Day 2 – Format of the Letter
Read: I Thessalonians Chapter 3, 4, and 5.
The letter can be divided into two sections. A prayer opens the letter, a prayer divides the two sections, and Paul closes this short letter with a prayer. The first section (Chapters 1 to 3) can be described as a celebration of faithfulness. The second section (Chapters 4 and 5) can be described as a challenge to grow. This pattern seems like a good recipe for everyday life – start with prayer, live by faith, pray again, seek to grow, and finally close the day with prayer again.
A careful reading of the text reveals four separate themes that Paul developed as he wrote to admonish these early Christ followers.
- The second coming of Jesus (4:16, 17; 1:10; 2:19: 3:13; 5:23), how should this future event, later described by Paul as “our blessed hope”, affect the daily life of a Christ follower?
- Work / labor (1:3; 2:9; 4:11,12; 5:12) – what should we do while we wait for the return of Jesus?
- Sanctified living (2:10 – 12; 4:3) – what does that look like?
- Endurance (1:3; 2:14,15; 3:2,3) Hope provides the fuel that powers endurance.
If you’re a new Christ follower, I Thessalonians is a book for you because it will convince you of how important it is to work toward maturity in the faith. If your Christian walk has become stale, I Thessalonians is a book for you because it will remind you of what the gospel did for you and how you should walk daily to bring glory to the one who made your new life possible. If you are short on hope and see too many burdens in your life, I Thessalonians is a book for you because it will remind you that Christ is coming back someday and you will live eternally with the One who died to redeem you.
Prayer time: Lord, I praise you for establishing the gospel and preserving it in a world which was frequently hostile to your love and grace. You looked beyond my faults and saw my needs. I thank you for Jesus who loved me so much that he chose to die because He couldn’t bear to live without me. Help me to always be grateful and to live worthy of your love for me.
Final thought: Persecution was often very intense for the early churches. Rarely did the culture quietly sit by and not challenge a movement which was perceived as hostile to the Jews or a threat to the Roman government. God used the persecution to spread the gospel quickly throughout the world as new Christians fled with their families to find a place where they could practice their new faith without threats to their income or very lives. If there is no persecution or even discomfort in your life because of the gospel, perhaps you are trying too hard to fit in and not stand out for Jesus.