1 Thessalonians 5 - What to do waiting for Jesus return?

Imagine a church very focused on Jesus return. The focus is on the future where things will be changed: there will be a reward for those who believed in Jesus as the Messiah whereas there will be a punishment for those who rejected the gospel. The problem is that too much focus on the future may imply in a bad behavior in the present. For instance: why work? why build new things? why improve in life? In chapter 5, Paul addresses the problem: What to do waiting for Jesus return? In resume, we are to live the life that reflects the life that the Lord designed for us.
We are to have communion with the Lord through prayer, and to grow as a community that loves the Lord:

13-15 Get along among yourselves, each of you doing your part. Our counsel is that you warn the freeloaders to get a move on. Gently encourage the stragglers, and reach out for the exhausted, pulling them to their feet. Be patient with each person, attentive to individual needs. And be careful that when you get on each other’s nerves you don’t snap at each other. Look for the best in each other, and always do your best to bring it out.
16-18 Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.

In a way, this life is about to bring the kingdom of heaven to earth.

1 Thessalonians 4: Stewardship, not Escapism

Paul had been preaching the Messiah, a life surrendered to him and His return when His enemies would be conquered.
Some people listened to this message and thought: "why to work if this world will come to an end? if this world will be conquered by Jesus?". So, some people stopped working and began to live by the charity of others, giving a very bad testimony to outsiders. We read:

11-12 Stay calm; mind your own business; do your own job. You’ve heard all this from us before, but a reminder never hurts. We want you living in a way that will command the respect of outsiders, not lying around sponging off your friends.


Jesus loves his creation; He loves us and He wants us to love, to serve, to be useful.
Some people died while waiting for Jesus return. It was troublesome because they thought that Jesus would return very soon. What would happen to the dead?
In this chapter, we read about the rapture, perhaps the only place in the Bible that talks about it:

15-18 And then this: We can tell you with complete confidence—we have the Master’s word on it—that when the Master comes again to get us, those of us who are still alive will not get a jump on the dead and leave them behind. In actual fact, they’ll be ahead of us. The Master himself will give the command. Archangel thunder! God’s trumpet blast! He’ll come down from heaven and the dead in Christ will rise—they’ll go first. Then the rest of us who are still alive at the time will be caught up with them into the clouds to meet the Master. Oh, we’ll be walking on air! And then there will be one huge family reunion with the Master. So reassure one another with these words.

It is very interesting that some people think that as we are meeting Jesus in the air, we will go and live in heaven. No. The Bible says in many passages that we are living here in Earth, but a recreated Earth, governed by the Messiah. The New Jerusalem comes to Earth and not goes to heave. So, why are we meeting Jesus in the air? At that time, when the king came to his town, the city would meet him in the gates of the town and bring him in; as we meeting Jesus in the air and return to earth.

So, again this text is about stewardship (I serve the Master), not escapism (to escape from this world). Although our life is on earth, the vision of the coming Messiah is very important to keep our faith alive.

1 Thessalonians 3: Paul received good news from the Thessalonian church.

The Thessalonian church was persecuted by three kinds of people: 1) it was very offensive to the Romans to listen that "Jesus is Lord". 2) it was very offensive to families and co-workers to abandon their false gods so the church was ostracized from their families or from their jobs. They faced a social pressure by their families and an economic pressure from their jobs. 3) the Jews were against them and used the Romans to persecute them, as in Acts 17:5.  

Paul was eager to know how these new church was facing persecution, so he sent Timothy to know the situation. He received the good news that they were enduring persecution and he became very glad to listen to it.

It is very interesting to see how powerful is the message, the good news that "Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God that came to redeem us" because it was necessary the Lord's power to endure what the Thessalonian church was facing. It was also necessary strong ties among the church members to support one another; including people who lost financial support. Today, we abandon the church for little things showing the fragility of our faith.

