 Previous Chapter |  Return to Outline |  Ask Questions |  Next Chapter |
First Thessalonians expounds on what a church should be. Timothy had brought word to Paul, while he was at Corinth, that some of the brethren there were depressed over departed loved ones, some were idle, presumably waiting on the return of the Lord, some were disorderly and some even had returned to heathen vices. Some were even doubting Paul's Apostleship. It was to these problems that Paul addresses his letter.
There is no doubt that Paul wrote this letter. It is important because it was among his first and because it contains so much about the Second Coming of Christ. It is believed that Paul wrote this letter about AD 52 when he was 40 years old.
The church at Thessalonica was founded by Paul, Silas and Timothy as recorded in Acts 17:1-11. Now when they, Paul, Silas and Timothy, passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica where there was a synagogue of the Jews. Paul went in, as was his custom, and for three weeks, he reasoned with them on the scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, saying, "This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ." Some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas as did many of the devout Greeks. There were also a few women who joined them also. This was the beginning of the church at Thessalonica. Timothy was its first minister. He not only kept Paul appraised of what was going on, he also carried the letters back and forth from the church and from Paul.
Thessalonica was the chief city in Macedonia. It was named after the sister of Alexander the Great. It was a "free" Roman City because of its declared allegiance to Rome during the early Roman wars. It was a great commercial and trade center.
With this introduction, let us look at the first of these short, but very enlightening, letters.
| How the Church was Born. | |
|---|---|
| An Elect Group | 1:1-5 |
| An Exemplary Group | 1:6-7 |
| An Enthusiastic Group | 1:8 |
| An Expectant Group | 1:9-10 |
| How the Church was Nurtured. | |
| A Faithful Steward | 2:1-6 |
| A Gentile Mother | 2:7-8 |
| A Concerned Father | 2:9-16 |
| A Loving Brother | 2:17-20 |
| How the Church was Established. | |
| Through the Word | 3:1-5 |
| Through Prayer | 3:6-13 |
| We Beseech You. | |
| Walk in Holiness | 4:1-8 |
| Walk in Love | 4:9-10 |
| Walk Honestly | 4:11-12 |
| Walk in Hope | 4:13-18 |
| We Beseech You, Continued. | |
| Walk in Light | 5:1-11 |
| Walk in Gratitude | 5:12-13 |
| Walk in Obedience | 5:14-22 |
| The Conclusion | 5:23-28 |
Previous Chapter | Return to Outline | Ask Questions | Next Chapter |