To the Assembly

The Thessalonians received the Gospel of Christ in tribulation but remained faithful while eagerly anticipating the return of Jesus – 1 Thessalonians 1:1-7.

In the first chapter of First Thessalonians, Paul anticipates the Letter’s main subjects - the tribulation of believers, Christian hope, and the “arrival” of Jesus when he will rescue his people from “wrath.” He will resurrect the righteous dead and “meet” all his assembled saints as he descends from Heaven. On that day, his disciples, both living and dead, will “obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The Letter is addressed to the “Assembly in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” The Greek noun ‘ekklésia’ is commonly translated as “church” in English versions of the New Testament. It more accurately means “assembly” or “congregation,” a group of individuals assembled for a particular purpose - (1 Thessalonians 1:1).

[Photo by John Cafazza on Unsplash]

The term is adapted from the Hebrew Bible, especially its references to the “congregation” of Israel that gathered before the Tabernacle in worship - the ‘Qahal Yahweh’, or the “Assembly of Yahweh” – (Deuteronomy 23:1).

The Assembly of Thessalonica is “in God and Jesus.” Paul maintains the distinction between God and His Son but also stresses their unity. This is not metaphysical speculation. The Father cannot be known apart from the Son, and the saints of Thessalonica are the Assembly because of their relationship with God and Jesus.

• “I am the way, the truth, and the life! No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From henceforth, you know him and have seen him… He that has seen me has seen the Father” – (John 14:6-9).

Since his Death and Resurrection, the saints who gathered in each city for worship constituted the “Assembly in God and the Lord Jesus” in their respective locations. Believers form a group distinct from the surrounding society, a “pilgrim” people often persecuted because of their newfound allegiance to Jesus Christ and departure from the values of the surrounding culture.

• (1 Thessalonians 1:2-4) - “We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and endurance of hope of our Lord Jesus Christ before our God and Father; knowing, brethren beloved of God, your election.”

The term “endurance of hope” is a good description of the forward-looking faith of the Assembly. With great hope, believers anticipate the coming day when Jesus will “arrive…on the clouds” and gather them to himself. They will shine as Paul’s “hope and joy and Crown of Boasting.” That knowledge equips them to persevere in tribulation and persecution as they wait for Jesus to arrive from Heaven – (1 Thessalonians 2:19, 3:13).

Suffering for the Gospel is proof positive of the believer’s “election” and God’s favor, confirmation that the Assembly has been “counted worthy to suffer for the Kingdom of God.” The hope for which they were enduring opposition will be fulfilled at the “arrival” or ‘Parousia’ of Jesus – (1 Thessalonians 2:19, 4:13-18, 2 Thessalonians 1:5).

The Greek term translated as “election” or ‘eklektos’ means “chosen.” Those who respond positively to the gospel are “chosen” by God to become members of His “Assembly,” receive salvation, and bear witness to all that He has done through His Son for them.

The embrace of the message proclaimed by Paul by the Thessalonians despite opposition and persecution more than justified His choice of them.

• (1 Thessalonians 1:5-7) - “How that our gospel came not in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and in much assurance; even as you know what manner of men we showed ourselves toward you for your sake. And you became imitators of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation, with joy of the Holy Spirit, and you became examples to all that believe in Macedonia and in Achaia.”

The Thessalonians were impressed by Paul’s message. It was accompanied by “power in the Holy Spirit.” However, most striking was their acceptance of the Gospel “in much tribulation.”

The Greek term ‘thlipsis’ translated as “tribulation” originally meant “a pressing together,” hence the idea of “pressure.” From this developed the sense of “affliction, tribulation.” Paul faced opposition in Thessalonica, especially from the leaders of the local synagogue as well as officials of the city government. Tensions became so high he was compelled to leave before his work in Thessalonica was finished, hence his expressed anxiety over the state of the Assembly.

Paul was doing more than recalling the past. The term “tribulation” anticipates his later statements made for the benefit of the Thessalonians. For example, his declaration that God “appointed us for tribulation.” Though counterintuitive, suffering for the Gospel does not indicate God’s abandonment of the Assembly, but just the opposite. The Gospel caused much opposition in the city from the start, indicating how effective the message was among the population – (Acts 17:1-9, 1 Thessalonians 3:3).

We must not be dismayed or dissuaded by tribulation, resistance, and outright persecution. The willingness to suffer abuse for Jesus goes to the heart of what it means to be his disciple. His “arrival” will bring rescue and salvation for those who wait patiently for him and endure all that comes because of this hope but also wrath on our persecutors – (2 Thessalonians 2:5-10).

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RELATED POSTS:

• Crown of Glory - (If the Thessalonians continue to emulate the apostolic example, they will receive the Crown of Glory when Jesus arrives from Heaven)

• Tribulation vs Wrath - (Disciples escape God’s wrath, but they endure tribulation, and the Assembly has been appointed to tribulation – 1 Thessalonians 3:1-4)

• Sanctified Wholly - (Considering the future arrival of Jesus, Paul summons the Assembly to become sanctified completely by that Day – 1 Thessalonians 5:23)