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1 Thessalonians, Active Waiting

On Paul's second missionary journey he made his way through Greece, preaching the good news of Jesus Christ as he went. He journeyed through such towns of Athens, Philippi, and Thessalonica. Many came to believe in Jesus because of Paul's preaching.

The journey through Greece climaxed in Corinth, where Paul ended up staying a year and a half. While there Paul would send Silas and Timothy out to the cities they had visited to check on the churches. They returned from Thessalonica with some interesting reports.

Background

1 Thessalonians was probably written by Paul around AD 50, early in his 18 month stay in Corinth. He had sent Timothy to Thessalonica to see how the new Christians were doing. Timothy returned with an interesting report; the believers weren't doing anything. 

Now when I say anything, I don't mean the way we typically think of it. Someone may not be doing anything with their life even though they have a job and a family. In our culture this means more of making an impact. The people of Thessalonica were literally doing nothing! Some were quitting their jobs and patiently waiting for Jesus to come back.

Themes

One theme above all others dominates the book of 1 Thessalonians; the second coming of Jesus. As stated previously, the church in Thessalonica had a waiting problem. They were convinced, as many of the early Christians were, that Jesus was going to return any day. So if Jesus was about to come back, why waste time in menial jobs?

Paul emphatically disagrees with this idea. While he too seems to think the return of Jesus is close at hand, he wholeheartedly disagrees with the notion that Christians should stop working. Paul argues that, instead of sitting around looking at the sky, the Thessalonians should live lives pleasing to God. 

Theological Point

While we should be eagerly waiting for the return of Jesus, it should be an active sort of waiting. It is wholly right for Christians to long for the day of Jesus' return. We yearn for the completion of the new creation and the final defeat of evil, but that should not get in the way of the task before us. 

God wants us to live in confident expectation of the return of Christ. We should be actively waiting; obeying his commands as we look forward to his coming. 

Conclusion

Next week we will look at 2 Thessalonians, which was written soon after 1 Thessalonians. We shall see that Paul is addressing many of the same issues, but with a slightly different emphasis. I pray that the Lord Jesus returns quickly, but in the meantime I ask for the strength to live out his commands every day.

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