' on you with the Authorized King James Version of II Thessalonians; therefore let us look back to the formality of Paul's long opening sentence [above] written after his formal greeting of this Epistle evoking a sense of duty of a responsive brother receiving a second Epistle of encouragement from our beloved Apostle to the Gentiles (of which you and your wife and children are part) as members of a new and growing church at Thessaloniki (as we now Anglicize it centuries after King James).
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Paul’s letters or epistles would have been written to a church and VERBALLY delivered by a man leading worship at any first century church.

The common language of the Roman Empire is GREEK as it was in Thessalonica even prior to Rome’s rule.

In Macedonia (of Philip of Macedon and Alexander the Great) Greek had been made the language of Alexander’s vast Empire even as far east as the Jews had been banished to Babylon, later ruled by Persia and then Alexander.

Intro to Thessalonica via the Protestant Reformation
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JUMPING centuries and millennia toward today..
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At the time of the Renaissance, in this same sense under the rule of a later Empire of Great Britain the BIBLE goes into all the world (largely in English) authorized by King James of England .

Unlike an impotent inclusion of anti-Christ philosophies of this Common Era, it was a time when Kings and Queens went out to war AND Sovereigns were not only an authoritative Defender of the Faith, but also men who did determine political religious alliances with the Pope and Bishop of Rome as well as other rulers beyond the realm.

Because the governed now became literate in Scripture the Bible exposed the darkness of Rome’s frequent heretical Bishops and frequently-fallible Popes.
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The King James Bible was commissioned in the year of our Lord 1609 and first published in A.D. 1611.
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At the time of the Protestant Reformation the Anglican Book of Common Prayer standardized the traditional liturgy of the Roman Catholic Mass from centuries of Christian tradition in the King’s ENGLISH, replacing the ancient Latin (archaic even in Italy and its Papal States) used in its liturgy.

The common language of the King later remained as part of worship in English long after the meaning of its words were common (much as had Latin become unused beyond the Mass) and centuries after Britannia no longer ruled the waves.

Never-the-less, let us not overlook the validity of this worship, whether in Thessalonica of the A.D. first century or an American colony of Britain of the A.D. 17th century or for our present day church.

Meet our ‘word of the day’ – ‘meet‘

For many years Christians from the Anglican tradition proclaimed corporately each week as a church celebrating the Communion of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ sacrificed for us in the following words [in part], theology imprinted upon our worshiping hearts:
- Officiant: [Priest leading Holy Communion] The Lord be with you.
- Response of the Congregation: And with thy spirit.
- Officiant: Lift up your hearts.
- Congregation: We lift them up unto the Lord.
- Officiant: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
- Response: It is meet and right so to do.
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Before proceeding with the opening response of the priest celebrating Holy Communion I would like to PAUSE briefly here to consider the response of the worshipers.
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It is meet and right so to do.

From the Hebrew Bible עֵזֶר
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Lexicon :: Strong's H5828 - ʿēzer

 help (19x), help meet (2x).
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- help, succour
- one who helps
And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
Genesis 2:18 King James Version

Not only does Moses introduce the Hebrew equivalent of meet (as we once translated in KJV in English), the Gospel writers and Paul introduce its importance to solid theology as well.

Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
Gospel of Matthew 3:8 KJV – John the Baptist warning religious leaders

ἄξιος –axios

The KJV translates Strong’s G514 in the following manner: worthy (35x), meet (4x), due reward (1x), unworthy (with G3756) (1x).
- weighing, having weight, having the weight of another thing of like value, worth as much
- befitting, congruous, corresponding to a thing
- of one who has merited anything worthy
  - both in a good and a bad sense
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IS YOUR FAITH IN THE LORD CHRIST JESUS BOTH MEET AND RIGHT?
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Our Christian Duty
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Returning to & Continuing from the Book of Common Prayer:
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- Officiant: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
- Response: It is meet and right so to do.
- Officiant:
It is very meet, right, and our bounden duty,
that we should at all times and in all places
give thanks unto thee,
O Lord, holy Father,
almighty, everlasting God,
through Jesus Christ thine only Son our Lord.
Book of Common Prayer

Ano Domini 51 – Paul writes a Second Epistle to the Thessalonians
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a context in Paul's missions to write another Epistle
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A couple of reminders to my fellow Christians of this Common Era
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- A.D., used for calendars and timelines of history since about the fifth century derives from the Latin abbreviation for Anno Domini means “IN THE YEAR OF THE LORD” or “In the year of our Lord,” depending on context.
- Epistle – generally a serious letter on an important subject [Greek epistole] “message, letter, command, commission,” whether verbal or in writing
Paul’s unfinished business with the Thessalonians – 1

Paul first wrote to the Thessalonian church after being forced out of town by crowds provoked by the Jews.

