What happened to Paul in Philippi?  (Acts 16:11-40)  How did his experiences there inform and influence his ministry in Thessalonica?  (2:1-2)

What can we learn from this passage about Paul’s heart as a pastor?

How does Paul describe his ministry (and how he went about it) when was there at the church in Thessalonica?

How does Paul describe his motives for why he does gospel ministry?

What are some principles that we can derive from this text to apply to our own ministry, as Christians today?

What are some pitfalls to avoid in ministry that we can see in this text?

Paul says that they were ready to share “not only the gospel”, but also their “very selves” with the Thessalonians.  (2:8)  What do you think that this means?  What are some of the benefits of doing gospel ministry in the contexts of an ongoing relationship?  What are some of the dangers?

Paul likens his ministry to the Thessalonians to that of a mother (2:7), and to that of a father (2:11-12).  What are we to make of that?  What does it teach us about motherhood?  What does it teach us about fatherhood?  What does it teach us about gospel ministry?

What does this text teach us about suffering?  (2:1-2, 2:14-16)  Is suffering something that we should expect in the Christian life?  Why or why not?

Paul says that the Thessalonians accepted the gospel, and rightly recognized it as the word of God (instead of merely being the words of men).  (2:13)  Why is this important?  What are some of the implications of it?  What does it look like when a person acknowledges the divine authority of Scripture?

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