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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
RIOTING TODAY! – Testimony from many stakeholders
RIOT TODAY IN EPHESUS!

– READ all about it.

The NEWS headline could have been from TODAY! But first we return to this riot mentioned in our last edition and Luke’s account of Acts 19.

and fear fell upon them all – Phobias from the enemy

Now when they heard this, they were full of wrath and cried out, saying,
“Great is Diana of the Ephesians!”

The city was filled with the uproar, and the crowd rushed to the theater together, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, the Macedonians who were Paul’s traveling companions.
Acts of the Apostles 19:29 New English Translation

Some accounts begin: So the whole city was filled with confusion, while other accounts of the incident refer to this riot simply as an uproar.

And for the testimony of our trial later note its participants: the CROWD (who all rushed to the theater together) and two outsiders from Macedonia (Gaius and Aristarchus).

Syria War Refugees

This ‘trial‘ of these outside agitators in the public stadium (think of it as the social media outlets of the day) should solve the town’s local political problem.

These free-speaking men (shouting down the acts of these disciples of Jesus) stormed the Roman court with two Macedonians they had already convicted by majority mob rule.

U.S. Capitol under siege JANUARY 6, 2021
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READ some earlier accounts of recent events leading up to the riot (the A.D. 1st c. riot in Ephesus, that is). AND note the outsiders who come and go with Paul.
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ACTS 18:
- 23 .. Paul left and went through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.
- 24 Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, arrived in Ephesus..
- 26 ..Priscilla and Aquila (having arrived ahead of Paul) heard him..
- 27 [Apollos leaves Ephesus to] cross over to Achaia..
ACTS 19:

and when Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they began to speak in tongues and to prophesy. (Now there were about twelve men in all.)

So Paul entered the synagogue and spoke out fearlessly for three months, addressing and convincing them about the kingdom of God.
Acts of the Apostles 19:6-8 NET
- 9 .. he left them and took the disciples with him, addressing them every day in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. This went on for two years..
  - * NOTE that the events leading up to this riot went back more than two years.
- .. so that all who lived in the province of Asia [of which Ephesus is its Roman political capital], both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord.
- 14 (Now seven sons of a man named Sceva, a Jewish high priest, were doing this.)
- 17 This became known to all who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks; fear came over them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was praised.
- 18 Many of those who had believed came forward, confessing and making their deeds known.
  - 19 Large numbers of those who had practiced magic collected their books and burned them Inup in the presence of everyone. When the value of the books was added up, it was found to total fifty thousand silver coins.
- [Paul] .. after sending two of his assistants, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, he himself stayed on for a while in the province of Asia [and presumably in its capital Ephesus for the most part].
Inciting the riot of the day

THIS all leads up to what Luke describes as ‘NO SMALL DISTURBANCE’ concerning ‘the WAY’ or disciples (all followers) of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We have heard of these incidents before.
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Thessalonica & Berea in Macedonia 
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But the Jews, becoming jealous, taking along some wicked men from the marketplace, and forming a mob, set the city in an uproar.. they began dragging Jason and some brothers before the city authorities, shouting,

“These men who have upset the world have come here also.. And they disturbed the crowd and the city authorities who heard these things.
Acts of the Apostles 17:5a,6b,8

But 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 G5015 the crowds.
Acts 17:13 LSB

Trial of the ACTS 19 Riots in Ephesus

And the city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed with one accord into the theater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia.

And when Paul wanted to go into the [people of the] assembly, the disciples would not let him. Also some of the [*] Asiarchs who were friends of his sent to him and repeatedly urged him not to venture into the theater.
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* These are Political or religious officials of the province of Asia, likely some Roman and others Jewish converts of The Way.
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32 So then, some were shouting one thing and some another, for the [*] meeting was in confusion..
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* Some Bibles translate this gathering of citizens as 'assembly,' from a word familiar to many Christians:  ekklēsia
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.. and the majority did not know for what reason they had come together.

Centuries of riots and wars, refugees and massacres

Assyria takes Samarian captives 722 BC & Babylon takes Judah’s captives 607-537 BC

Assyria near Nineveh (art)

AD 2015 WWI 200 Christians Burned inside church in Turkey – 1915

Auschwitz AD 1945 WWII – genocide of the Jews and Eastren Europeans

1945 dead slave labors

Egypt circa 2013

refugee man embracing boy

Syria 2014 boy searching for food

2014 Syria Christians pray

2022 conquest

modern military map

more refugees driven from their cities in Syria & Iraq

Dublin, Ireland – Choice infant genocide

Jerusalem of Islam & Jew

But when they recognized that he was a Jew, a single cry arose from them all as they shouted for about two hours..
Acts of the Apostles 19:34a – at the riot in Ephesus

Undeniable Facts

35 Now after calming the crowd, the city clerk said..

‘So, since these are undeniable facts, you ought to keep calm and to do nothing rash. For you have brought these men here who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of our goddess.’

“So then, if [your leader and you] have a complaint against anyone, the courts are in session and proconsuls are available; let them bring charges against one another. But if you want anything beyond this, it shall be settled in the [scheduled] lawful meeting.
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Sometimes riots END as quickly as they begin IF sensible leadership prevails over the CROWDS incited by hatred into a frenzy of lawlessness and sin. (Of course at other times sin simmers beneath the surface until it erupts into something worse -- even war.
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“For indeed we are in danger of being accused of a riot [stasis] in connection with today’s events, since there is no cause for which we can give as an account for this disorderly gathering.”
Acts of the Apostles 19:40 LSB

And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.

After the uproar ceased, Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging them, he said farewell and departed for Macedonia.
Acts of the Apostles 19:41-20:1 ESV

στάσις – stasis – From the base of ἵστημι (G2476)

The KJV translates Strong’s G4714 in the following manner: sedition (3x), dissension (3x), insurrection (1x), uproar (1x), standing (1x).

Eleven (11) other versions of the Bible translate this simply as a riot.

Contemporary applications to this lesson from first century Ephesus — in a Greek culture accommodating Jews and other religions under a heavy hand of a pagan Roman Empire and its governors with the power to judge and execute whom they will — consider one further application from the Greek root of this word:

A word of warning from Scripture received by the Apostle John a few years later near the end of the first century.

Then I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing G2476 before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.

Revelation of Jesus Christ to John 20:12 LSB

ACTS of the Apostles – The Third Missionary Journey of Paul —

To Be Continued… in Macedonia, God-willing…
October 23, 2023