1 Thessalonians Blog 1

This letter, overall, is thought to have been written by Paul around 50 AD to the Church at Thessalonica. Some scholars think that 1 Thessalonians is the earliest letter of Paul. That is the idea that Raymond F. Collins takes as fact, author of the intro to 1 Thessalonians in the New Interpreter’s Study Bible. According to Craig S. Keener, “Paul had been accused of preaching another king besides Caesar” and Keener cites Acts 17:7 which says, “…They are all acting contrary to the decrees of the emperor saying that there is another king named Jesus.” The Church in Thessalonica continued to see persecution even after Paul left and 1 Thessalonians is an encouragement to them to remain faithful to Christ. Paul explains that there is a future hope even for those who have already died. This letter is a mixture of different types of letters of that time. It is a “letter of thanksgiving,” a “letter of comfort,” a “parenetic letter,” a “letter of praise,” and a “letter of friendship” (Keener 584).

1 Thessalonians 5:15-22 “See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God on Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil.”

I know that God is working in my life when what He says things that may frustrate me but in those words, there is nothing wrong. For example, whenever somebody has hurt me lately by judgments and the spoken word, God has said “Do for that person what they should have done for you.” Often all I wanted was support and a sister or brother in Christ to pray with me. Honestly, over half the time I do not want to pray for them because they “obviously” are doing well. However, it is not only for them that God had asked me to pray. In praying for others who have offended me in some way, I am giving into Love and forgiving them. God is glorified.

Never repay hurt for hurt and thank God for everything because keeps your mind on the things above. I think that I have heard pastors speak that over and over throughout my lifetime.

One of the many cool things about Christianity is that we can worship God anywhere and pray to God anywhere. We do not have to go through rituals to get His attention because He is never looking in another direction, forgetting about us. Praying without ceasing, then, is really not as hard as it could be. Breathe in, pray. Breathe out, pray. When you wake up, say “Good morning, Jesus!” Tell Him everything. Did you have an embarrassing moment? Let Him hear the experience in your own words and laugh with Him. I love this God who is so close!


WORKS CITED
Collins, Raymond F. “The First Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians.” Pages 2115-2116 in The New Interpreter’s Study Bible with the Apocrypha. Edited by Walter J. Harrelson et al. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2003.

Keener, Craig S. “1 Thessalonians,” Pages 583-596 in The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1993.