To the Church of the Thessalonians
“Paul, and Silvanus [Silas] , and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: grace unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 1:1, 2). The Apostle Paul visited the City of Thessalonica about 50 or 51 A.D. during his second missionary journey. During this trip, he had intended to go into Asia and preach the Gospel there, but the Holy Spirit prompted him not to. He would have then traveled to Bithynia, but, again, the Spirit forbade him to do so. It was then that Paul had a vision. In it he saw a Macedonian man who prayed for Paul to come to Macedonia and help them. Such clear direction from the Lord couldn’t be ignored. Paul and his group, which included his fellow minister Silas, and the young disciple Timothy, promptly reversed directions. They passed through the towns of Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica. Whenever Paul came to a new city, it was his custom