Christmas last year was in Blenheim, and my wife and I stumbled upon a Nelson-based brand of ginger beer on Christmas Eve which was cheap. And tasty. So much so, we were curious about where to buy it in the North Island if the desire arose again. Despite much Google searching and false leads, I have found only two irregular sources to buy this product again locally.
What does this have to do with Thessalonians? Paul to my knowledge did not drink ginger beer, but he was concerned for the churches he planted. He was also concerned to remind them of the only source of grace and peace that we can find this side of eternity. You will not find it in money, philosophies, or the bottom of a (ginger) beer bottle, but you will find grace and peace in Christ.
Paul planted the church in Thessalonica during his second missionary journey. He did not have as much time as he probably would have liked – a mere three weeks before jealous Jewish groups caused a scene which resulted in some of the new Christians having to post money as security for good behaviour, while Paul and Silas were snuck out of town (Acts 17:1-10) for their continued health.
Despite this abrupt end to Paul’s ministry in Thessalonica, the church flourished, and word reached Paul that the congregation there continued to meet and worship God and Christ (1 Thess. 3:6).
Paul wrote his letter to the Church in Thessalonica to encourage them to continue worshiping God in a culture not only foreign to the Christian message, but hostile to it. He also wrote to correct misunderstandings that had developed among them about Jesus’ return. Though written nearly two thousand years ago, it seems not much has changed today.
The letter to Thessalonica was a letter that was primarily from Paul, but also written on behalf of his fellow labourers in the Gospel, Silas and Timothy (v.1). Paul was an apostle, specially commissioned by Jesus himself on the Road to Damascus to bring the Gospel news to non-Jews. But Paul did not work alone. Paul’s missionary journeys were always in the company of others.
Silas (or Silvanus, his Latin name) was also a prominent early Christian, who had been given the job of carrying the deliverance regarding Mosaic Law-keeping of the first General Assembly to non-Jewish believers in the early Church (see Acts 15:22-40). Timothy was Paul’s ministry apprentice, and later went to serve as Pastor in congregations such as Ephesus (see 1 Timothy).
Paul was specially commissioned by God, but he did not act alone, either spiritually or humanly speaking. Paul served with others.
The recipients were the church in Thessalonica. The term translated church literally means “called out ones” and could refer to a public assembly or a philosophical school, so the term applied to the Church makes sense. This congregation, like ours, were called out by God to publicly assemble, worship Christ, and devote themselves to Scripture’s teachings.
But this assembly was not just another philosophical fad, it was “in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”. Their identity was not found in some culture of the day, or a particular secular movement, but in God the Father and Jesus Christ. Paul’s linking of the Father and Jesus here points to the unique intimacy of the Father and the Son, and of Jesus’ deity – not just fully human, but divine too.
It was in this identity found in God the Father and Jesus Christ that the church in Thessalonica could find “grace to you and peace.”
The church had come to know God’s favour, even though they did not deserve it and indeed deserved nothing but condemnation and judgement. Through God’s grace, his undeserved favour, they received peace. Peace with God, along with the true inner peace that can only come when relationships are restored as they should be, not merely through the ending of hostilities.
Thankfully we do not live in an environment of such overt hostility to the Gospel, although that is not the case the world over. But we do live in an environment where what we believe, and why we believe it is viewed with hostility by some who would attack us if they could. Even though we mean no harm to them. That is one of the costs of discipleship.
But even though we live in that situation, we still enjoy the same undeserved grace and peace which Paul sought to bless the Thessalonian church with. The same Gospel message which Paul proclaimed still calls us out of the world today, to follow Christ and pattern our lives according to the Scriptures.
The -isms of this world cannot bring peace with God, or inner peace. You will not find it anywhere else but in the mercy of God expressed to us through Jesus’ life and death for our sins.
Like the Thessalonians, we should heed the call of Paul, Silas, and Timothy, and worship God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ; the only source of grace and peace.
