Ephesus

“The City of Ephesus” from the lesson series Grab Your Passport, April 2021

our Scripture

They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila.

Acts 18:18-21 ESV
NIV

Acts 17:1-9 NIV

 NASB

Acts 17:1-9 NASB

 NLT

Acts 17:1-9 NLT

 MESSAGE

Acts 17:1-9 MESSAGE

 

Other Scripture references:

Acts 27:2

Philippians 4:16

1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

2 Timothy 4:10

2 Thessalonians 3:17-18

Revelation 1:11

Revelation 2:1

Ephesians 1:1

our Lessons

Have you ever longed for your church to be more like a church of the New Testament?  If so, you should carefully study the church at Ephesus.  More material in the NT pertains historically to Ephesus than any other community of believers.  No less than 20 chapters, covering a period of more than 40 years, describe God’s work in this city.  Luke describes its founding (Acts 18 – 20), Paul wrote Ephesians to the congregation there and sent two letters to Timothy, its young evangelist.  John, repeating a message from Christ, encouraged and warned the believers in a letter preserved in the book of Revelation (2:1-7).

Paul Begins a Journey

The eighteenth chapter of Acts is filled with much movement for Paul and his companions.  He decides that his ministry in Corinth is about to come to an end. The apostle senses it is time to report back to Antioch.  He travels a short distance to a town named Cenchrea, Corinth’s eastern sea port.  Sailors would haul small ships and their cargo across the Isthmus of Corinth on a man-made ship road rather than sailing 200 miles around the dangerous peninsula.  Apparently Paul takes a vow here and has his head shaved.  Cenchrea was the home of Phoebe who gained biblical fame for being the courier of the letter to the Romans.

 

Sailing from Cenchrea, Paul apparently has a “lay-over” in Ephesus.  This was very common in the ancient world, much like spending waiting time in an airport today.  Most likely some goods were being left at Ephesus and other goods and passengers were brought aboard.  A typical stop would take about a week, but often was extended because of weather conditions.  Paul takes the opportunity to “reason with the Jews” in the synagogue.  Intrigued in some way by their response or the size of the city, Paul leaves Priscilla and Aquila in Ephesus.  Luke interestingly adds that the two friends asked Paul to stay longer in Ephesus, leaving us to only speculate the situation.  Paul’s answer, though, is clearly given: he will not stay for he desires to be in Jerusalem for the upcoming Passover feast.

Sound Doctrine in Ephesus

After visiting Jerusalem and the Temple for the Passover and spending some time in Antioch reporting on his journey, Paul again embarks on travel.  He retraces his steps through Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening the churches in Lystra, Derbe and Iconium.  Paul’s ultimate destination is to return to Ephesus and reunite with his friends.  Luke interjects a story at this point giving us a picture of what is happening with Priscilla and Aquila.  A Jew from Alexandria, Egypt named Apollos has arrived in Ephesus.  Luke describes him as eloquent, a term referring to his speaking ability.  He also tells us that he was mighty in the Scriptures – what an incredible description – and that he had the ability to reason and convince his listeners.  The picture of the two helping Apollos understand the Scripture and then commending him to a ministry should encourage us today to prepare and send servants.

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According to a 2015 Deloitte Survey, 6 out of 10 Millennials chose to work for their current employers due to their “sense of purpose.” What we value gives us purpose or a “pointe” in life. Just as organizations have values, individuals do also. Most people have 5 to 7 core values that identify who they are. For the Christian, we are to be “in the world, but not of it.” We are to be different than the world – in our values, in our beliefs, in our character and in our behavior. The pointe in Corinth addresses the Christian’s place in culture.

The Pointe in Corinth

How does a Christian interact with the culture? What is the practical way of being “in the world,” but not “of the world?” Paul develops a very important principle in his letter to the Corinthians. The city of Corinth was a smorgasbord of Mediterranean culture. Many of the lifestyles ran opposite of the direction of the Gospel. Paul emphasizes a secret to living in a diverse culture by stating it at the beginning and at the end of the letter’s section about living a life distinct from the world.

 

The first bookend is: “Everything is permissible for me”–but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me”–but I will not be mastered by anything (1 Corinthians 6:12 NIV).

 

 

The second bookend is: “Everything is permissible”–but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible”–but not everything is constructive (1 Corinthians 10:23 NIV).