READ all about it from Acts of the Apostles 17 AKJV & The Message

The Apostle to the gentiles sends his Epistle after having clarified the commands of the Council of Jerusalem concerning worship of Jews and gentiles together as believers in Christ Jesus, the Messiah crucified and risen some twenty years ago.

Paul penned I Thessalonians to commend his faithful brethren for their stalwart dedication to Christ and to one another and to encourage them to further progress in love and holiness.
Intro to Thessalonians – AKJV [A.D. 1964]

Once Paul’s messengers deliver his
Epistle to Thessalonica they return with their report.

Paul then writes a second Epistle after the returning brothers report certain problems that are not solved. The Apostle writes to encourage believers being persecuted, to clarify the Day of the Lord, commanding them to work and to obey his Epistle.

.. as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth; so that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure..
II Thessalonians 1:3b-4 AKJV

II Thessalonians

– To Be Continued… God-willing

Comment on Scripture – Share the Gospel
February 26, 2024
Paul’s unfinished encouragement of the Thessalonians
Previously on Paul’s Second Mission

Start New Second Missionary Journey

The apostles sailed to Macedonia, Greece and Achaia

Second major stop

Thessalonica

THESSILONICA where they proclaim the Gospel to the Jews for THREE WEEKS.

Paul’s unfinished business with the Thessalonians – 1

AND NOW, in ~ A.D. 50 Paul writes back to the Thessalonians

THREE WEEKS?

Hardly enough time to establish a firm foundation of faith in NEW BELIEVERS!

~A.D. 51 – Paul writes to encourage the Thessalonian Church

Certainly Paul and other apostles must have wondered how the Thessalonians had fared since opponents of the Gospel of Jesus Christ had forced them to exit to Berea, 100 miles away, and cities further south in Greece and Achaia.

Mentioned among these new believers were Jason (Acts 17:5), Gaius (Acts 19:29), Aristarchus (Acts 20:4), and Secundus (Acts 20:4). Source

.. and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith..

.. But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always remember us kindly, longing to see us just as we also long to see you..
Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians 3:2,6 LSB

Paul’s First letter to the Thessalonians 1:

We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers;remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ before our God and Father..

The Apostle’s introductory points of encouragement

For our exhortation does not come from error or impurity or by way of deceit
1 Thessalonians 2:3 LSB
- [You are] brothers beloved by God
- your election [by God]
- our gospel [came] to you in power and in the Holy Spirit
- You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.
- You also became imitators of us and of the Lord [JESUS]
Even though these apostles had not remained in this city of some 200,000 Macedonians, comparable to a Common Era U.S. city of Columbus Ohio, to endure further persecution by the Judaizers, Paul and some of the other apostles would have known from their previous persecutions the afflictions of these new Thessalonian believers.
- You [Thessalonians] have had much affliction [YET] with the joy of the Holy Spirit.
.. you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.

For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth..
First Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians 1:7b-8a Legacy Standard Bible

.. just as you know how we were exhorting G3870 and encouraging and bearing witness to each one of you as a father would his own children..
1 Thessalonians 2:11 LSB
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Do you get the picture of evangelism by way of example of our Christ-like love in the community of our local church?
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19 For who is our hope or joy or crown of boasting? Is it not even you, before our Lord Jesus at His coming?

20 For you are our glory and joy.

Roman ACHAIA (as we studied in ACTS) includes Athens of ancient Greece as an intellectual center

AND CORINTH, its capital and largest city of ~100,000 (including its rural areas).

Corinth – 1st Church Plant in ACHAIA

It is from Corinth that Paul writes back to the Thessalonians in ~ A.D. 51

Practical Christianity for NEW Christians in Thessalonica

we ask and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us as to how you ought to [conduct yourselves] walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more.

* Specific Ways to excel still more in holiness, hope and love.
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* source
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2 For you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

PAUL’s HELPFUL LIST:
- abstain from [porneia] sexual immorality
- know how to possess his own [*]vessel in sanctification and honor
  - not in lustful passion
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* (literally or figuratively [specially, a wife as contributing to the usefulness of the husband]):—goods, sail, stuff, vessel. 
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Paul’s extensive metaphor mentioning ‘lustful passion’ ‘and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter‘ pointedly establishes the standard of a monogamous marriage to a faithful wife by the Thessalonian brothers and without any adultery or coveting another man’s ‘vessel.’

