1 Thessalonians 1

Chapter Analysis of I Thessalonians 1

Passage Description

vv.1-3	We [Paul, Silas, and Timothy] remember you fondly in our prayers
vv.4-10	You [Thessalonian Church] are a model of what it means to be Christ's Church

Verse-by-Verse Analysis

(vs) Observation	(vs) Question & Answer	(vs) Cross-References
(1) Typical greeting	(1) Does Paul share authorship in any of his other letters? Yes.	(1) I Corinthians w/ Sosthenes; II Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon w/ Timothy; II Thessalonians, like I Thessalonians, also w/ Silas and Timothy; Galatians w/ "all the brothers with me" (v.2)
(2) Paul prays regularly for the churches he's planted
(3) Faith --> Work Love --> Labor Hope --> Endurance	(3) What's the difference between work and labor?
(4) Paul "knows" the Thessalonians have been chosen by God	(4) How does Paul know this? What evidence does he provide? See (5)'s observation.
(5) The Thessalonians' response to the gospel included power, the Holy Spirit, and deep conviciton
(6) By responding to severe suffering with the Holy Spirit's joy, the Thessalonians imitated Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Christ	(6) How do Christians today receive this supernatual joy of the Holy Spirit?	(6) II Corinthians 6:4-10 The Holy Spirit often acts in times of great distress
(7,8) The Thessalonians are a model to believers throughout Greece	(7,8) What qualifies a church to be a model to believers throughout Monroe County today?	(7,8) Matthew 16:15-18 The church is built upon Peter's profession of faith in Jesus Ephesians 2:19-22 Jesus is the church's chief cornerstone; its foundation is made of apostles and prophets. NIV Study Bible note on Ephesians 2:22: "The church is to be a people or community in whom the Holy Spirit dwells" (p.1794).
(9) Other Grecian believers are well aware of the Thessalonians' success	(9) Is reputation among other churches still a reasonable measure of the health of a congregation? Only with respect to Paul's analysis of the Thessalonian church in vv.5-6,9-10
(10) Thessalonians wait for Jesus	(10) How does a person wait for Jesus? Negative Example: Waiting for Godot

Key Term

Greek ekklesia: "church, congregation, assembly; a group of people gathered together. It can refer to the OT assembly of believers (Ac 7:38), or a riotous mob (Ac 19:32), but usually to a Christian assembly, a church, as a totality (Eph 3:10), or in a specific locale (Col. 4:15). In the NT a church is never a building or meeting place" (emphasis mine). (Zondervan NIV Exhaustive Concordance, Greek to English Dictionary and Index: 1711)