August 09 2026

Sunday August 09

A Church in God

1 Thessalonians 1:1

Welcome to Pastor's Chat. Today we begin our verse-by-verse journey through First Thessalonians. Yesterday we looked at the background of this wonderful letter and how God used Paul, Silas, and Timothy to establish a church in the important city of Thessalonica. Now Paul begins his letter with these words: “Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul begins simply with his name: “Paul.” Notice that he does not introduce himself here as “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ,” as he does in several of his other letters. Why? Probably because he did not need to defend his apostolic authority with these believers. They knew him. They loved him. Paul had personally brought the Gospel to them.

Then he mentions two men who had served alongside him: “Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus.” Silvanus is the longer form of the name Silas. Silas had traveled with Paul on this second missionary journey. He had been there in Philippi when Paul was beaten and thrown into prison. He was there at midnight when they prayed and sang praises to God. And now he had helped Paul establish this church in Thessalonica. Timotheus, of course, is Timothy. Paul had met this young man at Lystra and invited him to join the missionary team. Timothy would eventually become one of Paul's most trusted fellow workers. What a wonderful picture of ministry. Paul did not work alone. There was an older, experienced missionary in Paul. There was a faithful companion in Silas. And there was a younger man being trained for future ministry in Timothy. God's work has always been about one generation passing the truth to another generation.

But then Paul says something especially important: “Unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ.” The word “church” comes from the Greek word ekklesia, which basically means a called-out assembly. These people lived in Thessalonica, but spiritually they were in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ. Think about that. Geographically, they were in Thessalonica. Spiritually, they were in Christ. Thessalonica was a pagan city filled with idolatry and immorality. These new Christians were surrounded by a culture that did not share their faith or their values. They were already experiencing opposition and persecution because they followed Jesus. But their environment did not determine their identity. They were in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ.

And the same is true for us today. We live in a world that increasingly seems to be moving farther away from God. We are surrounded by temptation. We hear philosophies that contradict the Word of God. We see values changing around us. But the believer's identity is not determined by the world in which he lives. We are in Christ. Paul uses that little expression again and again throughout his writings. Second Corinthians 5:17 says,

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.” Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.” Our security is not found in our circumstances. Our security is found in our relationship with Jesus Christ. You might say that these Thessalonian believers had two addresses. Their earthly address was Thessalonica. Their spiritual address was in Christ. And every believer has those same two addresses. We live somewhere on this earth. We have a street address, a city, a state, and a country. But if we have trusted Jesus Christ as our Savior, our most important address is this: We are in Christ.

Then Paul gives them two wonderful words: “Grace be unto you, and peace.” We just finished our study of Philippians by noticing how often Paul begins and ends his letters with grace. And here it is again. Grace. Then peace. Notice the order. Grace comes before peace. We cannot experience the peace of God until we have first experienced the grace of God. Grace is God giving us what we could never earn and could never deserve. Salvation is by grace. Forgiveness is by grace. Our relationship with God is by grace. Our strength for each day is by grace. And when we experience God's grace, we can also experience God's peace. What an encouragement this must have been to these young believers. They were experiencing persecution from the world around them, but Paul reminded them that they possessed something the world could never give them and the world could never take away. Grace and peace. Their circumstances might change. Their friends might turn against them. Persecution might increase. But their position in Christ was secure.

And perhaps that is the great truth we should carry with us today. Our peace does not come from living in a peaceful world. Our peace comes from knowing that we are securely in Christ. So today, whatever  circumstances you may be facing, remember who you are and remember where you are. If you have trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior, you are a child of God. You are forgiven. You are accepted. You are secure. And above everything else, you are in Christ. The Thessalonians lived in a difficult city, but they belonged to a wonderful Savior. And so do we.

Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us today of the wonderful position we have in Your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank You that although we live in a changing and troubled world, our identity and security are not determined by the world around us. We belong to You. Thank You for Your saving grace and for the peace that comes through knowing Jesus Christ. Help us to remember each day who we are and Whose we are. Like Paul, Silas, and Timothy, help us faithfully pass the truth of Your Word to the next generation. And like the believers in Thessalonica, give us courage to stand faithfully for Christ regardless of the pressures around us. May our lives reflect Your grace, Your peace, and the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ until He comes again. In His precious name we pray. Amen.

God bless, and you have a wonderful, wonderful day.