THE APOSTLE PAUL TO THESSALONIANS 1 1 INTRODUCTION

• THE APOSTLE PAUL TO THESSALONIANS 1

1. INTRODUCTION TO 2 THESSALONIANS. A. WHY A SECOND LETTER AFTER ONLY A FEW MONTHS? B. PAUL IS GENERALLY PLEASED WITH THEIR PROGRESS, BUT THERE ARE STILL SOME ISSUES THAT NEEDED TO BE RESOLVED. . i. THE PERSECUTION OF THE CHURCH WAS STILL ONGOING. ii. PAUL HAD INSTRUCTED THEM ABOUT THE END TIMES IN 1 THESSALONIANS, BUT THERE WAS STILL CONFUSION. iii. PAUL HAD ALSO ADDRESSED THE PROBLEM OF IDLENESS, BUT IT HAS ESCALATED. C. THE LETTER IS WRITTEN FROM CORINTH; SILAS AND TIMOTHY ARE WITH HIM. “PAUL AND SILAS AND TIMOTHY, TO THE CHURCH OF THESSALONIANS IN GOD OUR FATHER AND THE LORD JESUS CHRIST: GRACE TO YOU. . . ” (1: 1 -5) 2

2. A CHURCH TO BE PROUD OF. A. TODAY, CHURCHES TAKE PRIDE IN MANY THINGS: i. iii. iv. v. viii. ix. MEMBERSHIP ROLL/ATTENDANCE. SIZE/DESIGN OF THEIR BUILDING. THEIR WEALTH. MUSIC. SOCIAL STATUS OF THEIR MEMBERS. PROMINENCE OF THEIR PASTOR. THEIR POLITICAL CLOUT. INFLUENCE IN THE COMMUNITY. FREEDOM FROM TRADITIONAL MODES OF WORSHIP. OTHER FORMS OF ‘ENTERTAINMENT. ’ x. B. ALL THIS IS DONE IN AN EFFORT TO CREATE AN INOFFENSIVE, NONTHREATENING ATMOSPHERE FOR THE UNBELIEVERS AND NOMINAL CHRISTIANS IN THEIR CONGREGATIONS. 3

C. BASED ON THE ABOVE SUPERFICIAL STANDARDS, THESSALONIAN CHURCH HAD LITTLE TO COMMEND IT. i. THEY HAD NO BULDING. ii. THEY HAD NO PROGRAMS. iii. THEY HAD NO ENTERTAINMENT. iv. THEY HAD NO SOCIAL STATUS. THEY WERE MOSTLY FROM LOWER SOCIAL CLASSES. “ FOR YE SEE YOUR CALLING, BRETHREN, HOW THAT NOT MANY WISE MEN AFTER THE FLESH, NOT MANY MIGHTY, NOT MANY NOBLE, ARE CALLED: “ (1 COR. 1: 26) v. THEY HAD NO FAMOUS PASTOR. vi. THEY COULD NOT OFFER A “USER-FRIENDLY” NON-THREATENING ENVIRONMENT , ONLY “PERSECUTIONS AND AFFLICTIONS. ” (1: 4) vii. CHRISTIANS WERE DESPISED OUTCASTS IN ROMAN SOCIETY. 4

D. THESSALONICA WAS A SEAPORT CITY OF 250 K PEOPLE. THE CHURCH WAS FOUNDED ON PAUL’S 2 ND MISSIONARY JOURNEY. i. THEY HAD GREAT SUCCESS IN EVANGELIZING THE CITY. “ AND SOME OF THEM BELIEVED, AND CONSORTED WITH PAUL AND SILAS; AND OF THE DEVOUT GREEKS A GREAT MULTITUDE, AND OF THE CHIEF WOMEN NOT A FEW. “ (ACTS 17: 4) ii. THIS ENRAGED THE UNBELIEVING JEWS, FORCING THE THREE TO LEAVE. iii. THEY TRAVELED TO BEREA AND ATHENS, EVENTUALLY MAKING THEIR WAY TO CORINTH. iv. KETTERING HAS 56 K PEOPLE. WHAT KIND OF SUCCESS ARE WE HAVING IN EVANGELIZING THE CITY? OR, AT LEAST, THE PEOPLE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD? 5

