“Welcome to Saloniki”
Acts 17:1-15/1 Thess. 1:1-5
Message #1 in 1 Thess. Series
McEwen Bible Fellowship
24 July 2022
INTRODUCTION:
The account of Paul’s second missionary journey begins in Acts 15:40, describing how he and Silas left from Antioch in Syria to travel back to all those cities where Paul and Barnabas had ministered on their first journey. Up until Acts 16:10 all the ministry that Luke describes took place in Asia, in what is today known as Turkey. However, in Acts 16:11 we read about Paul and his traveling companions catching a ship from Troas on the western tip of Turkey, to Neapolis by way of Samothrace, which is in Greece. From Neapolis they travelled overland to Philippi, the main city of that region known as Macedonia. This chapter is important for many reasons, but one of them being that Philippi was the first church planted in Europe. (The church in Thessaloniki was the second church planted in Europe.) The rest of Acts 16 recounts the events that occurred in Philippi, resulting in the planting of the Philippian church. Acts 16 ends with Paul, Silas, and Timothy leaving Philippi, saying goodbye to the brethren there and moving on to their next assignment.
TRANSITION:
Acts
17 recounts the story about the next phase of their missionary journey but Acts
17:1 makes it sound like a simple trip. In fact, it was much harder than it
sounds here:
Ø
Philippi
à Amphipolis = 33 miles
Ø
Amphipolis
à Apollonia = 30 miles
Ø Apollonia à Thessaloniki = 37 miles (Total of 100 miles. That is like walking from Baker City to 6 miles beyond Pendleton.)
Thessaloniki was an important city even in Paul’s day. Under the Romans it was a major commercial centre and the capital of one of the four regions of the area that they called, “Macedonia.” In antiquity it had been called Therma because of its hot springs, but in 315 BC Cassander of Macedon, the Macedonian king who rebuilt the city and turned it into a thriving centre of government, art, and commerce renamed it after his wife, Thessaloniki, daughter of Philip II of Macedon and sister of Alexander the Great. After the fall of the kingdom of Macedon in 168 BC, Thessaloniki became a city of the Roman Republic. It grew to be an important trade-hub located on the Via Egnatia and facilitating trade between Europe and Asia. When Paul and Silas entered the city, it was a mixture of several cultures: Greek, Macedonian, Roman, and Jewish, to name a few. Even back then there was a large Jewish quarter in the city with an active synagogue. Today, Thessaloniki, also called Saloniki, is the 2nd largest city in Greece with over 1 million inhabitants. It is still the cultural and artistic centre of Greece.
Listen
as I read Acts 17:1-15. This is the background story describing the start of
the ministry in Thessaloniki.
When Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessaloniki, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,” he said. 4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women. 5 But other Jews were jealous; so, they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd. 6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city officials, shouting: “These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, 7 and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.” 8 When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. 9 Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go. 10 As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessaloniki, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. 12 As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men. 13 But when the Jews in Thessaloniki learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, some of them went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. 14 The believers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea. 15 Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.
MAIN BODY:
Now we are going to turn a corner, go forward in time. Turn to the book of 1 Thessalonians. What we have here is a letter that Paul sent back to the Christians in Thessaloniki to encourage them in their faith and to clear up some theological misunderstandings. It was written from Corinth perhaps about the middle of AD 50, approximately a year after Paul was run out of Thessaloniki. It is believed to be the very first of the Pauline epistles.
1 Thessalonians 1:1-5, “Paul, and Silvanus and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. 2 We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers; 3 constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labour of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father, 4 knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you; 5 for our Gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.”
Verse 1: “Paul, and Silvanus and Timothy, to the church
of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you
and peace.”
·
First, look at the three names. Paul, you know, and Timothy too.
But who is Silvanus? You know him better by his Greek name, Silas.
Silvanus is the Latin form of his name because he was almost certainly a Roman
citizen, as was Paul. Looking back at the story of the founding of the
Thessalonian church recorded in Acts 17 you will remember that these were the
same three men who carried the Gospel to that city. These were their spiritual
fathers, the men who had led them to saving faith in Jesus Christ.
· Secondly, notice Paul’s salutation: “Grace to you, and peace.” He uses this same formula repeatedly, yet he never inverts the order of the words. We can only know God’s peace after first experiencing His grace. Grace precedes peace. Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” We cannot have the peace of God until we have made peace with God, and that requires drinking deeply of His grace, and receiving Christ by faith.
Verse 2: “We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention
of you in our prayers;”
·
Here
you can see the deep affection that Paul and his colleagues feel toward these
Christians in Thessaloniki. It is that pride and affection that one has toward
those whom he has led to the Saviour. Being a spiritual father is very
satisfying. To know that because of your faithfulness and your testimony,
coupled with the power of God to save, another soul will be in Heaven… that is
a powerful drug, and very habit-forming.
·
Paul
uses three word-pictures in this letter that show the warm affection that he, Silas,
and Timothy have toward the believers in Thessaloniki.
