Christ in 1 Thessalonians

This is likely the earliest of Paul’s letters, and from its first lines Christ is everywhere. The church itself is defined by Him - it is the assembly which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ (v. 1) - and the three great marks of its life are each anchored in Him: your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ (v. 3), the abiding three that the apostle elsewhere names together - now abideth faith, hope, charity, these t…

Christ Connection - The Pattern of Honesty

Jesus consistently refused the offer to build His own kingdom or seek His own honor (Luke 4:5-7; John 5:41-44). His whole ministry was about directing people away from Himself and toward the Father. Paul’s apostleship mirrors that refusal. When the Philippian jailer fell at his feet, Paul refused worship (Acts 14:14-15). The servant does not draw attention to himself; he points past himself to the one he serves.

This chapter is the unguarded heart of a shepherd laid open, and at its center is the love that cannot rest until those it loves are safe in Christ. Torn away from the Thessalonians by force, Paul is so anxious for them that when we could no longer forbear (v. 1) he sends Timothy - our brother, and minister of God, and our fellowlabourer in the gospel of Christ - to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith (v. 2), lest the afflictions move them or, worse, le…

Christ Connection - Your Body as His Temple

Jesus said, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" (John 2:19) - speaking of His own body and His resurrection. Now, through the Spirit, each believer’s body has become a temple. Paul writes, "Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you?" (1 Corinthians 6:19). This is the mystery of the Incarnation extended: God dwells not just in one human body (Jesus’) but in the bodies of all who believe.

Christ Connection - The Thief in the Night

Jesus Himself taught this parable: “If the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched” (Matthew 24:43). The unexpectedness of His return is not weakness but a test of faithfulness. Believers are to watch even when the hour remains hidden.