1 & 2 Thessalonians: return of the king. Bible Study that Builds C hristian C ommunity

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "1 & 2 Thessalonians: return of the king. Bible Study that Builds C hristian C ommunity"

Ira Mills
6 years ago
Views:

1 G R O U P M E M B E R 1 & 2 Thessalonians: return of the king Bible Study that Builds C hristian C ommunity

1 & 2 Thessalonians: Return of the King Group Member Book 2004 Serendipity House Published by Serendipity House Publishers Nashville, Tennessee All rights reserved.

2 1 & 2 Thessalonians: Return of the King Group Member Book 2004 Serendipity House Published by Serendipity House Publishers Nashville, Tennessee All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, without express written permission of the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed to Serendipity House, th Avenue North, Nashville, TN ISBN: Dewey Decimal Classification: Subject Headings: BIBLE. N.T. THESSALONIANS--STUDY \ CHRISTIAN LIFE \ JESUS CHRIST SECOND COMING Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. To purchase additional copies of this resource or other studies: ORDER ONLINE at WRITE Serendipity House, th Avenue North, Nashville, TN FAX (615) PHONE (800) Printed in the United States of America

3 Contents R SESSION 1 Imitators of the King 1 Thessalonians 1: SESSION 2 Entrusted with Eternity 1 Thessalonians 2: SESSION 3 Messengers of Light or Shadow? 1 Thessalonians 2: SESSION 4 Trying Times 1 Thessalonians 3: SESSION 5 Called to Greatness 1 Thessalonians 4: SESSION 6 Caught Up in the Clouds 1 Thessalonians 4: SESSION 7 Sons and Daughters of the Day 1 Thessalonians 5: SESSION 8 Elevated Esteem 1 Thessalonians 5: SESSION 9 The Coming Judgment 2 Thessalonians 1: SESSION 10 Beware the Deceivers 2 Thessalonians 2: SESSION 11 Standing Firm 2 Thessalonians 2: SESSION 12 The Perils of Idleness 2 Thessalonians 3: SESSION 13 Heed the Warnings 2 Thessalonians 3: R

4 Core Values Community: The purpose of this curriculum is to build community within the body of believers around Jesus Christ. Group Process: To build community, the curriculum must be designed to take a group through a step-by-step process of sharing your story with one another. Interactive Bible Study: To share your story, the approach to Scripture in the curriculum needs to be open-ended and right-brained to level the playing field and encourage everyone to share. Developmental Stages: To provide a healthy program in the life cycle of a group, the curriculum needs to offer courses on three levels of commitment: (1) Beginner Level low-level entry, high structure, to level the playing field; (2) Growth Level deeper Bible study, flexible structure, to encourage group accountability; (3) Discipleship Level in-depth Bible study, open structure, to move the group into high gear. Target Audiences: To build community throughout the culture of the church, the curriculum needs to be flexible, adaptable, and transferable into the structure of the average church. Mission: To expand the kingdom of God one person at a time by filling the empty chair. (We add an extra chair to each group session to remind us of our mission.) 4

5 Group Covenant It is important that your group covenant together, agreeing to live out important group values. Once these values are agreed upon, your group will be on its way to experiencing Christian community. It s very important that your group discuss these values preferably as you begin this study. The first session would be most appropriate. (Check the rules to which each member of your group agrees.) Priority: While you are in this course of study, you give the group meetings priority. Participation: Everyone is encouraged to participate and no one dominates. Respect: Everyone is given the right to his or her own opinion, and all questions are encouraged and respected. Confidentiality: Anything that is said in the meeting is never repeated outside the meeting. Life Change: We will regularly assess our own life-change goals and encourage one another in our pursuit of becoming more like Christ. Empty Chair: The group stays open to reaching new people at every meeting. Care and Support: Permission is given to call upon each other at any time, especially in times of crisis. The group will provide care for every member. Accountability: We agree to let the members of the group hold us accountable to the commitments we make in whatever loving ways we decide upon. Mission: We will do everything in our power to start a new group. Ministry: Members of the group will encourage one another to volunteer and serve in a ministry and to support missions by giving financially and/or personally serving. 5

