25 July. Paul writes to the new believers in Thessalonica in 51/52AD
"From Paul, Silas and Timothy
To the church in Thessalonica, the church in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace and peace to you."
"We always thank God for all of you and mention you when we pray. We continually recall before God our Father the things you have done because of your faith and the work you have done because of your love. And we thank him that you continue to be strong because of your hope in our Lord Jesus Christ."
"Brothers and sisters, God loves you, and we know he has chosen you, because the Good News we brought to you came not only with words, but with power, with the Holy Spirit and with sure knowledge that it is true..."
"So you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia [Northern Greece] and Southern Greece... People everywhere are telling about the way you accepted us when we were there with you. They tell how you stopped worshipping idols and began serving the true and living God."
"And you wait for God's Son, whom God raised from the dead, to come from heaven. He is Jesus, who saves us from God's angry judgement that is sure to come."
(1 Thessalonians 1:1-10)
Paul's First Letter to the Thessalonians was written from Corinth to the believers in Thessalonica at the end of 51 or the beginning of 52AD during Paul’s second missionary journey (see 5 on the map).
Paul was writing to one of the churches he had established in Macedonia (northern Greece) some months earlier before moving south to Achaia (southern Greece) (see Acts 17:1-9, 18:1).
Paul had already sent Timothy back to Thessalonica after arriving in Athens (see 1 Thessalonians 3:1-5) but Timothy had since re-joined Paul in Corinth (see 1 Thessalonians 3:6 & Acts 18:5).
The person who delivered this letter is uncertain, but it was unlikely to have been either Timothy or Silas (see 1 Thessalonians 1:1), one of whom may well have scribed the letter while Paul dictated.
In the letter, Paul encourages the new believers to stand firm under persecution and instructs them how to lead a godly life.
Paul had left Thessalonica rather abruptly a few months earlier (see Acts 17:10) and had been given little opportunity to teach these new Gentile converts how to adapt their lifestyle to reflect their new faith (see Acts 17:4). So in this letter, he attempts to give them solid guidelines on how to live a Spirit-filled life.
You can read more from Paul's First Letter to the Thessalonians @ https://www.thebiblejourney.org/…/pauls-1st-letter-to-thes…/