1 Thessalonians

As we enter a new year with all of its challenges, we begin our teaching series’ with a look at Paul’s first letter to the Christians in Thessalonica. This is a wide ranging letter written by a man with a great passion for the spread of the gospel and the consistent living out of the gospel message. A letter expressing an intense pastoral concern for a group of new believers, working out their faith in a somewhat hostile environment – encouraging, challenging, explaining and urging authentic Christian witness without compromise to the world around.

It’s one of Paul’s first letters, written from Corinth and coming off the back of Timothy’s visit to Thessalonica and report back to Paul of the church’s progress.

The fledgling Christian community established by Paul and his friends has much to commend it, but issues to face up to, just as is true of our life here at Holy Trinity. As we study the letter together we must be prepared to receive encouragement and be challenged, both personally and corporately. As John Stott write in the introduction to his commentary on Thessalonians: ‘I cannot imagine how any church member or leader could fail to find both direction and inspiration in these letters for the life of their local church.'

Energy flows from every chapter and the lively faith described in this short letter provides us with plenty of food for thought at the beginning of 2004.