6 notes

7 Session 1 Imitators of the King R1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 Prepare for the Session 1 READINGS REFLECTIVE QUESTIONS Monday 1 Thessalonians Who are you really thanking God 1:1-2 for at this point of your life? What about them are you thankful for? Tuesday 1 Thessalonians Who has really impressed you 1:3-5 recently with his or her faith? Wednesday 1 Thessalonians To whom has your faith served as 1:5-8 an example? What specifically have you done that seems to have inspired others to do the same? Thursday 1 Thessalonians What temptations have you turned 1:9-10 from in order to follow Christ? How might it have affected your life had you not done so? Friday Ephesians In what ways are you showing the 5:1-2 love of God to others? Have you sacrificed anything in order to show love to someone else? Saturday 1 John What does it mean to you that 4:10-12 God sent Jesus Christ to die for you? How are you showing your thanks in your actions? Sunday 1 John Is your testimony being hurt 4:15-21 because there is someone that you Rare having a hard time loving? 7

OUR GOALS FOR THIS SESSION ARE: BIBLE STUDY LIFE CHANGE. To appreciate how Paul taught his followers through modeling the behavior he wanted them to have.

8 OUR GOALS FOR THIS SESSION ARE: BIBLE STUDY LIFE CHANGE. To appreciate how Paul taught his followers through modeling the behavior he wanted them to have. To understand that all Christian modeling needs to start with modeling ourselves after Jesus Christ (our King). To see how Christian models can help us better see what it means to be Christlike in our modern world. To thank God in our prayers for the people in this class. To write a letter to one who has served as a model to us in our spiritual growth. To discuss with the youth leader of our church any needs of specific youth for mentors GATHERING: In groups of 6-8, gather people in a horseshoe configuration. RIcebreaker minutes Model Behavior. Depending on time, choose one or two questions, or answer all three. Go around the group on question 1 and let everyone share. Then go around again on questions 2 and When you were in junior high, who did you most want to model your life after? A sports figure, like Alex Rodriguez or Serena Williams A movie star, like Julia Roberts or Tom Cruise A singer, like Paul Simon or Mariah Carey A successful entrepreneur, like Donald Trump or Oprah Winfrey A parent An older sibling, aunt, or uncle A teacher or church leader 2. Finish this sentence: When I was young, the people I most wanted to be like were people who... 8

9 3. If a younger person wanted to model his or her life after you, what trait or behavior of yours could you point to that you would really want them to emulate? 1 LEARNING FROM THE BIBLE 1THESSALO- NIANS 1:1-10 RBible Study minutes The Scripture for this week: 1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy: To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to you and peace. Thanksgiving 2 We always thank God for all of you, remembering you constantly in our prayers. 3 We recall, in the presence of our God and Father, your work of faith, labor of love, and endurance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 knowing your election, brothers loved by God. 5 For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, in the Holy Spirit, and with much assurance. You know what kind of men we were among you for your benefit, 6 and you became imitators of us and of the Lord when, in spite of severe persecution, you welcomed the message with the joy from the Holy Spirit. 7 As a result, you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 For the Lord s message rang out from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place that your faith in God has gone out, so we don t need to say anything. 9 For they themselves report about us what kind of reception we had from you: how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath. 9

10 A WORD FROM THE LEADER Write your answers here. Remain in groups of 6-8 people, in a horseshoe configuration. R about today s session 1. What was Paul s two-fold approach to nurturing spiritual growth in the churches he started? 2. What was the true source of Paul s confidence in himself as a model? R Identifying with the Story 3. Who did the Thessalonians, in turn, become models for? 1. If you could go back to one person in your life and thank God for the influence he or she had in the development of your faith, who would that person be? 2. In what area of your life are people most likely to imitate you? At work new people know I know the ropes. At home with my children they still want to be like me! In my extended family some nephews, nieces, or grandchildren look up to me. In my cooking people copy my recipes. In the way I talk and it s not always complimentary! At church I have influenced some newer Christians. Other 3. What is the main thing you feel you have had to turn aside from in order to serve the living and true God? My desire to be in control An addiction My propensity to try to please people My ego The drive to possess more and more things My wild youth Other 10