E. i. ii. WE CAN PRAY!!!!!! WE KNOW THAT SATAN’S MASTER PLAN IS TO GET THE CHURCH TO SUBSTITUTE THE MIGHTY WEAPON OF EARNEST, PERSISTENT, AND BELIEVING PRAYER FOR A “USERFRIENDLY” NON-THREATENING ENVIRONMENT. WE NEED TO PRAY THAT WE ARE NOT LIKE ANY OF THE SEVEN CHURCHES JESUS WROTE LETTERS TO IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION! “AND UNTO THE ANGEL OF THE CHURCH OF THE LAODICEANS WRITE; I KNOW THY WORKS, THAT THOU ART NEITHER COLD NOR HOT: I WOULD THOU WERT COLD OR HOT. SO THEN BECAUSE THOU ART LUKEWARM, AND NEITHER COLD NOR HOT, I WILL SPUE THEE OUT OF MY MOUTH. BECAUSE THOU SAYEST, I AM RICH, AND INCREASED WITH GOODS, AND HAVE NEED OF NOTHING; AND KNOWEST NOT THAT THOU ART WRETCHED, AND MISERABLE, AND POOR, AND BLIND, AND NAKED: HE THAT HATH AN EAR, LET HIM HEAR WHAT THE SPIRIT SAITH UNTO THE CHURCHES. “ (REV. 3: 1417, 22) 6

PRAY!!! “ASK, AND IT SHALL BE GIVEN TO YOU; “ (MATT. 7: 7) “WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE. “ (MATT. 19: 26) “BE ANXIOUS FOR NOTHING; “ (PHIL. 4: 6 -7) “CALL UNTO ME, AND I WILL ANSWER THEE, AND SHOW THEE GREAT AND MIGHTY THINGS, WHICH THOU KNOWEST NOT. “ (JER. 33: 3) q q PRAYER HAS THE POWER TO BRING SALVATION TO OTHERS. MEN AND WOMEN WHO WERE SEEMINGLY PAST ALL HOPE WERE CONVERTED IN ANSWER TO PRAYER, e. g. , PAUL, YOU, ME, etc. , 7

WHAT WAS THE SECRET OF THIS FULLNESS OF POWER IN THE APOSTLES LIVES AND SERVICE? “THEY CONTINUED STEADFASTLY. . . IN PRAYERS. ” (ACTS 2: 42) 5. GOD DELIGHTS TO ANSWER OUR PRAYERS. “CALL UPON ME IN THE DAY OF TROUBLE; AND I WILL DELIVER THEE AND THOU SHALT GLORIFY ME. ” (PS 50: 15) “THEY THAT WAIT UPON THE LORD SHALL RENEW THEIR STRENGTH; THEY SHALL MOUNT UP WITH WINGS AS EAGLES; THEY SHALL RUN, AND NOT BE WEARY; AND THEY SHALL WALK, AND NOT FAINT. ” (ISA. 40: 31) 6. 7. 8. OUR TIME IS CHRONOLOGICAL; GOD IS TIMELESS. GOD ANSWERS IN THE FULNESS OF HIS TIME. SINCE HE IS PERFECT, GOD CAN NEVER ANSWER TOO LATE! ““YE HAVE NOT, BECAUSE YE ASK NOT. ” (JAS. 4: 2) 8

OUR COMMISSION TO PREACH THE GOSPEL 9

” AND HE SAID UNTO THEM, GO YE INTO ALL THE WORLD, AND PREACH THE GOSPEL TO EVERY CREATURE. HE THAT BELIEVETH AND IS BAPTIZED SHALL BE SAVED; BUT HE THAT BELIEVETH NOT SHALL BE DAMNED. “ (MARK 16: 15 -16) 5. GREAT COMMISSION: PREACH THE GOSPEL. 6. TO WHOM? ALL THE WORLD! 7. “TELL AS MANY AS YOU CAN, AND BID THEM TO TELL OTHERS. 8. WHY WERE THE APOSTLES SO EFFECTIVE? ” WE WILL GIVE OURSELVES CONTINUALLY TO PRAYER AND TO THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD. “ (ACTS 6: 4) 9. AND REMEMBER, THE POWER OF PRAYER CAN REACH ACROSS THE SEA & AROUND THE WORLD! (DAYTON/MOSCOW! ) 10

“ALL HAVE SINNED” (ROM. 3: 23) 11

“THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH” (ROM 6: 23 a) 12

“YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN” (JOHN 3: 7) 13

“UNLESS A MAN BE BORN AGAIN, HE CANNOT SEE THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN” (JOHN 3: 3) 14

“HE CAME UNTO HIS OWN AND HIS OWN RECEIVED HIM NOT” (JOHN 1: 11) 15

“WHILE WE WERE STILL SINNING, CHRIST DIED FOR US” (ROM. 5: 8) 16

“HE DID NO SIN” (1 PET. 2: 22) 17

“FATHER, FORGIVE THEM; FOR THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO” (LUKE 23: 34) 18

• WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED? “BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, AND THOU SHALT BE SAVED” (ACTS 16: 31) 19

• Admit that you are a sinner. • Believe that Jesus died on the cross to pay for your sin, that He rose again on the third day; and, is today, seated at the right -hand of the Father. • Call on God to forgive you of your sins and to save you. 20