Thessalonica stood on the seaboard, and was the center of a large trade, which it shared with Corinth and Ephesus. It is the Saloniki of today, to which the interest of the world has recently been directed. It contained a large colony of Jews and a synagogue. The Apostle visited it, as recorded in Acts 17:2-9. Probably he dispatched this Epistle from Corinth; compare I Thessalonians 1:1 and 3:1 with Acts 18:15. It is the earliest of the Epistles and more elementary than the later ones. An interesting study would be to trace the development of the Apostle’s thought to the fuller and deeper teachings of the Epistles to the churches at Rome and Ephesus. —Through the Bible Day by Day 

Building Up One Another

Salutation, I Thessalonians 1:1
I. Founding and Growth of the Thessalonian Church, I Thessalonians 1:2-3:13
   1. Fruits of the Gospel in Thessalonica, I Thessalonians 1:2-10
   2. Paul’s Missionary Methods, I Thessalonians 2:1-12
   3. Results of His Labor, I Thessalonians 2:13-20
   4. Visit of Timothy, I Thessalonians 3:1-10
   5. Benediction, I Thessalonians 3:11-13
II. The Walk of the Christian, I Thessalonians 4-5
   1. The Need of Purity, I Thessalonians 4:1-8
   2. The Need of Love for the Brethren, I Thessalonians 4:9-12
   3. The Return of Christ, I Thessalonians 4:13-18
   4. How to Be Prepared, I Thessalonians 5:1-8
   5. The Will of God for the Christian, I Thessalonians 5:9-22
Conclusion, Thessalonians 5:23-28 —Through the Bible Day by Day

This second Epistle was probably written shortly after the first. The Apostle appears to have heard of some who claimed to be acting on his authority, and were announcing the immediate coming of the Lord. This had so excited and unsettled the disciples of Thessalonica that they were neglecting their means of livelihood. Writing from Corinth, where he was staying at the time, Paul endeavored to allay that spirit of unrest and to call these disciples back to their everyday duties. – Through the Bible Day by Day