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Paul loved the believers in Thessalonica; he couldn’t return to visit them, so he wrote this letter. He has exhorted and encouraged them; now he ‘farewells’ them with a prayer, a few final thoughts, ending with a reminder for them to never lose sight of God’s grace.

Church leaders are feeling pressure today: Covid-19 affects all of us, and Satan will use it to divide Christians. Elders ‘shepherd the flock of God,’ but as one pastor put it, sheep bite!  How can we keep peace in an angry world? This advice is especially needed in these times.

As he concludes his letter to the church in Thessalonica, Paul gives them practical advice. It’s as good now as it was then. These gems of truth go to the very heart of our spiritual foundation and actions. The closer you look, the more you’ll see.

The Day of the Lord is prophesied in the Old Testament – a time of God’s wrath, and blessing. When does this period of time begin, and how long does it last? How should it affect our lives today?

The Rapture isn’t the Second Coming, but what is it? Is it before the Great Tribulation? What happens when Christians die? What rises at the Rapture? Where do we go after the Rapture? Why is the Rapture a comfort for Christians? Questions…and comfort!

What’s the next event in Bible prophecy? Many theologians today roll end-time prophecies into one big event – the end of the world and Jesus’ second coming. But 1 Thess. 4:13-18 reveals a separate event – not the ‘Second Coming’ – that Christians look forward to.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times:  Those words from Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities fit our day. Stress brings out the best and the worst in humanity. Paul’s practical advice to Thessalonian Christians is amazingly timely in our COVID-19 world.

Modern sexual mores are viewed as enlightened and new, but they aren’t. First-century pagan culture was rife with sexual perversion. Like those early Christians, we must realize that sexual purity is not man’s idea, but God’s… and it is a key to our spiritual growth.

Paul’s epistles are so upbeat and optimistic, we forget that he faced constant opposition and discouragement in ministry. The Christians in Thessalonica suffered persecution, too, so Paul shared secrets of joy in the midst of trials. These are valuable lessons for us today.

Paul is called the greatest evangelist in church history, and it’s hard to argue the point: 2000 years of the Gentile Church is traced to his ministry! But he knew persecution and disappointment, too. What enabled him to be so effective? He tells us in 1 Thessalonians 2.

The new church at Thessalonica, like every church, had problems. But it also had spiritual qualities for which Paul thanked God. In the first chapter of this letter, the apostle cites five things which stand out in the church – qualities to which we should all aspire!