I Thessalonians - Introduction & 1:1-5 10/7/2007 Authorship: Paul Previously a pious Jew who wanted to see Christianity destroyed (Acts 7:58), called Saul Confronted by Christ on the way to Damascus (Acts 9) and became blind After having his site restored he began to preach the gospel began going by Paul The Lord protected him from persecutors Paul went on three missionary journeys as well as a fourth trip to Rome Prepared by R. Peterman

Co-Authorship: Silvanus II Corinthians 2:19, I Thes. 1:1, II Thes. 1:1, I Peter 5:12 – assisted the apostles. Silvanus is the Latin for the Greek Silas. He’s referenced as such in Acts 15:22, 27, 32 where he traveled with Paul

Co-Authorship: Timothy Acts 16 – Timothy is met by Paul. Paul wants Timothy to join him on his Ministry’s journey. Timothy was obviously a life-long companion and recipient of at least two letters, First and Second Timothy

A Summary of the Book The book is a compassionate letter of love from several saints to their brothers and sisters in Christ The book covers Horizontal relationships between believers Horizontal relationships between believers and non-believers The Vertical relationship between the believer and the Lord The believer’s hope in the return of the Lord

I Thessalonians 1:1-5 Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers; constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father, knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you; for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.

I Thessalonians 1:1 To the church in Thessalonica in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ… Identification right off the bat The angry Jews accepted the concept of the Father but rejected Jesus as the Christ – the Thessalonians knew their doctrine stood out in the city & culture

I Thessalonians 1:1 Grace to you and Peace What does Grace do in the life of the believer? Sanctify Offer a lifestyle of relationship Bring glory to God What does Peace do in the life of the believer? Brings rest where the flesh would be panicked Allows the believer to focus on their relationship with the Lord

I Thessalonians 1:2 We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers; Thankfulness for co-believers Recognizing the source of their joy Always (see I Thessalonians 5:17) Recollection, intercession

I Thessalonians 1:3 constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father, Work of faith Work – an act, something you toil doing Faith – Reliance, trust, conviction, belief The work is not an act of the flesh but instead an act in response to the relationship and resting in faith Labor of love Labor – to wear out, to toil Love - a love feast Hope in Jesus Christ Hope – the anticipation of things to come In Christ – the certain Savior, someone in whom you can put hope in What other things are we encouraged to put hope in by the world? In the presence of our God and Father

I Thessalonians 1:4 knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you; Loved by God God’s selection of the believer is certain See Romans 8:28-30

I Thessalonians 1:5 for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. The Apostle Paul, Silvanus & Timothy came to them with genuine passion, empowered by the Holy Spirit and with great conviction about the truth and reliability of it Their character was genuine and they didn’t prove to be dishonest, deceptive or slippery in their relationships with the believers in Thessalonica

So What? Why did the Apostle & friends write this letter to the Thessalonians? Edification of the saints Clarification Growth of the church To love the believers Maintain relationships Directed by the Holy Spirit