From Philippi, Paul and his companions traveled to Thessalonica. Here they followed their usual pattern of ministry wherever a synagogue could be found. They would preach there, and from the synagogue would come their first converts. But from the synagogue also came their fiercest opponents, and in Thessalonica the Jews again succeeded in having the missionaries effectively banished (cf. 13:50). The story is told briefly, the lack of detail making us feel the loss of Luke’s company. By telling us only the story of their relationship with the synagogue, Luke gives the impression that the missionaries were only in Thessalonica for three Sabbaths, but it is clear from Paul’s letters that they were there for much longer—long enough for a church to be established with its own leaders (1 Thess.…