Turning Thessalonica Upside Down

  I will never forget the look of the 12-year-old girl who walked into our church plant. She was drenched from head to toe. Sofia (not her real name) walked several miles to get to our church through steady rain. Her dedication was certainly admirable.

     Sofia started coming to our little church plant in Portugal some months before. As she sat under the ministry of the Word of God, she understood her need for salvation. As time went on, she encouraged her mother to come to Christ. Sofia’s mother came to Christ and then they both were burdened for Tiago, Sofia’s brother. In time he also came to understand his need for a Savior. Through this one young girl, the gospel entered a family and spread to aunts, uncles, and grandparents.

     God regularly uses one person to start the spreading of the gospel through a whole family. He can significantly turn the direction of an entire family unit through the dedicated testimony of one unsuspecting, seemingly unassuming individual. The New Testament and church history are full of examples of God transforming people and cities through the preaching of the gospel and His Word.

     This blog will describe how two important emphases of Paul impacted the Thessalonian church. The first emphasis of Paul is the preaching of the gospel. We can understand his method of operation from Acts 17:1-9.

     On Paul’s second missionary journey, his team passed through the significant city of Thessalonica. As was his custom, he went to the synagogue first. He seems to have repeatedly gone to the synagogue for three weeks (or as the text says, “three Sabbath days).

     Notice the verbs used in Acts 17:2-3, “he reasoned with them form the Scriptures, explaining and proving that is was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead…”

     Since the audience was Jewish, he developed his message from the Old Testament Scriptures. In Greek dominated cultures he would begin with God as creator of the universe (see Acts 14:8-18 and 17-31 as examples).

     The verbs used to describe Paul’s method in Acts 17:2-3 are reasoned, explained, and proved.

• “Reason” is used over ten times in Acts to describe Paul’s declaration of the gospel (i.e. 17:17, 18:14). It means to dialogue, argue and dispute. The main idea is to discourse in a conversational manner.

• “Explain” means to open up like when Jesus “opened up” the Scriptures to the disciples on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24. In Acts 16:14 this idea is used when the Lord “opened” Lydia’s heart to accept what was preached by Paul.

• “Prove” means to set before someone. The disciples were encouraged by Jesus to eat whatever what was set before them. Lawyers would put arguments before judges in the Roman era.

     Some of the Thessalonians were persuaded and some were not. Some came to love Christ and follow Him through great persecution. Others feared that Paul who had “turned the world upside down” in other cities had come there to do the same (Acts 17:6).

     It is informative to read Paul’s account of these interactions. In 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8, Paul describes his presentation with words such as bold declarations and appeals. He also describes his gentleness. He was delicate in his service. He was as gentle as a nursing mother with her newborn child (2:7-8). So much so that he explains that he shared more than the gospel, he shared his own life and affections with them.

     When we are working with other people, we must be willing to enter their lives. We must guard ourselves from a callous approach to their difficulties and sufferings. People come to faith in Christ in stages. We might walk with them in the early stages of their coming to Christ or farther along in their journey. Either way, we must be willing to reason, explain and prove the message of God. Certainly, the Holy Spirit gives enlightenment to the person and the Lord must work in their hearts and minds to understand it. We can be the tool he uses to clearly explain and declare His message but often it takes patience, care, and affection.

     Once people came to Christ, Paul cared for them in a different manner. It is found in 1 Thess. 2:9-13. As Paul cared for these new believers, he wanted them to grow more and more into the image of Christ. We also have three verbs that describe this care in verse 11.

• Exhorted – This means to encourage to do something, to spur on.

• Encouraged – This word is only found 4 times in the New Testament. People surrounded Mary and Martha to “comfort” them in John 11. In 1 Thes. 5:14 people are encouraged to “comfort the fainthearted”. The idea is encouraging action in the face of adversity.

• Charged – The idea behind this word is to insist or implore.

     Take note that Paul exhorted, encouraged, and charged them to “walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.” “To walk” is another way to describe how a person lives. It is common in Paul’s writings and used again in 1 Thes. 4:1, “Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more.”

     In verse 13, the Thessalonians are commended for their acceptance of the message of God. They understood it was from the Lord and allowed it to work in their hearts and lives. The two letters to the Thessalonians have passages where Paul is encouraged by their growth and development.

     In most places of the world people are coming to Christ from a difficult family life. Often, they come from generations of difficulty. Past sinful behaviors by parents and grandparents can cause much pain and confusion for the people who come before us looking for help and healing.

     In our young church plant, there was a young couple who wanted to get married. They had accepted Christ and were seeking to grow and develop spiritually. They both had come from very difficult family lives, and they carried the burden of forming a new relationship different than anything they had experienced. They also desired to help their siblings who were also still suffering under difficult circumstances.

     God worked wonderfully in their lives and helped them to form a wonderful bond in their marriage. As they grew closer to God and His Word, they were able to overcome past hurts and discouragements. It was not easy for them, but they learned to depend upon God to give them wisdom and discernment.

     Much of what is done in Biblical counseling is the process of walking with people as they come to Christ and then helping them instill Biblical principles in their lives as they “walk” in a renewed way. This impacts every area of their lives, and we must move ahead with great patience and encouragement.

     As you reflect on this passage from 2 Thessalonians, please take time to notice how Paul cared for the people of this city and church. It was an ongoing relationship that continued for many years. Two people, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonia eventually joined Paul and his traveling team (Acts 20:4).

     Whom has God placed in your life right now? Some may need the gospel and others may need encouragement in their walk. Take time and be patient as you work with them and look to the Thessalonian letters for a source of inspiration.