Sanctification

Sanctification is the theological term describing a refining of our holiness in Christ.

⁷For God did not call us to impurity, but in sanctification.

⁸Consequently, he who sets this aside is not setting aside man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you.
1 Thessalonians 4:7-8 LSB

God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives. – 1 Thessalonians 4:7 New Living Translation
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IS YOUR CALL TO CHRIST NOW SANCTIFIED IN HOLINESS?
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Now concerning love of the brothers

‘Now as to the love of the brothers and sisters..’ reads the NASB20:

φιλαδελφία

1 Thessalonians 4:9

This LOVE is NOT erotic ‘love’ with which the world is enamored and against which Paul has already cautioned, but rather a familial love of a biological brother, i.e. philadelphia.
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How many christians, knowing better, have transgressed that line of love?

And as if to further warn believers concerning our sanctification in the loves of Christ Jesus, Paul adds:
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“.. for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another..”

This most personal, godly LOVE is agapaō.

ἀγαπᾶν ἀλλήλους

agapaō allēlōn

you yourselves are taught by GOD [theodidaktos] to Love one another.

of persons

to welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly

of things

to be well pleased, to be contented at or with a thing

—each other, mutual, one another, (the other), (them-
- make it your ambition to lead a quiet life
- attend to your own business
- work with your hands
- walk [peripateō – lit. ‘behave‘] properly toward outsiders
  - have need of nothing
DEATH & LIFE

The Apostle Paul closes his first letter to the Thessalonians with a contemporary issue of the A.D. 50’s an ETERNAL and timeless warning also applicable in these last days of the Common Era of the 2020’s.

TWO TIMELINES
- ~A.D. 30 – JESUS Christ crucified by a Roman Governor [Pilate]
- A.D. 50’s – Paul, an Apostle of the risen CHRIST writes to the Thessalonians as ALL still live under ROMAN rule.
- A.D. 70 (Twenty years after Paul’s letter) – ROME besieges Jerusalem, drives out the Judeans and destroys the Temple of the Herod’s.
A COMMON ERA CAUTION
9/11/2001 C.E.

~ twenty years ago
2021 of the Common Era

TODAY’s contemporary challenges to Christians
- 2044 of the Common Era
  - Twenty years from TODAY? ? ?
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Without stepping into an apocalyptic mire of last days, let's briefly glance at Paul's exhortation for Christians living for an eternal God.
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Therefore comfort one another with these words.
- Do not grieve for those in Christ who have died.
IF WE BELIEVE..
- Jesus died and rose again
  - (John tells us that those are still living among the 500+ men who witnessed Christ’s resurrection just 20 years earlier.)
- God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep [died] in Jesus.
- .. the Lord Himself will descend from heaven..
  - and the dead in Christ will rise first.
  - [Those] who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them [believers who have died] in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air..
    
    NOW, in these last days of the Common Era, this would now include these Thessalonians along with other saints to whom the Apostle wrote.
- and so we shall always be with the Lord.
Therefore comfort one another with these words.

.. the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly..
Thessalonians 5:2b-3a LSB

4 But you, brothers, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief..
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Paul then reminds us once more of our obedient sanctification in Christ.
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.. let us be awake and sober.

For God has not appointed us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.
Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians 5:9-10 ~ A.D. 51

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely, and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Faithful is He who calls you, who also will do it.

Comment on Scripture – Share the Gospel

Letters in your spare time

Letters from the Apostle Paul — To be continued… God-willing…
February 7, 2024
Paul’s unfinished business with the Thessalonians – 1
Apostles sent out – Leading through Letters

Paul’s THREE missions over ELEVEN years from ~ A.D. 49 to ~ A.D. 57 would have included 10 winters. All of the apostles would have had time to write while onboard ships traveling from one Roman port to another.

Furthermore all would have had time to write during inclement weather and send messages back and forth by messengers of their mission – many who we have met in various places in Acts of the Apostles.

During Paul’s FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY we read of several stops in CYPRESS including Paphos, as well as several towns in the general Roman region of GALATIA between Perga Pamphylia, Antioch Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe (all in the inland mountains of GALATIA.)

Paul and Barnabas sent from Antioch Syria to the gentiles

Letters from other apostles?

We have just glanced at a letter during this time written by Paul to these Galatian churches. ALSO, during this time we know that JOHN MARK departed from this First Missionary Journey and recorded the first of four GOSPELS.

