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Home Group Notes - Thessalonians

1 & 2 Thessalonians

When Paul and his companions visited Thessalonica it was a well-established city, the capital of the Roman province of Macedonia, and strategically placed on the main route between Rome and the East, with a good natural harbour.

Acts 17 describes how the Thessalonians received the Gospel and how Paul and Silas had to be smuggled out of the city when opposition arose. While at Athens, it seem likely that Paul sent Timothy to Thessalonica, and Silas probably to Philippi, to discover how the young churches were doing. They returned to Paul, who was now at Corinth, and it seems that 1 Thessalonians was written as a response to the news Timothy brought. The young Thessalonian Christians were growing in faith, love and perseverance in the face of persecution, but Paul himself was being criticized and Thessalonians needed teaching on issues of sexual morality, preparing for the Second Coming of Jesus and tensions within the church community.

1 Thessalonians is one of the earliest of Paul’s letters in the New Testament (Galatians may well be earlier). Paul stayed at Corinth for about two years, so 2 Thessalonians was probably also written from there, in response to the church’s reply to 1 Thessalonians.

There are seven studies in this series, leaving the last home group for Christmas socials, with probably five studies on 1 Thessalonians and two on 2 Thessalonians.

John Stott’s Message of Thessalonians in the Bible Speaks Today series suggests a helpful framework for looking at 1 Thessalonians.

"What is of particular interest, because it applies to Christian communities in every age and place, is the interaction which the apostle portrays between the church and the gospel. He shows how the gospel creates the church and the church spreads the gospel, and how the gospel shapes the church, as the church seek to live a life that is worthy of the gospel.

1 Thessalonians

1:1-10 Christian Evangelism, or how the church spreads the gospel

2:1-3:13 Christian Ministry, or how pastors serve both the gospel and the church

4:1-12 Christian Behaviour, or how the church must live according to the gospel

4:13-5:11 Christian Hope, or how the gospel should inspire the church

5:12-28 Christian Community, or how to be a gospel church."

(Message of Thessalonians p20)

There is so much that can be said as background to these studies. One book, which may be helpful, is Tom Wright’s Paul for Today: Galatians and Thessalonians. Tom Wright always has a refreshing way of looking at things and the Galatians part will be useful for the evening sermons! I have tried to include some comments from John Stott’s book with each study, to give one perspective on the way Paul’s thoughts develop in the letter.

This letter opens, as do most of Paul’s letters in the New Testament, with thanksgiving for those he is addressing. This is a very young church, perhaps no more than six months old, and Paul thanks God for their lively faith and the way they received the gospel.

Why does Paul open his letter with thanksgiving?

What signs does Paul have that the Thessalonians’ faith is real?

What were the results of the Thessalonians’ strong faith?

v3 How can faith, love and hope make a difference to our work?

v5 Paul reminds the Thessalonians of how he lived when he was sharing the gospel with them and how they have become a model for others. How can we, as a church and as individuals, share the good news by what we are, rather than just by what we say?

v8 The word Paul uses here, translated "rang out"(NIV) in "The Lord’s message rang out" is found nowhere else in the New Testament. It comes from the word for "echo". In one sense, Paul seems to be saying, he is out of a job. The life of the Christians at Thessalonica makes its own noise around Greece and beyond. What does our local community know about our church?

v9,10 How does Paul describe the conversion which the Thessalonians have undergone?

v9 Paul describes the change the gospel has made to the Thessalonians’ lives. How would we describe the difference Jesus makes to our lives?

Has anyone demonstrated the gospel to us in the way Paul describes and how has their faith inspired us?

How would this chapter have encouraged the Thessalonians and how does it encourage us?

Notes for leaders

Paul opens his letter by describing the church of the Thessalonians as ‘in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ’, rather than ‘the church of God in Thessalonica’, perhaps to reassure the young and persecuted church that their security is in God.

The church is characterized by faith, love and hope. The fact of election, that the Thessalonians have been in some mysterious way chosen by God, is here (v4) linked with the love of God. He chose us because he loves us and he loves because he loves us, not because we are lovable, but because he is love. The preaching of Paul, Silas and Timothy has in some way revealed this secret purpose of God in the lives of the Thessalonians.

