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In our continuing study of the book of 1 Thessalonians (Our reference is Dr. Gordon Fee’s “The First and Second Letters to the Thessalonians”) we come to the long narrative that is after the Thanksgiving. If you recall, the structure of this book looks like this:
Salutation:
“Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you.”
“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.”
Thanksgiving:
“We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. 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.”
Long Narrative:
1 Thessalonians 1:5-10 (NLT)
“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. 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. As a result, you have become an example to all the believers in Greece—throughout both Macedonia and Achaia. 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, 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. 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.”
We see in the long narrative passage that the Apostle Paul is writing to encourage the Christians in Thessalonica. If you remember, Paul and Silas had to leave abruptly because of persecution. Paul reminds the church that they once lived in idolatry, but they gave their lives to Jesus, and they continued to follow Jesus with Joy in spite of their suffering.
Paul goes on to tell the church how their story has spread throughout the region, and how people are telling the story of the Thessalonian church. As we studied in this passage, we thought of several questions. Please take a moment to study these questions as you study along with us in the book of 1 Thessalonians.
1. How is our church today spoken of? Do people see our joy and our faithfulness to God?
2. Do we personally have joy in both happy times and during suffering? (We know joy can be described as an inexplicable happiness even when the circumstances are difficult)
3. What can the Christians of Thessalonica teach us about the times we live in?
4. How can we compare/contrast the church at Thessalonica with the children of Israel when they left Egypt? (Hint: Some of the children of Egypt wanted to go back to their old way of life).
5. What does the Bible teach us about the source of motivation to endure hardship?
6. What does the Bible teach us about the coming judgement, and how does the Thessalonian church avoid the coming judgement?
Here is a really inspiring song to keep us encouraged.
“Fill My Cup Lord” sung by Lor
https://youtu.be/RHuMV-rZ7BI?si=El1VJHgn4g6oHd2C
Pastors Willie and Rochelle McIntosh
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