PAUL AND THE THESSALONIAN CHURCH (Acts 17:1-10 and 1 Thess. 1:1-2:2)
Introduction: On his second missionary journey in the year 50, Paul arrived in the Macedonian capital, Thessalonica, with Timothy and Silas. It was a large port city located at the crossroads of two important roads. Paul ministered to the Jews for three weeks and perhaps a couple of months to the Gentiles. During this time, the missionaries established a vibrant church, which soon faced severe persecution. Paul wrote this letter from Corinth only a few months after his departure from Thessalonica. It is the first or the second of all his letters.
Verses Acts 17:1-4. Gentiles who attended the synagogue were well-acquainted with the scriptures of the Old Testament.
• Paul arrived in Thessalonica bruised and battered after his flogging in Philippi. How might the apostle’s physical condition have affected his travel and the beginning of his work in the city?
• How did the apostle attempt to convert the Jews to Christianity during the first three weeks in Thessalonica?
• Consider why Paul’s preaching had an impact on only a few Jews, but on many Greek worshippers and especially on prominent women?
Verses Acts 17:5-10a
• Between verses 4 and 5, a few months passed, during which Paul proclaimed the gospel to the Gentiles and established a flourishing church in the city. What caused the Jews to be filled with zeal at this point?
• Explain in your own words what kind of riot the Jews caused in Thessalonica.
• How do you think Paul felt when fleeing in the middle of the night from the church he had established?
Verse 1
• Why did Paul also name Timothy and Silas as co-authors of this letter, even though he wrote it himself?
• Why does Paul wish grace first, and then peace?
• If you ever tried to find peace before you believed in God’s grace in Christ, share your experience.
Verses 1:2-3
• Look at verse 2. How can such a connection of hearts and prayers be born between Christians?
• In verse 3, Paul thanks the Christians for their faith, love, and hope. How did these virtues become visible in the persecuted church of Thessalonica?
• What is wrong with a chuch if these three virtues are missing?
Verses 4-5
• According to these verses, God himself had chosen the Thessalonian Christians. How did he do that?
• What did it mean in practise that the gospel came to the Thessalonians as words, with the power of the Holy Spirit, and with full assurance?
• Compare the proclamation of the gospel in your own denomination to verse 5. What is similar and what is perhaps different?
Verses 2:1-2. The apostles arrived in Thessalonica less than a week after the flogging in Philippi. At their arrival, Paul and Silas were still covered with wounds and scars.
• What do you think was the impact of the physical appearance of the missionaries on the Thessalonians.
• Why did it take courage for Paul to dare to proclaim God’s word in Thessalonica?
Verses 1:6-7. Greece was referred to as Achaia at that time.
• What makes is it possible to receive Christianity with joy, even if it entails great suffering?
• In what way were the Thessalonian Christians not only followers of the Lord, but also followers of Paul?
• In what way did the Thessalonian Christians become examples for other churches in Greece and Macedonia?
Verses 8-10
• How is it possible that the word of the Lord sounded out from Thessalonica «to all of Macedonia, Greece, and everywhere» in just a few months?
• Verse 9b. The word "serve" literally means "to serve as a slave." Why is it that Christians serve God willingly as his slaves?
• Why was it that the young Christians in Thessalonica waited for the return of Jesus so eagerly?
• God's wrath is a topic rarely discussed today. How do God’s wrath and love go together? (What would you think of a God who would not be angry at war crimes and refused to punish for them?)
• Why wasn’t God’s wrath cancelled by Jesus' death?
• Some Christians think verse 10b means that God saves his own from the tribulations of the end times. Others believe it means he saves them from hell. Which interpretation do you think is right and why? (We will return to this topic later.)
• Where in this chapter is the gospel of grace?
Closing words: If God’s wrath is like lightning, then the cross of Jesus is like a lightning rod. All of God’s wrath fell on Jesus when he bore our sins on the cross. Therefore, all who seek refuge at the foot of the cross will be saved from that wrath. However, those who do not care for Jesus will remain under God’s wrath forever (John 3:36).
***
Version for printing
Downloads
Contact us
Webmaster