Written ~ 10-10-2024
Read 1 Thessalonians Chapter One
1 Thessalonians 1
During Paul’s second missionary journey he passed through Thessalonica to preach the Good News of Jesus Christ. Acts 17:1-9 tells us what went on in Thessalonica. Paul went directly to the synagogue to teach as was his usual custom. Verse 17:2 says that Paul preached in the synagogue for three Sabbaths in a row. Acts 17:4 says, “Some of the Jews who listened were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with many God-fearing Greek men and quite a few prominent women.” But then jealousy and anger was roused in some of the other Jews and they created so much of a disturbance that a riotous mob began to gather. Paul and Silas were able to retreat unharmed as they set off for Berea. We don’t hear much more about the Thessalonian believers until two men from Thessalonica were mentioned as traveling companions to Paul during his third missionary journey (see Acts 20:4).
The Book of 1 Thessalonians is the first letter Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonica. Chronologically this letter was one of Paul’s first letters that he wrote. He wasn’t in prison when he wrote to the Thessalonians, he actually wrote this letter while he was in Corinth ministering to the believers there. In the Life Application Study Bible, it says that this letter was written only two or three months after the church was established. Because they were such a young church they were confused about the second coming of Christ, and they had misconceptions about the resurrection of the dead. This letter was written to clarity any misunderstanding so they could mature in their faith.
1 Thessalonians 1:1…
1 “This letter is from Paul, Silas, and Timothy.
We are writing to the church in Thessalonica, to you who belong to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
May God give you grace and peace.”
Even though it was Paul who wrote the letter, he includes Silas and Timothy because they were traveling with him when they met up in Corinth, so he was extending their greetings as well (see Acts 18:1-17 for the account of their time in Corinth).
In this introductory chapter Paul starts off by letting these believers know that they are being prayed for. Do you find it comforting to know that someone is praying for you? In every letter Paul writes he assures the believers he’s writing to that they are constantly being prayed for… Can you imagine the prayer request list Paul kept?
1 Thessalonians 1:2-3…
2 “We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. 3 As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Even though these new believers may have had some misconceptions on a few matters they still worked hard for the Lord. Their love and hope had not diminished.
When Paul and Silas left Thessalonica, it was abrupt because of the threat of death from the mob of people who wanted to dissuade them from preaching about Jesus. When Paul and Silas departed, the brand-new believers were left in a climate of anger and rage towards their new faith in Christ. It was not an easy road for them as they pursued Christ.
1 Thessalonians 1:4-7…
4 “We know, dear brothers and sisters, that God loves you and has chosen you to be His own people. 5 For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true. And you know of our concern for you from the way we lived when we were with you. 6 So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you. In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord. 7 As a result, you have become an example to all the believers in Greece – throughout both Macedonia and Achaia.”
When the Gospel message is preached, the Holy Spirit, the power of the Almighty God rests in the words that are being spoken. When you have an apostle, like Paul, who is compelled by the Holy Spirit to speak the truth of the Scriptures, it is not done just by words… there is an innate power when the Word of the Lord is spoken. As these men and women heard Paul speak, the Holy Spirit touched them in such a way that they knew, without doubt, that what Paul was saying about Jesus was the truth and it was the Holy Spirit who impressed this truth on their softened hearts.
These believers were thrown swiftly into the heat of persecution when Paul and Silas left, the Jews who did not want the Word of the Lord spoken in such a way would make it very difficult on those new believers. But that did not stop the Holy Spirit from taking the message of Jesus Christ farther than they could have ever expected.
Now because of the perseverance of those believers in Thessalonica the Word of the Lord was “ringing out” to people everywhere!
1 Thessalonians 1:8-10…
8 “And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Macedonia and Achaia, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God. We don’t need to tell them about it, 9 for they keep talking about the wonderful welcome you gave us and how you turned away from idols to serve the living and true God. 10 And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God’s Son from heaven – Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment.”
I love the term “ringing out,” it makes me think of the huge bells in an old church tower. When you hear the chimes of those bells, its melody rings out for miles. Same goes for the Gospel message. The Thessalonian believers had no idea that their joy in the Lord had spread! Looking at an ancient map from Paul’s missionary journey’s, Thessalonica was approximately 250 to 300 miles away from Macedonia and Achaia, so it was remarkable that their testimony had reached that far. Just goes to show that when the Spirit of the Lord is within you and you live for the Lord, shining His light wherever you go, His message will spread. You just never know how far your testimony can travel! You may talk to one person, and they turn around and tell ten people. So, wouldn’t that compel you to make sure that your life is reflecting Jesus at all times? If the Word of the Lord can circulate quickly by your loving and Holy Spirit filled attitude, so can a bad attitude. Which would you rather people remember?
In the case of the Thessalonica believers, they were living under heavy persecution, life was hard… their circumstances were less than desirable, but it wasn’t those things that spread like wildfire, it was their faith in the Lord that ignited and brought others to Salvation.
Paul was concerned about these new believers, he wasn’t able to get back to see them in person, so he sent Timothy to check on them, we’ll read about Timothy’s trip in chapter three. Timothy’s report is what caused Paul to write them this letter of encouragement and to give them some practical instructions to further their knowledge of Jesus.
So, what is our takeaway from this short chapter?
Our testimonies matter!
Your attitude about the things of the Lord and of the Scriptures is what can carry farther than you could ever imagine. Will your message be filled with the love and compassion given to you from the Holy Spirit? Or will your message be filled with fear, anger, discord and constant complaining?
My prayer for your testimony and my prayer for my own testimony is that they would shine the Light of Jesus no matter what our circumstance are. Let’s allow ourselves to be used mightily with the Power of the Holy Spirit within us to propel the Word of the Lord and light a wildfire in the hearts of everyone who will listen!
~AMEN~