Chapter One
A Church Is Born
A father took his son to a large city museum, thinking that the visit would entertain the boy. But for two hours the lad did nothing but sigh and complain. Finally in desperation he said to his father, “Dad, let’s go someplace where things are real!”
Some people feel that way when they read the Bible. They think they are in a religious museum, looking at ancient artifacts that have no meaning for life in today’s scientific world. But they are wrong. No book published has more meaning for our lives, and more relevance to our problems, than the Bible. No wonder William Lyon Phelps, for years called “Yale’s most inspiring professor,” said, “I believe a knowledge of the Bible without a college course is more valuable than a college course without a Bible.”
Two of Paul’s earliest letters are 1 and 2 Thessalonians. (It is possible that Galatians was written first.) These two letters were written to real people who were experiencing real problems in a world that was not friendly to their Christian faith. You and I can easily identify with these people because we live in a similar world and face many of the same problems. Once you understand the background, the burden, and the blessing of these two letters, you will see how up-to-date and practical they are.
THE BACKGROUND
You can visit Thessalonica today, only the travel guide will call it Thessaloniki. (It used to be known as Salonika.) It is an important industrial and commercial city in modern Greece and is second to Athens in population. It served as an important Allied base during World War I. In World War II it was captured by the German army, and the Jewish population of about 60,000 persons was deported and exterminated.
It is an ancient city, originally named Therma from the many hot springs adjacent to it. In 315 BC it was renamed Thessalonica after the half sister of Alexander the Great. When Rome conquered Macedonia in 168 BC, the city was made capital of that entire province. In Paul’s day 200,000 people lived there, most of them Greeks, but also many Romans and a strong Jewish minority. Today it has a population of 300,000, and is one of the few cities that has survived from the New Testament era of apostolic ministry.
Dr. Luke explained how Paul came to Thessalonica and how the church was founded (Acts 17:1–15). Paul went to Macedonia in response to a “call” from a man in Macedonia who said, “Come over into Macedonia and help us” (Acts 16:9). Paul, Silas, Luke, and Timothy arrived first in Philippi, where they led Lydia and her household to Christ and there established a church. Paul and Silas were arrested on false charges, beaten, and put into jail. But God delivered them and they were able to lead the jailer and his household to faith in Christ.
After encouraging the new believers, Paul and his friends left Philippi (though Luke probably stayed behind temporarily) and headed for the important city of Thessalonica. They bypassed Amphipolis and Apollonia (Acts 17:1), not because they had no burden for the people in those cities, but because Paul’s policy was to minister in the large cities and then have the believers reach out into the smaller towns nearby. It is about a hundred miles from Philippi to Thessalonica.
Paul’s commission was to take the gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15; Eph. 3:1–12), but he always started his ministry among the Jews. The local synagogue was the place where the Old Testament law was known and revered. Paul could get a sympathetic hearing in the synagogue, at least until persecution began. Furthermore, there were always many Gentile “God-fearers” in the synagogues, and through them Paul could begin a witness to the pagan Gentiles. Add to this Paul’s great burden for the Jews (Rom. 9:1–3; 10:1), and the historical principle of “to the Jew first” (Rom. 1:16), and you can see why Paul and his associates began their work in the synagogue.
It is interesting to study the words Luke used to describe Paul’s public ministry in the synagogue (Acts 17:2–3). Reasoned means “to discourse using questions and answers.” Perhaps “dialogue” would be a good synonym. Opening simply means “explaining.” Paul would read a portion of the Old Testament Scriptures and explain their meaning with reference to Jesus Christ and the gospel. Alleging literally means “to lay beside.” Paul put the Scriptures before them in an orderly manner, showing them how they harmonized. Preach means “to proclaim, to announce.” Paul did not simply teach the Scriptures; he proclaimed Christ and urged his listeners to receive Him by faith.
We can learn much from Paul’s approach to evangelism. He used the Word of God, and he declared the Son of God. He started where the people were and led them into the truth of the gospel. (When Paul preached to Gentiles, he started with the God of creation, since they had no knowledge of the Old Testament Scriptures. See Acts 14:8–18; 17:16ff.)
He ministered in the synagogue for three Sabbaths, and the Lord worked in power. Many people believed in Jesus Christ and were saved, including a number of high-ranking women. However, the unbelieving Jews began to oppose the work, and Paul and his helpers had to leave the city. They went forty miles to Berea and there had a good ministry, but the Jews from Thessalonica followed them and caused trouble. It was then that Paul left for Athens, and from there to Corinth.
How long did Paul minister in Thessalonica? Does the statement “three Sabbath days” (Acts 17:2) mean three weeks only, or that he preached in the synagogue only three weeks but continued in another place? We know that Paul was there long enough to receive two “home missions offerings” from the church in Philippi (Phil. 4:16). Also, Paul worked at his tentmaking trade to support himself (1 Thess. 2:9; 2 Thess. 3:6–15).
If Paul were there only three weeks, he certainly taught the new Christians a great deal of basic Bible doctrine. As we study these two letters, we will discover that almost every major doctrine of the Christian faith is mentioned.
Even though Paul’s ministry in Thessalonica was not a long one, it was solid enough to leave behind a thriving church. When he left for Athens, Paul told Timothy and Silas to remain there and help the new church and then to join him later. When they did meet again, Paul sent Timothy back to Thessalonica to encourage the Christians and assure them of his love and concern. (He had tried to go back twice but was hindered, 1 Thess. 2:17–18.) It was when Timothy rejoined Paul at Corinth and gave him the report on the new church that Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians. He wrote 2 Thessalonians just a short time later.
All of this background teaches us several helpful lessons. Obviously, God uses people. God did not send angels to evangelize Thessalonica; He sent a converted Jewish rabbi and his friends, including a young man who was part Jew, part Gentile. God still uses people—dedicated people who will obey His leading and share His message.
Here is a second lesson: The gospel is still “the power of God unto salvation” (Rom. 1:16). It did not require years to set up a church in Thessalonica. God’s power was effective in changing lives, and a church was founded in less than a month. Paul reminded them that the gospel came to them not “in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit” (1 Thess. 1:5).
Finally, Satan still opposes the gospel and persecutes God’s people, but persecution can be a means of growth. As we study these two letters, we will see that God’s Spirit strengthens and encourages suffering saints as they go through the difficulties of Christian life.
THE BURDEN
Why did Paul write these two letters? First, he wanted to assure his friends of his love and concern. After all, he left the city hastily at night, and he did not want them to think he had deserted them. Also, Paul’s enemies were attacking his character and telling the new believers that their leader was really a greedy charlatan who preached religion in order to make money (1 Thess. 2). There were plenty of itinerant rogues in Greece who did just that, and some were spreading the word that Paul was one of them. In this letter, Paul assured his readers of his love for them and his honesty in ministering to them.
He had a second purpose in view: He wanted to ground them in the doctrines of the Christian faith, particularly with reference to Christ’s return. It appears that the church was going through severe persecution, and this is always a time of temptation to compromise and give in to discouragement. By reminding them of the truths of the Christian faith and what God had done for them in Christ, Paul enco...