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The Church Begins in Thessalonica
The Church Begins in Thessalonica
Paul traveled to the area we know as Greece. He left Philippi and came to Thessalonica where there was a synagogue. As was his custom, he reasoned with them from the Scriptures on three Sabbath days. Such reasoning involved "explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” (Acts 17:3). The result was simply that some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas. This group included those of that were devout Greeks and some of the leading women. Paul writes of this conversion that they "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 delivers us from the wrath to come” 1Thess. 1:3.
So, a traveling Jew arrives in a thoroughly pagan city and announces ‘I have a message from God for you’. He then tells of some Jew over in a land far away that was raised from the dead and that they now should worship and follow. Right. Sure. WHY would they believe that?
They were convinced because Paul came not with “word only but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction” (1.5). This was the way God established the gospel message in the first century: they went everywhere preaching the word "while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs” (Mark 16:20).
In this way they were convinced that this ‘new religion’ was from God. They received this message NOT as the ‘mere’ word of man, but as it is in truth, the Word of God… (2:13). The great commission instructed the apostles to not only make disciples by baptizing them into Christ, but to teach them to observe all things whatsoever that Jesus had commanded. Hence Paul gave them instructions ’through the Lord Jesus’ (4:2). Paul warned them that "whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you” (4:8).
Paul then urged them "in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more” (4:1).
So the church began in Thessalonica. Such was the life of the church in the first century in a pagan community. We too have turned to God … to serve the living and true God and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come”. Are you living so as to be prepared for His coming?
Hugh DeLong
