Woven Together

I was reading 1 Thessalonians this morning.  I've actually been there for a couple of days.  This morning I wondered at a reference Paul made to an prior event.

For you yourselves know, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain. But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict.
1 Thessalonians 2:1-2

My Bible has an awesome tool called "Scripture Reference".  In the margins of my Bible it gives me the reference for other verses that are related.  So I checked out the passage that it pointed me to in Acts 16.  It is the account of Paul and Silas being unlawfully thrown into prison & then the earthquake breaking open the doors of the prison.  When they left Philippi, they traveled on to Thessolonica where, near the end of the story, Gentile believers were persecuted for embracing the gospel.

I was so thankful, after reading the story in Acts, that Luke took the time to write down the happenings in the early church!  Seeing the response & circumstances that surrounded the first proclamation of the gospel in that region made the epistle make SO MUCH MORE SENSE!  I love how God has woven together His Word to instruct us, and encourage us, and correct us!  God is God, and He is Good! =)

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
1 Thessalonians 1:1-10