Final Instructions -- June 7th

Today we finished 1st Thessalonians by reading 5:12-28. In it we receive some final instructions of how to treat others and God.

Verses 12-15 talk about how to treat others. Paul tells us to hold others in the highest regard, to love, to live at peace with others, to warn those who are lazy, to encourage the shy, to be patient with everyone, to try and be kind with all, and to not repay wrong with wrong. Maybe you are struggling in one of these areas, set a goal to improve and ask God for his help to treat others better.

Verses 16-18 tell us God's will: Be joyful always, pray continually, and to give thanks in all circumstances. The word joyful is often misinterpreted to mean happy, but it has nothing to do with the emotion but instead means to be at peace or content no matter what because you know that God is in control. When he says to pray continually the word means to pray repeatedly throughout the day, it is to be a very regular practice. Finally it says to give thanks IN all circumstances, not give thanks FOR all circumstances. Even if you are going through a terrible time in your life you can still thank God that he is ultimately in control and can rescue you.

Verses 19-22 have to do with how you are treating God. Paul tells us to not quench the Spirit's fire, to not treat prophecies with contempt, to test everything, to hold on to the good, and to AVOID, not just not do, every kind of evil. How are you treating God in yor actions?

Verses 23-24 tell us that God is willing to sanctify (which means make holy for special service) us through and through and is willing to keep our spirit, soul, and body blameless.

Finally Paul finishes with verses 25-28. In them he tells them to pray for them, to greet each other with a holy kiss, to read the letter to all, and that he hopes that God's grace will be with them all. So remember to pray for those in spiritual authority over you, greeting each other properly, to share what you learn at church with others, and remember that God's grace is with you at all times.

So the big question is: Will you make changes?

I give this morning: B-
Favorite moment: Everyone in class at one point or another saying, "What?"

The Rapture -- May 31st

Today we talkeda bout 1st Thessalonians 4:13-5:11. In these verses Paul talks about an event that we call the rapture. The rapture is an event that will happen near the end of the world. It will happen when Jesus returns to the earth. First the dead in Christ will rise up, followed by believers that are still alive and be taken into the sky to meet Jesus there. It is said that it will happen suddenly and unexpectally. But it also says that Believers that are paying attention will see it coming, not knowing the exact time or date but that it is coming soon. With all this informatino we are told that our belief that Jesus is coming should change our actions. He tells us that we are to: Encourage each other with these words, be on alert, be self-controlled, put on faith and love and hope, and to build each other up. So, do you believe that Jesus is returning? If so, what has that belief changed in you? Are you acting differently because of it?

I give this morning: B+
Favorite moment: Megan's heretical speech

Get A Life -- May 24th

This morning we continued our study of 1st Thessalonians. We read verses 1-12. In these verses Paul's letter takes a turn, from talking about missing the church and how they long to see them again, to practical advice. He starts this secition by telling them that they know that they are supposed to be lving a holy lifestyle and to do it more and more.

Then he gives some direct commands: be sanctified (set apart for special use), avoid sexual immorality (not just not do it but avoid the situations where you will be tempted to do it), learn to control yoru body, not wronging your brother or sister in Christ, not taking advantage of them either, not living an impure life but instead a holy life.

He then tells us that if we live a bad lifestyle we will be punished because we are rejecting God not man. He then tells them again to love more and more.

Following this he gives them some more ways to live: making it an ambition to live a quiet life, minding our won buseness, and working with our hands (not lazy). Why do we live this kind of life? So taht we can win the respect of non-believers and not be dependant on anybody (we can provide for ourselves).

Paul calls us to live a lifestyle not just talk a talk of Christianity. It is hard to live that lifestyle. Sometimes it is because we don't want to be looked at as different or weird, sometimes because we don't want to make changes, sometimes it is because we don't know that is what we are supposed to do. So the question for you is: Are you living the life? If you are, are you living it at school? At work? At home? In front of all your friends? In front of your enemies? How can you live the life better? It is time to make a change.

I give this morning: C-
Favorite moment: Learning the difference between sexual immortality and sexual immorality

Heart Enlargement -- May 17th

This morning we continued our study of 1st Thessalonians. We read from chapter 2:17 to 3:13. It starts with Paul giving some more history of what has happened since they were forced to leave the city. They have thought of them and made every effort to see them but Satan and continually stopped them. They looked at the Thessalonicans as their hope, joy, crown, and glory. So they sent Timothy in order to strengthen and encourage their faith and see if they were withstanding the persecution. He reported back that they still had faith and love and remembered them, longing to see them. They responded by being encourged, thanking God, having joy, praying to see them and that when they do they will be able to supply anything they are lacking in their faith. Paul then prays for them some things. He asks that God would clear the way so they couldvist, that God would strengthen their hearts, that God would help them to be blameless and holy, and that God would make their love increase and overflow.

When he says that he wants their love to increase it means for them to do acts of love more and more. When he says overflow he is saying doing above and beyond what they think is asked of them to do. God wants us to love other Christians but also love everyone else (friends and enemies). But he also desires for us to love increasingly, we are to do many acts of love and for it to be increasing in our lives. He also wants us to do more than what we are asked to do. We should love people abundantly. So it is time to actually apply that in your life. Make a goal this week to show someone love and show it in a specific way.

I give this morning: B+
Favorite moment: Watching as the teams overflowed their seahorses

Becoming a Model

Today we started a six week series on the book of 1st Thessalonians. Today we covered the first ten verses which say:

"Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you. We always
thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. We continually
remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor
prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by 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 simply with words, but also with
power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived
among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in
spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the
Holy Spirit. And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia
and Achaia. The Lord's message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and
Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need
to say anything about it, for they themselves report what kind of reception you
gave us. They tell 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 rescues us from the coming wrath." (NIV)

This letter was written by Paul, Silas, and Timothy (two missionaries and a pastor) to a church int he capital of the province of Macedonia called Thessalonica. The population of that city was near 200,000 at that point because of being an important junciton of a hightway and also had a thriving seaport. After they address the fact they are always thinking and praying for those in that church they move on to describe the gospel.

In verse six we transition into our main idea for the day. In it Paul tells them that they were imitating them. They saw how they acted and spoke and started to do the same things. Then he tells them that not only were they imitating them but the Lord as well and that others are starting to see that model of God and mimicing it, in the local region as well as the rest of the world. We too mimic or imitate the things that we see or hear. But we should be imitating God. Whatever we imitate other people will see and model their lives after us. They will start to mimic you! Both those nearby as well as at school and in your family, even to the ends of the earth. It is important that we learn to imitate good things so that we don't give a false impression of what God is like to others, and thus they imitate that example. Be thinking about how you can imitate God as an example to others!





I give this morning: B


Favorite moment of the morning: Jason Hale taking a fall