1 Thessalonians part 1
1 Thessalonians 1: Thankfulness from the Hard times
We begin today with a picture. This is Papyrus 46 which has been dated to sometime between 125 and 150 AD. If you go to Ann Arbor, MI, the University of Michigan has this in their special collections library. The significance of this piece is not just its age, but also its content. This is just one piece, but the codex contains “the last eight chapters of Romans; all of Hebrews; virtually all of 1–2 Corinthians; all of Ephesians, Galatians, Philippians, Colossians; and two chapters of 1 Thessalonians. All of the leaves have lost some lines at the bottom through deterioration.” It not only evidences Paul’s writings within 100 years of the originals, but because it is a collection of his writings, specifically the very same writings we find in our New Testament, it demonstrates the reverence the second century Christians held for them. It was a very short amount of time which passed between Paul’s writing and the church’s acceptance of them as sacred Scripture. In fact, if we accept the dating of 1 Thessalonians to the 50s AD, then it was less than 100 years, a single generation of Christians.
Today we begin a new series examining one of these letters—1 Thessalonians.
Who are the Thessalonians?
Thessalonica was a major city in Greece, being the seat of power from which Philip and his son, Alexander the Great, arose. Its long history continues into the time of the Roman Empire, and by the time of Paul’s visit, it was a major trade city. In Acts 17, when Luke states Paul’s missionary team pass through Amphipolis and Apollonia, he is referring to the convergence of two trade routes which preceded coming upon Thessalonica. From Thessalonica, traders could take a sea route or head south to Athens, as Paul does. To sum up, the new Christian congregation in Thessalonica would consist of both the wealthy and the poor. In fact, as we read the account in Acts, notice the named categories of converts.
Acts 17 recounts Paul’s visit to Thessalonica and the local church’s beginning. It is a noteworthy story, because Thessalonica was one particular city that ran Paul out with a mob. Read with me Acts 17:1-9.
Acts 17:1-9
Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things. And when they had taken money as security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.
Quickly, let’s note the types of converts in Paul’s new church. These are new Christians who were persuaded within three weeks (three Sabbaths). “Some of [the Jews from synagogue]” convert, Luke notes. Then, Luke says, “a great many of the devout Greeks” converted. These were Hellenistic Jews who were more Gentile than Jew in the eyes of traditional Jews. Then, Luke gives us a glimpse into the political culture of Rome. He says with the devout Greeks were also “not a few of the leading women.” Now, not a few is a figure of speech which denotes a significant number. We don’t know how many, but apparently, it was enough to make note. These were women who had influence in the upper crust of society. Paul has influenced the influencers.
To which, (and I love how Luke describes them) the Jews are jealous and take “wicked men of the rabble.” These ‘rabble’ create an uproar in the city in order to drive out Paul and his missionary team. They use what would become a trope in pagan storytelling to incite the legal authorities. The Christians are “acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king, Jesus.” In first century Rome, if you wanted to get rid of someone, the easiest thing to do was accuse them of insurrection. This common charge against Christians would arise time and again for the next few centuries. And, it continues today in areas hostile to the Gospel.
But, despite this riot, Paul is able to plant a new church in Thessalonica. And this church grows! Paul would eventually return to Thessalonica (possibly twice), but he would not have the direct influence in the church as he did elsewhere. In fact, Timothy and the indigenous leaders would take the helm in steering the church at Thessalonica. Paul’s relatively short work sees a harvest that he knows is the power of God at work. And for that, he is thankful.
As we begin reading 1 Thessalonians, let’s look at the reasons for Paul’s thankfulness.
1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace to you and peace.
We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
From these verses we can see three main reasons for Paul’s thankfulness.
He is thankful for God’s work in their lives.
He is thankful for their faithfulness to God and the task at hand.
He is thankful for their example to the region around them.
Let’s look at each of these and let it encourage us in our own walk and witness.
Thankful for God’s work in their lives
The first part of Paul’s thankfulness is God’s work in their lives. And, given the circumstances of Paul’s work there, we can surely say it was the power of God that converted these Thessalonians! Remember, Paul only stayed in Thessalonica for 3 weeks before being driven out by an angry mob. Whatever fruit came from Paul’s visit, he knew it was from God. And so, in verse 5 he says,
“The gospel came not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction” (verse 5).
Evidence for God’s work in believers’ hearts is power, the Holy Spirit, and conviction.
Paul notes three reasons for the Thessalonians’ impact. They received the gospel, not only in word...meaning it didn’t just sound interesting to them, they took it a step further. They received it in power. There is power in the Gospel, and the Thessalonians received that power. They allowed the power of the Gospel to transform them. Second, they received the Gospel in the Holy Spirit. The Gospel for them was not an academic exercise, it was the power of God Himself come upon them. Just as Jesus said to Nicodemus (John 3), they were born again by the Holy Spirit in order to see the Kingdom of Heaven. And last, they received it with full conviction. They had been persuaded by Paul, and upon receiving the Gospel in faith, power, and the Holy Spirit, they had full conviction. They went from ignorant to fully convicted.