Paul describes in great detail how the message was preached to the Thessalonians and how they received it (v5-7). The Holy Spirit was involved in both: it is the Spirit who helps in the preaching of the message, giving the speaker clearness and confidence and also causes the hearers to accept the message and be converted.

In v9 and v10 Paul describes the three parts of Christian conversion: the turning away from idols, the service of God and the wait for Jesus, whose resurrection assures us that he will return. When he comes he will finish our salvation by rescuing us from the judgment of God, his final dealing with the evil and sin of the world. Some commentators have linked these three things to faith (the turning to God), love (the serving of God) and hope (the waiting for Christ). There may be different idols that need to be rejected and different ways of expressing service of God, but these elements are always to be found in conversion. The break with the past will be decisive, the experience of the present will be of liberating service and the look to the future will be expectant.

(Notes from J Stott’s Message of Thessalonians)

These two chapters are Paul’s defence of his ministry, against criticism he seems to have received after his abrupt departure from Thessalonica. It also gives us a picture of Paul as a pastor, caring for his young church.

What were Paul’s motives in preaching the gospel to the Thessalonians? (2v1-13)

How does Paul show the Thessalonians that he loves them?

What do the images of mother (2v7) and father (2v11) tell us about Paul’s ministry in Thessalonica?

Paul claims to have been "holy, righteous and blameless" (2v10). If this is important, how can imperfect people dare to do evangelism?

Why were the Thessalonians suffering? (2v13-16)

What encouragement does Paul give them?

How can we show love to people who are suffering?

Why did Paul send Timothy to Thessalonica? (2v17-3v5)

How does Paul respond to the news Timothy brings? (3v6-10)

What are Paul’s hopes for the Thessalonians? (3v10-13)

How can we as individuals and as a church help love to increase among us?

Why is Paul so concerned to defend his ministry among the Thessalonians?

What are the ways Paul shows his concern for the Thessalonians in these chapters?

How can we put this into practice in our own church situation?

Notes for leaders

Paul had to leave Thessalonica in a hurry and his critics have tried to use this fact to discredit him: "That Paul was just one of those travelling preachers who was in it for what he could get. He doesn’t care for you Thessalonian disciples, because at the first sign of trouble he was off and he hasn’t come back. " Presumably these attacks were having an effect on some in the church, because Paul uses two chapters to defend himself and his ministry and to assure the Thessalonians of his care for them. He wasn’t able to be with them in person, (the events related in Acts 17 show that the situation was too volatile) but he had sent Timothy to find out how they were faring under persecution, persecution which he had warned them was coming.

In defending his ministry Paul shows his commitment to the Word of God. His message was ‘the gospel of God’, ‘the word of God’. He had not invented it, but had been entrusted with it, as a steward and commissioned to proclaim it like a herald. Secondly, he was committed to the people of God, in this case, the Thessalonian church, describing himself as their mother and father, a parent pouring out his heart in love and prayer to God for absent children and filled with joy when he receives news of them.

At this point the letter changes. Up till now Paul has been looking back at his visit and events that followed it. Now he looks to the present and future of the Thessalonians church. The NIV translates the opening of this chapter as ‘Finally’, but Paul is not at the end yet. It is probably better translated as ‘And now’. Paul turns to certain problems that the Thessalonian church seems to be having, perhaps answering question conveyed by Timothy.

What are the qualities that make a life pleasing to God?

Why should the Thessalonians need these instructions if they are already living lives pleasing to God? (v1)

Do we feel we are pleasing God? Do we think it is wrong to think this or impossible to do?

What reasons does Paul give for avoiding sexual immorality?

How can the church teach people about holiness in our modern world?

v9-12 How can we show our love for the Christian family?

Paul may be talking about financial support for other Christians in these verses. What should our attitude be to giving to support Christian work?

What does Paul mean by living a quiet life?

Why will this be a good witness?

How can we, as individuals, be witnesses to Christ in our daily work?

What helps us to grow as Christians?

Notes (Taken from ‘Paul for Everyone’ by Tom Wright)

God accepts us not because we keep the law, but because we have faith in what he has done for us in Christ. But ‘not being under the law’ does not mean we may act as we like. As often in Galatians, Paul outlines ideas that are explained at greater length in Romans. God longs for us to become the kind of humans who will truly reflect his image. When he sees this happen, he is delighted. He desires ‘holiness’ for us, not a negative thing, the absence of wrong, but the shining reflection that appears in human character when we learn in practice what it means to be in God’s image.

v9-12 Paul stresses here, as in other passages, that love for the family, ‘brotherly love’ will result in practical support for the Christian community. The church is supporting its own member and the wider Christian community in Macedonia. This is a witness to others and a pastoral caring for those in need.

