帖撒罗尼迦是保罗在腓立比传福音之后的下一站，它位于腓立比西边150公里处。圣灵感动保罗踏上欧洲大陆之后，他传福音的过程并不顺利。

保罗在腓立比时，从一位女孩身上赶出邪灵，这女孩原是她主人的生财工具，因为邪灵的能力使她有占卜的能力，因此她替主人赚了许多钱。但女孩身上的邪灵被赶出去之后，她主人再也不能从她身上赚钱，就揪住保罗去官府，控告保罗扰乱城市秩序，害保罗与他的宣教伙伴希拉一同被下在监里。到了半夜，保罗与希拉在狱中祷告、唱诗赞美上帝，忽然地大震动，监狱的门也被震开了，但保罗他们并没有逃走，反而因此而带领狱警全家信主。最后保罗因罗马人的身份被释放，但也被迫离开腓立比。

保罗在腓立比引起的骚动一定也传到了附近的帖撒罗尼迦，因为保罗来到这里传福音三周，就被指控「这些搅乱天下的人也到这里来了」 （使徒行传17:6），保罗又被迫离开。接着保罗来到庇哩亚，在帖撒罗尼迦指控保罗的犹太人也追来，煽动挑拨群众，迫使保罗离开。

即便过程如此不顺利，福音还是传开了。并且腓立比、帖撒罗尼迦与庇哩亚的教会，虽然是保罗用最少时间在他们身上的教会，却是最令他放心的教会。帖撒罗尼迦教会「在大患难中领受了真道」，也因此「作了马其顿和亚该亚所有信主的人的榜样」。 （1:6-7）

反观雅典，那是保罗离开庇哩亚的下一站，在那里保罗没有遇到什么患难。虽有几个人讥诮他，也有几个人信了主，只是人数不足以形成一个教会。可见在患难中建立的教会反而能够激发信心，也最能带给人安慰。因此，保罗为着帖撒罗尼迦教会感谢上帝，常常想念他们「因信心所做的工作，因爱心所受的劳苦，因盼望我们主耶稣基督所存的坚忍。」（1:3）这也成为保罗在雅典之后前往歌林多传福音的一大动力。

保罗向哥林多教会说：「我们在一切患难中，祂安慰我们，使我们能用上帝所赐的安慰去安慰那些遭各样患难的人。」（哥林多后书 1:4）想必是回应从腓立比、帖撒罗尼迦与庇哩亚教会得到的美好经验。

简体圣经 | https://www.bible.com/bible/140/1TH.1.RCUVSS

繁體聖經 | https://www.bible.com/bible/139/1TH.1.RCUV

Before ending this letter, Paul gives a final exhortation to remind the believers to maintain their relationship with God and with others. Paul teaches the believers to "continue steadfastly in prayer," because prayer is the foundation for maintaining a relationship with God and with others. In our relationship with God, we should "be watchful and thankful" (NIV) in prayer, which is an attitude of gratitude for God's sacrificial love. Gratitude not only involves thankfulness but also watchfulness, lest we inadvertently put on the "old self" again (4:2).

In our relationship with others, we should also intercede for one another in prayer. Mutual intercession is the perfect ending for Christian gatherings, and without it, gatherings will end hastily like those of ordinary people.

We should also "live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity." (4:5, NLT). The literal meaning of "make the most of every opportunity" is "buying up all the time," and the whole sentence means to exhaust all possible costs and opportunities, using the wisdom given by God to "present everyone fully mature in Christ" (1:28).

Paul also reminds us to season our speech with salt when talking with others. (4:6) The key to seasoning our speech with salt is "careful measurement," as speaking too heavily is like using too much salt, making it hard to swallow, and speaking too lightly may miss the point, like using too little salt, which is also hard to swallow. On the other hand, everyone has different tastes, and how to speak appropriately to different people really requires "wisdom from above" (James 3:17).

Sometimes, we only speak our own thoughts and ignore the other person's feelings, which makes it hard for them to listen. Successful chefs do not only focus on their own preferences but also cater to their customers' tastes while adhering to their own cooking principles.

Paul's metaphor of "seasoning with salt" is really apt, as he himself was the best of all in this. Paul's words to the Corinthian church were "strongly seasoned" because he founded that church, and he had authority over them. But to the Colossian church, Paul's tone was calm and gentle throughout because that was a church established by Epaphras, not Paul, and Paul was not their pastor, so he had no authority over them.

May the Holy Spirit help us to have wisdom to 'season with salt' when we talk with others, so that we may be able to  "present everyone fully mature in Christ" (1:28).

Reading the Bible | https://www.bible.com/bible/59/COL.4.ESV