A Six-Week Study of 1 & 2 Thessalonians

Reflection

In Acts 17, Paul and his companions—specifically, Silas—traveled to the city of Thessalonica and began what is largely considered to be the first Christian church. After preaching three weeks in a row about how Jesus is the Messiah they’d been waiting for, it says in Acts 17:4, “Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women.”

The first church was made up of converted Jews, Greeks, and powerful women. What a beautiful thing: a group of people who believed that Jesus rose from the dead and accomplished what God had set out to accomplish from the beginning—final victory over sin and death. But this first church caused a lot of suspicion with neighbors, friends, and family. In the Roman world, allegiance was supposed to be given to Caesar, not Jesus. If someone other than Caesar was considered king, aka the most important person in your life, that caused unrest among the people. A mob ensued. People saw Paul as a threat and wanted to eliminate him. But Paul narrowly escaped during the quiet of the night. He had to leave the city and church he loved dearly.

Six months later, in approximately 50 or 51 AD, Paul penned the first letter to the church in Thessalonica. He had heard that, despite the persecution and despite his absence, the church was thriving in the face of suffering. But they were longing for Jesus to return and make things right, especially for those who had already been martyred for their faith. Would Jesus come back today and raise them back to life? Would he return and bring justice to the world? Why wasn’t he coming back...now? Those are the questions Paul sought to answer in this first letter to the Thessalonians.

Reflection

Grief is hard. There’s no way around it. Losing someone you love is as painful as it gets. But grief experts will tell you: You can’t avoid it. Grief will find its way back into your life eventually. So, let’s dig into it.

Name someone in your life you miss and grieve for: What did you love about that person? How can you honor their life as you live? Re-read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14. Do you believe that you’ll see them again? Grief is hard. But there’s hope in Jesus’ promise to reunite his people when he returns.

Reflection

Paul heard that things were getting worse for the church in Thessalonica. As a result, he wrote to them again in the letter now known as 2 Thessalonians for these reasons:

1. to remind them to maintain hope despite persecution
2. to clarify that Jesus had not already returned (but would, someday)
3. to encourage them not to remain idle while waiting for his return

This church was facing intense persecution. People were dying and being martyred for their faith. The church community was being harassed continually. From the beginning, our faith in Christ was meant to be counter-cultural. While we wait for the world to be made right, we pursue lives of holiness. Although culture says to go ahead and believe whatever you want, Jesus says to put him first and live a holy life set apart according to God’s commands. Although culture says you can sleep with whoever you want, Jesus says to save sex for the covenant of marriage between one man and one woman. Paul is urging believers to live a life of faithful obedience—full of love, joy, and peace—no matter what the world throws at us. By the way, he’s also reminding people that we are not to live at war against the world or against culture. Instead, we are to be known as people who love others, work hard, and bless the least of these with the resources we’ve been given.

In culture, comfort is king. But we are not called to comfort. We are called to endure on behalf of Christ. As we persevere through hardships, we are joining with Jesus who suffered the ultimate punishment. When we suffer, we are uniquely participating in the mission of Jesus.

Ask yourself: What are some ways you can live sacrificially this week or respond to hatred with love and grace?