What's it all about?

Communication breakdown, how often has it happened to you? You say or write one thing but it gets interpreted as something else. For instance if I say, “The board leaned to the right” you don’t even know what kind of board I’m talking about without any context, and once you’re know that, then you have to decipher what ‘leaning to the right’ means (and with either type of board some might think being to the right is a good thing while others would rather have the board straight or lean to the left). Thus different people will draw very different conclusions about a board leaning to the right.

When we think about what Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians people come up with a lot of different ideas about his purpose or theme. Many people only think in terms of the second coming; they see his first letter to encourage Thessalonian believers with the assurance of Christ’s return, and his second letter to correct false teaching concerning the second coming. While these themes are evident, I don’t think it was Paul’s primary purpose for writing the first time.

As you read through 1 Thessalonians what strikes above all else is Paul’s deep concern and love for believers in Thessalonica. Paul’s desire to visit this church again, to teach them how to live a life pleasing to the Lord, to encourage them to remain faithful even in the midst of persecution, these are the things that filled his heart. Paul feared that somehow these fellow Christians whom he had grown to love so much might have abandoned their faith in Christ; he rejoiced when he heard that they were continuing to live in obedience to the cross.

• [8] We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us . . . [3:5] For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter might have tempted you and our efforts might have been useless. [6] But Timothy has just now come to us from you and has brought good news about your faith and love. He has told us that you always have pleasant memories of us and that you long to see us, just as we also long to see you.
  1 Thessalonians 2:8; 3:5-6 (NIV)

How might our churches today be different if that kind of love and concern was evident in our relationships with each other? Don’t miss understand me, I’m not saying we don’t love each other. But do we love each other enough to open up and share our lives with each other.

I think Paul’s relationship with the Thessalonians is a good example for us to learn from. When we learn to love each other like this then we will truly be a church without spot or wrinkle—the church Jesus wants to return for. (See Ephesians 5:27)