In Philippi there weren't enough Jews to form a synagogue - there had to be at least ten Jewish men. So the work began with some Jewish women who met for prayer by the river-side. One of these, Lydia, a business-woman who sold purple cloth in Thyatira, gave Paul, Silas and Timothy hospitality.
Following the healing of a demon-possessed slave girl, Paul and Silas were thrown into jail without trial. An earthquake broke the jail open, the jailer was converted and Paul and Silas were apologetically asked to leave the city (vv. 28-30).
When Paul and Silas arrived in Thessalonica, they soon found there was a synagogue. "There for three Sabbaths he held discussions with the people, quoting and explaining the Scriptures and proving from them that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from death" and declaring that "This Jesus whom I announce to you is the Messiah" (17.2-3).
The response was mixed, with some believing the message while others stirred up a riot complaining to the authorities that Paul and Silas were trouble-makers, law-breakers who treasonously proclaimed another king named Jesus (vv. 4-7).
When Paul and Silas moved to Berea, they found the Jews more open-minded - until the Thessalonian Jews arrived to stir up a riot (vv. 10-15).
This is the background Paul's letters to the Thessalonian Christians. The first chapter gives us insight into the faith and life of this Christian community.
Notice how Paul greets them as the people "who belong to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" (v. 1) - literally, "in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ". Often we look at the Christian life the other way around - that God is in us, that Jesus is in us, that the Spirit resides in us. Many times Paul says that we are "in Christ". But Paul says here that we are in God the Father as well as in Jesus Christ - an expression unique to the two Thessalonian letters. It speaks of the closeness of the relation of these Thessalonian Christians with God. Notice that he says in v. 4, "… we know that God loves you and has chosen you to be his own."
Three characteristics of these believers stand out for Paul as he prays for them, "we remember before our God and Father how you put your faith into practice, how your love made you work so hard, and how your hope in our Lord Jesus Christ is firm" (v. 3) - literally, "your work of faith and labour of love and the endurance of your hope in the Lord Jesus Christ." Their "work of faith" included the change to which Paul refers in v. 9, "how you turned away from idols to God, to serve the true and living God." Love motivated their labour in which they had served the true and living God even in the midst of suffering (v. 6). "The endurance of their hope in the Lord Jesus Christ" - these Christians were waiting for the Son of God "to come from heaven - his Son Jesus, whom he raised from death and who rescues us from God's anger that is coming" (v. 10). We live in the "in-between" times. Jesus died for our sins. We are forgiven. "There is no condemnation now for those who live in union with Christ Jesus," Paul wrote to the Romans (8.1). Now is the time when the gospel of salvation is to be offered to all people. But there is a final judgment in which God's anger will fall on all who have refused to accept the freely-offered salvation. It is not just that we are forgiven our sins. Our confident hope in the Lord Jesus Christ means that we are rescued from the wrath to come.
In the second chapter Paul goes on to tell of his work in Thessalonica. Notice the glimpse into his feelings. They had been ill-treated and insulted in Philippi, but "even though there was much opposition, our God gave us courage to tell you the Good News that comes from him" (v. 2b). Humanly speaking, there was every reason to be afraid and cautious, but "God gave us courage." A little picture of what it was like for the apostle Paul. Sometimes we think that it is easy for ministers. But there are times when we are under attack.
I visited a home once where I believed there was a real possibility that someone might shoot me. Of course I went in fear and trembling. But I went trusting the Lord. I knew that the Lord was with me. I went in confidence in him. I knew that if I was shot I would go to heaven. It is wonderful to know that, yet you wish you wouldn't be shot all the same!
In that kind of situation we face our need to depend on the Lord for the courage to move forward. We may wonder what is going to happen next. In fact, when Paul reached Thessalonica, a mob was organised to get rid of him there. They followed him to Berea to stir up trouble. It wasn't easy for Paul.
Notice how carefully Paul speaks about the basis on which he preached - God "has judged us worthy to be entrusted with the Good News" (v. 4).
But he is saying, "When we preached you the good news, we were not trying to please men, but to please God who tests our motives. So we didn't come to you with flattering talk, nor to use words to cover up greed - God is our witness!" (2.4b-5).
One of the temptations in the church today is to be "politically correct". We want to say the things that will please the crowd.
