1 & 2 Thessalonians

By N. T. Wright and Patty Pell

First impressions stick with us. Paul's first impression of the Thessalonian Christians was an especially powerful one: The gospel message he preached grasped their hearts and minds, and transformed their lives. That memory moves Paul to write to the young church that's bubbling with a sense of the power of the living God. These studies seek to open our lives to that God who leaves a lasting impression also on us. This guide by Tom Wright can be used on its own or alongside his New Testament for Everyone commentary on 1 and 2 Thessalonians. It is designed to help you understand Scripture in fresh ways under the guidance of one of the world's leading New Testament scholars. Thoughtful questions, prayer suggestions, and useful background and cultural information all guide you or a group more deeply into God's Word. Discover how you can participate more fully in God's kingdom.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IVP Bible Studies
• Release date: Sep 12, 2011
• ISBN: 9780830869237

N. T. Wright

N. T. Wright is the former bishop of Durham and senior research fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University. He is one of the world’s leading New Testament scholars and the award-winning author of many books, including?After You Believe,?Surprised by Hope,?Simply Christian,?Interpreting Paul, and?The New Testament in Its World, as well as the Christian Origins and the Question of God series.

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Couverture : N. T. Wright, 1 & 2 ThessaloniansIllustration

1 & 2 THESSALONIANS

8 STUDIES FOR INDIVIDUALS AND GROUPS

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N. T. WRIGHT

WITH PATTY PELL

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Contents

Getting the Most Out of Thessalonians

Suggestions for Individual Study

Suggestions for Group Members

11 Thessalonians 1

The Faith of the Thessalonians

21 Thessalonians 2

Paul’s Ministry to the Thessalonians

31 Thessalonians 3

Paul’s Prayer for the Thessalonians

41 Thessalonians 4

Instructions on Holy Living

51 Thessalonians 5

Children of Light

62 Thessalonians 1

The Coming of Jesus

72 Thessalonians 2

The Lawless One

82 Thessalonians 3

Exhortation and Steadfastness

Guidelines for Leaders

Praise for 1 & 2 Thessalonians

About the Authors

More Titles from InterVarsity Press

GETTING THE MOST

OUT OF THESSALONIANS

I hesitated long over the decision. I had to make up my mind whether to admit to the university a student whose grades were not quite as high as we would normally require. She was clearly intelligent, and capable of hard work, but why were some of the grades just a little bit lower than we had expected?

Then I thought back to the interview my colleagues and I had had with the student. She had come alive. She was clearly not only interested in the subject, but enthusiastic, and able to take in new ideas and make them her own. Remembering those first impressions vividly, I made the decision. We would admit her to the college. Three years later I was vindicated: she graduated with top honors.

Paul vividly remembers his first impressions of the Thessalonian Christians to whom he writes. (The story of his encounter can be read in Acts 16 and 17.) They would suddenly understand what he was saying. It would grasp their hearts and minds. Paul and his companions, explaining the gospel to them, would become excited as they saw the message take hold, make sense, and begin its work of transforming hearts and lives. That memory lingered on even though Paul, Silvanus and Timothy had moved south, to Beroea, Athens and now Corinth. (Paul doesn’t say so in the letter, but it is likely that he was writing this from Corinth, where he stayed for over two years.)

Paul’s two letters to the Thessalonians are among the first, perhaps the very first, that Paul wrote to the young churches of the Mediterranean. (For more on them, also see my Paul for Everyone: Galatians and Thessalonians, published by SPCK and Westminster John Knox. This guide is based on that book and was prepared with the help of Patty Pell, for which I am grateful.)

Therefore, these letters are among the very earliest documents we possess from the beginning of the church’s existence. They are already full of life, bubbling with energy, with questions, problems, excitement, danger, and, above all, a sense of the presence and power of the living God, who has changed