A Study in 1 ThessaloniansExemplo

More Giving. Less Taking.

I grew up in a poor working-class neighborhood without any fancy stores. On the weekends, as a kid, I remember going to the swap meet on Saturdays. It was held in the parking lot of a giant drive-in movie theater. The entire complex was filled with rows of vendors selling most anything you could imagine.

I remember seeing some things that were fancy but selling for cheap. For example, brand new concert t-shirts, designer handbags, and luggage, along with name brand clothing were all very cheaply priced. I asked my mom why these things were so much cheaper at the swap meet and she told me “they are fakes, these are not genuine.” At that moment, I suddenly learned what “knock off” meant. What God creates, Satan counterfeits.

God is the Designer. Satan is the faker. And the entire world is one giant swap meet filled with knock-offs. This simple truth is the key to understanding spiritual warfare and having discernment or the ability to distinguish between the two. The new Christians in Thessalonica were forced to discern between the following as examples:

•People who are for God (1:1-5) vs people who are for Satan (2:18)

•Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy vs false teachers (1:1, 2:1-16)

•Paul’s real letter vs false teachers’ false letters (5:27; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3)

•People with the Holy Spirit vs people without the Holy Spirit (1:5, 5:12-22)

•People who believe the Bible vs people who do not believe the Bible (1:5, 2:13)

•People who turn from idols vs people who trust in idols (1:9)

•People who believe in Jesus Christ vs people who do not (1:9)

•People who suffer for Christ vs people who cause Christians to suffer (3:1-7)

•People who control desires (especially sexual) vs people who do not (4:1-5)

•People rewarded at Jesus’ Second Coming vs people who will be punished (5:1-11)

In any battle, the ultimate goal is to eliminate the highest-ranking leader on the other side of the fight. In Thessalonica, this person was the Apostle Paul. Acts 17:1-9 is the historical record of how the church there was planted. Paul and his ministry team arrived in town, preached the gospel of Jesus Christ, many were saved in a revival, then a riot broke out trying to put down the revival, and Paul fled for his life, which explains why he sent Timothy and other leaders along with a letter – because he could not be physically present.

In Paul’s absence, as is the case in every age, those who were anti-Christ were also anti-Paul. They began spreading lots of lies about him, which would have confused and concerned the new Christians who were saved under his preaching. History has confirmed that Paul has one of the most brilliant minds in human history. In this section of the letter, we also see that he has one of the most tender hearts. He is clear that the driving intent of his entire ministry is the glory of God, saying he wants “to please God.”

There is a common phrase that is helpful when trying to determine if information you receive is true or false: “Consider the source.” Before you can discern what to believe, you must first determine who to believe. In this section, Paul shares his testimony as he does elsewhere to other churches. A few thousand years after 1-2 Thessalonians were written, we know a lot about Paul and nothing about the enemies he faced. We know about the people saved by the Holy Spirit under Paul’s preaching of the gospel, and there is no record of converts attributed to his critics. God has sustained the two letters Paul wrote as books of the Bible and has chosen to forever erase the false book penned by his foes. And, while we are aware of the church Paul planted and served in Thessalonica, there is no record of his enemies doing the same, as Paul was doing ministry, and his agitators were doing anti-ministry. Today, nothing has changed. If someone is doing nothing for you but attacking the people and things God has used to bless you, consider the source.

Reflection:

In addition to 1 Thessalonians 2, look up the places where Paul shares his testimony to validate his ministry (Acts 22:3-8,15-22; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Galatians 1:11-24; Philippians 3:1-11).