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Written by Paul
5 chapters · 24 min read
~50-51 AD
The church in — new believers Paul had to leave too soon
To encourage persecuted believers, clear up confusion about Jesus' return, and urge holy living
First Thessalonians may be the oldest book in the New Testament. Paul had to leave abruptly because of persecution, and he is writing to check on his new converts. He is relieved they are standing firm, answers their questions about believers who have died before Jesus returns, and encourages them to persevere.
Paul — history's greatest evangelist — kept arriving in new cities only to find people already talking about this church before he could say a word.
1 Thessalonians 1 — The Church That Couldn't Be Ignored
Paul's greatest source of pride wasn't his theology or his church-planting resume — it was the specific people he poured his life into.
1 Thessalonians 2 — The Kind of People We Were Among You
Paul said "we really live when you are standing firm" — someone else's faithfulness was literally the thing keeping him alive through his own suffering.
1 Thessalonians 3 — The Letter That Couldn't Wait
Faith doesn't eliminate grief, but it transforms it — Paul tells believers not to grieve like people without hope, which is one of the most honest lines in Scripture.
1 Thessalonians 4 — How to Live While You Wait
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Paul reveals God's will in three words — rejoice, pray, give thanks — cutting through years of agonizing over perfect plans with something almost embarrassingly simple.
1 Thessalonians 5 — Stay Awake — The Day Is Coming