One
night in about the year AD 50, the Apostle Paul was trying to decide which
direction he should take from the city of Troas. Then, in a vision during the
night, Paul saw a man in Macedonia saying, “Come over and help us!”. When Paul
woke up, he Silas secured passage on a ship and sailed directly across the
Aegean Sea to the port city of Philippi.
Once
there they were put in jail for causing some trouble concerning the casting out
of a devil from a woman who told fortunes. After being let out of jail they
were asked to leave the city they began walking through Macedonia, (Northern
Greece today). Eventually Paul and his companions arrived in the city of
Thessalonica. Thessalonica was a very prosperous and influential city within
that part of the Roman Empire.
As
was the Apostle Paul’s custom, he first went to the Jewish Synagogue and began
to tell fellow Jewish leaders that the Messiah had come and that His name is Jesus.
Paul used the Old Testament to insure each claim was supported by the Holy
Scriptures. Many people believed but some did not. Those who did not believe
began to make trouble for Paul. Let’s read:
Acts 17
4 And some of them were
persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the
leading women, joined Paul and Silas.
5 But the Jews who were not
persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace,
and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of
Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.
6 But when they did not find
them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying
out, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.
7 “Jason has harbored them,
and these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is
another king — Jesus.”
That
night those who had believed in Jesus as Messiah and had become disciples of
the Apostle Paul in Thessalonica helped him to leave the city in the cover of
darkness and make his way to the city of Berea. Once there Paul went to the
Synagogue in Berea and began sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Jews who
were there. Again, he was forced to leave …
About
a year and a half later, somewhere in the year AD52 it seems, Paul had made his
way to the southern part of Greece to the city of Corinth. It was most likely
at the city of Corinth where Paul sat to write his very first Epistle. His
decision to write to the Believers in the Church at Thessalonica gives this
book a primary place in Church history and in our hearts. It looks like his few
weeks of witnessing in Thessalonica really paid off. He begins:
1 Thessalonians 1
1 ¶ Paul, Silvanus, and
Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ.
2 ¶ We give thanks to God
always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers,
3 remembering without ceasing
your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus
Christ in the sight of our God and Father,
4 knowing, beloved brethren,
your election by God.
1.
Work of faith –
(Work = that which occupies your time)
2.
Labor of love –
(Labor = intense toil that can be strenuous and long)
3.
Patience of hope – (Patience = constant & unwavering perseverance)
Faith, love and hope are the three keys to becoming a successful
Christian.
The Church in Thessalonica had barely gotten off the ground, received little
instruction, and endured great persecution however they grew to become what
many early Christian fathers believe to be the model Church. Having started
with some Jews, several devout Greek converts to Judaism and a few rich women,
the Thessalonian Church ended up including people from all walks of life who
were committed to the spread of the Gospel of Jesus the Christ. They were each
one perfect for their time and that place.
Paul
was bold about his belief that the Believers in the Thessalonian Church were
called and chosen by God for such a time as was at hand.
Here
are a few things I know as well:
1.
Faith requires work
2.
Love requires labor
3.
Hope requires patience
4.
Each one of us is chosen and prepared for a perfect time and place.