Comment on Scripture + Share the Gospel

Bar-nabas (Son of encouragement), the Levite Joseph of Cypress, may ALSO have sent letters and messages back and forth to his hometown and familiar towns where the apostles had build budding churches (although we have no record of it).

Through Many Afflictions Saul and Joseph return to Antioch

Luke records the names of several leading disciples of Christ from Paul’s second missionary journey in Acts of the Apostles.

a Who’s Who of Paul’s Three Missionary Journeys

Silas [or Silvanus], Timothy, Aquila & Priscilla, Luke

Even though the New Testament doesn’t include letters from any of these church leaders, we should be able to safely surmise that many wrote to leading churches where these disciples of The Way had worshiped before.

Apollos, perhaps Lydia and even Luke may have communicated with one or more churches to which they had proclaimed the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

And we know from Luke’s Second Account to Theophilus that James, one biological half-brother of the risen JESUS wrote a letter to the church in ~ A.D. 49 in addition to a later Epistles from him and his brother Jude.

Epistle from the Council of Jerusalem – Acts 15:20

Cities and Towns of Paul’s Second Mission

Start New Second Missionary Journey

“The apostles and the brothers who are elders,

to the brothers in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia who are from the Gentiles,

greetings.
Acts of the Apostles 15:23b – Legacy Standard Bible – Letter from James and the Jerusalem Council

The A. D. 49 Letter from JERUSALEM sends out brothers and elders in ALL directions to many geographically nearby cities and provinces of Rome.

As a leading apostle from Antioch, Paul sets out to cities of Syria first (this time with Silas). Cilicia, of course, includes Paul’s familial city of Tarsus which the Apostle bypasses on his return to Derbe.

LUKE, as the Apostle’s physician, witnesses a major part of Paul’s second missionary journey of about 2800 miles first hand in ACTS 15:36-18:22.

And he was traveling through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
Acts 15:41 – Paul ministering to the churches nearest to Jerusalem
- 16 Now Paul also arrived at Derbe
- and at Lystra. And behold, a disciple was there, named Timothy..
- .. he was well spoken of by the brothers who were in Lystra and Iconium.
So the churches were being strengthened in the faith, and were abounding in number daily.
Acts of the Apostles 16:5 LSB

6 And they passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region.. (which includes Antioch Pisidia of Paul’s first missionary journey)..

Through these cities and towns PAUL sojourns purposefully with the Gospel and ENCOURAGEMENT of the churches, some (in GALATIA) to whom the Apostle has written first.

SAILING toward Macedonia, Greece and Achaia

Paul arrives in Europe

First stop

–The leading ROMAN city of Macedonia, PHILIPPI, is by no means Jewish.

(It doesn’t even have a synagogue.)

The Gospel wins some to Christ and opposition from others.

Paul will encourage the Philippians in an epistle a few years later.

Second major stop

Thessalonica

Then Paul and apostles sent with him travel through Amphipolis and Apollonia to THESSILONICA AND proclaim the Gospel to the Jews in their synagogue for THREE WEEKS.

Paul had preached:

“This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is that Christ.”
And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas,
along with a great multitude of the God-fearing Greeks and not a few of the leading women.
Acts of the Apostles 17:3b-4 LSB

They are forced to slip out of town quickly, but this letter will be penned by Paul to encourage the church in his absence.

10 And the brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews.
Read full chapter ACTS 17

Later Luke records:

¹³But when the Jews of Thessalonica found out that the word of God had been proclaimed by Paul in Berea also, they came there as well, shaking up and disturbing the crowds.

Other NEWS ~ A.D. 50

Why write to the Thessalonians?

All of these challenges to Christ occur in times and places when the Jews are not the only opponents of the Church. And recall how easily the pagans are lured into bad behavior in behalf of their own sinful practices.
- ~ 5 years ago the Romans changed to a 365 day calendar with a ‘leap year’ and ignored an unnamed year from an inaccurate calendar of the past.
- A.D. 49 the Caesar Claudius had expelled the Jews from Rome
I was so glad to hear about you

When we are away from those we love we lose touch until we return or when someone sends a message about them to us.

Out of necessity Paul had to leave the Thessalonians after just three weeks. Of course these apostles had much more to say, hear and teach.

Paul writes:

.. and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith..

.. But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always remember us kindly, longing to see us just as we also long to see you..
Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians 3:2,6 LSB

The Apostle does NOT write these Epistles to the Galatians, Thessalonians and other churches they have established on a whim.

NEXT

We will take a closer look at Paul’s purpose in writing a letter to their dear brothers back in Thessalonica.

Comment on Scripture – Share the Gospel
February 3, 2024