PURPOSE: This letter was sent to strengthen the faith of the Christians in Thessalonica, along with giving them a sense of certainty regarding Christ’s return.
AUTHOR: This is another letter written by the Apostle Paul.
THE ORIGINAL AUDIENCE: The church in Thessalonica.
THE DATE WRITTEN: Around AD 51 from Corinth; this is one of Paul’s earliest letters.
THE SETTING: This church was relatively young, being established only 2 or 3 years prior to Paul’s first letter. The believers there needed to mature in their faith. Also, they had a basic misunderstanding as to when Christ was to return. Some folks thought he would be back immediately. This caused confusion with regards to when their loved ones died prior to Christ’s return. What would happen to them? On top of this confusion was the persecution that reared its ugly head against the church members.
SPECIAL FEATURES: Paul received from Timothy a favorable report about the Thessalonians; however, Paul wrote this letter to correct their misunderstanding about the resurrection and the second coming of Christ.
Paul established the church in Thessalonica during his 2nd missionary trip & wrote this letter to encourage the believers there. He wanted to assure them of his love for them, praise them for their faithfulness during a time of persecution, and remind them of their hope - the sure return of their Lord & Savior.
The Thessalonians were facing their own mortality, perhaps for the first time. Many of them died at the hands of those who hated Christ and anyone else who aligned themselves with Jesus. Whether at the hands of zealous Jews (like Paul before his own conversion), angry Greeks, or ruthless Romans, persecution came in the form of stoning’s, beatings, crucifixions, torture, & death. Becoming a Christian meant you had to give up everything.
Today is quite different in the United States. While there are persecution flare ups here and there across the country, as a general rule, heavy persecution doesn’t exist in our country. Oh don’t misunderstand me ... it exists, but most Christians are not having to stare down their own death due to their beliefs. In other parts of the world persecution for being a believer in Christ costs them everything, even their own life. Would you be willing to die for your beliefs?
Up next is the Blueprint found in 1st Thessalonians. Until then, walk with the King and be a blessing.
In His Name & for His Glory,
Richard Keller
Bread of Life Ministries
Source: The Life Application Study Bible.
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