Paul's youngest church faces grief and confusion.

Some believers have died.

Will they miss Jesus's return?

Paul writes, hope that doesn't disappoint.

Hello there.

Welcome to Seek Go Create.

You are listening to read the New Testament in 90

days, 27 books in order in.

Context.

We're walking through the New Testament, the way it was written so that you can

hear it the way the first churches did.

We're trying to get in context.

Now, one item that you may want to make sure you check out is we

do have a detailed reading plan available at K two M Foundation slash.

1990. And if you're going in order, we've just finished up Galatians, we're

moving today into First Thessalonians, and I know in the reading plan there

is a great writeup on Paul just to give some background and some context on Paul

and who he was and and things like that.

So make sure you go check it out.

K two M Foundation slash.

T 90.

A lot of background and context, a lot of things to follow along.

That's our hub where you can get all the information that

revolves around this reading plan.

Like I mentioned earlier, today's stop is First Thessalonians.

Paul's first letter to a church that he barely had time to establish.

And, let's talk about some key facts here.

First of all, the author is Paul.

Pretty convinced of that.

He probably had s, Venus and Timothy with him at the writing

of this letter and some of other.

Some of Paul's other letters, he will have others with him.

There may have been scribes, but we will attribute these to Paul

because he was, I guess, the leader that was sharing this message.

The date we believe was right around a 50 to 51.

Probably put a timestamp of 51 on this.

The audience was the Thessalonika Church, mostly Gentile believers,

and this is important former pagans.

In other words, this was a different audience than we've seen in some

of our readings that would've been primarily Jewish backgrounds.

So these were Gentiles, pagans.

A lot of stuff going on there.

We are about 20 to 21 years past the resurrection.

This is a major port city on the Via Ignatia, which, it

was just a major thoroughfare.

There would've been a lot of traffic going through this area,

so it would've been a key area for.

Believers to get a lot of information, to hear a lot that was going on, and

also as believers were established, it would've been a good spot for the good

news, the gospel to spread from this area, and also because of the pagan

aspect of it, a very hostile environment.

So keep.

That in mind.

let's get just some historical context.

In Rome, Claudius is still on the throne.

The empire, the Roman Empire would be considered stable trade, would've

been flowing along the major roads and thoroughfares, which this.

Would have been one of them.

Meanwhile, in Jerusalem, the temple was still intact.

Daily sacrifices were continuing.

it's important that we remember that as we go through these letters,

especially with the audiences that have, a Jewish background, uh,

temple background because that.

Conflicted, many of them.

So the temple was still intact at this time.

The church, the Thessalonian believers are only months old.

We're talking about new baby Christ followers.

Paul preached three weeks, then fled after a riot.

They probably have no scriptures, no trained leaders.

And so here's the tension that exists there.

Some believers.

Have died and the church is confused.

Will the dead Miss Jesus's return That has been discussed and talked about now.

That's gonna be very important as the New Testament builds, so keep this message.

In mind, why is this letter being written now?

Paul sent Timothy to check on them.

The news is good, but they have questions about death and hope,

and that is what Paul is going to attempt to address in this letter.

A few things that you'll notice in this letter.

First Thessalonians is pastoral.

And hopeful.

And, he encourages a young church that's under pressure.

And again, we, the, these are people that really don't even have a lot of

religious law, legal background like a lot of the Jewish believers would've had.

You gotta wonder what's going through their mind.

Many of us in today's world may know because that's the way we came

in to being followers of Christ.

So.

Anyway, despite this might relate to a lot of us here, Paul encourages

a young church under pressure.

Here's what we're gonna hear, grief with hope.

Paul says, you do not wanna be uninformed about those who are asleep.

As fascinating to me how we've seen Jesus.

Now we've seen Paul, instead of using that word, death, they

talk about people being asleep.

That's fascinating.

The dead.

In Christ rise first, they won't miss anything.

When Jesus returns, they rise before the living, and he tells

people to encourage one another with these words, and those are the

words that he gives in this letter.

Live quietly.

I love this one.

This one definitely, probably, has applied throughout time and history.

Mind your own affairs.

Keep keep to yourself.

Don't be a busy body.

Work with your hands and don't be a burden.

I love that message.

That's been a message.

That's definitely.

Context for the first century and for our time.

Also, he does speak about the day of the Lord, the end of the age, the items,

the things that are coming up that we see building in all the books of the

New Testament coming like a thief.

So stay awake and sober.

And again, he's speaking these words at around a 50 or 51, and they apply to.

Them, this is not speaking to us 2000 years later, so keep that

in mind as you are reading that Paul isn't giving them a timeline.

He's giving them hope and calling them to live.

Accordingly.

So, uh, enjoy this one.

Read First Thessalonians over about three sessions, chapters one and two is

one day, then three and four, then five.

I've been encouraging you and I continue to do to do that here.

If you can read it in one sitting, if you can read it out loud.

It is so much better.

It can be in so much more context for you, but if you have to break it down over the

next three days, feel free to do that.

Just a glimpse of what's next.

The next episode, second Thessalonians, after the first letter, Paul

follows it up pretty quickly when there's confusion about.

The day of the Lord.

That's freeing the church.

How about that?

We're gonna talk more about the day of the Lord that was coming up soon

for them and how Paul addresses it.

Now before I get to one little item as we wrap up.

Make sure you go back and get the reading plan.

I've actually got a copy of it that I have printed out that I hold with me.

For those that are watching on video, it's actually almost like a mini ebook.

A lot of pages there.

Go grab that K two M Foundation slash.

T 90, it has so much more information at that hub, you could download

the plan and what I attempted to do was just put as much context

as I could without overloading it.

So go check that out and remember we're still early in the plan.

Make sure you share with some friends who might need to get scripture with

context, which is all of us, by the way.

make sure you share this.

Alright, now.

before you start reading, first Thessalonians picture this, it's AD 51.

Thessalonika a major port city.

It's a trade hub on the Via Ignatia.

A lot of traffic.

A lot of people move through this city.

It's a fragile community of believers that gather in the fading light.

It's only been a few months since Paul, Silas and Timothy were here.

Three weeks of preaching in the synagogue, then a riot broke out.

They left the church barely established.

Young believers, no scriptures, no trained leaders facing hostility

from both the synagogue and the city.

Now some of their number have died.

They're confused.

What happens to believers who die before Jesus returns?

Now let's read.