Hey fam, if we're honest, reading the Bible consistently can be a challenge.

But it's never too late to start and we're in this together.

Thanks for journeying with us and here's your host Emma Daughter.

Thanks for joining.

If you've never read First Thessalonians or it's been a while since you read it, here's what you need to know.

First Thessalonians was actually most likely

one of Paul's first letters, but before we dive into the letter, we've got to rewind the clock a little.

In Acts 17, we read that Paul and Silas went to Thessalonica after visiting the Jewish synagogues

on the Sabbath and reasoning with them as they studied the scriptures, as was Paul's

custom. Many came to believe the good news of Jesus' life, death, burial, and resurrection.

And here's the cool thing. It wasn't just Jews who came to faith. Many Greeks did as well,

all declaring Jesus as king. But this, though a really great thing, as many were turning to Christ,

became problematic as suspicions arose that the Christians and Thessalonica were denying Caesar.

I mean, the government had to have been wondering who this other king was. Ultimately, the suspicion

led to a mob in a lot of persecution, which led Paul and Silas

to have to flee the city. Now, clearly, Thessalonica was a city in which Christians were facing

a lot of persecution. But the good news is that the believers there were steadfast and faithful.

Timothy later reported to Paul that after his departure, the believers continued in such faithfulness.

So, ultimately, you can think of this letter as Paul's attempt to connect with his long-lost friends,

friends whom he had to abandon amidst what could have been crippling circumstances.

If we were to give First Thessalonians a title or key phrase, it would be Excel still more,

which comes from Chapter 4, where Paul, he urges the Thessalonians to excel all the more.

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