1 Thessalonians by Mike Sullivan (2018)

The Conversion of the Thessalonians

Photo of Mike Sullivan
Mike Sullivan

Acts 17:1-7; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Summary

What led the people of Thessalonica to become followers of Jesus? The messengers (Paul, Timothy, Silas and others) were dedicated, worked as a team and used evidence when they talked about God and Jesus. God pursued them and provided power and conviction. And the recipients were open to hearing the message and making their own decision. They were then motivated to share the gospel with others.

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We're starting a new teaching series in 1 Thessalonians, the first of two letters written by the apostle Paul to a group of Christians in a town called Thessalonica. Today Thessalonica (Thessaloniki) is the second-largest city in Greece with metro population of more than one million people.

I'm going to tell the story of how people in this town came to believe in Jesus Christ. It's a great story, a story about their conversion.

THE NATURE OF CONVERSION

Conversion is not a very popular word. We associate it with religious fanatics trying to force others to believe what they believe. But according to the Bible, that cannot be true conversion. Conversion, by definition, does not involve compelling anyone to do anything. It is a turning about, a turning around1 Thessalonians 1:9b "You turned from idols to serve a living and true God."

For centuries, people in this area were worshipping various deities. But when Paul and Silas arrived and spoke about Jesus, some of the Thessalonians abandoned their old religious practices and put their trust in Christ. They converted. It was a profound shift in their beliefs and in their lives.

C. S. Lewis, the famous Christian author, was an atheist before his conversion. But he stumbled across some books by George McDonald and G. K. Chesterton that made him question atheism. He used to say, "A young man who wishes to remain a sound Atheist cannot be too careful of his reading!" He eventually accepted the existence of God, but still hadn't met Christ until he went on a long walk with his close friend J. R. R. Tolkien. They walked and talked until 3am. When Lewis came home, he had become a Christian. A few days later he wrote to a friend, "I have just passed on from believing in God to definitely believing in Christ, in Christianity."

He trusted Christ. He became a Christian. This was a watershed event. Can you remember doing something like that? That's how you become a Christian, that's what happened with the Thessalonians, and that's what this story is all about.

What led to the conversion of the Thessalonians?

We can learn a lot about conversion by considering how the Thessalonians came to faith.

You have to remember, when Paul came to Thessalonica, there were no churches. There were no Christians. It was just two guys sharing a powerful message. So how on earth did they go into Thessalonica and see so many people believe in Christ? We could look for answers in at least three areas…

The messengers—Paul and Silas. What was it about them or what they said or did that helped the Thessalonians choose to follow Christ?

God—What role did God play in the Thessalonians' conversion? A big one, obviously, but can we actually describe what God did?

The recipients—That would be the Thessalonians themselves. What was it about them or about what they did that led to their conversion?

Instead of breaking the teaching up into these three areas, I will just tell the story of what happened because it's such a good story. And as we go through it, I'll pause and comment on what it was about the messengers that led to the conversion of the Thessalonians, what God did, and what it was about the Thessalonians themselves, the recipients, that resulted in their conversion.

As we do this, hopefully we will better understand conversion—how it happens, and the kinds of things that surround it.  

THE STORY

To get the full account of what happened, we'll need to start in the book of Acts. Just prior to being in Thessalonica, Paul and his co-laborer, Silas, were in a city called Philippi. Paul's message and ministry there caused such an uproar that the local magistrates put Paul and Silas in jail. Once in jail, both men were stripped naked, "struck with many blows"

Right away we see something important about the messengers that led to the conversion of the Thessalonians: They were dedicated.

We are fine with dedication in many areas (e.g. college football fans) with one exception: dedication to religion. That makes us uncomfortable because we associate religious dedication with fanaticism and the dangerous things fanatics do in the name of their God. And maybe when you see Paul and Silas in your mind's eye, you see two crazy fanatics imposing their beliefs on people. But, as we will see, that's not how Paul and Silas operated. They didn't force their faith on anyone. They weren't on a power trip. Their dedication was driven by love. Speaking of his brother Jews, Paul says,

Romans 9:1 With Christ as my witness, I speak with utter truthfulness. My conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm it. 2 My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief 3 for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters. I would be willing to be forever cursed—cut off from Christ!—if that would save them.

Paul would have given up his own salvation to see his fellow Jews saved because he loved them.

