The Gospel of God – In the biblical Greek NT, 1Thess. 2:1-8, falls into four parts each time introduced by the marker gar, "for" (vs. 1-2 / 3-4 / 5-8 / 9-12). Also common to this section is Paul’s use of the word "gospel," which too, occurs four times. Such suggests that the gospel—the proclamation of the good news—is at the core of this passage. Paul speaks of the gospel’s power, the wielding of it in the face of great opposition, and the impeccable character that such proclamation required. [1]

Pedagogy – The Greek world of Paul’s day was quite familiar with the teacher/student relationship, in that each student reflected a unique disposition around which the teacher would offer teaching suited for the individual.

Thus Paul writes that the foundational leaders treated "each one of you like a father with his children" (2:11) . . . Care for God’s people today requires what Daniel O. Aleshire calls "the ministry of attending," the ministry of noticing carefully the development of individual believers so that "the Christian community of faith can help them learn a Christian way in the world and grow toward maturity in faith." Not all believers are at the same place; not all grow at the same pace. But all deserve nurture and patience. [2]

 

• Reading behind the text – note carefully Paul’s recollection of his visit to the Thessalonians. What rumors about Paul must have been spread by the "opposition?"
• Notice the maternal (v.7) and paternal (v.11) images Paul uses to describe the type of care he had toward the Thessalonians Christians. Describe/discuss how a nursing mother and an encouraging father might be also true in pastoral care ministry.

• What does ethical evangelism look like (vs. 1-12)?

 

This passage would provide a great opportunity to speak to pastoral care and chaplaincy; you could begin by describing how Paul and his colleagues provided us a model of deep personal involvement not only in bringing the gospel to others, but in offering pastoral care to those who receive the good news. Personally investing ourselves in others’ is an essential part of the Gospel of God, as Paul calls it.

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[1] New Interpreter’s Bible XI (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2000), page 698.
[2] Ibid, 701.