Prayer and the Gospel (1 Thess. 1:1-5)

Michiana Covenant Presbyterian Church

[Sung Psalm: 71]Today we turn to 1 Thessalonians - one of Paul's earliest epistles. Written to a church that was only a few months old, Paul had been hurried out of the city due to threats from the Jewish community, so he is eager to communicate with this fledgling group of believers. And partly because Paul only had a short time in Thessalonica, this epistle gives us a glimpse into what Paul thought was most important for the church to know. He seems to think that some of his teaching and some of his conduct may have been misunderstood - so he writes to the church, seeking to correct the misunderstandings that have been reported by Silas and Timothy. At the heart of his concern is to encourage the Thessalonians to continue in "faith, hope, and love" – a triad that will play a key role in Paul's writings for the rest of his life...