A chance encounter or divine appointment? You be the judge. Yesterday morning I woke up on my day off. Not sure how I wanted to spend it, I went to deliver some baptismal robes to a nearby church which needed them for Sabbath. When I stopped by my church to pick them up, my pastor … Continue reading –>
Key Thought: Paul admonishes the Thessalonians on their attitude toward church leaders, keeping a positive Christian attitude, and how to relate to new light on prophecy. [Teaching plan for Church Life September 3. 2012] 1. Have a volunteer read I Thessalonians 5:12-15. A. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main … Continue reading –>
(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.) According to 1 Thessalonians 5:12-15, Christians need to learn how to accept and how to offer constructive criticism. That can happen only in the context of relationship. The bottom line is that every Christian needs to be accountable to others and needs to be willing to hold others accountable. A praying church will … Continue reading –>
(1 Thess. 5:14,15) In verses 12 and 13 Paul addresses ways in which members in the church should treat their leaders. In today’s passage (1 Thess. 5:14, 15), Paul turns his attention to the leaders of the church and how they should treat those under their care.Read 1 Thessalonians 5:14, 15. What are the ways in which Paul admonishes church … Continue reading –>
(1 Thess. 5:12, 13) The two verses at the heart of today’s lesson follow the concluding admonition of last week’s lesson to “encourage one another and build each other up” (1 Thess. 5:11, NIV). This work takes place in local churches, in the process of mentoring and discipleship. The lesson today focuses on how disciples should respond … Continue reading –>
1 Thess. 5:12-28 Read for This Week’s Study: 1 Thess. 5:12-28, Matt. 5:43-48, Gal. 5:22, Phil. 4:4, John 15:4-6. Memory Text: “Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:20,21, ESV). Key Thought: Paul gives these Thessalonians, both leaders and lay members, very practical as well as spiritual advice about how to relate to one another. Paul … Continue reading –>
“There is need of watchfulness. Our own hearts are deceitful; we are compassed with the weaknesses and frailties of humanity, and Satan is intent to destroy. We may be off our guard, but our adversary is never idle. Knowing his tireless vigilance, let us not sleep, as do others, but ‘watch and be sober.’”-Ellen G. … Continue reading –>
I was arrested and jailed for a murder I did not commit. I had been a lay pastor of a little church before I was imprisoned, and I was angry at this injustice. Then a group of Adventists visited the prison, and I heard their message of hope. But I found it difficult to accept … Continue reading –>
“…I will come back and take you to be with me…” John 14:3. NIV When I was a child, I always looked forward to visits from Grandma. While visits might coincide with a birthday or a holiday, Grandma could make any day a holiday just by being there. She would greet me and my siblings … Continue reading –>
Key Thought : When we accept the gospel, we live it out in faith, hope, and love as we grow more and more into the image of Jesus.. [Teaching plan for Finial Events August 29, 2012] 1. Have a volunteer read I Thessalonians 5:1-3. A. Ask class members to share a short thought on … Continue reading –>
And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 I have often heard that the Great Controversy between God and Satan is about whether we can keep God’s law, and … Continue reading –>
It was an unusual meeting taking place entirely in the minds of those attending. “Jesus is coming again in seven days.” One of the faithful who had seen Jesus after the resurrection was sure He would return right away. A week would be about right. “He’s coming on October 22, 1844.” A young Adventist believer spoke with conviction. “The Bible says … Continue reading –>
(1 Thess. 5:9-11) As we have seen, in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 Paul has drawn a series of contrasts to illustrate the two sides of judgment when Jesus returns. In our passage for today (1 Thess. 5:9-11), Paul addresses the contrast between wrath and salvation. Believers can have confidence in the last days because in Christ there is assurance that … Continue reading –>
I have a theory that the followers of God have always had a job to do – a mission to accomplish – and, following my tendency to oversimplify things, I have concluded that we can narrow all the possibilities down to three specific tasks. From my perspective, the way the Bible tells God’s story fits … Continue reading –>
Read 1 Thessalonians 5:6-8. How does the drunken/sober analogy help us better understand preparation for the second coming of Jesus? Paul begins verse 6 with “therefore” or “so then,” depending on the translation. He has established that true followers of Jesus are children of the light and of the day. In today’s passage he continues the … Continue reading –>
(1 Thess. 5:4, 5) In the opening verses of the fifth chapter, Paul addresses the condition of those who, for whatever reason, are not prepared. The Thessalonians already know that the reality of the Second Coming is certain; only the timing is unknown. The surprise will be tragic for those who are not ready. Some are … Continue reading –>