It is true that a dedicated Christian messenger can be annoying. When I was young, I knew someone who brought up Christianity so much it got old, fast. So there's a need for tact, for honoring someone's lack of interest, for knowing when to speak up and when to shut up.

But there is also something compelling about a messenger who is willing to suffer in order to share an important message.

Imagine being in the synagogue at Thessalonica. If someone had greeted Paul with a hug or a back slap, he would have winced in pain. When he rose to speak, it would have been with obvious discomfort. You can imagine people murmuring and asking, "why is Paul so debilitated?" And then someone whispering, "well, he and Silas were nearly beaten to death in Philippi for sharing this message." At that point, I'll bet you could have heard a pin drop as Paul spoke.

Paul and Silas' dedication was a factor in the Thessalonians conversion. Let's read on…

Acts 17:2 And according to Paul's custom, he went to them, and for three Sabbaths [in the Synagogue] reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, "This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ."

Luke, the author of Acts, writes it was "Paul's custom" to speak in Jewish synagogues. In city after city, Paul used what we could call a visiting-scholar-lecture-series strategy. You have to remember, Paul was a highly trained Jewish rabbi with eminent credentials. He was like a professor from Harvard. So, when he arrived in towns like Thessalonica, the Jewish synagogues there were excited to hear him speak.

When he did speak, Paul made a controversial claim. He taught that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ, the Messiah, a future king who will one day put an end to evil and establish God's eternal kingdom. To make his case, Paul "reasoned with the Jews from the Scriptures, the Old Testament, explaining and giving evidence." So here's something else about the messengers we should note: They didn't just expect people to blindly believe their message, they offered evidence!

If you Google the definition of religious faith, you get this…

"…strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof."

It implies faith is believing in something even though there is no real evidence for it. That's how people commonly perceive the faith required to become a Christian. It's like watching a superhero movie—you just suspend critical thinking and go with it!

But Paul took a different approach. He showed that Jesus, in his suffering, death, and resurrection, perfectly fulfilled Old Testament predictions that the Messiah would suffer, die, and rise again. His conclusion: Jesus is indeed the Christ, the Messiah.

So, when Paul and Silas shared the message, they weren't calling for blind faith based on wishful thinking. They called for reasonable faith based on fulfilled prophecy.

Despite Paul's example, some Christians recommend we avoid offering people reasons to believe. They often say, "No one was ever argued into becoming a Christian!"

I think we all agree that being argumentative is a terrible way to try to reach people, but does that mean we should never provide any evidence at all? Jesus provided evidence. When his critics asked him questions, Mark says he "answered them well" (Mark 12:18). In one case his answers were so powerful, people were speechless (Luke 20:26). After his resurrection, when his disciples were wavering, Jesus showed them ancient predictions in the Old Testament that he fulfilled (Luke 24:25-27, 44-46). 

I get agitated when people say, "there's no use for evidence." I for one am glad the Christians I encountered appreciated the need to make a case for their faith. They had good reasons for believing in Christ and were able to share them with me. That made me take their message more seriously. Evidence is important. Giving people a tired slogan like "God said it, I believe it, that settles it" is heartless. People need answers.

Acts 17:4 And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of the God-fearing Greeks and a number of the leading women.

Two things are implied here about the role of the recipients, the Thessalonians, in their conversion.

First, from Paul saying, "some of them were persuaded," it's clear the Thessalonians had the intellectual integrity to weigh out the truth of Paul's message.

Have you ever tried to explain something to someone and realized, they aren't listening to a word I'm saying?!

The Thessalonians weren't all like that. Some of them wanted to hear why Paul thought Jesus was the Messiah.

If you are here investigating Christ, maybe here with a friend, how about you? Are you willing to give Christianity a fair hearing?

Most people don't have their own well-thought out opinions about who Jesus was. Usually they let the culture or their peer group choose their beliefs for them. So believers believe because friends and family believe, and nonbelievers disbelieve because people they know don't believe. We'd rather repeat what we've heard somewhere instead of taking the time to investigate the claims of Christianity for ourselves!

So what about you? Are you willing to follow the evidence where it leads? And what if you find, as the Thessalonians did, that there are good reasons for believing in Jesus? Then what?

When some the Thessalonians became persuaded the message was true, they acted on it by putting their trust in Christ. That was a key factor in their conversion. Would you be willing to do the same?

Here is a second thing we learn about the Thessalonians (the recipients) that happened right after their conversion. In v. 4, Paul says, "some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas." That little word "joined" says a lot. The Thessalonians didn't just believe in Jesus, they entered into community with other Christians.

