While you’re waiting… The Return Tyler Stricklan April 27th, 2025 Thessalonians Major Themes Holiness: being set apart, how we live in light of the culture around us. Endurance: suffering, persecution, community Jesus’ Return: what we should expect and how to live in the waiting. Notable Historical Moments The Jerusalem Council meets and decides not to require gentile converts to adhere to Mosaic Law. 50 C.E. (Acts 15:4-35) Paul and Silas embark on the second major church planting journey. Going through Modern day Turkey and Greece. The Church in Philippi was planted. It was mostly gentile converts. This started to sway the makeup of early christianity to a majority gentile. (Acts 16) Paul lands in Thessaloniki and trouble starts. (Acts 17) Acts 17:1-4 1 After they passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As usual, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Messiah to suffer and rise from the dead: “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah.” 4 Some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, including a large number of God-fearing Greeks, as well as a number of the leading women. Acts 17:5-9 5 But the Jews became jealous, and they brought together some wicked men from the marketplace, formed a mob, and started a riot in the city. Attacking Jason’s house, they searched for them to bring them out to the public assembly. 6 When they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city officials, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here too, 7 and Jason has welcomed them. They are all acting contrary to Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king—Jesus.” 8 The crowd and city officials who heard these things were upset. 9 After taking a security bond from Jason and the others, they released them. Following Jesus flips the world upside down. Following Jesus builds real endurance. 1 Thessalonians 1:6 6 …and you yourselves became imitators of us and of the Lord when, in spite of severe persecution, you welcomed the message with joy from the Holy Spirit. Following Jesus flips the world upside down. Following Jesus builds real endurance. Following Jesus redefines home. Theme Verse: “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.” — 1 Thessalonians 4:16 John 14:1-3 Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3 If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am you may be also "The earliest Christians thought of themselves in communal terms. They did not simply make individual personal commitments to Jesus as God’s messiah; they constituted themselves as communities shaped by the in-breaking of God’s redemptive realm." ​Elizabeth E. Johnson This ends with Jesus, and He makes everything right. Themes of Eschatology (End Times) The second coming of Christ The resurrection of the dead The Day of the Lord The Man of lawlessness Judgement for wicked and relief for the righteous The rapture Next Steps: Read 1 Thessalonians and 2 Thessalonians. One sitting, for each letter.