1 Thessalonians

This is the eighth in a series of twenty-one summaries of the New Testament letters.  The eighth is 1 Thessalonians, and the outline comes from Robert Arthur Bailey:

a   Address and Blessing, 1:1
    b   Thanksgiving, 1:2-4
         c   Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy's Coming and Thessalonians' Response, 1:5-3:13
         c'  Encouragement on the Lord's Coming and Appeals for Thessalonian Response
             4:1-5:22
    b'  Peace, Benediction, 5:23-24
a'  Request for Prayer, Greeting, Blessing, 5:25-28

The 'a' pattern links the introduction to the conclusion.

The 'b' pattern links the opening prayer to the closing benediction.

The 'c' pattern links Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy's coming to the Thessalonians to the Lord's coming to his people.  The first section speaks continually about arrivals and receptions: Paul's gospel comes to them (1:5), Paul Silvanus, and Timothy "lived among you..." (1:5).  The Thessalonians "welcomed" the message and gave them a "reception." (1:9)  They "wait for (God's) Son from heaven." (1:10).  Paul's, Silvanus', and Timothy's "visit" was not without results. (2:1).  When they came, they were like "children" among the Thessalonians. (2:7)  They cared for them like a nursing mother (2:7), they shared the gospel and their lives (2:8), they worked while they preached (2:9), and they dealt with them like a father deals with his children. (2:11)  The Thessalonians accepted their word as the word of God. (2:13).  Paul describes making every effort to come, wanting to come, but that Satan blocked the path. (2:17-18)  He mentions that the Lord Jesus will come. (2:19)  Timothy arrives. (3:2).  Paul hopes to come again. (3:10).  He hopes for God to clear the way for them to "come to you."  He asks for the Thessalonians to be blameless and holy in the presence of God when "our Lord Jesus comes." (3:13)  The second section emphasizes God's coming.  Paul's early instruction in 4:1-8 is to be taken as the Lord's instruction, and that failure to be vigilant about sin will result in punishment when the Lord comes. (4:6)  God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep. (4:14).  Paul describes how the Lord will come down. (4:16).  The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. (5:2).  All of this suggests that even as the Thessalonians are to expect a final arrival of God in Jesus' return, God comes in many ways to encourage and challenge through his servants Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy.