Church on Fire - Golden Truths from 1st Thessalonians

By Jim Taylor

How is it possible that a church full of young believers who didn't even have their eschatology straight could be an example for other churches to follow? How is it possible that such a young church could have such an impact on the world around them?

The church in Thessalonica had their own areas where they needed growth and maturity. Sure, they were a bit mixed up about the Lord's return. But their love for the Jesus kept them watching and waiting. And their love for souls kept them working and serving.

May the churches of this century find encouragement and direction from the church of Thessalonica!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jim Taylor
• Release date: Aug 10, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393858591

Jim Taylor

Jim Taylor is Vice Chairman of Harrison Group and one of the country’s leading experts on marketing, branding, and wealthy consumers. Doug Harrison founded Harrison Group in 1996 and develops branding strategies for some of the world’s most successful companies. Stephen Kraus has a Ph.D. in social psychology from Harvard University and leads Harrison Group’s training and wealth consultancies.

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1 THESSALONIANS

The Right Stuff (1 Thessalonians 1)

The Right Pattern (1 Thessalonians 1:1-4)

The Right Path (1 Thessalonians 1:5-6)

The Right Promotion (1 Thessalonians 1:7-8)

The Right Priority (1 Thessalonians 1:9)

The Right Patience (1 Thessalonians 1:10)

How to Witness Like Paul (1 Thessalonians 2:1-12)

The State of the Heart

The State of the Art

Believe the Word, Receive the Word (1 Thessalonians 2:13-16)

The Reception of the Word (1 Thessalonians 2:13)

The Origin of the Word (1 Thessalonians 2:13)

The Effectiveness of the Word (1 Thessalonians 2:13)

The Application of the Word (1 Thessalonians 2:14a)

The Rejection of the Word (1 Thessalonians 2:14b-16)

Who Do You Think You Are? (1 Thessalonians 2:17-20)

My Desire (1 Thessalonians 2:17)

My Goal (1 Thessalonians 2:18)

My Hope (1 Thessalonians 2:19)

My Joy (1 Thessalonians 2:19)

My Crown (1 Thessalonians 2:19)

My Glory (1 Thessalonians 2:20)

Work Hard; Play Hard (1 Thessalonians 3)

Faith Encouraged (1 Thessalonians 3:1-4)

Faith Evaluated (1 Thessalonians 3:5)

Faith Expressed (1 Thessalonians 3:6)

Faith Afflicted (1 Thessalonians 3:7-9)

Faith Perfected (1 Thessalonians 3:10)

Faith Increased (1 Thessalonians 3:12-13)

Mister Clean (1 Thessalonians 4:1-12)

Contrasts of Morality (1 Thessalonians 4:3)

Commands of Action (1 Thessalonians 4:3-5)

Conditions of Purity (1 Thessalonians 4:6-8)

Conducts of Behavior (1 Thessalonians 4:9-12)

The Parousia! (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

The Sorrow of Ignorance (1 Thessalonians 4:13)

The Sleep of the Faithful (1 Thessalonians 4:14-15)

The Sound of a Trumpet (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)

The Source of Encouragement (1 Thessalonians 4:18)

A Thief in the Night (1 Thessalonians 5:1-11)

A Colossal Deception (1 Thessalonians 5:1-3)

A Contrasting Distinction (1 Thessalonians 5:4-5)

A Current Duty (1 Thessalonians 5:6-8)

A Comforting Doctrine (1 Thessalonians 5:9-11)

The Code of Conduct (1 Thessalonians 5:12-24)

Conduct Towards Leadership (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13)

Conduct Toward Others (1 Thessalonians 5:14-15)

Conduct Towards God (1 Thessalonians 5:16-20)

Conduct Towards Daily Challenges (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22)

The Right Stuff (1 Thessalonians 1)

1Thessalonians 1:8 -10   For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.   9   For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God;   10   And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

Any time we start a study on a new book, it is good to get some idea of who wrote the book, to whom it was written, and why. 1 Thessalonians is not a large book but it is packed full of doctrine and instruction, as is every other part of God’s word.

So by way of a quick introduction, according to 1 Thessalonians 1:1, it was written by Paul. But you probably noticed that several others are mentioned as well - Silvanus and Timothy. These three men worked together as a team.

One of the most important methods of mission work in the New Testament is that the believers tended to work in teams:

• Here, we have Silvanus (Silas) and Timothy which, we see with Paul often in the New Testament writings. (1 Cor 16).

• In Acts chapter 18, we can find a married couple, Aquila and Priscilla who were a great team together and great helpers to Paul as well.

