1 Thessalonians

With privilege comes responsibility. The followers of Christ not only have the promise that they will live forever with Christ when He returns, but the responsibility of being Christ-like in this life. What does this means in practical terms?

One of the promises of Scripture is that someday Jesus will return. At His coming the dead will rise and Christ’s followers will go to live with Him forever. Naturally, people would like to know when these events will take place.

For most people, death is not only a tragedy, it is also a mystery. They are afraid of what comes after death. They have no assurance that their lives are pleasing to God and they fear punishment. They also do not have any assurance that they will ever see their loved ones again.

What are we known for? If someone were to describe our personality, what would he say? There is one character quality by which it should be possible to identify every follower of Jesus. He said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35)

What does it mean to live a holy and blameless life? In his first inspired letter to the church at Thessalonica, the Apostle Paul points out that holiness starts with the heart.

What gives us joy? What encourages us? For the Apostle Paul it was the news that those whom he had taught about Christ were standing firm in their faith.

When we care for someone it is natural that we want to be around them. The Apostle Paul had a very strong affection for the people whom he had introduced to Christ in the city of Thessalonica. He was very grateful for the way they had accepted the gospel. Unfortunately, because Paul was forced to leave the city due to persecution, and he was unable to give the new converts as much teaching as he wanted.

A man can preach God’s word faithfully, clearly and accurately. He may present it with tenderness and compassion. He may demonstrate love. But this does not guarantee that his preaching will result in salvation for those to whom he preaches. Salvation depends not only on the gospel of Jesus Christ being preached, but also on it being received.

While proclaiming the gospel, Paul was very careful to display the utmost integrity so that no one could accuse him of wrong motives or taking advantage of those to whom he preached. More importantly, Paul was very careful to be faithful to the message. He was seeking God’s approval, not that of men.

The Apostle Paul was haunted by the fear that his efforts to preach the gospel in the city of Thessalonica would prove to be a failure. He had been forced to leave the city before he had the opportunity to ground those he had converted to Christ in the faith. It was not until he received an encouraging report from his fellow-worker Timothy, that he realized that his efforts had not failed.