As I mentioned earlier, Paul and Silas were only in Thessalonica for a short time. But during their stay, they persuaded quite a few people to believe in Jesus. As each person became a Christian, they didn't just believe in Christ, they became part of a growing community of believers who spent a significant amount of time together.

That's what should happen, but it's not the way it always works. Some folks, after their conversion, have no interest in spending time with his people.

E.g., ____'s dad told me, "Me, my Bible, and God—that's all I need. I have no use for organized religion." He wasn't saying he had a principled objection to denominations, church hierarchy, etc. He just meant, "I'd like to do this Christianity thing without the inconvenience of having to deal with people."

Following God all by yourself may be more appealing to you. And you are free to do that, but it's not what God wants for you. He doesn't want you to follow him alone. Speaking of all Christians, Paul says,

Ephesians 4:30 "…we are members of his body."

Paul says every Christian, like it or not, is a member of Christ's body. We are interconnected the same way organs in your body depend on each other and work together. That means you thrive best as a Christian in community with other Christians. This is a key aspect of conversion every Christian should know: it's not just about being forgiven, it's about becoming part of a community of Christians. No Christian will ever thrive the way God intends them to thrive unless we are knit into love relationships in a group of believers.

Let's finish what the book of Acts says about Paul's time in Thessalonica…

Acts 17:5 But the Jews, becoming jealous and taking along some wicked men from the market place, formed a mob and set the city in an uproar; and attacking the house of Jason, they were seeking to bring them out to the people. 6 When they did not find them, they began dragging Jason and some brethren before the city authorities, shouting, "These men who have upset the world have come here also; 7 and Jason has welcomed them, and they all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus." 8 They stirred up the crowd and the city authorities who heard these things.

These are dangerous words. The Jews from the synagogue insinuated that the riot they started was caused by Paul. And they accused Paul and Silas of being insurrectionists who "upset the world" by putting forth Jesus as "another king," a rival to the Roman emperor. If those charges stuck, Paul and Silas wouldn't just go to jail, they would be executed. It was a tough spot to be in, but somehow Jason got them out of trouble.

Acts 17:9 And when they [the city authorities] had received a pledge from Jason and the others, they released them.

So, Paul and Silas dodged a bullet. But the situation was still very dangerous, so they snuck away at night to the nearby town of Berea. Eventually, Paul worked his way down to Athens.

A few months passed, and Paul was like a parent whose kid just went off to college. He started to wonder, how are the Thessalonians doing? Has their faith crumbled under persecution? Are they still standing strong?

Finally, when he couldn't take it anymore, Paul sent Timothy from Athens up to Thessalonica—almost a 300-mile journey by foot—to see how they were doing. As we open the book of 1 Thessalonians, we are reading Paul's enthusiastic reaction to the great news Timothy brought back from Thessalonica. You can hear the excitement in his words…

1 Thessalonians 1:1 Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. 2 We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers; 3 constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father, 4 knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice

Why are people more likely to be converted when messengers work as a team?

Together we have a "corporate witness," which is what persuaded many of us to believe. And each team member contributes in unique ways. When I reflect on my own conversion, it didn't result from hearing one teaching or from one conversation. It was what I learned from interacting with multiple people AND from watching them interact with each other. That's what made the difference.

So, if this is true, then one of the best things you could do if you're sharing your faith with someone, is to try to get them around your Christian friends.

Let's continue reading. Finally, for the first time, we hear about God's role in conversion.

1 Thessalonians 1:5 for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction…

Here for the first time, we hear about God's role in the conversion of the Thessalonians. Paul and Silas shared the gospel. That means they explained how Jesus' death on the cross for our sin makes it possible for us to come to God as is and receive forgiveness. And as they explained the gospel, God, through the Holy Spirit, brought power and conviction. In other words, the Thessalonians didn't just hear the gospel, they experienced the power of the Holy Spirit in their hearts, driving home the truth of what Paul was saying.

The first few times I heard the Bible taught, I felt like the teacher knew me and was speaking directly to me. Have you ever had a similar feeling? What is that? That's the Holy Spirit letting you know this message you are hearing is true and you need to respond to it.

So what? Well, from this we can infer two additional truths about God's role in conversion. 

