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1 Thessalonians 1:6-7
6 And [kai] ye [humeis] became [ginomai] followers [mimetes] of us, [hemon] and [kai] of the Lord, [kurios] having received [dechomai] the word [logos] in [en] much [polus] affliction, [thlipsis] with [meta] joy [chara] of the Holy [hagios] Ghost:
[pneuma]
7 So [hoste] that ye [humas] were [ginomai] ensamples [tupos] to all [pas] that believe [pisteuo] in [en] Macedonia [Makedonia] and [kai] Achaia. [Achaia]KJV-Interlinear
6 You also became imitators of us
and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of
the Holy Spirit, 7
so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. NASB
The believers in
Thessalonica followed the pattern of teaching that comes from the Word of God.In so doing, they, in effect, imitate the
pattern of life of Paul and those who were with him, and even of Jesus.
The Bible is called the
mind of Christ. The Biblical principles of truth, are
the pattern by which Christ lived his life in the First Advent, and for all of
eternity for that matter.Truth never
changes, it is immutable.
And since the Holy
Spirit is the principle agent for the communication of truth, and since truth
is the foundation for happiness, then the Holy Spirit is likewise the agent for
happiness.
The Thessalonians lived
through difficult times.Their story is
found in Acts 17, where Paul set the city into an uproar by teaching doctrines
different than what the Jews there had believed.The Jews of the region were typically
anti-Christ, and still looking for their own deliverer.
After Paul arrived and
taught grace and Christ, they rebelled and allied themselves with the
unbelieving gentiles and together, rather than promoting Jewish traditional
beliefs, used Caesar as their trump card against Paul and the Christians.They tried to set Christianity as an
anti-Rome movement.
By implication, that
opposition continued on for a while and herein Paul makes reference to their
afflictions as a result of that opposition.
The region of Asia
Minor was divided into two districts.The north (roughly Northern Greece-Turkey) was called Macedonia, whose
capital was Thessalonica, and the region to the south was called Achaia (roughly
Southern Greece-Turkey) whose capital was Corinth.
So, their name, the
movement of Christianity, as well as their reputation and lifestyle was well
known throughout the entire region.And this
is noteworthy because at the writing of this letter, Christianity was relatively
new to the region.The Cross had
occurred only about twenty years earlier, and the news of Christ had already
spread rapidly.
And more than that,
there were not any New Testament scriptures in existence at that time.So the spread of Christianity was by word of
mouth only, at a time in history where communication was certainly not like it
is today.And making things even more
difficult, there was a rebellious movement in the air, in Judah, to get rid of
the Romans altogether. The Jews did not want the Romans, nor
even the developing followers of Christ.
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End Of Lesson
Study to show thyself approved (mature) unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing (studying/discerning), the Word of truth.
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