Several times throughout this study, we have mentioned that the Thessalonian believers were living in suffering, specifically via persecution from non-believers in the city. Paul, Silas, and Timothy have written this letter to encourage them by reminding them of who God is so that they might find rest in Him. As Paul closes this short letter, he reminds his audience of the grace and peace God offers. As this study of 2 Thessalonians draws to a close, we look for closure in

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I think it’s safe to say that our natural tendency is to do as little work as possible. We would rather squeeze by with the minimum – or perhaps a little more if we are over-achievers – than actually consistently do our best work. However, as God’s children, half-hearted work is not the kind of work God calls us to do. This is a passage that we covered last week, but we are returning to it on purpose. Paul has two parallel concerns in this passage: First, that the church w

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In this passage there is a two-fold message, but today we will only address the first regarding the idea of church discipline. Paul is speaking to two distinct groups within the church which he has two different and distinct messages for. For the first, he wants them to acknowledge and deal with sin in the church, especially unrepentant sin. He points out the need to put those who refuse repentance out from the local body. According to 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15, we must withd

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As the third chapter of 2 Thessalonians begins, Paul shifts topics. He states “finally” to get the reader's attention and mark the transition to a new theme. Here, Paul is requesting prayer for himself and the missionary team and expresses his own confident prayers regarding God’s work in the lives of the Thessalonian believers. Paul is entirely gospel focused in these verses. Following the example laid out in the text, we find we ought to pray confidently that the gospel

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We all understand the concept of a life debt – someone saves your life and you pledge your life to them as a form of gratitude or repayment (if you’re lacking the understanding, go watch the episode of Gilligan’s Island where Gilligan tries to give a life pledge to Skipper). In our last post, we discussed Paul having just described the Antichrist and the second coming. Many of the Thessalonians were concerned about the subject. There was a great deal of evil and deception

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There is a lot to navigate in this passage - the end times are not a simple matter! But here, Paul’s number one purpose is not to outline every detail about Christ’s second coming and the events leading up to it. Rather, he is seeking to confirm for the Thessalonians that they haven’t missed anything! Paul is trying to teach a confidence and fearlessness in their Christian walk by rooting them in what they already know to be true. Much like the Thessalonians, our culture h

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Simple fact: pain is part of the Christian life. We are not immune to it simply because we are children of God. In fact, there are several examples of devout Christians facing some of the harshest persecutions (Acts 5, 7, and 14 to name a few). Whatever accounts we might consider, the truth is, we will suffer persecution as followers of Christ (2 Tim 3:12). As we look at 2 Thessalonians, we find Paul digging deeper into the topic of persecution. We don’t often face the kin

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Since wrapping up our series in 1 Thessalonians, it is now time to dive into 2 Thessalonians. Keep in mind, like 1 Thessalonians, the book was written to the Thessalonian church by Paul and Silas as they traveled. Also, like the first book, it was written with a purpose in mind: to encourage and comfort the people in their trials. As we open 2 Thessalonians, we first find the authors expressing thankfulness for the persevering persecuted believers. The church is struggling

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Have you ever heard the phrase, “I got myself into this mess, and I’ll get myself out”? Not a bad phrase, but what if we said it another way – “I made bad choices and got myself into this mess; therefore I – by my own bad choices – will get out of it”. If we are honest with ourselves, we pretty much always need help cleaning up our own messes, otherwise, it’s likely we’ll just make it worse. The truth is, when we rely on ourselves, we are guaranteed to keep making a mess o

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It’s been a while since we’ve been in the book of 1 Thessalonians (if you remember, we did a study of the book back in 2023 with a promise to return to 2 Thessalonians later). Now that the time has come to continue to 2 Thessalonians, it is prudent to look back on 1 Thessalonians in an overview. The overall theme of the book is showcased through Paul and Silas’ journey and the teachings to the Thessalonians. Most specifically that by God’s grace, we must stand firm in the

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Easter Sunday is a day we celebrate the greatest, most glorious, most hopeful, supernatural event the world has ever seen: the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Looking at Luke chapter 24, we see several ways this is confirmed: the women found the tomb empty, the two angels testify “He has risen”, and the women would remember Jesus’s own words which promised His resurrection. But the purpose of this text is not to prove the resurrection. Instead, this passage shows us how Jes

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Palm Sunday is a day of both great joy and celebration as we look forward to celebrating Christ’s resurrection from the dead on Easter. Many of those celebrating Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday were “patriotic souls”[i]—people who believed Jesus would lead a movement against Roman occupation. Up to this point in Jesus’ ministry, He often tried to fly under the radar. While He frequently confronted the Pharisees, publicly healed on the Sabbath, claimed to be one

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Disagreement is inevitable. In fact, in our world today it is often encouraged. In the political world, both “sides of the aisle” encourage you to hate and despise the other side. Social media is constantly capturing our attention by rage-baiting us into staying on their platforms. But even without these cultural dramas, it is our nature as humans to disagree.

There is no doubt that even within the church we will have disagreements. There will be “hard conversations” – ever

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In 1977, Randy Newman wrote a song called, “Short People.” The lyrics go like this:  

Short people got no reason to live.  

They got little hands, and little eyes, 

And they walk around tellin’ great big lies; 

They got little noses and tiny little teeth; 

They wear platform shoes on their nasty little feet.  

Short people got no reason to live.  

With these lyrics, Newman hoped to highlight the absurdity of partiality and prejudice. We of all people, as Christians, ought to agre

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Ephesians 5:18, 21 “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit…Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 

Thanksgiving is one of the few holidays that we as Christians are commanded to celebrate…sort of. We’re not specifically called to celebrate the holiday, but we are called to live constantly in the spirit of Thanksgiving.  

In Ephesians 5, Paul gives a command: be filled with the S

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