Thessalonica was home to a church Paul founded on his second missionary trip. Acts 17 tells us he had great success there and subsequently met strong opposition and was forced out of town. Upon hearing Timothy's report on the church, Paul wrote his first letter and within the next year, he wrote the second letter.Both letters are short, straightforward and easy to read. However, that doesn't detract from the rich truth contained in them. Look for these things as you study-
Encouragement – Paul reminds them of the genuine conversion, of how they put their faith to work and the blessing they were to him. We all need to hear this kind of stuff, so write them down and take those words to heart.
Practical instruction – These letters are packed with tips for daily living. At times (like 1 Thessalonians 5) they come in rapid fire succession. Paul gives special attention to charging the believers to live a life of purity. How's that for relevant to our culture?
Eschatology – That's a seminary for the theology of the end times. Apparently the church had gotten some bad information and Paul takes time to set things straight. Notice what Paul says about the Day of the Lord, the second coming of Christ and the Antichrist.
Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way to you. And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints. (1 Thes 3:11-13)
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Philippians is the feel good book of the New Testament. I love this book. Chapter 1 encourages us to hang in there and keep growing. Paul's description of how Christ humbled Himself in chapter 2 gives me chills every time I read it. In chapter 3 Paul tells us what his salvation means to him. Then chapter 4 finishes with some of the most encouraging words in all of Paul's writing..jpg)
"And they realized they had been with Jesus." 
Acts is the sequel to the gospel of Luke and it tells the story of the witnesses empowered by the Holy Spirit. It naturally divides into two sections. In the first twelve chapters, Peter is the main character and the church is just beginning to function. Beginning with chapter thirteen, Paul takes over and missionary work dominates the rest of the narrative. Acts is a dynamic action-packed book that forms the bridge between the Gospels and the epistles and it serves as the framework upon which the remainder of the New Testament is built.