 

Let’s look at the same “bookends” from the Message translation.

 

Just because something is technically legal doesn’t mean that it’s spiritually appropriate. If I went around doing whatever I thought I could get by with, I’d be a slave to my whims (1 Corinthians 6:12 MSG).

 

Looking at it one way, you could say, “Anything goes. Because of God’s immense generosity and grace, we don’t have to dissect and scrutinize every action to see if it will pass muster.” But the point is not to just get by (1 Corinthians 10:23 MSG).

 

The Pointe in Corinth Has Two Bookends

Paul reminds us that everything is permissible – we are no longer under a system of Law that dictates our every behavior.  We are motivated not by an attempt to earn salvation, but by an appreciation for the salvation freely given. We are motivated from a sense of love for God, not a fear of what He might do.

 

Paul puts two bookends on the “everything is permissible” truth.  First he says make sure you are not mastered by anything. If your behavior has become addictive – difficult for you to control or stop – you are no longer the master, but the slave.  Under the Law, we were slaves to sin.  Why in the world would we want to become slaves to any behavior – whether sin or not – under grace?

 

The other bookend is every bit as important.  Just as a shelf of books would topple over without two bookends, the truth of “everything is permissible” topples without the second truth: not everything is constructive.  The first bookend speaks to your personal spiritual growth.  The second bookend speaks to the effect of your actions on someone else’s spiritual growth. The pointe in Corinth about a Christian living in a diverse culture is to understand the relationship between behavior and grace.

 

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This Lesson

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“The City of Corinth” from the lesson series Grab Your Passport, April 2021

our Scripture

After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.

Acts 18:1-17 ESV

Acts 18:1-17 NIV

Acts 18:1-17 NASB

Acts 18:1-17 NLT

Acts 18:1-17 MESSAGE

Other Scripture references:

Acts 19:1, 1 Corinthians 1:2, 1 Corinthians 4:18, 2 Corinthians 1:1

2 Corinthians 1:16, 2 Corinthians 1:23, 2 Corinthians 10:14, 2 Timothy 4:20

our City

Ancient Corinth
Temple of Apollo in Ancient Corinth, Greece
Modern Corinth

Modern Corinth

our Lessons

If you pick up a Bible study or commentary on the book of 1 Corinthians, or if you listen to a sermon series studying through the book, you are most likely to hear that the church in Corinth was a problem church – a church that wasn’t very grounded in the faith, a church that had problems.

The church in Corinth had numerous spiritual problems …

The Christian Courier

The church in Corinth struggled with problems, sins affecting the church …

Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Doctoral Dissertation

The Corinthian church was corroded with sin …

Charles Swindoll

The problems that he encountered in this place were more numerous than he had found in other cities …

Cliffs Notes

But the church in Corinth had the same beginnings, the same foundation that other churches started by Paul enjoyed. In some ways, they even had several advantages. Paul stayed in Corinth for an extended period of time. Aquila and Priscilla were left there to help the church grow and mature. Why did Corinth have problems that didn’t seem to surface in Ephesus, Philippi or Colossae?

Perhaps the church at Corinth wasn’t so much a problem church as it was a struggling church. It seems that a more appropriate observation about the church in Corinth would be that it was a church that was wrestling with what it meant to be the church – to be Christian – in a very urban, a very pluralistic, a very non-Christian culture. How can Christians stay Christian and not be influenced by the world around them?

Sound familiar?

Corinth and American Have Much in Common

In many ways the culture of first century Corinth shares some deep parallels with the culture of twenty-first century America. While technology and science have surely advanced the opportunities in this century, both first century Corinth and twenty-first century America are colored by a distinct worldview. Secular. Pluralistic. Political. Commercial. Transient. Sexual. Relative.

Today America’s church wrestles with the same questions. Has it become more difficult to be a Christian in today’s culture? Has Christianity become irrelevant and ineffective in changing the hearts of mankind? Can Christianity survive in a modern multi-cultural, atheistic community? A study of the book of First Corinthians answers a resounding “Yes!” but if the church is to stay true and faithful, distinct from the worldly culture, it is not going to be easy.

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Well-told Tale

I wonder what sort of tale we’ve fallen into?