ü In 2:7 he says they were
like nursing mothers, who gently and tenderly care for their own
children.
ü In 2:11 he says that they
were like firm fathers, who show their love for their children by
exhorting, encouraging, and imploring them toward excellence.
ü In 2:17 Paul uses a colourful Greek word meaning to be bereft, or to be orphaned from to describe how he and the others felt about their separation from the folks at Thessaloniki that they had come to know and love. He uses the Greek word aporphanídzomai, which means to be bereft or separated, as an orphan is separated from his parents. It is a compound word made up of the preposition apo, meaning “from,” plus orphanos, “an orphan.” The KJV translates the verse this way: “But we brethren, being taken from you for a short time, in presence, not in heart, endeavoured the more abundantly to see your face with great desire.” The NASV says it this way: “But we, brethren, having been bereft of you for a short while—in person, not in spirit—were all the more eager with great desire to see your face.” And of course, the NIV reads this way: “But brothers, when we were torn away from you for a short time (in person, not in thought), out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you.”
Verse 3: “…constantly bearing in mind [lit. remembering unceasingly] your
work of faith, and labour of love, and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus
Christ, in the presence of our God and Father”
·
Here
you have the content of Paul, and Silas, and Timothy’s prayers for the
Thessalonians. In the first phrase Paul uses the Greek word adialeíptos,
which means “without ceasing, without let up.” In Greek literature it is
used of incessant heart pain, or an annoying persistent cough that just hangs
on forever. It is the same word Paul chooses to use in 5:17 where he charges us
to “Pray without ceasing,” i.e., without let up, without quitting. He says
that he and his friends were constantly remembering and giving thanks to God
for three significant things about the Thessalonians: their work of faith,
their labour of love, and their steadfastness of hope. All three of these
phases are genitive Greek constructions, and all three should be handled in the
same way.
1. “Their work
of faith”
– Or to put it in clearer English, “faith that works, that functions, that
produces fruit.” He is referring to the good things produced by their
faith, the genuine fruit of their genuine faith. Their faith in God was a
body-building faith, a faith with muscles. Real faith will produce real
results, visible results. Faith is a muscle that must be exercised constantly.
If not used, it becomes flabby, flaccid, and eventually atrophied.
2. “Their labour
of love”
– Same construction. Paul is saying that their love caused them to labour. The
word he uses here for work, however, is different than the word he uses in the
previous phrase. There he uses the Greek word, ergon, which
refers to what is done, and may often be easy and pleasant. In this second phrase
he switches to the Greek word, kopos, which literally means “a
striking or a beating,” carrying the idea of “toil resulting in weariness,
laborious toil.” It emphasizes the gut-busting process of back-breaking labour,
which is seldom pleasant, but often necessary. This is the word we would use to
describe what soldiers do in war on the front-lines—it is the painful,
laborious, day-after-day, no-frills/no-fun kind of work. But Paul says that is
what he remembers about them—their love for God and for the people that God
loves, that caused them to be relentless in their labours to serve Christ. The
Christian life is not a walk in the park, it is a battlefield. It is not a
stroll in the shade, but a call to arms. We are called to be servants of God,
and servants know how to work, and work hard. Unfortunately, today, too many
Christians are sitting in their lawn chairs drinking lemonade, just waiting for
Jesus to come back, totally oblivious to the fact that we are in the middle of
a spiritual war in which every Christian soldier is needed.
3. “Their steadfastness
of hope”
– That is, the steadfastness and security that their hope produces in them. This
hope is in God, not in men or governments or methods or systems or skills
or programs. God is the only One who will never fail us. God is the only One
worthy of our faith, trust, and hope. Daniel 11:32 says, “The people who
know their God will display strength and take action.” I also like the
way it reads in the KJV: “But the people that do know their God shall be strong
and do exploits.” Those who place their hope in God can stand up to
anything, any kind of tribulation, persecution, testing. The man who has his
hope anchored in God will remain steadfast and secure. He will be like the oak
tree firmly planted by a river, as described in Psalm 1, “…which yields its
fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he
prospers.”
4. It is interesting that the three virtues Paul mentions here are the same three he speaks of in 1 Corinthians 13:13 where he says, “But now abide faith, hope, and love, these three.” So, to sum up this verse, Paul is commending the Thessalonian believers on their faith that functions, love that sweats, and hope that survives.
