As we read in the book of Acts, Paul visited Thessalonica, which is in Macedonia (modern day Greece) on his second missionary journey.
He was only there approximately 3 weeks on his first visit and argued in the synagogue that Jesus was the Messiah and that he had to suffer according to the Scripture. Some of the Jewish Thessalonians put their trust in Jesus "as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women" (Acts 17:4). They then faced quite a bit of opposition from the non-believing Jewish community who stirred up problems and forced them out of town and even followed them to the next town (Berea) and caused problems for them there by agitating and stirring up the crowds against them.
Paul stops in to encourage them two times on his third journey, both on the way there and back (Acts 20:2-3).
It is likely that Paul wrote the letter to the Thessalonian believers between his first visit in Acts 17 and his second visit in Acts 20. He hadn't spent much time with them at this point so they probably had many questions and could be easily misled. They had the Old Testament to study and learn God's ways but they didn't have any of the New Testament books to read since they hadn't been written yet.
He was only there approximately 3 weeks on his first visit and argued in the synagogue that Jesus was the Messiah and that he had to suffer according to the Scripture. Some of the Jewish Thessalonians put their trust in Jesus "as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women" (Acts 17:4). They then faced quite a bit of opposition from the non-believing Jewish community who stirred up problems and forced them out of town and even followed them to the next town (Berea) and caused problems for them there by agitating and stirring up the crowds against them.
Paul stops in to encourage them two times on his third journey, both on the way there and back (Acts 20:2-3).
It is likely that Paul wrote the letter to the Thessalonian believers between his first visit in Acts 17 and his second visit in Acts 20. He hadn't spent much time with them at this point so they probably had many questions and could be easily misled. They had the Old Testament to study and learn God's ways but they didn't have any of the New Testament books to read since they hadn't been written yet.
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