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1 THESSALONIANS: CHAPTER 1
Have you ever imagined the Bible as a whole library — a library stocked with sixty-six books written by many people but ultimately authored by God Himself?
Picture yourself pulling the book of 1 Thessalonians off the “shelf” and devoting the next several weeks to soaking yourself in the truths and riches contained in this one book.
Then imagine yourself spending the rest of your life enjoying one book after another, and becoming a man or woman of the Word!
That is the promises of a lifetime of Bible Study.
The skills you develop now and the resources you learn to use will equip you for a lifetime of personal exploration of the Word of God.
After completing your survey, you are ready to study the first chapter of 1 Thessalonians.
When working on your written analysis of each chapter, you will begin with a passage description, then do a verse-by-verse meditation, and finish with your conclusions.
These will help you in making a personal application from your study, which you will also record in writing.
Chapter Analysis
Passage Description - Verse-by-Verse Meditation - Conclusions = Personal Application
As you study this chapter, keep track of how many times you have read it:
STUDY SKILL #2:
Comparing Different Bible Translations and Paraphrases
Before beginning your written work, read through the first chapter several times, perhaps jotting down a few notes on things that stand out to you.
You may want to supplement your reading with a modern paraphrase, such as The Message (MSG), the New Living Translation (NLT), the Phillips translation (PH), or others.
The Amplified Bible (AMP) is helpful for exploring the shades of meaning for key words in the original text.
However, for your focused chapter analysis study be sure to choose a basic translation such as the New International Version (NIV) or the New King James Version (NKJV)
PASSAGE DESCRIPTION
After reading through the chapter, your first step in analyzing it is to briefly describe the overall content.
At this point do not attempt to interpret what you read.
Your aim is to carefully observe and summarize what is said, not why.
One method of describing a passage is to rewrite it — omitting any modifying words and phrases that are not grammatically necessary — so that you express the central meaning of the sentence.
This basically leaves the nouns and verbs.
It is especially effective when the passage contains many descriptive words.
For example, here are verse 2 and 3 of the first chapter written in this manner:
2 — we thank God for you.
3 — we remember before God your work, your labor, and your endurance.
With this method you can quickly observe the movement of the passage.
Another method of describing the chapter is to make an outline.
The first step is to divide the passage into paragraphs.
(Most recent Bible translations already have suggested paragraph breaks.
The original text was not divided into paragraphs, so you may decide to divide the passage differently if that makes more sense to you.)
After determining your paragraph divisions write a sentence or two summarizing each paragraph’s contents.
Don’t worry about omitting some details, but give a general framework which you can fit the details into later.
Here is a sentence summary of verses 2 and 3 as they might appear in a summary outline of the first chapter:
Paul tells how thankful he is for the quality of life in the Thessalonian church (verse 2-3).
Use the space below to write a passage description of verses 4-10, either rewriting it without modifiers, or making a summary outline.
of
I.
They were an elect people (1:1-5)
A. Work of faith.
B. Labor of Love
C. Patience of hope.
II.
They were an exemplary people (1:6-7)
III.
They were an enthusiastic people (1:8)
IV.
They were an expectant people (1:9-10)
VERSE-BY-VERSE MEDITATION
The heart of your study of 1 Thessalonians occurs as you meditate on each verse of each chapter.
Here you will pause to process and understand each verse before moving to the next.
Do this prayerfully (not just academically) by asking the Holy Spirit to help you unpack and understand the message of each verse.
You will record your thoughts in this section under four headings: Observations, Questions and Answers, Cross-References, and Notes and Comments.
Under Observations, you will simply give attention to what the passage actually says.
Here are some questions that can help you make accurate observations:
Who are the people involved?
What ideas or teachings are expressed?
What events happen?
What are the stated results of these ideas or events?
Where does this take place?
What reasons or purposes are stated?
How are things accomplished?
Here are observations based on verses 2 and 3:
2 — Paul gave thanks for the Thessalonians.
3 — Three parallel thoughts in his prayers:
a. work of faith
b. labor of love
c. endurance of hope
Because it is impractical to record every observation you make on a verse, record the observation s that stimulate you to further thinking.
But don’t overlook the obvious!
Recording Questions and Answers takes considerable time and effort, but it often leads to rewarding meditation.
As you grow in your knowledge of the Bible, the more questions you will have, and the more penetrating and significant they will be.
At the same time, your knowledge and understanding will increase.
Here are possible questions for verses 2 and 3:
2 — what did Paul pray for them?
3 — what is faith?
Answer: trusting in God’s character and obeying Him
Why is endurance inspired by hope?
When a question has several possible answers, record as many answers as you can.
The Scriptures dco not always provide clear-cut answers on every issue, so be careful not to insist on always finding one.
Major on what God has plainly revealed.
Often it is best to write questions without writing an answer.
This allows you more time to think about them.
Later you can record the answers as you discover them.
In the third column of your chapter analysis, record Cross-References for some of the verses you are studying.
In many cases a question you write will stimulate further study in other parts of the Bible that relate closely to the verse you are studying.
The Bible is its own best commentary.
Scripture interprets Scripture.
The content of one passage clarifies the content of another.
Here are some cross-references for verses 2 and 3:
Verse 2 — — Giving thanks in everything.
Verse 3 — — Christ’s perserverance.
Verse 3 — — Faith is confident assurance of the unseen and the future.
Good sources of cross-references are your own previous Bible study and verses you may have already memorized.
If you cannot find a cross-reference on your own, use a concordance or the marginal notes in your Bible (more on these resources in later chapter).
Use the space in the Notes and Comments column to record additional personal insights and especially ideas God may be impressing on your heart for possible application.
Also record information about people or places mentioned, as well as definitions of key words.
Use the charts on the following pages to record your thoughts as you meditate verse by verse through the first chapter of 1 Thessalonians.
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