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BIBLE READING: 1 THESSALONIANS

First Thessalonians

Context: Paul, Silas and Timothy took the gospel to the city of Thessalonica in about A.D. 49 or 50. The city was located in the Roman province of Macedonia. Achaia was a province to the south and together this region makes up modern day Greece. Their stay was cut short due to opposition from Jews in the city, so Paul writes to them to encourage them to persevere in faith. You can read about Paul’s time in Thessalonica in Acts 17:1-10.

5 R's of Personal Bible Reading

    1. Rely on God by asking Him to help you understand His Word.
    2. Remind yourself of what you read and learned last time.
    3. Read the next section of the Bible slowly and carefully.
    4. Reflect on the passage. Ask questions about what it says and why. Then look for the answers in the passage. Look for key words, ideas or themes. Think about meaning and application.
    5. Request God’s help to apply what you learned.
Day 1:

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

  1. What has been produced in the Thessalonian believers through the gospel? (look through the whole passage)
  2. Why is Paul confident that God has chosen them?
  3. What final result will their faith in the gospel bring about for them?
  4. How do these observations apply to you?

Pray a prayer of both thankfulness and request for help in response to what you have learned.

Day 2:

1 Thessalonians 2:1-16

  1. What observations can you take from this passage about the God’s messengers (Paul and his co-workers)?
  2. What observations can you make about the message?
  3. Work through the passage again and notice everything it says about what God does.
  4. What does the passage say about suffering?
  5. How do all these observations apply to you?

Pray, asking God to help you take on the convictions and conduct described in this passage.

Day 3:

1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:13

Remind yourself of the context (Acts 17:1-10): After planting a church in Thessalonica, Paul and his co-workers were forced to leave suddenly due to opposition from other Jews in the city who roused up a mob to riot against them. Their time in Thessalonica was anywhere from several weeks to a few months, leaving a group of very new Christians to fend for themselves amidst ongoing opposition (1 Thess 2:14).

  1. What goals does Paul have throughout the passage and why does he have them?
  2. What does he do to achieve these goals?
  3. How do these observations apply to you? Consider yourself in the place of the Thessalonians and in the place of Paul and his co-workers.

Pray in response to what you have learned from the passage. Consider praying for yourself and others in a similar way to Paul (1 Thess 3:11-13)

Day 4:

1 Thessalonians 4:1-12

  1. What are the two areas of life discussed in which we are to please God?
  2. For each of these, what are we urged to put into practice and what are the reasons given?
  3. Think through what these instructions look like practically for yourself.

Pray, asking for God’s help to live in these ways that please Him.

Day 5:

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

  1. Consider a church full of very new Christians who suddenly have some from among them die, which is what the term “fallen asleep” refers to in this passage. What concerns do you think they would have?
  2. What does this passage teach about death for Christians?
  3. What hope does this passage give you? For what reason?
  4. What from this passage do we need to believe and what does it tell us we should do?

Pray in response to the teaching of this passage, both with thankfulness and requests.

Day 6:

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

Remind yourself of the context of the previous passage.

  1. What is “the day” that is referred to in verses 2 and 4? What will happen on that day? (v. 3, 9)
  2. How do the metaphors of light/dark and day/night (v. 5), together with their associated activities (v. 6-8) teach us about how we live in light of “the day” which is coming?
    (Note that the meaning of “day” and “awake” and “sleep” is not consistent throughout the passage)
  3. What do you think living this way looks like in practical terms for you? (Consider also what kind of battles need the armor of v. 8)
  4. Why do you think he gives us the final instruction in verse 11? Who can you encourage and build up with these truths?

Pray, asking God to help you take on the convictions and practices that will make you ready for Christ’s return.

Day 7:

1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

  1. What are the various ways you should relate to Christians in different roles and circumstances? (v. 12-15)
  2. What can you put into practice more to be living in God’s will for you in Christ Jesus? (v. 16-18)
  3. Don’t let the controversies around prophesy side track you. Prophecy is not primarily about telling the future, but about speaking God’s word, including the function of encouragement and strengthening (Acts 15:32). In a day when the church didn’t yet have the New Testament (this letter is one of the earliest written), a dependence upon prophesy for the building up of the church was more necessary. What extremes and dangers should be avoided according to verses 19-22?
  4. How do verses 23-25 guide or encourage you to pray?

Pray, asking God to help you put the teaching of this passage into practice.