Christian morality is not primarily about rules and regulations, but relationships. We are to please God and love one another and we are to do it ‘more and more’. God has accepted us (our justification) once and for all, but our growing into the kind of people God wants us to be (our sanctification) is always an ongoing process (v1, 10).

The Thessalonians seem to have had two problems addressed in this part of the letter. First, some Christians had died and the church didn’t’ t know what to think about what had happened. Paul had taught them the Jesus would return, but would those who had died miss out that great day? Secondly, they were anxious about the future, the timescale for Jesus’ return and perhaps the uncertain state of the world around them.

What fears do we have about death?

What do these verses tell us about the coming of the Lord?

What hope does Paul give to those who have lost loved ones?

Why does Paul use the image of sleep for those who have died?

What do the images of a thief and a woman in labour tell us about the day of the Lord?

How can we live as people of light in a dark world?

What weapons has God given us against the dangers of the dark?

How would these verses have encouraged the Thessalonians in their situation?

How can we encourage one another to be confident in God’s protection?

What difference would it make if Jesus had not said that he would return?

Notes (taken from Paul for Everyone)

4v13-18 Tom Wright likens Christians talking about the new world that God intends to make one day, when Jesus will return, to the task of describing colours to a blind person. Paul has to use pictures, which must, by their very nature, be inadequate. Some have interpreted these pictures literally, but Paul’s point is that Christians who are alive when Jesus returns will not have an advantage over those who have died. He is not saying where the dead are, or what state they are in. It is enough to know that they are in God’s care and that, when Jesus appears, so will they. Paul uses pictures from various parts of the Old Testament. Paul’s words in v16-17 have had a tremendous effect in some circles, where the ‘rapture’, Christians being snatched out of cars, homes etc is seen as the main Christian hope. But resurrection is not some disembodied life in a mid-air heaven, but the reembodiment of God’s people to live with and for him in the new and redeemed world that God will make. If Christians were snatched up into the sky, how would they then be with others who, having died previously, will be raised and given new bodies? Paul describes Jesus’ coming with language taken from Daniel 7, when the son of man goes up on the clouds as he is vindicated by God after his suffering. Christians will go to meet the Lord, like citizens of a Roman colony going out to meet the emperor and accompanying him back to the city. Paul’s purpose is not to speculate, but to comfort. We can be confident about God’s future purposes for Christians who have died.

5v1-11 We, like the Thessalonians, live in a world where sudden upheaval can occur ( I am writing this on September 12^th, when this seems all too relevant). But into this world one day the final dawn will break and light up the darkness. Jesus will deal with all that is contrary to God’s purposes for his creation. However, until that time, we already belong to the Lord and if we hold fast to the gospel we will find the comfort and strength we need. Paul uses two images here. One is the familiar one used by Jesus and in the Old Testament of someone staying awake in case something bad, a burglar for example, should come. The other is of someone knowing the difference between day and night. Even though the world is in night, Christians are daytime people and should live like it.

v12 What does it mean for someone to be ‘over you in the Lord’?

What attitudes should we have to our church leaders?

v14,15 What do these verses tell us about the responsibilities of every member of the church for one another?

How practically can we do these things in our church?

v16 How can we be continually joyful, prayerful and thankful?

v19 What does it mean to ‘put out the Spirit’s fire’ and how might we be tempted to do this?

How can we test everything?

v24 How have we experienced the faithfulness of God?

Have these studies in 1 Thessalonians taught us anything new or reminded us of something important?

If Paul wanted the Thessalonians to remember just one thing from this letter, what might it be?

Notes

In these closing verses, Paul gives the young church some guidelines for community life. Tom Wright likens these rules to learning the grammar of a new language. Ideally these rules will become second nature, and it is this work that God’s Spirit does in our lives, but this does not happen overnight. This passage mentions three ways this occurs: through careful teaching and leadership, through the influence of the whole community, for everyone has the responsibility to look out for the needs of others, actively pursuing what will be good for other Christians, and, through these rules, Paul gives little aids to memory, which nudge the mind in the right direction.

