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  • Paul’s unfinished encouragement of the Thessalonians

    Paul’s unfinished encouragement of the Thessalonians

    Previously on Paul’s Second Mission

    Start new Second Missionary Journey of Paul in Acts 15 and 16 as the Apostle must journey by land to Lystra and Derbe
    Start New Second Missionary Journey

    The apostles sailed to Macedonia, Greece and Achaia

    google earth of Aegean Sea coast between Troas and Macedonia

    Second major stop

    Thessalonica [Θεσσαλονίκη] next destination of Paul, Silas and Timothy when they depart from Philippi on the 2nd missionary journey of Paul.
    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.
    sailing from Macedonia through the Aegean Sea to Achia, home of ancient Athens and a larger city of Corinth

    .. 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
    Do you get the picture of evangelism by way of example of our Christ-like love in the community of our local church?

    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. 
    * source

    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:

    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. 

    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..”

    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

    911 attack plane flying into a second world trade center tower
    • 9/11/2001 C.E.
      • ~ twenty years ago
    collage of worldly leaders - ACTS 2:40 "Be saved from this perverse generation.
    • 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.

    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..

    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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    Letters in your spare time
    Letters from the Apostle Paul — To be continued… God-willing…
  • Paul’s unfinished business with the Thessalonians – 1

    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.)

    Acts of the Apostles Paul and Barnabas sent by the Holy Spirit on a mission to the gentiles
    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.

    photo of earth from the moon the Great Commission of Jesus Christ from the Gospel of Mark 16:15
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    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 of Paul in Acts 15 and 16 as the Apostle must journey by land to Lystra and Derbe
    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

    google earth of Aegean Sea coast between Troas and Macedonia
    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 [Θεσσαλονίκη] next destination of Paul, Silas and Timothy when they depart from Philippi on the 2nd missionary journey of Paul.
    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
    Google Earth map of mountains near Berea, Macedonia, Greece. Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. Acts 17:11 NIV

    Later Luke records:

    13 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 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.

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  • The Keeper of the Philippian Prison

    The Keeper of the Philippian Prison

    What is your experience as the keeper of something important?

    Have you ever been the one of importance kept safe in some place?

    (Were YOU ever the prisoner OR a jailer guard charged as the keeper a prisoner for justice?)

    Prison and Prisoners

    IF the only light you ever see seeped filtered though a hole in the ceiling of your cell WOULD YOU SING?

    (Likely, neither would I.)

    Roman prisons were nothing to sing about, but that didn’t stop Paul and Silas.

    S.O.P. – Prisons of Roman Cities & Colonies

    Imprisonment was not a sentence under Roman statutory law.. Incarceration (publica custodia) .. was intended to be a temporary measure prior to trial or execution; abuses of this principle occurred but were officially censured. Located near the law courts, the [prison (carcer) with a dungeon (oubliette)] was used as a jail or holding cell for short periods before executions and as a site for executions.

    Source: Wikipedia Commons

    Of course this Philippian carcer of the Roman colony is bound by the same same rules for jailer and prisoner alike according to Roman Law and the SOP manual of its occupying Legions of this Greek-speaking European colony of Macedonia.

    φυλακή – Strong’s translates G5438 in the following manner: prison (36x), watch (6x), imprisonment (2x), hold (1x), cage (1x), ward (1x).

    Paul and Silas end up in the ‘temporary’ place near the agora and forum where they have already been punished severely by flogging under the jurisdiction of a Roman Magistrate for unspecified crimes against culture and misdemeanors for which they will most likely be run out of town rather than executed.

    Therefore, this evening they have been placed into the care of a prison keeper (jailer) in Philippi for final disposition of their case in the morning.

    Previously:

    A cultural clash at the Agora in Roman Philippi
    ACTS 16: 22 The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods.

    .. they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

    Who is this Philippian keeper of prisoners for Magistrates of the Court?

    φυλάσσω –

    Strong’s G5442 – phylassō, Probably from φυλή (G5443) through the idea of isolation

    NOTE, however the same responsibility of the Roman 'keeper' of prisoners AND the jailer's two Roman prisoners, apostles sent out with the message of the Jerusalem Council to communicate interpretation of the LAW for these Gentiles as well as the few Jews of Philippi.

    to guard

    • to watch, keep watch
    • to guard or watch, have an eye upon: lest he escape
    • to guard a person (or thing) that he may remain safe
    • to guard i.e. care for, take care not to violate
      • to observe
    • to observe for one’s self something to escape
      • to avoid, shun flee from
      • to guard for one’s self (i.e. for one’s safety’s sake) so as not to violate, i.e. to keep, observe (the precepts of the Mosaic law

    Source: BlueLetterBible.org

    And as they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem.

    ACTS of the Apostles 16:4 KJV – Mission of Paul, Silas and Timothy

    Scenario of a night in the Jail of Philippi

    A guard of the second watch [9 pm] comes on duty and shouts down to you in the hole and other prisoners in cells near you, “Lights out!” He then extinguishes the candle above expecting all to go to sleep.

    Unlike the other prisoners YOU and your brother have been locked in here with wooden stocks bound to your ankles and chained to the floor of your cell.

    What now?

    We prayed for a while. Out loud. In fact, we recited much scripture as we prayed. Other prisoners complained to us, but after no intervention from the keeper assigned to this second watch they had no choice but to sleep (or just ignore us).

    A little later we hear sounds through the darkness of the third watch [midnight-3 am] keeper coming on duty.

    Silas starts singing and Paul joins his voice to the familiar Psalm:

    Acts of Awesome Faith

    As we continue with the Acts of Paul, Silas and Timothy in Philippi put yourself in their place — an uncertain and unpleasant prison of the moment. Hear the cries of each soul cast into the trembling darkness — the fear of God resounding in each heart. 

    What Psalm? (For they knew so many from faithful worship.) 

YOU may find other PSALMS on TalkofJESUS.com which will encourage you in such dark circumstances: https://talkofjesus.com/shaken/ 

Perhaps this: The LORD is My Salvation from Psalm 27:13 OR

    Psalm 142 – You Are My Refuge

    A Maskil of David, when he was in the cave. A Prayer.

    With my voice I cry out to the LORD;
with my voice I plead for mercy to the LORD.
I pour out my complaint before him;
I tell my trouble before him.

When my spirit faints within me,
you know my way!
In the path where I walk
they have hidden a trap for me.
Look to the right and see:
there is none who takes notice of me;
no refuge remains to me;
no one cares for my soul.

I cry to you, O LORD;
I say, “You are my refuge,
my portion in the land of the living.”
Attend to my cry,
for I am brought very low!
Deliver me from my persecutors,
for they are too strong for me!
Bring me out of prison,
that I may give thanks to your name!
The righteous will surround me,
for you will deal bountifully with me.

    Suppose that you are another prisoner listening to the apostles sing..

    And then, something happens!

    Acts of Paulos and Silas

    δικαίωμα Παῦλος δέ Σιλᾶς

    Acts of the Apostles Missions trips of Paul, Barnabas, Silas and several others

    About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken.

    And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened.

    When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice,

    “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.”

    29 And [he] called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas.

    “Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all,” Paul will write a decade later to the church in Philippi from a prison in Rome.

    Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
    And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

    ACTS of the apostles 16:30-31 ESV – Keeper of the Philippian jail to Paul & Silas, followed by the apostles’ answer.

    Acts of the Apostles 16 – To Be Continued in the light of a new day in Philippi

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