DFD 7-1 - 1 THESSALONIANS: YOUR SURVEY

1 THESSALONIANS: YOUR SURVEY

The purpose of surveying a book you want to study is to gain a broad overview of its setting and themes. As you survey 1 Thessalonians, you will be laying a valuable foundation for the discoveries you make later when you study each chapter in detail. Do your best now to gain a good understanding of the background and general themes of this book.

The most important thing you can do to become familiar with 1 Thessalonians is simply to read it over and over again thoughtfully. In most Bibles, Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians is only three to five pages long. So it will only take a few minutes to read through the book without stopping. This is a good time to read the book from different Bible translations and paraphrases. Also try reading the book aloud at least once. Many people enjoy listening to the book on tape as well, because sometimes we notice things when we hear them that we missed while reading silently.

Keep track here of how many times you read through 1 Thessalonians:

Reading becomes studying when you add pen and paper and begin to take notes on what you are learning. It may be helpful for you to photocopy 1 Thessalonians from your preferred translation so that you can mark it up freely as you study. Your written book survey will contain six main sections: principal personalities, historical setting, purpose, themes, questions, and an overview.

PRINCIPAL PERSONALITIES

1. Which of his fellow workers did Paul list as coauthors of this letter? ()

1 Thessalonians 1:1 NIV84

Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you.

ANSWER: Sila & Timothy

2. How did Paul describe the Thessalonian believers in the opening sentence of the letter?

ANSWER: the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thessalonica — the modern-day city of Salonika in Greece — is first mentioned in the Bible in . Read this passage to answer questions 3-5.

Acts 17:1–13 NIV84

When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ,” he said. Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women. But the Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd. But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials, shouting: “These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.” When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go. As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. Many of the Jews believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men. When the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, they went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up.

3. When Paul arrived in Thessalonica, where did he begin to preach?

ANSWER: a Jewish synagogue.

4. What message did Paul give to the Thessalonians?

ANSWER: That Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead.

5. Describe the various responses in Thessalonica to Paul’s teaching.

ANSWER: Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined, but some were jealous and formed a mob and started a riot in the city.

STUDY SKILL #1: DISCOVERING HISTORICAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL BACKGROUND

Try to get a sense of where these historical events occurred by location and writing the names of key cities, religious/provinces, and other geographical places on the map on the next page. Rather than provide a completed map, we invite you to do your own research. Consult a Bible atlas, maps at the bak of a study Bible, or online resources such as www. gospelcom.net, www.biblegateway.com, or www.crosswalk.com to locate the places listed below.

REGIONS: Thracia, Macedonia, Achaia, Asia, Galatia

Thracia

Macedonia

Achaia

Asia

Galatia

Asia

Achaia

CITIES: Thessalonica, Philippi, Amphipolis, Appolia, Berea, Philippi, Athens, Corinth, Ephesus

OTHER: Aegean Sea, Crete

6. Record here what else you learn from reference books (such as Bible dictionaries, study Bibles, and encyclopedias) about the historical background of Thessalonica, the church there, and this letter.

PURPOSE

7. From your own reading of 1 Thessalonians and from reference books, what reasons can you give for Paul writing this letter? Consider questions he tried to answer, circumstances that the Thessalonians were facing, needs he responded to, and possible problems he addressed to help you determine his purpose.

8. What major themes of this letter stand out to you?

9. What are some of the secondary themes you find?

10. List key words that occur frequently and other important words in 1 Thessalonians. Consider marking each key word with a different color marker to help you trace themes visually through the book.

“People whose lives are oriented around Christ don’t just study the Bible to be smarter. They see that every single page of [his Word] is stained with the crimson blood of Jesus himself. Suddenly, the Bible isn’t just a text to be studied but a source of life for a withering branch. —Eric Sandra, PhD, Buck-Naked Faith

QUESTIONS:

11. What questions have surfaced as you surveyed 1 Thessalonians? These might reflect topics that arouse your curiosity, topics you want to learn more about, terms or facts to clarify, or things that confuse you. Write them here as you read and study.

OVERVIEW

In the overview section of our book survey, your aim is to summarize the book concisely by writing a brief outline. As a starting point you may want to refer to the paragraph/section headings included in most translations or to outlines given in study Bibles. But remember that chapter divisions and verse numbers and subtopics were not included in the original documents; they were aded later to help locate particular passages. So feel free to organize your outline in any way that makes sense to you.

For example, the last four verses in chapter 2 express Paul’s longing to see the Thessalonians, the same theme he continues into chapter 3. So you may want to study as one unit.

Under each heading you choose, use either short phrases or summary sentences to describe the various parts of the book. Try to keep your outline brief for now.

It may seem difficult at this point to prepare an adequate outline. But the exercise will help you gain an overall view of the book when you later study each chapter more thoroughly. At the close of you study of 1 Thessalonians you will have the opportunity to review the whole book again, and to revise your outline if necessary.

12. Use the following space to write your survey outline of 1 Thessalonians.

Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the New Testament Outline

I. Personal: “We give thanks remembering …” (1–3)

A. How the church was born (1)

1. An elect group (1:1–5)

2. An exemplary group (1:6–7)

3. An enthusiastic group (1:8)

4. An expectant group (1:9–10)

B. How the church was nurtured (2)

1. A faithful steward (2:1–6)

2. A gentle mother (2:7–8)

3. A concerned father (2:9–16)

4. A loving brother (2:14–20)

C. How the church was established (3)

1. Through the Word (3:1–5)

2. Through prayer (3:6–13)

II. Practical: “We beseech you …” (4–5)

A. Walk in holiness (4:1–8)

B. Walk in love (4:9–10)

C. Walk in honesty (4:11–12)

D. Walk in hope (4:13–18)

E. Walk in light (5:1–11)

F. Walk in gratitude (5:12–13)

G. Walk in obedience (5:14–28)

Close your overview by writing a brief title for the whole book of 1 Thessalonians that captures its central heart and message for you. Also select one or two verses that you consider key to the whole book. Spend some time meditating, memorizing, and praying over your key verse.

13. BOOK TITLE:

14. KEY VERSE(S):