1 Thessalonians 2: Paul reinforces his love to the Thessalonians

Paul left Thessalonica in a hurry (as in Acts 17). Some in the church might find that Paul was abandoning them. He explains that in fact he loves them. His message was given to the Philipians when he was beaten and jailed. Why would he repeat the preaching again in Thessalonica with similar results? Not to explore them but because he wanted them to leave their false gods and believe in Jesus as their Messiah. In doing he behaved as father and mother who cares for their children. In fact, Paul is proud of them. He said:

19 For who is our hope, or joy or crown of pride, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? Or is it not indeed you? 20 For you are our glory and joy.

I would like to be in church where the pastor imitates Paul. 

1_Thessalonians 1: First letter of Paul in New Testament?

1_Thessalonians 1: First letter of Paul in New Testament?

The letters of Paul in New Testament are placed from the greatest to the least. Many people believe that 1 Thessalonians were the first letter of Paul that survived in the New Testament. It was written around 50 -51 AD, less than 20 years after the resurrection. In this blog, we will read the letters of Paul chronologically.

This letter must have been written during Paul’s second missionary journey. In Acts 17, Paul preaches in Thessalonica. It was a great city in a road connecting Rome to Byzantium (Via Egnatia). It was also a port. It was a "civitas libera", free city. The Thessalonians supported the right side on the civil wars and they were allowed to govern themselves. The message of the gospel declaring Jesus as King, Jesus as Lord, was very offensive to them in general. Paul preached but had to flee from the city. He got news from the converted Thessalonians and wrote a letter to them. He said:

2-5 Every time we think of you, we thank God for you. Day and night you’re in our prayers as we call to mind your work of faith, your labor of love, and your patience of hope in following our Master, Jesus Christ, before God our Father. It is clear to us, friends, that God not only loves you very much but also has put his hand on you for something special. When the Message we preached came to you, it wasn’t just words. Something happened in you. The Holy Spirit put steel in your convictions.

Some missionaries want to gain souls to Jesus and stop there. Here, Paul wrote a letter to guide the Thessalonians in their new life with Jesus, in a empire hostile to another Lord, but Caesar.

Acts 28: Paul in Rome

The Lord had been guiding Paul. In Acts 27, Paul said to the crew of the ship:

23 For this very night an angel of the God to whom I belong, whom I also serve, came to me, 24 saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has graciously granted you all those who are sailing with you.’

Paul was confident that the Lord was with him, guiding his ways. After the shipwreck, Paul is in Malta Island. He miraculously saved from a snake bite. There, he made new friends such as Publius who had a sick father.
He finally arrives in Rome. He is welcomed by the church in Rome. He preaches to the Jews: some accept the gospel, other reject. Although Paul is a prisoner, he lived in a rented house, where he welcomed everyone who wanted to know more about Jesus.

That is the end of the book of Acts which is somehow strange given that Paul was executed by Caesar Nero. There is a theory that Luke wrote to Theophilos in order to defend Paul in his judgment. If so, the book of Acts must have been helpful in order to sustain that Paul was not guilty. Soon after he must have traveled to Spain (according to "The Muratorian Fragment"). He was killed by Nero around AD 64 and AD 67 in a persecution to Christians.

Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 11:1): "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ." ; indeed, Paul is an example of to place the Lord Jesus in first place.

Acts 27: Paul is sent to Rome with two friends

Paul is a Roman citzen and a prisioner who appealed to Ceasar. He was in Ceasaria Martima that worked like a great Airport Hub with ships to many destinations. He had been previously many times there. Now, Paul is sent to Rome in a ship to Sidon with two friends: Luke and Aristarchus.
Although I live in large city, I don't have many friends. Paul was a prisioner with two leal friends but not only that, he was always gaining friends in his life. He was assigned under the care of the centurion Julius who became friend of Paul. They changed to an Egyptian ship full of wheat (a valuable cargo) which was destroyed in a shipwreck. In a way, Paul was taking care of all in the ship, he wanted them all alive.
Paul had a mission and he cared for people (not only Christians). No wonder he had friends.