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

John Eldredge begins his book, Epic: The Story God is Telling, with the Tolkien quote. Eldredge continues,

It’s been quite a journey for Frodo and Sam when the little gardener wonders this. Ever since they left home they’ve encountered more wonders and more dangers than they could have possibly imagined. The battle on Weathertop. The flight to the ford. The beauty of Rivendell. The dark mines of Moria, where they lost their beloved Gandalf. Their fellowship has fallen apart; their friends are now far away on another part of the journey. Into the shadow of Mordor they’ve come, two little hobbits and their cooking gear on a journey to save the world.

 

It’s at this point Sam says, “I wonder what sort of take we’ve fallen into?” Sam could not have asked a better question.

Sam’s question hits the nail on the head! Have you ever wondered that yourself? How in the world did I get to where I am today? Life is a story. Exciting chapters. Adventuresome chapters. There are some chapters filled with sorrow, while others resonate with tragedy. The stories have twists and turns that we simply didn’t see coming.  In a sense, we know how the last chapter will end, but we are buffaloed (no disrespect meant to any bisons reading) A Talby the chapters preceding it.

The word “tale” conjures up a particular type of story, doesn’t it? A tale is a story, especially one that is filled with creative twist, turns and embellishments. You can read a tale from a book, or tell a bedtime tale before sleep nestles in. Tales can be true or fictional, but they usually consist of a narrative. The tale has a beginning and an end. A well-told tale is filled with interesting and vivid details. Many tales teach an underlying lesson.

 

In a way, our stories are similar to the Marvel Universe. The stories of all of our lives have intertwined in some way at one time or another. Some of you are family that I have known forever. Perhaps you are someone I went to high school with. There are others that I taught when I was just out of college and you were in high school. Still others of you have been a part of small groups that I taught in a church. A few of you are colleagues from one line or work or another. Some of you are friends of a friend of a friend. At least one of you is a child of someone I taught in a group years ago. There are a few of you who live on continents other than North America. We share similar characters and circumstances in our own story.

A really good Author can do that with ease.

Do you remember the earlier Marvel movies? We sat in our seats waiting to discover how Marvel mastermind Stan Lee would show up in that particular movie. From the first Iron Man when Lee appeared at a gala event and Tony Stark mistook him for Hugh Hefner, to a general in World War II who thought Captain America “would be much taller,” to the driver of Peter Parker’s school bus who asks, “What’s the matter with you kids? You never seen a spaceship before?” Stan Lee’s fingerprints could be seen in every movie.

We spend a lot of our story peeking over each shoulder, wondering if this is when God will make another cameo.

So in light of the story of life, let’s talk a little bit about your favorite story. It can be a story from when you were growing up – or one that you enjoy right now. Can you share the name of the book and its author, like Tolkien and Lord of the Rings? What is the story about? What intrigues and interests you about the story? What characters do you relate to? What lessons have you learned from the story?

 

the Pointe

According to a 2015 Deloitte Survey, 6 out of 10 Millennials chose to work for their current employers due to their “sense of purpose.” What we value gives us purpose. Just as organizations have values, individuals do also. Most people have 5 to 7 core values that identify who they are. For the Christian, we are to be “in the world, but not of it.” We are to be different than the world – in our values, in our beliefs, in our character and in our behavior.

The Pointe in Athens

Where does my faith intersect with our passage in Acts 17? How can I explain “the pointe in Athens” to a non-believer? As Paul waits in the capitol city of Greece for his companions, there are several lessons for us to learn.

  • We are to be diligent observers of the culture which surrounds us. We need to be able and willing to debate its virtues and short-comings. Our hearts should be troubled as we notice its idolatry. How far it has strayed from God’s truth should make us quiver.
  • When speaking about our faith, we must find places to connect to the listener. This is especially true when communicating with unbelievers. We must find places to connect before we can expect our words to be considered.
  • It is essential that Christians know the essentials of the faith. We must feel comfortable sharing our faith with others. Our faith rests not in a building, program or personnel of a church, but in the Head of the Church, Jesus Christ. We need to help open the door for others to discover Him.

 

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Athens

“The City of Athens” from the lesson series Grab Your Passport, April 2021

our Scripture

While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols.

Acts 17:16-34 ESV
NIV

Acts 17:1-9 NIV

 NASB

Acts 17:1-9 NASB

 NLT

Acts 17:1-9 NLT

 MESSAGE

Acts 17:1-9 MESSAGE

 

Other Scripture references:

Acts 18:1

1 Thessalonians 3:1

 

 

our Lessons

The brothers brought Paul from Berea to Athens (Acts 17:15), hoping to give Paul a moment of safety and a chance to rest and breathe. The distance from Berea to Athens is about 100 miles. Today in a car going 50 MPH it would take about 2 hours and between 4 and 5 gallons of gas. Two hours of time, $10 of fuel.

