Day 63: 1st Thessalonians 1-3. Paul's first letter, Part 1
The Letter of Paul to the church in Thessalonica is the very earliest piece of Christian literature we have: it is the earliest letter Paul wrote, and earlier than all four gospels. So we have a small glimpse into the spread of the gospel not so long after the death and resurrection of Jesus.
This short letter is filled with thanksgiving for the community, for their reception of the gospel, of their faithfulness. Paul also admonishes them to holy living, and reminds them that he believes that the Lord Jesus is coming soon. Not that they have a time or a date set, but they are waiting eagerly for the return of Jesus.
Paul constantly refers to his experience of meeting and getting to know the Christians in Thessalonica in this short letter. It feels like he is proud of the work they have done and how it is bearing fruit. He wants to visit them, but Satan has prevented him (so far). Instead, they were able to send Timothy to come and visit, and bring encouragement.
It's unfortunate, but I suppose unavoidable given the context that Paul disparages "the Jews": unavoidable because at this time the chief opposition to the spread of the message of Jesus came from Jewish leaders. It is unfortunate, because rhetoric like this has contributed greatly to persecution of Jews by Christians throughout many centuries. When we get to chapter four, I'll invite you to notice that Paul also urges his congregation not to be like the Gentiles, "who don't know right from wrong." (By the way, most of us who are reading these letters are Gentiles.")
In the next section, we'll get to the reason why Paul is writing this, his earliest letter.
This short letter is filled with thanksgiving for the community, for their reception of the gospel, of their faithfulness. Paul also admonishes them to holy living, and reminds them that he believes that the Lord Jesus is coming soon. Not that they have a time or a date set, but they are waiting eagerly for the return of Jesus.
Paul constantly refers to his experience of meeting and getting to know the Christians in Thessalonica in this short letter. It feels like he is proud of the work they have done and how it is bearing fruit. He wants to visit them, but Satan has prevented him (so far). Instead, they were able to send Timothy to come and visit, and bring encouragement.
It's unfortunate, but I suppose unavoidable given the context that Paul disparages "the Jews": unavoidable because at this time the chief opposition to the spread of the message of Jesus came from Jewish leaders. It is unfortunate, because rhetoric like this has contributed greatly to persecution of Jews by Christians throughout many centuries. When we get to chapter four, I'll invite you to notice that Paul also urges his congregation not to be like the Gentiles, "who don't know right from wrong." (By the way, most of us who are reading these letters are Gentiles.")
In the next section, we'll get to the reason why Paul is writing this, his earliest letter.
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