Acts chapter 17, it is where Paul and his co-worker Silas went to the ancient Greek city of Thessalonica, and after just one mouth of telling people the good news about Jesus, a large number of Jewish and Greek people gave their allegiance to Jesus and they form the first church community there, but trouble was brewing. Paul’s announcement of the risen Jesus as the true Lord of the world led to suspicion. So the Christians in Thessalonica were eventually accused of defying the Roman Emperor, when they said that there is another king, Jesus. This led to a persecution that got so intense, Paul and Silas actually had to flee from the city. Paul’s attempt to reconnect with the Christians in Thessalonica after Paul got a report from Timothy, that they were doing more than flourishing despite this intense persecution.
Paul’s giving thanks and celebrating the Thessalonians faithfulness to Jesus, their love for others and their hope in Jesus, despite persecution. He goes on to retail the story of their conversion, how they used to be idolatrous polytheists, living in a culture where all of life was permeated by institutions and practices that honored the Greek and Roman gods. Paul talks about how they turned away from those idols to serve the living and true God and that they are now waiting for the coming of God’s son from heaven. In a city like Thessalonica, transferring your allegiance to the creator God of Israel and to king Jesus came at a cost, isolation from your neighbors, hostility from your family. But for the Thessalonians, the overwhelming love of Jesus who died for them and the hope of his return, it made it all worth it.
Paul then retells the story of his mission in Thessalonica and of the dear friendships he formed with the people, he uses really intimate metaphors, they treated him like their child and he became like their mother and like their father. We were happy to share with you not only the good news from God, but our very selves, because we came to dearly love you. Paul reminds us, that the essence of Christian leadership is not about power and having influence, it is about healthy relationships and humble loving service. He reminds them that he never asked for money, he simply came to love and serve them in the name of Jesus.
Paul reflected on their common persecution, just like Jesus was rejected and killed by his own people, so now Paul is persecuted by his fellow Jews and the Thessalonians are facing hostility from their Greek neighbors. Paul draws a strange comfort from knowing that together, their sufferings are a way of participating in the story of Jesus’ own life and death. Paul then shares about the anguish he experience when he heard of the hardships the Thessalonians had, after he and Silas fled, so he sent Timothy to support them and see how they were doing, and to his joy, Timothy discovered that they were going strong, they were faithful to Jesus and they were full of love for God and their neighbors, and they longed to see Paul as much as he longed to see them. Paul’s prayer for endurance, praying that God will grow their capacity to love, that he will strengthen their commitment to holiness as they fix their hope on the return of king Jesus.
Paul challenges them to a life that is consistent with the teachings of Jesus, a serious commitment to holiness and sexual purity, in contrast to the promiscuous, sexually destructive culture around them, they are to follow Jesus’ teaching about experiencing the beauty and the power of sex within the haven of a committed marriage, covenant relationship. God takes sexual misbehavior seriously, it dishonors and destroys people, their dignity, following Jesus, means a commitment to loving and serving others. Christians should be known in the city as reliable people who work really hard, not just to make money, but so that they can have resources to provide for themselves and to generously share with people who are in need.
The Thessalonians had a number of questions about the future hope of Jesus’ return. Some Christians in the church had recently died, most likely killed as martyrs, their friends and family are wondering about their fate when Jesus returns. Paul makes it clear, that despite their grief and loss, not even death can separate Christians from the love of Jesus, when Jesus returns as king, he will call both the living and the dead to himself. Paul uses a image, using language that would normally describe how a city subject to the Roman Caesar would send out a delegation to welcome or meet his arrival. Paul then applies this imagery to the arrival of king Jesus, he too will be greeted by a delegation of his people who will go to meet the Lord in the air, as they welcome and escort him back to this world, where he will establish his kingdom of justice and peace, see how this hope should motivate faithfulness to Jesus.
Paul pokes fun at the famous Roman propaganda, that it is the Roman Emperor who brings peace and security, but Rome’s peace came through violence, through enslaving their enemies and military occupation. Paul warns that Jesus will return as king one day and confront this kind of injustice, followers of king Jesus should live in the present as if that future day is already here. Despite the night time of human evil around them, they should stay sober and awake as the light of God’s kingdom, dawn is here on earth, as it is in heaven. Paul, with a hopeful prayer, that God would permeate their lives with his holiness, that he would set them apart to be completely devoted and blameless until the return of king Jesus. Following Jesus as king produces a truly countercultural or holy way of life, this will sometimes generate suspicion and conflict among our neighbors, but the response of Jesus’ followers to such hostility should always be love, meeting opposition with grace and generously, this way of life is motivated by hope in the coming kingdom of Jesus that has already begun in his resurrection from the dead.
