Note 6 at 1 Th. 3:4: Paul was only with the Thessalonians about three weeks before persecution forced him to leave (Acts 17:1-2). Yet in that short time he had warned them that they would be persecuted if they accepted the Lord. This shows that Paul didn't preach an easy salvation. He warned them right from the beginning of the cost of being a true disciple.

Note 7 at 1 Th. 3:4: The account of Paul's ministry in Thessalonica was recorded in Acts 17:1-12. Here two Thessalonian believers are mentioned (one by name - Jason) who were seized by a mob which upset the whole city. Paul told them persecution was a part of the Christian life and they had already experienced it.