...live the Gospel...

Today I am beginning a study of Paul’s two letters to the Thessalonians.

They contain some beautiful reflections and advice that will prove to be very helpful to us all. May God bless you as your continue to read and meditate on the reflections in this blog. Gratefully yours, Paul

Paul wrote two letters we call 1 and 2 Thessalonians. These letters were addressed to brand new converts to Christianity who grew up in a Greek culture. So these new believers had to learn, understand, and live by a very different social and ethical way of life in early Christianity. What made this difficult was that these followers of Christ received very intense persecution by the culture for becoming Christians, including social ostracism and isolation and physical attacks from the people with whom they lived! Just like Paul and the early apostles, they believed Jesus was going to return soon. But the new Christians all around the world were experiencing severe and deadly persecutions in virtually every country where Christianity was beginning to take hold. Furthermore, anyone involved in pastoring, teaching, or discipling other Christians knew that one of the major challenges facing Christians nearly everywhere was deep-seeded persecution and violence.

Thessalonica was the largest and most important city in Macedonia. As the capital of the province it enjoyed numerous civic and commercial privileges, including the right to mint its own coins. In the 1st century, Macedonia existed as a large Roman province. Geographically, it spanned the Balkan Peninsula, covering the region of northern Greece, as well as parts of modern-day Albania, Bulgaria, and North Macedonia. Religiously, Thessalonica offered something for nearly everyone. Not surprisingly for a Greek city, the traditional Greek cults and philosophic traditions were well represented, as were various mystery religions.

In A.D. 49, not long after Paul, Silas, and Timothy left Philippi, where they had “suffered and been insulted” (See 1 Thess. 2:2; and see Acts 16:16–40), they came to Thessalonica. There they stopped at a sizable Jewish community and its synagogue. For the next three Sabbaths Paul in particular shared the Christian message in the synagogue, seeking to prove from the Scriptures that Jesus was the predicted Messiah, who had died and risen from the dead on their behalf. The apostle was successful in persuading “some of the Jews” — probably only a few — as well as a large number of “God-fearing Greeks” (Gentiles attracted to Judaism who regularly attended the synagogue services but who stopped short of full conversion) and “not a few prominent women” (Acts 17:2–4).

Salutation

“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.

The Thessalonians’ Faith and Example

2 We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly 3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labour of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of people we proved to be among you for your sake. 6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, 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 in every place where your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it. 9 For the people of those regions report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming”                                1 Thessalonians 1:1-10.

In 1 Thessalonians 1:1, the name used is Silvanus, who is the same person identified as Silas in the book of Acts. Silvanus is the Latin form of the Greek name Silas. He was a leader in the earliest Christian Church in the Jerusalem church, a Roman citizen, and a key missionary companion to Paul. He was with Paul and Timothy when the church in Thessalonica was founded. 

After Barnabas and Paul separated (see Acts 15:36–39), Paul chose Silas (Silvanus) as his coworker, and the two traveled through Galatia, Asia Minor, Macedonia, and Greece (Paul’s second missionary trip; see Acts 15:40–18:22). Paul apparently viewed Silas as a fellow apostle. He played a substantial role in establishing churches in both Thessalonica and Corinth, as did Timothy, who joined Paul and Silas as a junior member of the team early in their travels (see Acts 16:1–4). Timothy is described in                     1 Thessalonians 3:2 as “God’s fellow worker,” and Paul’s own feelings toward him are captured in 1 Corinthians 4:17 (“my son whom I love”) and Philippians 2:22 (“as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel.”)

The order of the three names and Paul’s occasional use of “I” (see 2:18; 3:5; 5:27) indicate that he was the one who actually composed the letter. Timothy, who had earlier served as Paul’s emissary to Thessalonica (3:2, 5)

may have delivered this letter. 

But most importantly, we see specific reference to “team leaders” which contrasts to what we normally see, a hierarchical, pyramid structure where the senior pastor rules as the CEO, while all the others are subservient to the senior pastor. While there is no inherent problem with this form of leadership, the great problem I have experienced personally is the threefold tendency to embrace pride of place, love of authority, and lack of accountability. The first century church embraced the presence of a team rather than a single individual in leadership, thus reducing the odds that their failure will devastate the new congregation. But in the early Christian church the critical matter was not office or formal structure but giftedness. When Billy Graham received his Congressional Medal of Honor, the first thing he is reported to have said upon receiving the award is, ‘This has been a team effort from the very beginning,’ and he proceeded to name the people who had ministered with him through the years. In closing he said, ‘We did this together.’

But what I notice in chapter 1 are four things of importance: (1) In the early church the gospel was preached to new Christians not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction (v.5); (2) in spite of persecution the three of you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit…and you became an example to all the believers (vs.6-7); (3) in every place where your faith in God has become known…we have no need to speak about it (v.8); and (4) the people report how the three of you welcomed everyone, and you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God. 

Friends, these four things describe the earliest church style of leadership.

This was their common model of leadership, and with it the church grew episodically! In conclusion, I believe these four traits of leadership should become our models of being Christians.

So, open your heart to the Holy Spirit, receive the Word of God with joy in the Holy Spirit, allow your faith in God to be a faith that comes to you on its way to others, and welcome everyone into your church to learn to serve a living and true God. If we all lived this way, and told our leaders to live this way, we would all be part of growing churches. 

Pray today that these four things will describe the way you live your life.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.