On foot, across rugged terrain, the journey might take ten days. Paul anxiously waits for Silas and Timothy, but it is uncertain how long their presence will be necessary in Berea. So Paul waits in Athens.

Ever been far from home, waiting?

Sometimes it isn’t a matter of distance. You can be next door and feel far from home. You feel a little out of place. Things are just not comfortable. It seems as if you do not know the customs. You don’t comprehend the jargon. It is almost as if you don’t speak the language.

Do you ever feel that way about the culture and the world that you live in?

A Different World

As Paul wandered around the city of Athens, waiting for his friends, I wonder if he just felt far from home. Not far from Tarsus, his birthplace. Not even far from Antioch or Jerusalem. I wonder if he just thought that Athens was far from the Father’s home.

Paul doesn’t say much about his stop at Athens, except that he was there (1 Thessalonians 3:1). Along with the other tourists, Paul would have visited the Acropolis. Temples and shrines for the gods and goddesses line the way to the top of the hill. Peppered into the trip are marketplaces and monuments. All of the building structures paled in comparison to the Parthenon – the temple for the goddess Athena perched at the top of the mountain.

From its courtyards, the entire city and countryside could be seen in a panoramic 360 view. The city was a sprawling wonderland, filled with people who were misguided in their search for God, or, like Jonah, were consumed with running away from Him.

 

We know several schools of philosophy that were intrigued by Paul’s message. The Jewish community in Athens was intrigued by the application of Scripture which Paul made for the Messianic prophecies being fulfilled by Jesus. Epicureans and Stoics, quite opposite ends of the spectrum, pondered how Paul viewed God as real and involved in life. But almost every group would have been fascinated by the idea of a resurrection.

A Reasonable Faith

Like the Bereans, the Athenians wanted to hear the reasoning behind Paul’s words. When the gospel is presented to different cultures, three responses are usually present. All three can be seen in Athens. Some believed, some wanted to hear more, and others immediately write the message off as foolish babbling. The Greek word originally applied to the sound birds made as they were pecking up grain. Eventually the application included the sounds made by a worthless person. If we were capturing the idiom today, some would have been calling Paul “a bird brain.”

Paul carried his arguments before the Areopagus in Athens. The Athenians used the word (literally “the hill of Ares”) to describe the geographical location, but also to describe a council of about 100 scholars. Some have suggested that the council functioned as an “accrediting board” that tested those who would lecture “on the Hill.” Regardless, they served in some sort of official capacity and Paul’s presence and speech there was a significant event.

 

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“The City of Berea” from the lesson series Grab Your Passport, April 2021

our Scripture

As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea.

Acts 17:10-15 ESV
NIV

Acts 17:10-15 NIV

 NASB

Acts 17:10-15 NASB

 NLT

Acts 17:10-15 NLT

 MESSAGE

Acts 17:10-15 MESSAGE

 

Other Scripture references:

2 Timothy 2:15

Hebrews 4:12

Joshua 1:8

Revelation 1:3

Romans 15:4

Psalm 119:15-16

Psalm 119:47-48

2 Timothy 3:16-17

 

our Lessons

The turmoil in Thessalonica causes our travelers to leave the main east-west thoroughfare and travel southwest some 50 miles to Berea.  Because of its close proximity to the major political strongholds of Thessalonica and Philippi, road ways to Berea were strong and travel was safe.  The brothers in Thessalonica escorted Paul and his friends to Berea, perhaps thinking that leaving the main highway would throw off the scent from the Jewish bloodhounds who were dogging Paul every step of the way.