Verse 4: “…knowing, brethren, beloved by God, His choice of
you”
·
Two
wonderful truths here:
1. These Christians are beloved by God. Too many of us walk around feeling like God does not really like us. We feel like red-headed stepchildren, waiting to be shipped off to boarding school. We do not like ourselves very much so we figure that God could not possibly like/love us either. We look over our shoulder all the time, sort of hoping that He is not watching us, because we think that if He really knew about us what we know about ourselves He simply could not love us. My friend, that is the devil’s own lie. God sees us all the time and He loves us anyway. If you could only see the smile on God’s face when He looks at you it would change your mind completely. Why do you think that children loved Jesus so much? –because He loved them dearly and His smile and twinkling eyes and tender touch proved it. They instinctively knew that He really loved them, so they flocked to Him. Here Paul reminds the Thessalonian believers that God loves them in this very same way. Of these same Thessalonian Christians Paul writes in 2 Thess. 2:13, “But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.” SO, WHAT’S MY POINT? If all these believers are beloved by God, what makes you think He does not love you just as much? God does not play favourites with His children. He loves them alike—the naughty ones and the nice ones—and face it, we are all naughty more than we are nice, but He loves us anyway.
2. Secondly, Paul says that the Thessalonian Christians are not only beloved by God, but they are also chosen by God. I know that idea freaks a lot of people out, even Christians. They say, “That sounds like Calvinism to me, and I don’t believe in Calvinism or election, or predestination, or any of that stuff.” My answer to you is that you need to go back and read the Book again. The Bible says repeatedly that our salvation is not a result of us choosing God, but of His choosing us, and coming down to look for us, even when we were running hard in the opposite direction to try and get away from Him. Paul’s statement here is not an attempt to get a theological argument started. He simply states categorically that the Thessalonian Christians should find comfort in the fact that God chose them for Himself before the foundation of the world. That applies to us as well. Do not get hung up on it—just accept it, thank God for it, and move on.
Verse 5: “…for our Gospel did not come to you in
word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and with
full conviction; just as you know what kind of men
we proved to be among you for your sake.”
·
There
are five (5) observations I want to make from this verse:
1.
First,
here Paul reminds the believers that when he and Silas and Timothy showed up in
Thessaloniki, they did not come just spouting pious words— “…not in word
only.” They were not just religious gasbags like the Pharisees, full of
religious sounding hot air. The Good News, the Gospel, is rooted in the written
Word of God, that is true. But even Bible truth, without living flesh, is an
incomplete Gospel. Our words, even if we are quoting God’s Word, are not
enough. Before we can share the Gospel effectively, we must be the
Gospel. We need to be good news to people so they will want to hear
the Good News that we are sent to proclaim.
2.
Secondly
the Gospel also needs to be accompanied by demonstrations of God’s supernatural
power— “…also in power.” Our words need something to back them
up. One of my favourite stories in the Bible is found in 1 Kings 18. It is the
story of Elijah and the 450 prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel. Elijah challenged
those false prophets to a little contest: “Your idol-god versus my God.”
I am sure you remember the story. When it was Elijah’s turn, after preparing
the altar and the sacrifice and soaking the whole thing with gallons of water
he lifted his voice to the God of Heaven and prayed this prayer: “O LORD,
the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, today let it be known that Thou art God
in Israel, and that I am Thy servant, and that I have done all these things at
Thy word. Answer me, O LORD, answer me,
that this people may know that Thou, O LORD, art God, and that Thou hast turned
their heart back again.” I love these next verses: “Then fire of the
LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust
and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it,
they fell on their faces; and they said, ‘The LORD, He is God; the LORD, He is
God!’” Elijah’s words were not enough. A demonstration of divine power was
needed too.
3.
Thirdly,
this begs the question: “But where does divine power come from?” Paul answers
that with the next phrase: “…and in the Holy Spirit.” Without the
Holy Spirit’s anointing and empowering we are like a Ferrari with an empty gas
tank. We look good but we are not going anywhere. We need to learn to walk in
step with the Spirit, to be filled with the Spirit, controlled by the Spirit of
God.
4.
Fourthly,
Paul mentions something else that characterized his ministry among the
Thessalonians: “…with full conviction.” Maybe one of the reasons
the world is not impressed with our Gospel about our Jesus is because they are
not impressed by us. We try to sound convincing about a message
that has not really changed our lives that much. You did not have to
spend more than five minutes with Paul, and Silas, and Timothy to discover that
they were fully convinced of the truth of every word they spoke. There
is something very impressive about people who are totally captivated by their
message. The world still marvels at men like William Carey, John Huss, C.T.
Studd, Adoniram Judson, and Nate Saint because they were Christians who were
totally convinced of the power of God and the power of the Gospel to change
lives.
5. And lastly notice Paul’s words, “…just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.” Not only were Paul and his colleagues totally convinced of the truth of their message, but they also lived their lives in an exemplary way to be a visible testimony to the Thessalonian believers of how a Christian should live, love, think, and act. They demonstrated the truth of the message by living it out in private and in public.
CONCLUSION:
Maybe what the world is waiting for in our day is to see whether we really believe the stuff we preach and teach. Proclamation of the Gospel is good, but demonstration of the Gospel is better. Our words, by themselves, are not enough.
Our
Gospel message must be supported by our own authentic experience with God,
resulting in our full conviction of the validity of God’s Word and of our own
testimony, and must be accompanied by actions driven forward by the power and
presence of God working through us. Anything less will not get the job done.
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