• Jesus set the example when He sent the disciples out in teams. He sent out the twelve in Luke chapter 9 and then He also sent out the 70 in Luke chapter 10.

In fact, a great many churches have been started by a team effort, a core group of people, which make up the initial nucleus of the church.

Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians around 50-52 AD while he was in Corinth. Apparently, he sent the letter shortly after leaving Thessalonica and Berea, and passing through Athens.  Most likely it was just a few months later.

Paul had sent Timothy to see how the Thessalonians were holding up in their faith and so when he returned with good news, Paul wrote this letter. (Acts 18:5; 1 Thessalonians 3:6).

When Paul was in Thessalonica, he wasn’t given the chance to to fully teach them. They practically ran him out of town. In their situation, there didn’t seem to be anything that would help them grown as believers or as a church. But then Paul got the news. They were doing just fine! A true Christian church had been founded at Thessalonica.

The believers of Thessalonica were living in an important city. The city sat at the cross-roads of two major roads and was also on the seaport of the Thermaic bay. As a result, a lot of people and cargo moved through the city daily! Thessalonica was a city of Macedonia.  It was the capital, but Philippi was larger and more well-known. In 42 BC, the Romans allowed Thessalonica to have the status of a free city which meant they were allowed to govern themselves.

Paul visited the city on his second missionary journey (Acts 17) where he was only able to stay just over three weeks because the Jews ran him out of town. But even in the short time that he had, Paul was able to win a lot of people to the Lord and a church sprang up:

Acts 17:4  And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.

1 Thessalonians 1:9  For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God;

Today the city still flourishes. It is called Thessaloniki. The city itself is home to over 315,000 residents but over 1 million live in the metropolitan area.

Our third question was Why was the book written? The answer is in 1 Thessalonians 3:16:

1 Thessalonians 3:1-6  Wherefore when we could no longer forbear, we thought it good to be left at Athens alone;  2  And sent Timotheus, our brother, and minister of God, and our fellowlabourer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith:  3  That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto.  4  For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know.  5  For this cause, when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter have tempted you, and our labour be in vain.  6  But now when Timotheus came from you unto us, and brought us good tidings of your faith and charity, and that ye have good remembrance of us always, desiring greatly to see us, as we also to see you:

Paul probably had concerns about how the church would be able to stand having only been there for a short time. He knew that there was a lot of persecution and had sent Timothy to check on them. Timothy returned with the news that they were doing well.

But yes, there was a lot of persecution! So Paul wrote to them about the hope of the coming of the Lord in order to encourage them.

Bible scholars believe there were those in the church who believed they had missed the Lord’s return. So Paul’s letter would most definitely lift their spirits.

So what did Paul discover about their faith? That they were not only very much alive, but having quite the impact on others. And that’s exactly what every church should be doing. We ought to have a positive impact on those around us. Whether we want to or not, we will have an impact. It might be a negative one or hopefully a positive one - but we will have an impact!

This book reveals to us what it was about this great church that made them the wonderful testimony that they were. And then, we need to follow their example! Let’s take a look at chapter 1 where, in the beginning of his letter to them, he tells us what it takes to have the right stuff:

The Right Pattern (1 Thessalonians 1:1-4)

The Right Path (1 Thessalonians 1:5-6)

The Right Promotion (1 Thessalonians 1:7-8)

The Right Priority (1 Thessalonians 1:9)

The Right Patience (1 Thessalonians 1:10)

The Right Pattern (1 Thessalonians 1:1-4)

1 THESSALONIANS 1:1-4  Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.  2  We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers;  3  Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;  4  Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.

Take a look at verse 3. Faith, hope, and love. What and incredible pattern! Not go to church. Dress neatly. Work hard. but faith, hope and love. These triplets are seen elsewhere in the Bible as well:

1 Thessalonians 5:8  But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.

1 Corinthians 13:13  And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Galatians 5:5-6  For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.  6  For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

Colossians 1:4-5  Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints,  5  For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;

It almost seems as if Paul had these triplets in mind as he wrote the book. The first part (chapters 2-3) deal with their faith, or the manner of their salvation. Their faith was growing. It was changing their life! But today we say, Don’t overreact, don’t be a fanatic!

The second part (4:1-12) deals with their love, or desire to please God (4:1) by their Godly living. They loved one another. But today we can’t get along for one week without somebody getting angry at somebody about something!

The third part (4:13-5:11) deals with their hope, or expectation of Christ’s return. They were patient in tribulation – they had hope! But today, Christians are quitting everywhere!!

In these three inner graces we see the whole perspective of the Christian life. Our faith is an expression of how we have accepted the past event