 

When Paul first set out with his companions to travel from east to west along the Egnatian Way, it is quite probable that he had his sights set on Rome as the final destination.  We know from his letter to the Roman Christians, written about seven years from this point in the journey, that he had often intended to visit them but had been prevented from doing so (Romans 1:13; 15:22).  If this is one of those occasions, the brothers from Thessalonica may have given Paul little choice, though Paul seems difficult to dissuade once his mind is set.  It is possible that he did not want to head to Rome with the stigma of subversion hanging over his head so he chose to wait until the charges from Thessalonica began to fade.  It was about this time, however, that an edict from Claudius expelled the Jewish community from the city of Rome (c AD49 ).  This would have deprived him of his “custom” of presenting the gospel first to the Jewish population.  It also would have created a personal spotlight, because although a Roman citizen, his Jewish heritage would have caused him to constantly be proving his citizenship, much the way a twenty-one year old has to show proof of age today.  God’s hand can be seen even in this edict, as only a month or two later, when Paul comes to Corinth he will find there two of those recently expelled from Rome who will become his faithful, lifelong friends.

 

In Berea Paul found a little different flavor of people receiving his message.  Probably because it was closer to the intellectual center of the Greek world, Athens, the Bereans were eager to be challenged mentally with new, more complete understandings of the Scripture.  Luke describes them as more “fair-minded” than those farther north in Thessalonica.  They eagerly drank in all that Paul was presenting.  They searched daily through the Scriptures just to make sure what Paul was saying was true.  Had anything that Paul offered been found to lack biblical basis, Paul wouldn’t have been run out of town, but he would have lost access to their minds.

 

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the Pointe

People from many walks of life speak of the POV. Point Of View as listed at dictionary.com contains three similar meanings:

  • a specified or stated manner of consideration or appraisal; standpoint
  • an opinion, attitude or judgment
  • the position of the narrator in relation to the story, as indicated by the narrator’s outlook from which the events are depicted and by the attitude toward the characters

Videos or movies are often given a particular POV. The story may even be told from the POV of the viewer or reader.

Luke’s Point of View

Luke writes the history of the early church through the activities of the apostles Peter and Paul. During Paul’s second missionary journey, Luke joins Paul’s group in their travels. The account of the history has the flavor or POV of someone who experienced the mission. Luke provides his POV on the group’s time spent in Berea.

The historian analyzes the Berean Jews, likely comparing them to the Jews they had met in Philippi and Thessalonica. Luke summarizes that these Jews were of a different nature. He describes them with the Greek word εὐγενέστερος (EU-GEN-ESTER-OS) literally meaning “well-bred.” Originally it meant someone who came from a wealthy and well-educated family, but over the years it developed the connotation of someone who was open-minded, tolerant, generous, and kind-hearted. The character and integrity of the people to whom Paul spoke impressed the author of Acts.

Understanding the Pointe in Berea

He continues on to explain why their nature struck him so strongly. “They examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (Acts 17:11). They did not take the easy route of either extreme – accepting everything Paul said, or immediately rejecting his words out of anger. Instead they weighed carefully his message against the message of Scripture.

As we look to the pointe in Berea, Luke’s perspectives helps place things in focus.

  1. We should strive to receive the message of Scripture with eagerness. There should be an excited anticipation any time we will have God’s Word shared with us.
  2. When we hear a message from Scripture, we need to examine the message and compare it to Scripture to collaborate its truth. Although we develop a trusting relationship with many of our teachers and mentors, we need to constantly balance our trust with critical (not negative) evaluation. Does the message, lesson or sermon mesh with the teachings of Scripture?
  3. We should spend time in the Scriptures daily. Our understanding of Scripture cannot mature by seeing it once a week and having someone else feed it to us. The responsibility become entrenched in the Word rests on our shoulders. Time each day on our own will deepen our understanding.

 

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Understanding the Books

The letters to the Thessalonians form the first group of the books we have written by Paul. Theodor Zahn believes that Galatians was written even earlier than these letters. William Ramsay places these just before Galatians. 1 Thessalonians serves as one of the earliest witnesses to the content of the gospel messages. Harnack sees the book written in 48AD, while Zahn places the writing around the year 53AD. Regardless, we have confidence in seeing this book written about 20 years after the ascension of Jesus.

This is an important fact in view of the belief of many that the content of the life of Jesus is a product of legend  and decades of story-telling. The unquestioned authenticity of the book affirms the early presence of the message of Jesus Christ in the Mediterranean world.

The first letter of Paul to the Thessalonians was written to a struggling, yet vigorous church that was only a few months old, made up of Christians who had just come to Christ under Paul’s ministry. This is a delightfully revealing letter, showing the heart of the apostle toward these new Christians, and also showing the struggles that were present in the early church.

