Opening the New Testament Scriptures

In reading the New Testament Scriptures, the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) presented the life, ministry & teachings including His return, death & resurrection of Christ, with the Book of Acts recording the ascension of Christ and the beginning of the New Testament church at the sending of the Holy Spirit by God the Father to fill, guide and direct the church in her expansion beginning in Jerusalem at Pentecost (Acts 1-2), with the preaching & ministry of the Apostle Peter (Acts 3-5) leading to the establishment of the church when souls were saved, the organisation and the persecution of the church leading to martyrdom of Stephen the deacon (Acts 6-7), the extension of the Church to Antioch in Syria with the conversion & call of the Apostle Paul (Acts 8-9) and the three missionary journeys (Acts 13-14, 15-18, 19-23) of the Apostle Paul to Asia Minor and then west to modern day Europe, his captivities and the 4^th missionary journey reaching Rome, the capital of the Roman Empire (Acts 24-28).

The Epistles provide the inner life of the church. Following the Acts of the Apostles, beginning with the Book of Romans, the Apostle Paul doctrinally presented the working of the gospel in the salvation of souls (Romans 1-5), sanctification of the saints (Romans 5-8), the Second Coming of Christ in relation to Israel (Romans 9-11), consecration of the Christian and the working out of the Christian in his relation to society and in the church (Romans 12-16). 

The Books of 1 and 2 Thessalonians, the first epistles written by the Apostle Paul during his second missionary journey focuses on holy Christian living in the light of Christ’s Second Coming (1 Thess. 1-3) with particular focus on holy Christian living in the light of the rapture which is the catching of the church to glory when Christ returns (1 Thess. 4-5; 2 Thess. 1), and glimpses of the Great Tribulation with the rise of the Antichrist desecrating the Tribulation Temple (2 Thess. 2), and the patient working and waiting of the saints for the Lord’s return (2 Thess. 3).

The Apostle Paul rejoices with the saints in Thessalonica recalling the establishment of the church, and the persecutions the missionary team and the church had to go through, commending them for their spiritual progress in faith and charity. The good report of Timotheus returning from the visit to the Thessalonian church prompted the Apostle Paul to write the first epistle and the tarrying of the Lord and the impatient waiting of the church for Christ’s return prompted the writing of the second epistle.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 (KJV) And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. 

Most appropriate for the church today living in the light of Christ’s impending return. Amen.

Yours lovingly,

Pastor Lek Aik Wee