Wednesday, June 21, 2017

The Apostle by Chapter 2 | Thessalonians Chapter 1

By Sam Nobles

The second letter Paul wrote to the Thessalonians was sent a year after his first letter in A.D. 53. Confusion had crept into the church by way of some bogus teachers who taught that the persecution devastating the church was living proof that the Tribulation was upon them. Not only was the church in Thessalonica having to contend with false teachers, they were also having to deal with false letters. The same group of false teachers had forged a letter to the church from the Apostle Paul, claiming that the Tribulation had begun. It’s easy to see why there was confusion among this church.

Proud in Persecution (v.1-4)
Their spiritual progress of the believers in Thessalonica caused Paul to brag about them to other churches he was in contact with. The believers in Thessalonica had remained persistent and full of determination in spite of the persecutions they were suffering for their faith. The Apostle Paul was letting these beat-up and wiped out Christians, who were suffering persecution, know that he was proud of them.

Reassurance in Persecution (v.5-10)
The Apostle Paul changes gears here to show the Thessalonian believers that all of the persecution they are suffering is not proof of the Tribulation that is to come, but proof that they are indeed part of God’s Kingdom here and now. Paul says there’s coming a day when the Lord will return with His angels to take vengeance on those who are purposefully and knowingly coming against those who belong to Him.

Prayer in Persecution (v.11-12)
Up until this point, the Apostle Paul has described that persecution is a glorious calling of the saints. They have been called to suffer persecution, which in turn proves and prepares them for their place in God’s Kingdom. “Now he prays that their lives in the meantime will be counted worthy of such a high calling, and that God's mighty power will enable them to obey every impulse to do good, and to accomplish every task undertaken in faith.”[1]

Scripture to Claim:
“We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.” (2 Thessalonians 1:3)




[1] Believer’s Bible Commentary, Second Edition, accessed May 16, 2017, https://www.christianbook.com/believers-bible-commentary-second-edition/william-macdonald/9780718076856/pd/076856.

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