1 Thessalonians 1
1 Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.
Paul includes Silvanus and Timothy as the author, even though the revelation was given to him, and Silvanus and Timothy were very junior to him in the Lord. This is different from what we sometimes see today where the junior person gets the revelation and the senior person dispenses it as if it is his.
Paul doesn’t mention the Holy Spirit – why? It is because it was the Holy Spirit who was inspiring Paul to write, and so He doesn’t include Himself.
Paul always wishes his readers grace (help from God in time of need) and peace (with God). These are two critical things that we all need, for if we don’t have peace with God, then God is not for us, and we are doomed, and if we don’t have help from God then we cannot accomplish anything for God.
2 We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention {of you} in our prayers;
Paul was in the habit of praying for the individuals in this church, and thanking God for them. We should do that too.
Paul prayed for them always, not just when they were good to him.
Paul prayed for all of them, not just the ones he liked and got along with.
Paul’s praying habits is a good example to follow.
3 constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father,
Like Paul, we too should remember the good things that others are doing for God.
Work for God must be done in faith – faith that God will take the work and make something beautiful come out of it – even if we don’t see anything coming out of it right now.
Our labor must stem from love for those we labor for, and not from selfish motives, such as our own personal gain.
Jesus is in the presence of God, interceding for us. That gives us hope that we will succeed, and makes us steadfast, even when we encounter persecution and trials, or fall into sin.
4 knowing, brethren beloved by God, {His} choice of you;
We must look at our brothers as people who are loved by God, and remember that God chose them to be like Christ.
This choice does not indicate that God elected them for salvation independent of their choosing God. In marriage, a man chooses a woman, and the woman chooses the man. In university admission, the student chooses the university, and the university chooses the student.
It is only after we choose God that we realize that God also chose us, and then predestined us to become like Christ (Rom 8:28-30).
An important thing to take from the above verses is the proper perspective to have towards our brothers and sisters in Christ. All too often, if we are not careful, we can get very judgmental and critical of those we should love the most.
5 for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.
The gospel has the power to transform a person’s life. When you share the gospel with others, if all you have to offer are words, then your message is not liable to bring conviction – conviction that results in the transformation of your hearer’s lives. This is because they sense that you yourself are not fully convinced, and that there is no transformation in you to back your words.
What Paul is saying here is this: you Thessalonians saw the transformation in our lives; you saw that we just didn’t speak words, but we demonstrated how the Holy Spirit was working in us, empowering us to live a transformed life, and that convinced you that our words were true.
We should not merely speak about the gospel, but also demonstrate that we truly believe what we speak (i.e. we must have fully conviction), and people must see the Spirit of God in us, changing us to be like Christ. We must be people worth imitating.
6 You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit,
Receiving the truth can result in persecution.
Even in tribulation, we can have joy through the Holy Spirit.
It is wonderful when people not only listen to us but also imitate us, as we imitate the Lord.
7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.
8 For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything.
We must desire to become an example to other believers who come in contact with us. Then, we too can sound forth the word of God to others all over the world.
God made a promise to His people – that He would make them the light of the nations.
Is 42:6 "I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness, I will also hold you by the hand and watch over you, and I will appoint you as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations,
While Jesus was in the world, He was the light of the world. But when Jesus went away He made us the light of the world.
Mt 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house."
The Thessalonians were fulfilling what Jesus said.
What about you?
9 For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God,
The Thessalonians believed in and served a living and true God.
Is your God a living God?
How can you tell whether your God is a living God?
Well, do you remember the story of Daniel’s three friends who refused to bow to Nebuchadnezzar’s image? If they believed in a dead god would they have refused to bow to Nebuchadnezzar?
Dan 3:14-18 14 Nebuchadnezzar responded and said to them, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? 15 Now if you are ready, at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery and bagpipe and all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, very well. But if you do not worship, you will immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and what god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?" 16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. 17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up."
Elijah is another example of serving the living God. In 1 Ki 18 we read of how the prophets of Baal served dead gods who couldn’t bring down fire from heaven, but how Elijah served the living God who heard Elijah’s prayers and responded.
When powerful people go against you, or when you’re in trouble, the way you react and respond will tell you whether you are like the Thessalonians who believe a true and living God.
A good question to ask ourselves as we ‘serve’ God is whether we are serving God or ourselves.
Another good question to ask ourselves as we ‘serve’ God is whether we are serving a living God a dead god.
Those who serve a living God don’t fight with people who persecute them and oppose them. They leave such people to the living God to deal with.
Those who serve a living God don’t ask people for money to build His kingdom; they ask their God for money. It is only when your God is a dead god that you need to ask people for money to build His kingdom.
10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, {that is} Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.
The Thessalonians had two things in mind: one, how long until Jesus returns, and two, how can I best serve Him until then. That’s the kind of people we must be like.
What kind of people long for Jesus to return? It is those who know of the wrath to come. Such people desire to escape that wrath, and so they take up their cross daily. And like Paul describes in Rom 7:14-25, such people are just waiting to be delivered from this body in which they have to fight against sin every day. They are looking for a new body – one that cannot be tempted. Such people know that when Jesus returns they will receive a body that cannot be tempted, just like what happened to Jesus when God raised Him from the dead.
Those who are not fighting against sin don’t really care about when Jesus comes. They are quite comfortable here right now.
My brothers and sisters, what are you waiting for? For the next episode of your favorite TV show? Or for the second coming of Jesus?
Do you realize that there is a wrath to come? Are you longing for Jesus to come again?
In summary, the first chapter is like a Wild West movie. In a typical Wild West movie three men enter town, go to the saloon, disrupt people’s lives, get run out of town, and then get a reputation all over the West. In 1 Thessalonians, three men enter a town, go to the synagogue, change some people’s lives forever, get run out of town, and then get a reputation all over the Macedonia and Achaia.
This first chapter describes the best case scenario: a true minister of God ministering in the right way to people who respond very well. The result is a church of people who truly repent, and dedicate their lives to serving God and working out their salvation. Such a church is like a light to other churches.
I think that the Holy Spirit wanted us to see what every local church should aspire to. He put this first chapter to inspire us. He is saying to us, “See what I did with the believers in Thessalonica. I can do that with you too.” Further, he adds, “See what I did with Paul and Silvanus and Timothy. I can do the same with you too.”
Does the story of Paul and the Thessalonians excite you and inspire you?
Are you willing to let the Holy Spirit do something eternally wonderful in your life, or do you want to continue your drab existence and have eternal regret?
The choice is yours.
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