hotcoffee
New Member
1 Thessalonians 2:1 You know, brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not without results. 2 We had previously suffered and been treated outrageously in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in the face of strong opposition. 3 For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. 4 On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts.
In these verses Paul refers to Philippi. In Philippi, (Acts 16:19-24), Paul and Silas were beaten and jailed. This didn't stop when Paul and Silas got to Thessalonica. In Thessalonica, (Acts 17:5-10), the Pharisees and Sadducees from the temple rounded up rabble rousers and attempted to make them look bad too.
Here in this letter Paul, Silas, and Timothy are remembering that in spite of all that, God told them what to say through the Holy Spirit. They had relayed the Gospel truthfully, without adding cinematic highlights [as so often happens these days when the Gospel is put into movies and mini-series], and the people of the church at Thessalonica had grown. People's lives were changed.
They weren't trying to pull big box office numbers. They weren't trying to grow the church coffers. Paul and Silas were simply telling the people about Jesus in plain language, truthfully, and from the heart where the Holy Spirit works best. The people of Thessalonica had been moved. They stopped their idol worship and they turned to God.
