The resources God has given us to live a thriving life are His Word, Spirit, and People.
Read God’s Word:
2 Thessalonians 1-3
Act 3: God’s New Covenant People
Scene 4: Christ’s Church: God’s People Advance the Kingdom
Background Information: 2 Thessalonians 1-3
The believers in Thessalonica were experiencing continuing persecution for their faith. This is troubling enough, but they were also being confused by teaching, some of it people claimed was from Paul, that said the Lord had already returned. This would have been disorienting for the new Christians left there without mature teachers to help them sort it out. As for persecution, Paul told them of God’s righteous judgment, which meant future blessings for them and punishment for their persecutors. As for the Lord’s return, he reminded them of his in-person teaching on the subject and encouraged them to settle down and get back to the blue-collar faithfulness he had outlined in his first letter. He had told them to mind their own business and work hard so that they would win the respect of those outside the church and not be dependent on those inside the church. It seems that some had infiltrated the church who were both busybodies and slackers. Paul gave some very good counsel for dealing with these folks: “If they don’t work, they don’t eat.” Perhaps these people were using the false teaching of the Lord’s return as a cover for their idleness. “Hey, relax, why work, Jesus is back and it’s all going to be over soon!” This foolishness has captured Christians many times throughout the history of the church. It is the opposite of what the truth of the future return of Christ should evoke in us. Jesus’ parables taught that we should be alert and faithful all the way to the end. It is for good reason that God has not told us when the end will come. We know all we need to know…Christ has come, Christ will return, now be found faithful when he does. There is a time to feed the hungry, but there are times when feeding people is not helping people. There are so many ways to get off track, but there is only one way to stay on track: the church must stick with what Scripture teaches us. Thanks be to God for giving us his Word. Where would we be without it?
Pray:
Praise God for…
Thank God for…
Confess your sins to God
Ask God for Gospel opportunities as you relate with you family, friends, and co-workers over the holiday season. Pray that God would help you be attune to people and God’s work in their lives.
Ask God for… (what else concerns you?)
Reflect:
Write down one passage of scripture that stood out to you today.
Write down why this passage stood out to you.
Engage Community:
Text or call someone now and tell them…
– What you are praying for.
– What stood out from God’s word today.