“For you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain. But even after we had suffered before and were spitefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we were bold in our God to speak to you the gospel of God in much conflict” (1 Thessalonians 2:1-2).
The opening verses of 1 Thessalonians chapter two begin with a discussion of Paul the Apostle’s conduct during his stay in Thessalonica. One distinguishing feature of Paul’s visit to that city was the courage he displayed in the face of adversity: “…with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in spite of strong opposition” (NIV). This example reminds us that God can enable us to do what is right even when others oppose us.
We should also note Paul’s reference to his experience in the town of Philippi, a visit that is recounted for us in the Biblical book of Acts. Philippi was a first-century Roman colony and one of the leading cities in the region of Macedonia. Shortly after his arrival there, Paul and his traveling party encountered a demonically-possessed slave girl whose clairvoyant ability brought a great deal of profit to her owners.
Acts 16:17 tells us that she began to follow Paul and his companions while shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation” (ESV). Despite the truth of that statement, it appears that Paul had no interest in advertising his evangelistic work through the services of a demon-possessed fortune teller. That was evidenced by what we read next: “…Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, ‘I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her'” (Acts 16:18).
That ended the exploitive (and lucrative) business arrangement between this girl and her masters. They subsequently dragged Paul and Silas (1) before the local authorities who responded by having them beaten and thrown them into prison. An earthquake later released them from their prison bonds but instead of choosing to escape, they led the jailer and his family to Christ (see Acts 16:11-40).
This background information helps provide us with a fresh appreciation for Paul’s message here in 1 Thessalonians 2:2: “You know how we had already been mistreated and insulted in Philippi before we came to you in Thessalonica. And even though there was much opposition, our God gave us courage to tell you the Good News that comes from him” (GNT).
(1) Silas is also known as Silvanus who was mentioned earlier in chapter one