Paul the
apostle began the church of the Thessalonians on his second
missionary journey as he was accompanied by Silas, Timothy and Luke.
After sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ in Philippi where he and
Silas were beaten and imprisoned for their witness to the Jews there,
Paul left Philippi with his entourage and travelled south down the
Roman highway where he entered Thessalonica and reasoned from the
scriptures for three Sabbath days concerning Jesus the messiah. Some
of the people believed, and some did not. The unbelieving people
started a tumult against Paul and his group, and he and the others
left the city. After some time, Paul visited the city of Corinth
where he stayed for a year and a half and sent Timothy back to
Thessalonica to check on their progress. He found them doing well and
prospering in the Lord, so he wrote this letter to encourage them
toward the coming of the Lord and to correct some errors which had
entered the church. In chapter one and verse one, Paul mentioned some
of his co-workers, the church of Thessalonica, and a typical Pauline
greeting by which he begins his letters. We read:
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.
The
verse begins, “Paul, and Silvanus,
and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians...” Paul
began with his own name, “Paul”
which means “small or little” “and
Silvanus”
which means “woody” and was “a Roman
citizen, the companion of the apostle Paul on several of his
missionary journeys” “and Timotheus” or
“Timothy” which means “honoring God” and was “a resident of
Lystra, apparently, whose father was a Greek and mother a Jewess; he
was Paul's traveling companion and fellow laborer”
“unto the church” which in Greek is
“ekklēsia” and
was “a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some
public place or an assembly” “of
the Thessalonians”
which is modern day “Salonica”. Paul often began his letters
according to the custom of the day where his name is mentioned first
and then the recipient of the letter is mentioned directly
afterwards.
The
verse goes on to say, “...which is
in God the Father and in
the Lord Jesus Christ:” Paul
continued, “which is in” or
“by, with or among” “God”
which is the Greek word “theos” and means “the Godhead or
trinity which is comprised of God the Father, Christ and the Holy
Spirit and is spoken of the one true God” “the
Father” or
“generator or male ancestor” “and
in the Lord”
which means “he to whom a person or
thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master”
“Jesus”
whose name means “Jehovah is salvation” “Christ”
or “anointed one, the messiah and Son of God”. The church in
Thessalonica had it's foundation and basis in “God
the Father”
and in His Son, the messiah, Jesus Christ.
Finally
the verse says, “Grace be
unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Paul began
his greeting with, “Grace”
which is a typical Greek greeting using the word “charis” which
means “that which affords joy, pleasure,
delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness: grace of speech, goodwill,
loving-kindness and favor”
“be unto you”
which refers to “the Thessalonians to whom he is writing” “and
peace”
which means “tranquility, exempt from rage, safety, security,
prosperity and felicity” and was a typical Jewish greeting “from
God” or
“the Godhead or trinity which is comprised of God the Father,
Christ and the Holy Spirit and is spoken of the one true God” “our
Father”
which refers to “generator or male ancestor” “and
the Lord Jesus Christ”
who is “the one to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he
has power of deciding; master, whose name means Jehovah is salvation,
the anointed one, messiah and Son of God”. Paul's basis for writing
began with the foundation upon which the church in Thessalonica was
birthed.
As
we think through these words of Paul, let us imagine ourselves
writing to a church the Lord Jesus allowed us to begin. What would we
write to them, and how would we begin our letter. There is no greater
desire than to know that a person has the “grace”
and “peace” of the
Lord with them. The church in Thessalonica experienced God's “grace”
by receiving Jesus as their personal Savior and Lord, and it was only
afterwards when they experienced “peace”
with God. Paul knew the Thessalonians were a church with a strong
foundation even though he was with them for such a short time. As we
continue with our study in this fascinating letter, let us allow the
Lord Jesus to speak to our hearts as though we attend the church in
Thessalonica, and may His “grace and peace”
be upon us as we do.
Next
time we will see Paul giving “thanks unto God”
and “praying”, so
read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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