One of the first churches of Jesus Christ was established in a country that worshiped idols, they were partaking in divination and witchcraft, and also taught that Jesus was not the Son of God but a man and prophet. The believers and disciples of this church faced terrible persecution and multiple objections to their new faith in Jesus and his dying for our sins on the cross; also, they were more persecuted for believing that He was resurrected from the dead. The apostle Paul Silas and Timothy were instrumental in leading and teaching these mixed cultures of people in understanding how to separate their character, integrity, and worship from the already established Jewish and pagan rituals in a city called Thessalonica around AD 50.

The Thessalonians of the newly established church were faithful, excited, and loyal in what they believed; they wanted to show non-believers that they were devoted and special due to the spirit that dwelled within them and the hope that the savior who only 27 years ago, would be returning to take them to heaven.  These believers were new to their faith and they needed guidance and strength to withstand the opposition to their faith and the false teachers who tried hard to negatively influence their faith.

They strongly held on to the belief that the dead in Christ will rise and all of the believers in Jesus will be “caught up” in the air before the tribulation. The distinctive characteristics of the Thessalonian Church people were the fact that they showed renewal and change in their mannerisms and character through the constant indwelling of the Holy Spirit and they were not afraid to exhibit the Fruits and Gifts of the Spirit. This is a perfect example of the character of what a church and a believer in Christ should represent to the world. Our fruits and Gifts and commitment to Christ should always be the prominent feature of our walk as we live among non-believers and other Christians. There should not be a question about your walk and your belief when they see you. The greatest differentiation that the Thessalonian church had were their individual desire to please God and stand in agreement with the other church members in Christ.

How does that look today in our established churches? Are we united as living witnesses of Jesus? Can someone look at our daily walk and see Jesus or the Hope and faith of salvation in our lives? Are we separated spiritually and mentally from the thoughts and actions of sin and depravity? Finally, can anyone see or witness the power or spirit of the Holy Spirit in your walk? Let’s talk about what that looked like in Paul and the Thessalonian Church.

BACKGROUND:

Thessalonica had been founded in the 4th century BC (315 BC) by Cassander, one of Alexander the Great’s chief army officers. He’d named it after his wife, as a birthday present (there you are, gentlemen – for the wife who has everything!). It soon became the capital of the Roman province of Macedonia and occupied a strategic position in the ancient world. It still does today. Its modern equivalent, Thessaloniki, is Greece’s second most important city (after Athens). The religion in that country was Divination and mysticism; many of the newborn Christians were persecuted and looking for hope and escape from all of the pain and sorrow.