Listen to this helpful overview of the same journey of the Apostle Paul we have outlined in ACTS of the Apostles.
Soon we’ll take a look at Paul’s next letter to the church at Corinth but READ this overview and listen to Alistair Begg’s description of where Paul has been so far in his introduction to I THESSALONIANS.
In addition to several Jews, including Jason who had been a leader of the local synagogue, the Church of the Thessalonians had many Macedonians (and perhaps Roman citizens as well.)
And some of them were persuaded, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.
ACTS 17:5 But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. 6 And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying,
These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; 7 whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Cæsar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus. 8 And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things. 9 And when they had taken security of Jason, and of the other, they let them go.
10 And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea..
Jason and other Jews have undoubtedly continued in Christ as members of the church in Thessalonica.
And they [Berean believers] that conducted Paul brought him unto Athens: and receiving a commandment unto Silas and Timotheus [who had remained in Berea] for to come to him with all speed, they departed.
18 After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth.. 5 And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ.
How was our first epistle received?
PAUL, TIMOTHY, SILAS (Silvanus), Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others [from Athens and other cities] COMMUNICATED with the Church in places where Paul and Silas had proclaimed the gospel of Jesus Christ. Timothy, Jason and others became part of church leadership in cities throughout Asia Minor, Macedonia and Achaia.
APOSTLES SENT EPISTLES TO COMMUNICATE WITH AND SUSTAIN THE CHURCHES in a similar fashion as when in about A.D. 50 the Council of Jerusalem had sent clarifications of the faith into all the world of their ROMAN provinces.
The Apostles must have sent AND RECEIVED letters and brief messages much more frequently than these exemplary New Testament Epistles record.
Paul’s Second Letter to the Thessalonians
Once again PLEASE endure a most appropriate formality (17th c. King's English) of the KJV & Authorized KJV for this Apostolic Epistle.
- RH
~ A.D. 51 (a few months after Paul’s First Epistle)
.. we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure:
Silas, Timothy, Jason and others had delivered first-hand or second-hand accounts of events in Thessalonica after Paul had escaped.
Paul knew that the Thessalonian believers were suffering. So the Apostle encourages the faithful:
5 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:
Skipping ahead in Paul's Second Epistle:
II Thessalonians 3:6
Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us. ..
11 For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. 12 Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.
HOW did Paul, Silas and Timothy know about these serious challenges to the Thessalonians?
COMMUNICATION between church leaders and the Apostles.
IF you are SUFFERING on account of your witness of the Lord JESUS Christ GOD has chosen you and GOD will repay those who trouble you.
BUT IF some in your church DO NOT OBEY the commands and example of the Apostles they DO NOT and SHOULD NOT represent Christ as a member of your church.
When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed!
Paul preaches clearly about the Judgment to come.
II THESSALONIANS 1:7-12 AKJV – Paul’s Points concerning Judgment
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 (The Lord Christ JESUS] shall come to be glorified in his saints(all believers),
and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.
with his mighty angels,
in flaming fire
Let no man deceive you
Paul continues in encouraging these faithful Thessalonians currently enduring persecution to look forward to THE DAY Christ will return and draw the saints unto Him in victory over death.
.. by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and by our gathering together unto him,
be not soon shaken
in mind,
or be troubled,
neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
Don't believe such things.
.. for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first,
and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himselfabove all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2 Thessalonians 2:8-10 AKJV
We can hardly overlook Paul’s warning of Satan’s deception which will precede the returning of Christ for those He has saved.
Persecuted Thessalonians would obey the Apostle – having received the Holy spirit AND to whom Paul had already written in his first epistle:
He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit. – 1 Thessalonians 4:8
Quench not the Spirit. – 1 Th 5:19
And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. – 1 Th 5:23
ONCE MORE PAUL ENCOURAGES BELIEVERS IN THE TRUTH OF THE RETURN AND JUDGMENT OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.
Pray that we might be delivered..
.. pray for us
..that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men:
for all men have not faith.
But the Lord is faithful,
.. and keep you from evil.
And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you.
And .. into the patient waiting for Christ.
Walk away from evil men
I have already addressed [above] Paul's concern from evil influencers who claim to be 'christians' AND Paul's COMMAND to stay away from such men.
But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.
And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.
11 Thessalonians 3:13-15 AKJV
And so, my dear brother or sister in the Lord, WHY NOT respond to Paul’s Epistle by your COMMENT?
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
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..
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
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..
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.
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
* (literally or figuratively [specially, a wife as contributing to the usefulness of the husband]):—goods, sail, stuff, vessel.
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.
7 For God did not call us to impurity, but in sanctification.
8 Consequently, 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
IS YOUR CALL TO CHRIST NOW SANCTIFIED IN HOLINESS?
Now concerning love of the brothers
‘Now as to the love of the brothers and sisters..’ reads the NASB20:
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.
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:
“.. for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another..”
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? ? ?
Without stepping into an apocalyptic mire of last days, let's briefly glance at Paul's exhortation for Christians living for an eternal God.
(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 Thessaloniansalong 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..
Paul then reminds us once more of our obedient sanctification in Christ.
.. 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.
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