October 10, 2021
FACE TO FACE DISCIPLESHIP The apostle Paul wrote his first letter to the new believers at Thessalonica after hearing Timothy’s report concerning them. He was working in Athens when he felt compelled to send Timothy back to check on them. When Timothy returned to him with his great report of their continued faith in the
October 9, 2021
WORSHIP IS WAR! The apostle Paul commended the Thessalonian believers for turning from idolatry to the worship of the true and living God. They did this by receiving the message of the Gospel with joy, so that they gladly placed their faith in Christ as Lord and Savior. We think that we are too modern
August 1, 2021 | 1 Thessalonians 2:7-12 |
Parents have questions… Practical questions like: How and when should I discipline my child? How do I get them potty trained? And spiritual questions like: When is my child old enough to confess faith in Christ? What about baptism and the Lord’s Supper? How can I be sure that they are saved? In answering these questions, we have God’s Word as our guide, but we must also take into account the child’s level of maturity. Have you noticed that every child is unique? No two are the same. And as they grow, they change. So the parenting style that seemed effective when they were small, doesn’t work when they’re older.
Godly parents recognize their call to be leaders who make disciples. If we want to be effective, we have to match our parenting style to every child’s situation. In his first letter to the Thessalonians, the apostle Paul told them that he had discipled them like a parent according to their situation, sometimes gentle and affectionate like a mother and sometimes strong like a father in order to release them to live up to God’s calling. We can parent our children following God’s Word to match our child’s situation with a goal of releasing them to the Lord.
October 11, 2020
WE SORROW BUT NOT WITHOUT HOPE The apostle Paul described believers who had died as having “fallen asleep” in Jesus. For them death is like sleep, a transitional state where one closes his eyes in this world and opens them in the next. Having given the Thessalonians this description, Paul encouraged them not to “sorrow
October 12, 2019
EVERY MONTH SHOULD BE PASTOR APPRECIATION MONTH The apostle Paul instructed the Thessalonian believers to honor those who are leaders in the Lord’s work. The word “honor” means to show appropriate respect, recognizing their worth and giving them what they are worth. The word “honor” also implies financial support, as Paul instructed Timothy, “Elders who
October 9, 2019
WORSHIP IS WAR! The apostle Paul commended the Thessalonian believers for turning from idolatry to the worship of the true and living God. They did this by receiving the message of the Gospel with joy, so that they gladly placed their faith in Christ as Lord and Savior. We think that we are too
July 14, 2019 | 1 Thessalonians 1:1-7 |
Many of us go through life not experiencing spiritual power. In Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians, he reminded them how he had depended on God’s power to share the gospel with them, so they were enabled to respond by faith in Jesus. We can depend on God’s power to as we share the gospel, so that people are enabled to believe in Jesus.
October 12, 2018
DO GOOD TO ALL PEOPLE AT ALL TIMES
Paul’s instruction to the Thessalonians is straight out of the Jesus playbook! Didn’t Jesus teach us to turn the other cheek and to pray for those who persecute us? This is a hard saying, for it goes against our desire to inflict pain back onto those who injure us. Yet, it is one of the most radical responses that we can make. For it breaks the cycle of evil by overcoming evil with good. To love our enemies is to be like Jesus who died for us while we were yet sinners.
Who has hurt you today and you are even now thinking about how to hurt them back? Stop. Release your hurt to the Lord, asking Him to defend you, so that you might do good even to that one who has hurt you.
October 11, 2018
LIVING TO PLEASE GOD
The apostle Paul urged the Thessalonian believers to live in a way that pleased God. He followed his urging with several practical instructions on how they might live a holy life. Yet his instruction was based on the reality of their faith in Christ. For the key to living a life that pleases God is faith. As we read in Hebrews, “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him” (Heb. 11:6). So, it is our faith in Christ that saves us and our faith in His indwelling Spirit that empowers us to live a life that pleases God. As Paul told the Romans, “The righteous shall live by faith” (Rom. 1:17).
October 9, 2018
GOD’S ENCOURAGEMENT TO DECLARE THE GOSPEL
Paul and Silas had been severely mistreated and jailed in the nearby city of Philippi before coming to Thessalonica. Yet that did not cause them to be timid in sharing the Gospel. For God gave them courage to declare “His Good News” to them boldly.
When we’ve been hurt or harassed for telling others about Jesus, it often has the effect of causing us to remain silent. Perhaps even the thought that people would make fun of us, or reject us, discourages us from declaring the Gospel. But when we are obedient to open our mouths, God is faithful to encourage and embolden us in declaring the Good News, so that sinners are saved by hearing and believing. Our conviction that the Gospel is the very power of God unto salvation (Rom.1:16), makes us bold.