We are obliged to satisfy the feminist and other lobbies within the church - to be careful we don't say anything that might offend them. We want to say things that aren't going to make us look silly out in society. For example, even if we believe within ourselves that God is the Creator and that there is a whole lot of nonsense said about how God made the world, we mustn't say that sort of thing. There was reportedly a time when candidates for a diploma with one of the Australian colleges of divinity automatically failed if they used the story of Jonah as one of the lesson examples. That is the kind of pressure we can be under to gain the praise of people, instead of speaking the truth of God which alone can change people's lives.
Paul says that "we were gentle when we were with you... Because of our love for you we were ready to share with you not only the Good News from God but even our own lives. You were so dear to us!" (vv. 7b-8)
When we think about the world into which we are seeking to reach with the gospel, is this part of our attitude towards other people? What is our attitude to people - to unbelieving people? Do people who don't believe in the Lord Jesus Christ see that they are very dear to us, that they are precious, that we love them, care about them? or do we only care about people when they are all scrubbed up nice and "churchy", when we have cleaned up their body, their minds, their speech...? Do we really care for people in their infancy in Christ, when parts of their lives still aren't transformed by the gospel...? or do they have to wait until they are more mature Christians before they will experience our Christian love? People will never grow in grace if they aren't dear to us.
In vv. 9-10, Paul writes about how he worked day and night so that he wouldn't be any trouble to them as he preached to them the Good News from God, how his conduct towards them was "pure, right and without fault". He wouldn't do anything that would contradict the gospel that he was preaching.
"And there is another reason why we always give thanks to God. When we brought you God's message, you heard it and accepted it, not as man's message, but as God's message, which indeed it is" (v. 13). He was giving thanks to God before this. Their faith in receiving the message was an additional reason for thanks to God.
Not only did they receive the message, but "You suffered the same persecutions from your own countrymen that they [the churches of God in Judaea] suffered from the Jews who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and persecuted us" (vv. 14-15a).
From v. 17 we read of Paul's desire to visit them again. He would like to go back to Thessalonica because he missed them - "how hard we tried to see you again! We wanted to return to you. I myself tried to go back more than once, but Satan would not let us" (v. 17). It is interesting that back in Acts 17 it was the Lord who was preventing Paul, but Satan also puts blocks in the way. We have to be careful not to blame Satan for all the hindrances where sometimes it is the Lord who puts a block in the way so that we will go somewhere else. On this occasion, Paul concludes that it is Satan who is preventing his return.
"Finally, we could not bear it any longer. So we decided to stay on alone in Athens while we sent Timothy, our brother who works with us for God in preaching the Good News about Christ. We sent him to strengthen you and help your faith, so that none of you should turn back because of these persecutions. [Now notice how he goes on...] You yourselves know that such persecutions are part of God's will for us" (3.1-3).
There are still teachers who say that God's will for you is, for example, that you should drive a Mercedes. Recently we were loaned a video of a current TV preacher who said that God means you to be wealthy. It is true that "God owns the cattle on a thousand hills" and he means us to enjoy them. But that doesn't mean that we own them physically. It doesn't mean that we hold title to every square of land in the world. Other people have the stewardship of those things and those places.
We certainly face persecution and opposition in the life of this world. Sometimes we think we should be free of it. Russian Christians coming out from under communism said that they were praying for us in the western world because they see how soft and weak our faith is. Solzhenitsyn was shocked when he went to America -shocked at how weak people are. I have heard that there are Christians in countries where there is persecution praying that we too will suffer persecution because it is the only way our faith will be strengthened. Are you comfortable that they are praying that way for us?
"Now Timothy has come back, and he has brought us the welcome news about your faith and love. He has told us that you always think well of us and that you want to see us just as much as we want to see you. So, in all our trouble and suffering we have been encouraged about you, brothers. It was your faith that encouraged us, because now we really live if you stand firm in your life in union with the Lord. Now we can give thanks to our God for you. We thank him for the joy we have in his presence because of you. Day and night we ask him with all our heart to let us see you personally and supply what is needed in your faith" (vv. 6-10).
"May our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus prepare the way for us to come to you! May the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow more and more and become as great as our love for you. In this way he will strengthen you, and you will be perfect and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all who belong to him" (vv. 11-13).
In the later part of this letter Paul will address further the theme of the coming of the Lord. He has already talked about back in 1.10. Here in 13.3, he refers to it again - "the time when our Lord Jesus comes with all who belong to him."
We belong to God. Our faith is in God the Father and in Jesus Christ the Son. The Holy Spirit is with us and living in us. We experience his power and his joy. We have work to do - the Lord has given us work to do - but we look forward to the time when he is coming again. What a glorious time that is going to be! Amen!
Back to Sermons