Good Monday my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
Once again God’s timing is perfect for us on this journey together. I left you yesterday in the great city of Corinth about the year 50ad. Remember? The apostle Paul and his companions, Silas, Timothy, Dr. Luke and his friends Aquila and Priscilla are settling down after having been on the move, from town to town, for such a long time. Luke recorded it this way: “So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.” (Acts 18:11) Can you imagine having passionate, firebrand apostle Paul living in your town for 18 months?
How might that impact you and your community? It should not be difficult to imagine that Paul tried to maximize EVERY day of those 18 months. How? By teaching the truths of Jesus Christ, as Jesus had explained them to Paul through the Holy Spirit, as we saw in his letter to the Galatian Christians. (Gal. 1:11-17)
I can’t tell you exactly when it happened, but evidently Silas left Paul in Corinth, and I presume he returned to Jerusalem his home. Why do I say that? Because Silas is not mentioned again in the story of Acts, after Acts 18:5. I have no reason to believe Silas left Paul as John Mark had left. Rather, I believe Silas would have returned to both the Jerusalem and Syrian Antioch churches to report what God was doing in both the Roman territories of Macedonia and Greece. In truth most people in Jerusalem probably had no idea where that part of the world was, and now the Gospel of Jesus was taking root there, just as Jesus had promised! (Acts 1:8)
During those 18 months, not only was Paul teaching and training new Christians in Corinth, he was writing. Writing what? Well, since Silas and Timothy had brought Paul news from Thessalonica and Berea, Paul was moved by the Holy Spirit to once again pick up his stylus and write a very powerful, short letter. Paul completed it in early 51ad and sent it to his friends in Thessalonica which is why it’s called “Thessalonians” and we are very fortunate to have it in our New Testament today, nearly 2000 years later. Actually, you may know Paul wrote TWO letters to those first Christians in that Macedonian city of Thessalonica, where he had only spent a few weeks, remember? (Acts 17:1-10)
So, while Paul spent 18 months in Corinth teaching, preaching and writing, let’s continue our chronological journey by looking at what Paul wrote to those Christians in Thessalonica, ok? Do you notice the very first line of this first letter? “Paul, Silas and Timothy. To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thess. 1:1) So, Silas was still with Paul as Paul wrote this. In fact, may I suggest it was probably Silas whom Paul sent to Thessalonica with this little letter when it was completed.
But wait, Silas is also named in Paul’s second letter, also written from Corinth, toward the end of those 18 months. That tells me Silas may have taken this first letter, read it and explained it to the Thessalonian Christians, stayed there for a while, to gain a good perspective of what was happening in that city, and then returned and reported to Paul. That is what likely motivated Paul to then write a second letter to the Thessalonians, and it was probably Silas who delivered that second letter to the Thessalonian church, and THEN Silas went on home to Jerusalem.
May I urge you, my “WWJ” friends, to read that first chapter of Paul’s first letter to his Thessalonian friends, making notes in your journal of what the Holy Spirit shows you and applies to your life today? May I point out two things that jump out at me in this chapter?
First… Paul reminds these Thessalonian Christians that as Paul brought the Gospel of Jesus Christ to them, strong opposition broke out against Paul from those who didn’t want to hear it.
That opposition also came against those who believed Paul’s message, and that persecution against these first Christians was very painful! Yet they were joyful and their steadfastness and authenticity, as Jesus accomplished His saving work in them, had become a model for other Macedonian cities! (1 Thess. 1:6-10) Pause.
That challenges us to consider how we respond to difficulties in life and does our response actually draw people to consider the wonder and power of Jesus?
Second... Look at what Paul wrote in 1 Thess. 1:2,3 “We thank God for you… we remember…your work produced by faith; your labor prompted by love; and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” Pause.
What motivates us in the work we do, whatever that work is? How about our faith? Does our faith that Jesus has called us to that work for God’s glory? Is that our motivation in our work?
And what motivates our efforts, especially our efforts to SERVE other people expecting nothing in return? Is our motivation for selfless service the love of God that we are experiencing and then is our serving an overflow of our response of loving gratitude to Jesus?
And finally, as you and I encounter difficulties in life, is our response motivated by the HOPE awakened in us by Jesus that our efforts, our labor, our endurance WILL make a difference in our world?
Oh my! Now I urge you to take your journal and Bible and slowly work through the 10 verses Paul wrote to the Thessalonian Christians, nearly 2000 years ago. What does the Holy Spirit say to you and me through those words, in July 2026?
As always, some wonderful further study & teaching notes are available to you at the link just below, and a wonderful worship song inviting us to Jesus. And yes, I’ll be here with the apostle Paul, waiting for you tomorrow.
Today’s Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 1.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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