Category: 1 Thessalonians

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Receiving, Turning, and Waiting (1 Thessalonians 1:8–10)

georgepwood

In 1 Thessalonians 1:8–10, Paul, Silas, and Timothy praise the Thessalonian believers for their faith, which had become well known through the region: The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming … Continue reading Receiving, Turning, and Waiting (1 Thessalonians 1:8–10)

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From Imitator to Imitable (1 Thessalonians 1:5b-7)

georgepwood

Which is more important: what you say or what you do? In one sense, this is a false dichotomy. Both our words and our deeds are important. Indeed, they need one another. Without deeds, words are empty. Without words, deeds are mute. Paul brings words and deeds together in 1 Thessalonians 1:4-10. Verses 4-5 speak of Paul, Silas, and Timothy’s Spirit-driven preaching that was demonstrated by “power” (miracles) and resulted “deep conviction” in the heart of the Thessalonians. Out of that deep conviction, and following the missionaries’ example, the Thessalonians themselves lived lives that gained renown throughout the area. In … Continue reading From Imitator to Imitable (1 Thessalonians 1:5b-7)

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The Spirit, Preaching, and Listening (1 Thessalonians 1:4-5)

georgepwood

In the course of my life, I have heard thousands of sermons, and I myself have preached a considerable amount. Some of these sermons–mine and others–have been excellent. Some of them have been unmemorable. And some of them–to be quite frank–deserve to be forgotten. Yet each week, I go to church to listen (on rarer occasions, now, to speak) and expect that God will say something to me through the preaching of his word. Why? In 1 Thessalonians 1:4-5, Paul, Silas, and Timothy provide an answer: “For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you, … Continue reading The Spirit, Preaching, and Listening (1 Thessalonians 1:4-5)

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Faith, Hope, and Love (1 Thessalonians 1:3)

georgepwood

Gratitude has a reason. We give thanks for people or because of something they have done. After an accident or during a severe illness or in the aftermath of catastrophe, we give thanks simply to be alive. Paul, Silas, and Timothy are thankful for the Thessalonian Christians. Their reason? “We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thes. 1:3). Faith, hope, and love are hallmarks of authentic Christianity (1 Cor. 13:13), and they marked the lives of the Thessalonian. … Continue reading Faith, Hope, and Love (1 Thessalonians 1:3)

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Always Thankful, Continually Praying (1 Thessalonians 1:2)

georgepwood

Several years ago, I was engaged to be married to a beautiful young woman. Four months after our engagement, however, and four months before our wedding, she called the whole thing off. I became clinically depressed. (You’re depressed if you’re sad. You’re clinically depressed if a mental-health professional tells you you’re sad.) I wallowed in this slough of despond for months. During that time, my parents, sister, and several friends drew close to me, listened to me wail out my unhappiness, entertained me to get my mind off my loss, and encouraged me to move on with my life. Paradoxically, … Continue reading Always Thankful, Continually Praying (1 Thessalonians 1:2)

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Grace and Peace to You (1 Thessalonians 1:1c)

georgepwood

Letters typically begin with a greeting. In New Testament times, Greek-speaking writers began their letters with the word chairein, “Greetings!” (e.g., Acts 15:23, 23:26; James 1:1). Paul, who wrote his letters in Greek, transformed this epistolary convention by replacing chairein with the similar looking and sounding charis in the greeting of all his letters, and by adding eirēnē. So, this is the standard greeting in Paul’s letters: “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.”[1] Paul’s standard greeting is a wonderful way for Christians to begin their letters (or emails) to other people. … Continue reading Grace and Peace to You (1 Thessalonians 1:1c)

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The Church’s Physical and Spiritual Locations (1 Thessalonians 1:1b)

georgepwood

The church exists on two planes: Physically, it is located at a specific place and time. Spiritually, however, it is located in God, who is eternal and whose saving purposes for humanity cross the boundaries of geography and chronology. Paul took note of these two planes in 1 Thessalonians 1b: “To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” We often read this address line of Paul’s letter as throwaway verbiage, a mere convention of first-century letter-writing. Letters are from somebody to somebody else, so why pay attention when Paul names his readers? Why? … Continue reading The Church’s Physical and Spiritual Locations (1 Thessalonians 1:1b)

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Christianity Is a Team Sport (1 Thesslonians 1:1a)

georgepwood

In 2011, Drew Brees broke Dan Marino’s single-season passing record, a record which had stood for 27 years. Can you name the center who snapped him the ball? The left tackle who guarded his blindside? The running back who caught the ball? Me neither, not without Google anyway.* But Brees couldn’t have broken Marino’s record without their help, or the help of the other seven members of the offensive team. We sometimes think of the apostle Paul as a Lone-Ranger missionary who single-handedly evangelized Gentiles in Asia Minor and Europe. But like Drew Brees, Paul had help. He played on … Continue reading Christianity Is a Team Sport (1 Thesslonians 1:1a)