|
1Thessalonians Chapter Two
Paul's Ministry in Thessalonica
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1) Where did Paul say he has previously
suffered and insulted, with the help of God, what did Paul do in spite of strong
opposition, and what did Paul say the appeal they made to the church in
Thessalonica did not spring from?
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
The Thessalonians knew that Paul had been
imprisoned in Philippi just prior to coming to Thessalonica (see Acts
16:11-17:1). Fear of imprisonment did not keep Paul from preaching the gospel.
If God wants us to do something, he will give us the strength and courage to do
it despite any obstacles that may come our way.
This pointed statement may be a response to accusations from the Jewish
leaders who had stirred up the crowds (Acts 17:5). Paul did not seek money,
fame, or popularity by sharing the gospel. He demonstrated that he and Silas had
suffered for sharing the gospel in Philippi. People become involved in ministry
for a variety of reasons, not all of them are good or pure. When their bad
motives are exposed, all of Christ's work suffers. When you get involved in
ministry, do so out of love for Christ and others.
2) How did Paul say they (the people with bad
motives) speak, who did Paul say they where trying to please, what does God
test, what did Paul say they never used, for what reason did Paul say they (Paul
and Silas) never put on a mask, who did Paul say is their witness, who did Paul
say they never looked for praise from, as apostles of Christ how were they among
the church of Thessalonica, and because they loved the church so much, what were
they delighted to do?
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
In trying to persuade people, we may be
tempted to altar our position just enough to make our message more palatable or
to use flattery or praise. Paul never changed his message to make it more
acceptable, but he did tailor his methods to each audience. Although our
presentation must be altered to be appropriate to the situation, the truth of
the gospel must never be compromised.
It's disgusting to hear a person "butter up" someone. Flattery is phony, and
it is a false cover-up for a person's real intentions. Christians should not be
flatterers. Those who proclaim God's truth have a special responsibility to be
honest. Are you honest and straightforward in your words and actions? Or do you
tell people what they want to hear in order to get what you want or to get
ahead?
When Paul was with the Thessalonians, he didn't flatter them, didn't seek
their praise, and didn't become a burden to them. He and Silas completely
focused their efforts on presenting God's message of salvation to the
Thessalonians. That was important! The Thessalonian believers had their lives
changed by God, not Paul; it was Christ's message they believed, not Paul's.
When we witness for Christ, our focus should not be on the impression we make.
As true ministers of Christ, we should point to him, not to ourselves.
Gentleness is often overlooked as a personal trait in our society. Power and
assertiveness gain more respect, even though no one likes to be bullied.
Gentleness is love in action-being considerate, meeting the needs of others,
allowing time for the other person to talk, and being willing to learn. It is an
essential trait for both men and women. Maintain a gentle attitude in your
relationship with others.
3) What is the church at Thessalonica and God
a witness to, how did Paul say they dealt with each one of them at the church in
Thessalonica, what kind of lives did Paul encourage them to live, and what does
God call you into?
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
No loving father would neglect the safety of
his children, allowing them to walk into circumstances that might be harmful or
fatal. In the same way, we must take new believers under our wing until they are
mature enough to stand firm in their faith. We must help new Christians become
strong enough to influence others for the sake of the gospel.
By his words and example, Paul encouraged the Thessalonians to live in such a
way that would be worthy of God. Is there anything about your daily life that
would embarrass God? What do people think of God from watching you?
4) For what reason did Paul say they thank God
continually, what did Paul say is at work in you who believe, what did Paul say
they have become, how did Paul say the church at Thessalonica suffered, who did
the Jews displease, who did Paul say the Jews killed, how did the Jews displease
God and are hostile to all men, in this way what have the Jews heaped upon
themselves, and what has come upon them at last?
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
In New Testament, the word of God
usually refers to the preaching of the gospel, the Old Testament, or Jesus
Christ himself. Today we often apply it only to the Bible. Remember that Jesus
Christ himself is the Word (John 1:1).
Just as the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem were persecuted by other Jews, so
the Gentile Christians in Thessalonica were persecuted by their fellow Gentiles.
Persecution is discouraging, especially when it comes from your own people. When
you take a stand for Christ, you may face opposition, disapproval, and ridicule
from your neighbors, friends, and even family members.
When Paul refers to the Jews, he is talking about certain Jews who opposed
his preaching of the gospel. He does not mean all Jews. Many of Paul's converts
were Jewish. Paul himself was a Jew (2Corinthians 11:22).
Why were so many Jews opposed to Christianity? (1) Although the Jewish
religion had been declared legal by the Roman government, it still had a tenuous
relationship with the government. At this time, Christianity was viewed as a
sect of Jerusalem. The Jews were afraid that reprisals leveled against the
Christians might be expanded to include them. (2) The Jewish leaders thought
Jesus was a false prophet, and they didn't want his teachings to spread. (3)
they feared that if many Jews were drawn away, their own political position
might be weakened. (4) They were proud of their special status as God's chosen
people, and they represent the fact that Gentiles could be full members within
the Christian church.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Paul's Longing to See the Thessalonians
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5) Who stopped Paul from coming to the church
in Thessalonica, and who did Paul say is his glory and joy?
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Satan is real. He is called "the god
of this age" (2Corinthians 4:4) and "the ruler of the kingdom of the air"
(Ephesians 2:2). We don't know exactly what hindered Paul from returning to
Thessalonica-opposition, illness, travel complications, or a direct attack by
Satan-but Satan worked in some way to keep him away. Many of difficulties that
prevent us from accomplishing God's work can be attributed to Satan (see
Ephesians 6:12).
The ultimate reward for Paul's ministry was not money, prestige, or fame,
but new believers whose lives had been changed by God through the preaching of
the gospel. This was why he longed to see them. No matter what ministry God has
given to you, your highest reward and greatest joy should be those who come to
believe in Christ and are growing in him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Answers 1Thessalonians Chapter Two
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1) in Philippi...to tell you his (God's)
gospel...error or impure motives
2) as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel...God...our
hearts...flattery...to cover up greed...God...men...gentle...to share with you
not only the gospel of God but our lives as well
3) of how holy, righteous and blameless they were among you who believe...as a
father deals with his own children...worthy of God...his kingdom and glory
4) because, when you received the word of God, you accepted it not as the word
of men, but as it actually is...the word of God...imitators of God's churches in
Judea...the same things those churches suffered from the Jews...the Lord Jesus
and the prophets...in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so
they may be saved...their sins to the limit...the wrath of God
5) Satan...the church at Thessalonica (you)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Taken from The NIV Life Application Study Bible,
Zondervan Publishers
|