Ray Steadman, “1 Thessalonians: Hope for a Hopeless World”[/su_pullquote]

Who Wrote the Book?

Internal evidence sheds light on the author of the epistle. Twice the writer calls himself Paul (1 Thessalonians 1:1; 1 Thessalonians 2:18). An interesting side-note notices that in neither Thessalonian letter nor in Philippians does Paul add the title “apostle.” Milligan thinks this is due to the special friendship between Paul and the Macedonian churches. His authority was never really questioned in this region.

The Muratorian Canon places it sixth in the list of Paul’s Epistles. Clement of Alexandria is the first to credit the writing to Paul. Irenaeus is the first to mention the book by its complete name.

To Whom was the Book Written?

The beginning of the church at Thessalonica is chronicled in the Acts narrative by Luke (Acts 17:1-9). Silas and Paul were asked to leave Philippi, but apparently neither Luke nor Timothy went with them immediately. Thessalonica was a great marketplace – for products being shipped via the Sea or land, but also for ideas and paganism.

Paul spends three Sabbaths presenting the message of Jesus the Messiah to the Jewish congregation. Many Jews were convinced, causing the other Jews to become jealous. A mob of the most wicked people in the city were stirred by the religious leaders against the missionary band. The new believers sent Paul and Silas on to Berea late at night.

Luke’s record indicates three groups of people constituted the new church: some of the Jewish faithful, a large group of devout Greeks (converts to Judaism), and a several of the chief women. It is difficult to know by the construct whether these were Jewish believers or simply important women in the city who milled about in the outer courts of the synagogue.

The epistle hints that the majority of the Christians in Thessalonica were converts from paganism. Paul may have remained in the city longer than the three weeks to make such an impact into the Gentile world. Paul certainly spent time in the market place during the time between the Sabbaths.

When was 1 Thessalonians Written?

The internal evidence in the letter shows that it was written shortly after Paul’s visit to Thessalonica. People continued to talk about the conversion of the Thessalonians in Macedonia and Achaia (1 Thessalonians 1:8-9). Paul was hoping to return there soon (1 Thessalonians 2:17). The apostle had already preached in Achaia (1 Thessalonians 1:7-8), more specifically in Athens (1 Thessalonians 3:1). Timothy (and Silas) just returned from Macedonia (1 Thessalonians 3:6). Timothy returned just after Paul arrived in Corinth (Acts 18:5).

While Paul was in Corinth, he was brought before the proconsul Gallio (Acts 18:2). According to inscriptions, he was the proconsul in Achaia during the year 52AD. The normal length of term for the proconsul was a year, but sometimes there were times of transition, so it could have been a year earlier or later. Dating the book as early as 51AD would be very reasonable.

What Messages Resonate in the Book?

First Thessalonians speaks important truths to every Christian, whether a new believer or a saint for decades. The theme of the coming of the Lord permeates the message, and each chapter builds an application of the theme to an aspect of life. The historical context also speaks to suffering and persecution.

Paul writes the book to commend the Thessalonians for their faith. They serve as an example to believers in the adjacent regions. Paul defends himself against the charges from their enemies. They are encouraged to be morally pure, to express love for the brothers, and apply their faith to their daily work. Christian faith as expressed through life longingly anticipates the second coming of Christ.

What Do People Say About 1 Thessalonians?

Many leading Bible teachers make strong comments about the book of 1 Thessalonians. Their words may encourage you to read the book.

1 Thessalonians opens a window on to a newly planted church in the middle of the first century AD. It tells us how it came into being, what the apostle taught it, what were its strengths and weaknesses, its theological and moral problems, and how it was spreading the gospel.

John Stott

First Thessalonians 1:8 shows the wisdom of Paul’s choice of Thessalonica. It was to serve as a strategic center from which the gospel should be spread in all directions as it actually was. When Paul passed by other cities, this only meant that they, too, would soon be reached.

R.C.H. Lenski

No other writings of Paul provide a greater insight into his missionary methods and message as 1 and 2 Thessalonians. Here we see Paul the missionary and Paul the pastor, faithfully proclaiming the gospel of God.”

Leon Morris

Paul’s letter is one of warm encouragement, a restatement of many truths which he had already taught them.

Lawrence Richards

Impressed by the faithfulness of the Thessalonians in the face of persecution, Paul wrote to encourage the Christians in that community with the goal that they would continue to grow in godliness.

Charles Swindoll