Paul Dealt With the Various Issues of Essay

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Paul dealt with the various issues of the Thessalonian church in both a practical and theoretical manner. He chose to deal with grief and loss by enabling discussion and explanation of the Second Coming and the concept of resurrection. He provided comfort and guidance to his members, a social aspect of associations and clubs often witnessed within their cities. In addition, he preached a ministry of pleasing God to prepare for the day when Christ returns.

Greek city life often involved clubs and associations. This meant most Greeks participated in social clubs and activities. Paul operated within a club or association context. He knew this was a practical way to appeal to the Thessalonians as clubs and associations allowed members to participate, created a sense of community, and even covered funeral expenses. Paul also knew the Romans would not view the synagogue as a threat if it were seen as an association or club and thus appealing to the Thessalonians within this commonly used social structure was a great way for Paul to connect to the Thessalonians but also evade Roman persecution. Although the Romans considered the church an association and the church was structured as such, Paul viewed the church as an ekklesia or a large gathering occurring in spontaneous occasions. He did this because it gave more weight to the church in terms of generality. The organization itself stuck out more to any wandering Greek and provided a means for further expression for Paul instead of the restriction often seen in clubs with specific names or purposes.

Going into Paul's ministry, how he dealt with the Thessalonians in terms of reaching out to them, connecting, Paul believed and used the power of the Gospel in order to enable transformation and understanding within the people. "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, New International Version). For instance in Chapter 2, Paul shares the meaning of healthy motives through approaching people via a sincere manner instead of deceiving, of a bold ministry through opposition, and resistance, and pleasing God. A good example of this is Paul's work ethic. He worked to sustain himself instead of relying on the church. This was a practical and important element in his missionary approach. He wanted the Thessalonians to see he was not preaching to make money, but rather to please God. He used Christ's return including the coming judgment to guide members into the correct way of life. "In verse 10, as Paul summarized his initial preaching to them, he concluded with a reference to Christ's return and the coming judgment, which became the central emphasis of the entire letter (4:13-5:11)" (Polhill, 1999, p. 190).

In the concluding section of the letter, readers see how Paul deals with theological and ethical issues concerning Thessalonian life in the church.

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A rudimentary belief of Christian living articulated through 4:1: "you ought to live and to please God." provides the basis for which Paul deals with to guide the Thessalonians. Examples of this is how Paul deals with appropriate sexual comportment between husband and wife, and Paul's belief and emphasis on a peaceful lifestyle. Peace can be hard to obtain when grieving. Some of the central issues Paul had to deal with among his members was grieving.

When members of the church died, the remaining members questioned whether those that died would miss the Parousia. Paul had to teach what the Second Coming entailed and how this would affect his organization members. "Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us" (2 Thessalonians 2:1-2, New International Version) Paul delivers his strongest elucidation of the Second Coming of Christ and the associated resurgence of the believers. Therefore, even though members died, they were not going to miss the Parousia. They would be resurrected. Thessalonians again were unsure of the Second Coming. They did not know when and how it would come, but Paul eased their minds by stating it will come and believer should be prepared. This settled one part of the grieving process for the Thessalonians, but the other part, Paul use of the Gospel record to comfort members in their failures and hurts, became another important aspect of his ministry. He acted as a shepherd leading his flock and it is in his words that members found comfort and strength. "Stand firm. . . May our Lord. . .encourage your hearts and strengthen you" (2 Thessalonians 2:15-17, New International Version). The use of the Jesus tradition by Paul cemented his pastoral instead or practical view and delivery of the Scripture and his ministry. Although he was practical in how he lived, sustaining himself through his own earnings, he did not guide his members in a practical fashion.

In conclusion, Paul dealt with issues within his organization through the Jesus tradition as well as referencing scripture. He connected with the Thessalonians by presenting and structuring his organization as an association or a club would at the time. He also provided clear explanations of the Second Coming to help deal with the grieving of loved ones, and guided his followers in a pastoral manner in preparation for Jesus' return. Paul dealt with various issues in the Thessalonian church. Some of which included how people should behave in marriage. He also enabled connection through allowing members to come to him to express their failings and hurts. Doing this provided guidance and counseling to the Thessalonians. His main emphasis within his ministry was leading a life to please God and he achieved this throughout.....

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