Paul’s giving thanks and celebrating the Thessalonians faithfulness to Jesus, their love for others and their hope in Jesus, despite persecution. He goes on to retail the story of their conversion, how they used to be idolatrous polytheists, living in a culture where all of life was permeated by institutions and practices that honored the Greek and Roman gods. Paul talks about how they turned away from those idols to serve the living and true God and that they are now waiting for the coming of God’s son from heaven. In a city like Thessalonica, transferring your allegiance to the creator God of Israel and to king Jesus came at a cost, isolation from your neighbors, hostility from your family. But for the Thessalonians, the overwhelming love of Jesus who died for them and the hope of his return, it made it all worth it.
Paul then retells the story of his mission in Thessalonica and of the dear friendships he formed with the people, he uses really intimate metaphors, they treated him like their child and he became like their mother and like their father. We were happy to share with you not only the good news from God, but our very selves, because we came to dearly love you. Paul reminds us, that the essence of Christian leadership is not about power and having influence, it is about healthy relationships and humble loving service. He reminds them that he never asked for money, he simply came to love and serve them in the name of Jesus.
Paul reflected on their common persecution, just like Jesus was rejected and killed by his own people, so now Paul is persecuted by his fellow Jews and the Thessalonians are facing hostility from their Greek neighbors. Paul draws a strange comfort from knowing that together, their sufferings are a way of participating in the story of Jesus’ own life and death. Paul then shares about the anguish he experience when he heard of the hardships the Thessalonians had, after he and Silas fled, so he sent Timothy to support them and see how they were doing, and to his joy, Timothy discovered that they were going strong, they were faithful to Jesus and they were full of love for God and their neighbors, and they longed to see Paul as much as he longed to see them. Paul’s prayer for endurance, praying that God will grow their capacity to love, that he will strengthen their commitment to holiness as they fix their hope on the return of king Jesus.
Paul challenges them to a life that is consistent with the teachings of Jesus, a serious commitment to holiness and sexual purity, in contrast to the promiscuous, sexually destructive culture around them, they are to follow Jesus’ teaching about experiencing the beauty and the power of sex within the haven of a committed marriage, covenant relationship. God takes sexual misbehavior seriously, it dishonors and destroys people, their dignity, following Jesus, means a commitment to loving and serving others. Christians should be known in the city as reliable people who work really hard, not just to make money, but so that they can have resources to provide for themselves and to generously share with people who are in need.
The Thessalonians had a number of questions about the future hope of Jesus’ return. Some Christians in the church had recently died, most likely killed as martyrs, their friends and family are wondering about their fate when Jesus returns. Paul makes it clear, that despite their grief and loss, not even death can separate Christians from the love of Jesus, when Jesus returns as king, he will call both the living and the dead to himself. Paul uses a image, using language that would normally describe how a city subject to the Roman Caesar would send out a delegation to welcome or meet his arrival. Paul then applies this imagery to the arrival of king Jesus, he too will be greeted by a delegation of his people who will go to meet the Lord in the air, as they welcome and escort him back to this world, where he will establish his kingdom of justice and peace, see how this hope should motivate faithfulness to Jesus.
Paul pokes fun at the famous Roman propaganda, that it is the Roman Emperor who brings peace and security, but Rome’s peace came through violence, through enslaving their enemies and military occupation. Paul warns that Jesus will return as king one day and confront this kind of injustice, followers of king Jesus should live in the present as if that future day is already here. Despite the night time of human evil around them, they should stay sober and awake as the light of God’s kingdom, dawn is here on earth, as it is in heaven. Paul, with a hopeful prayer, that God would permeate their lives with his holiness, that he would set them apart to be completely devoted and blameless until the return of king Jesus. Following Jesus as king produces a truly countercultural or holy way of life, this will sometimes generate suspicion and conflict among our neighbors, but the response of Jesus’ followers to such hostility should always be love, meeting opposition with grace and generously, this way of life is motivated by hope in the coming kingdom of Jesus that has already begun in his resurrection from the dead.