First, God can work through messengers despite their limitations. When we are explaining the way of salvation to someone, it's easy to think it's me and them, my word and their reaction, and that's all that's going on. But that's not the full picture! When I was investigating Christianity, I had conversations with people about it. Some Christians were persuasive, some weren't. But during that time, I also remember having the sense that God himself was dealing with me in a personal way. That's how the Holy Spirit works in someone's heart. So if you are committed to sharing the message, don't focus on your lack of knowledge; focus on how actively God is working in the life of the person you are speaking to. Take comfort in that!  

Second, God stands ready when you come to him to provide additional evidence that he is there. I mentioned there are good reasons for believing in Christianity, and there are. But there is another form of evidence that goes beyond knowledge—evidence you can experience. God is alive, and when you come to him, you will experience his presence in a variety of ways: you'll have new desires to care for people, new interest in his Word, the Bible, new feelings about the choices you are making. God is real, and one of the best evidences you'll ever have of his reality is his presence in your life. But that only comes after you put your trust in Christ.

If you are here and don't know Christ and have sensed the power and conviction of the Holy Spirit, I urge you, don't harden your heart. Respond! Call out to God for mercy and learn for yourself experientially that he is indeed there!

Let's pull a few more elements of conversion from the last part of chapter 1:

1 Thessalonians 1:5b …just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. 6 You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything.

There's a lot here, but let's focus on two final things we can learn about conversion: one has to do with the messengers and one with the recipients.

The messengers were people of outstanding character.

Paul says in v. 5, "you know what kind of men we proved to be among you." What is he talking about? He's referring to character, to the way that he and Silas conducted themselves. When Paul showed up in Thessalonica, he wasn't there to abuse or mistreat anyone. He wasn't there to rip them off or to get rich. Instead of taking from the ThessaloniansE.g., This is Wesley So, an elite chess player from the Philippines. He was ranked second in the world at one point. Elite chess players aren't known for being Christians, but when Wesley was going to school in the US he was befriended by a Christian family. They took him into their home and supported him so he could devote more time to playing chess. This family called Christianity a "thinking man's religion" and encouraged Wesley to ask questions, and study the Bible for himself. He noticed how they spent their time and money, how they went the extra mile to help people, and he became a Christian.E.g., This is Abbas Hameed, an Iraqi policeman who worked for the U.S. military. He met an American sergeant named Scott Young and says, "as soon as I met [Sgt. Young], I realized there was something different about him. He had a book in his… pocket all the time. Every time we had a break, I observed him reading, and I was intrigued. Scott told me it was the Bible, and I started to read it every day for myself…"1 Thessalonians 5:8 "For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you…"

And notice how widely they were spreading the message: "not only in Macedonia and Achaia but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth…" Maybe to the islands in the Aegean sea, maybe in other parts of the Roman Empire where they had friends and relatives. Who knows? What we do know, and this is our last observation about conversion, is that the messenger has an important story to share.

Paul was only with the Thessalonians for a short time. As we read this letter, you'll see that there were large gaps in their knowledge. But they had something powerful to share. They had their own story. Think about what they experienced…

They saw the dedication of Paul and Silas who shared the gospel with them and lived exemplary lives.

They not only heard how Jesus made their salvation possible by dying for them, they also experienced the conviction of the Holy Spirit that it was true. And they heard good evidence that Jesus was indeed the Messiah.

When they did believe, they became part of a community of people who cared about each other, and they experienced the living God inside them through the Holy Spirit.

If this had been your experience, don't you think you'd be "sounding forth?" They were excited. They had met God. He changed their life. They were persuaded Christ really was the Messiah. So they wanted to share their story and apparently, many people listened.   

So, if you're a relatively new Christian and you're thinking, I really don't know enough to bring up Christianity in a conversation, don't underestimate the power of your story. The Thessalonians still had much to learn about following God, but that didn't keep them from telling people about Christ. Your conversion story, including what you found to be persuasive, is worth sharing and you need to share it!

CONCLUSION

To messengers: Paul and Silas set a high standard with their dedication, willingness to give evidence, teamwork, and exemplary character. But it's a standard worth striving for because we have a message people need to hear.

To recipients: There is good evidence to support the claim that Jesus is the Messiah. Your job is to weigh out the evidence and have the humility to turn to Christ if you are persuaded the message is true.

And God? He is clearly involved in all of this. Messengers should remember that God provides power and conviction and can work through your limitations. And recipients should remember that God will pursue you your entire life, exposing your need for him, and periodically sending his people your way with his message. Don't be irritated, see it as a mark of his love, and turn to him!