This is not an easy letter to study. I have put chapters 1 and 2 together for this week’s study, to try and put the very difficult chapter 2 into the context of Paul’s encouragement to the Thessalonians in chapter 1. It appears that after sending 1 Thessalonians, the persecution of the church grew worse. There also seems to have been some teaching in circulation, purporting to come from Paul, either in the form of a forged letter or a misinterpretation of 1 Thessalonians, saying that the day of the Lord had already occurred. The poor Thessalonians, having been worried that the dead would miss out, were now concerned that they, the living, had already missed out. Paul reminds them of teaching he has already given them, echoing Jesus, that certain things must take place before Jesus returns.

What good things does Paul notice about the Thessalonians?

"Suffering is not to be thought of as evidence that God has forsaken us, but as evidence that God is with us." (Leon Morris) How have we been aware of God’s presence in times of suffering?

What makes a person worthy of the kingdom (v6)?

What does this passage tell us about the justice of God?

How can God’s justice encourage us in times of difficulty?

How can the Thessalonians know that they have been counted worthy of the kingdom?

What are the characteristics of the man of lawlessness?

Is there evidence that the ‘secret power of lawlessness’ in already at work in the world (v7)?

How does Paul encourage the Thessalonians to stand firm in face of an uncertain future (v13)?

Paul ends both these chapters with a prayer for the Thessalonians (1:11,12; 2:16,17).

What does he ask for the Thessalonians?

Would we ask the same thing for ourselves as individuals and as a church?

Like Jesus in Matthew 24 and Mark 13, Paul seems to be looking at imminent events and those connected with the end of time and Jesus’ return. Paul says that before the end times, certain things must take place. The passage in chapter 2 about the man of lawlessness has been called the most obscure and difficult of all Paul’s writings. The problem is that Paul is referring back to teaching he has already given the Thessalonians verbally. Therefore he has no need to introduce the man of lawlessness further and does not do so. Many commentators have tried to identify the man and the restraining influence described in v7. Does Paul have a particular individual in mind or does the man of lawlessness stand for anything that works against God in the world? There may be a reference to the emperor Caligula, who had a plan to put a statue of himself as a god in the temple at Jerusalem, but was dissuaded by his friend Herod Agrippa. Caligula was murdered in 41AD, rather earlier than the date usually suggested for this letter, but Paul may be indicating that some other leader might act similarly. The restraining influence has been interpreted as either an individual, some Jewish leader perhaps, the Holy Spirit, or Paul’s own mission. There is a long discussion about this in John Stott’s commentary, if you want to pursue it further. What does seem clear is that Paul believed a time is coming when God’s judgment on the world and its leaders will be revealed. In particular God will judge the systems that put themselves in his place and this judgment will take place both during history and at its end.

v1-5 In what ways did Paul think that the Thessalonians’ prayers could help his ministry?

How can these verses encourage our own prayers for others?

v6-8 What problem was the Thessalonian church experiencing?

How was Paul a good example to the Thessalonians?

What measures are to be taken against those who are idle?

In most churches the majority of work is done by a small number of people? Why is this true and is it true of St Barnabas?

How can we help people in the church to share a responsibility for service?

How can we apply the principles in this chapter to our church today?

Is the one thing we feel has spoken to us particularly in our study of 2 Thessalonians?

It seems that some Thessalonian Christians had given up work and were living off others. The usual explanation for this is that they expected Jesus’ imminent return and saw no point in working. The word the NIV translates as ‘idle’ Tom Wright translates as ‘stepping out of line’, used three times by Paul in this chapter. The word could have been applied to a dancer, whose footwork is out of time with the others in the group. The church in Thessalonica were trying to live as a family, mutually supporting each other, not just with love, but also financially, sharing as each had need. In this kind of community it is all too easy for some to rely on the efforts of others. Thus Paul showed them an example, even though he believed the church should support their leaders. While those who had genuine need should not be denied, love must not be taken for ride. Some in Thessalonica were ‘busybodies’, going round living off others in the Christian family, taking advantage of their good nature and never settling to a job of work themselves. Paul’s solution is that these should people should be shunned, until they fall into line. No work – no food! Everyone else should carry on and not give up doing what is right.