Sabbath: Joyous and Thankful
Read for This Week’s Study: 1 Thess. 1:1-10, 1 Corinthians 13, 1 Tim. 1:15, Gal. 5:19-23, Dan. 12:2.
Memory Text: “We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ”(1 Thessalonians 1:2, 3, ESV).
Key Thought: Paul has many good things to say to the Thessalonians, at least when he begins writing to them in the first letter. What he praises them for is worthy of our attention.
Paul opens his first letter to the Thessalonians by emphasizing prayer, stressing how much he prays for them, which itself reveals the deep love and concern he has for the church there.
In this passage Paul then rejoices that the Thessalonians, on the whole, appear to be remaining faithful. Their lives offered abundant evidence of the life-changing power of the Spirit, despite the many challenges that they faced.
Paul concludes his first chapter by remarking how the Thessalonians’ openness to Paul and his teaching led them to become true “Adventists.” They were believers who lived every day in anticipation of the day Jesus would come from heaven to deliver them from “the wrath to come.”
In this lesson we get an intimate glimpse of how new converts dealt with the challenges that come after evangelism has taken place.
Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, July 28.
(0)
There is power in prayer
I've just discovered this webpage and think I would benefit from it...as I'm trying to understand Paul's ministry in his letters to the early christians...Please accept me on your forum...Blessings too to all.
I also am a growing Christrian, having being recently baptised into SDA. I would love to share Bible study with the SDA Community
Heaven rejoices at our faithfulness and through God's unrelenting grace, our efforts are strengthened. We then should be joyful in our brothers' faithfulness and pray for their continued perseverance in the path to righteousness and salvation. The intercessory prayer is inalienable to the saving of souls.
I thank you all for those encouraging remarks, for we are called to encourage one another in the faith...like Paul we also need to pray for everyone, for none of us is exempt from temptation, and I know from first hand experience that satan will attack, will put obstacles and sufferring in the paths of Christians and more so in the hearts and minds of the new converts. It is therefore the duty of the stronger (MENTORS) to keep the prayer line open before God who will send the Holy Spirit to direct and deliver us from temptation. Let's continue to encourage and pray one for the other....blessings to all.
Note the importune prayers that Paul offers are so directional and special emphasizes placed on the faith of believers as demonstrated by their work of LOVE and expectation of the Lord's return. Here we find the importance placed in our coming into contact with the reality of community/society lives and yet true love for the returning of the Lord Jesus. this demonstrates that the love of God in our hearts does not exclude us from honest labour.
If we were only to pray and never do anything, we should soon cease to pray, but action or duty strengthens our desire to glorify God in all this and make the realities of heaven more desirable.
In his first letter, Paul also emphasized love for his fellow men in Christ. Paul longed to be with them, hence he was constantly thinking about them which lead him to pray for them. We should love our brothers and sisters so much that we can't wait until Sabbath to see them. Fellowshiping with one another as we are walking in the light. For there is nothing like fellowship.
Let us be thankful to God almighty for the hope and faith of our brethren and ours in him, and always remember to pray for them, telling God to strengthen and preserve their faith for him till his (JESUS) return.
I am inspired by the Thessalonians who believed the Word of God and also lived it in a way that was a testimony for other nations even enduring suffering because of it.
This is a challenge Paul is giving to each and every true follower of Christ. From time of his conversion (Paul) he worked tirelessly for the lost souls. His heart was always poured out to them to encourage them to remain steadfast to their new found belief or faith. Now, for you and me, if we look back, from the time we came to accept Christ as our personal Savior, how many souls have we labored so dearly for their salvation? Do our lifestyles correspond with our profession?
How many are willing to be mentored because of our faith in the lord? How many souls, when we look back, who give us the urge to be joyous and give thanks to the lord because of our faithful labor for the gospel? Paul was what he was after conversion because of the power of the Gospel. The word of God has power in itself to transform life. Paul was indeed a worrier of god, who, you and me can imitate today. He was human with some flaws, but it's worth to emulate his evangelistic styles. May we claim his spirit and power by faith to proclaim the gospel to the despondent and broken hearted and perishing souls who are being mislead by ever increasing theories in the light of the gospel.
I love how Paul constantly prayed for the brethren. Just like how I pray for the members of my immediate family I pray daily for every member of my church family.
I admire the way Paul constantly prayed for the new converts. I wonder how many of us as Christians can remember and/or worry about our newly converted brothers and sisters in our churces. Let us pray to the Almighty God to give us Grace to be able to do this.
Paul was praying for new converts, so that they should have spiritual growth.
This is a wonderful work you are doing and MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL as you continue to work for other OUR GOD SHALL PROVIDE MORE STRENGTH to complete HIS work as HE is coming very soon take us to heaven. Thank again you so much !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
let keep on doing good till our LORD JESUS CHRIST comes again
Working together will always help us to win our battle against the devil. We must pray for one another and show love for fellow brethren.