Next, in verse 6, Paul notes the Thessalonians received the word “in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit.” God’s power in their lives is evident by the contrast between the affliction of circumstance and their joyful attitudes. The joy they experience must be from the Holy Spirit, because there is nothing in their current state of affairs that would spur the kind of joy they have.
Further evidence for God’s work is joy that comes from the Holy Spirit.
Recall when we looked at John 15, Jesus’ “I AM the Vine” statement, Jesus concludes that saying with, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:11). It is an absolute lie from the devil that Christianity is some type of drudgery. When we receive power, the Holy Spirit, and conviction from God, we receive the joy that comes with it.
Last, God’s work is evident by the change in heart and actions of the Thessalonians. Notice in verse 9, Paul says they turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God. Being fully convicted of the power and promises of God, they feel no obligation to serve false idols. They have found something far greater.
Confirming evidence of God’s work is a continued repentance from sin and idols.
We know the gospel has truly taken hold of our hearts when we no longer serve our former idols. Our old sins and old objects of worship no longer bind us. The Bible describes this process of repentance and transformation as an on-going process in the lives of believers, but take note, when we surrender to the power of God, we will see it evident through power, the Holy Spirit, conviction, joy, and a new set of priorities and worship.
Thankful for their faithfulness
Next, Paul is thankful for their faithfulness. His first sentence is giving thanks to God, mentioning the Thessalonians specifically in his prayers, and “remembering before our God and Father [their] work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ” (verse 3). Notice the three terms here—faith, love, and hope. Paul is noting the Thessalonians have shown evidence of the three manifestations of God’s grace.
F. F. Bruce has this to say about verse 3:
The writers rejoice that these graces are manifested in the life and activity of the Thessalonian Christians. “The triad of faith, hope and love is the quintessence of the God-given life in Christ” (Bornkamm, Paul, 219) … Faith is based on the assurance that God has acted for his people’s salvation in Christ; love is the present (and continuing) relationship between God and his people through Christ; hope is bound up with the conviction that “he who has begun a good work” in them “will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6).
- F. F. Bruce, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, vol. 45 (Word Biblical Commentary), pg. 58
It is a wonderful complement given to the Thessalonians! Consider the contrast with other churches who received Paul’s letters. The Corinthians failed to demonstrate love. The Galatians wavered in their faith. The Ephesians needed reminding of the hope they have in Christ. The only other church which received this kind of praise from Paul was the Colossian. The Thessalonians have come a long way in their walk with Christ in a relatively short time.
Christian maturity is evidenced by a working faith, a labor of love, and steadfastness of hope.
Their faithfulness is also evidenced by their imitation of Paul and Christ. Now, this is where the second point overlaps with the third, but it is worth noting here, because it brings us to the goal of God’s grace in our lives.
The goal of Christian maturity is to become more like Christ.
They became imitators of the apostles and the Lord, despite the less than loving welcome Paul’s team received from the town. What helped convince them? Consider verse 5 again. Paul says the gospel came in power, Holy Spirit, and conviction, but also Paul’s team proved themselves to be consistent in their walk. He says, “You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.” He will return to this point in chapter 2, but Paul is saying, “Our walk matched our talk, and we hear so does yours!”
Thankful for their example
So last Paul is thankful for their example. God has worked in their hearts, minds, and midsts. They have grown in their faith, labored in love, and hold to hope. They have become imitators of Paul and, more importantly, Christ. Now, Paul says their testimony has spread throughout Macedonia and Achaia. These two regions consist of the areas north and south of Thessalonica. It is roughly the equivalent of saying, “Chilhowee, people in Missouri and Arkansas are talking about what is going on there!”
Their work in the Lord is bearing fruit and other Christian congregations are taking notice. Remember, Paul has been driven out of town at the time of his writing. Acts 17 tells us he left Timothy in Berea, which is nearby, because the Bereans wanted to learn more. The missionaries were welcomed there. So, it is possible Timothy was able to visit the Thessalonians on occasion. It is most likely Paul has heard from Timothy the first reports, but now more reports are coming in from outside Thessalonica.
It is worth celebrating God’s work in other areas, because it inspires us to seek God’s power in our own midsts.
The church at Thessalonica remained an example for other Christians for some time, but thanks to Paul’s letter, those first generation Christians have been an example to future generations for the last 2000 years—and will continue to be until the end of the age!
As we conclude with this first look at 1 Thessalonians, let’s consider our own example we have left future generations. Can they see evidence of God’s grace and power? As we consider the next steps in our walk with Christ, let us also consider those who walk behind us. May we say as Paul says, imitate us in as much as we imitate Christ.