11 What is God teaching you from this story? Rtoday s session 1. What are three areas in which we can sometimes find poor role models? 2. What are two ways we might fail if we try to rely on our own strength alone to be a role model? 3. What are two kinds of power the Holy Spirit gives us as we seek to be role models? 4. What does it mean to model a life of grace rather than legalism? Why is this important? 1 5. How does hope in Christ s coming affect our role as models for others? Remain in groups of 6-8 people, in a horseshoe configuration. RLearning from the Story That s scary. 1. What is your reaction to the idea of being a model for faith? You ve got to be kidding! God must be pretty desperate. Maybe I could be, with help. I could do it as well as anyone. God has used me many times in this way. I could do it as well as anyone. Other 11

12 LEARNING FROM THE STORY (cont d) 2. What message is now ringing out from the way you are living your life? How do people seem to react to that message? 3. What do you most need to better model the kind of faith that Christ calls you to model? Someone to serve as a model on how to model Prayer support Encouragement from Christian friends A renewal of my own faith Other How can you apply this session to your life? Write your answers here. Rlife change lessons 1. What is often the danger in making a copy of a copy? 2. What is the most important key to counteracting this copy of a copy effect when it comes to Christian modeling? CARING TIME Remain in groups of 6-8 people, in a horseshoe configuration. RCaring Time minutes This is the time to develop and express your caring for each other. Begin by having group members finish this sentence: What I would like to see happen in this class is... Pray for these hopes, as well as the concerns on the Prayer/ Praise Report. Include prayer for the empty chair. If you would like to pray silently, say Amen when you have finished your prayer, so that the next person will know when to start. 12

13 BIBLE STUDY NOTES 1:1 1:2 1:3 1:4 1:6 1:7 1:9 Reference Notes Use these notes to gain further understanding of the text as you study on your own: Silvanus. Silvanus, also called Silas, was a representative of the Jerusalem church to the Christians at Antioch (Acts 15:22). He accompanied Paul on his second missionary journey, during which they met Timothy, a young man highly spoken of by the Christians in his area (Acts 18:1-5). Thessalonians. Thessalonica was an important city in Northern Greece, the capital of the province of Macedonia. We always thank God for all of you. Paul most often began his letters with an affirmation of the recipients (Rom. 1:8; 1 Cor. 1:4; Eph. 1:15-16; Phil. 1:3; Col. 1:3; 2 Thess. 1:3). faith... love... hope. Paul and other New Testament writers use these words (or a combination of two of them) as a way of summing up the essentials of the Christian life (5:8; Rom. 5:1-5; 1 Cor. 13:13; Gal. 5:5-6; Eph. 4:2-5; Col. 1:4-5; Heb. 6:10-12; 10:22-24; 1 Peter 1:21-22). Faith in Christ, rooted in the promise of eternal life, is expressed by love to others. These are active concepts, the presence of which is seen by the tangible activities of sacrifice and service. knowing your election. Paul s purpose in reminding them of God s initiative in their salvation is to strengthen their hope in light of the pressures of external persecution (2:14) and internal uncertainty (4:13). brothers loved by God. This is a reminder of the intimacy with which God the Father related to His people. in spite of severe persecution. Acts tells us that the traditional Jewish religious leadership in Thessalonica became so upset with what Paul was teaching about Christ that they dragged a Christian named Jason and some other Christians before the city officials. Jason and the others had to post bond, and it is likely that this kind of harassment continued even after Paul left the city (see Acts 17:5-9). Macedonia and Achaia. These are the two provinces of Greece, and thus this is the equivalent to saying their witness had been felt throughout all of Greece. turned to God from idols. Which idols these people had previously worshipped is not mentioned. However, Greece was certainly full of many options in this regard. When Paul visited Athens he was disturbed by the many idols he saw around him (Acts 17:16). Paul was probably saying here that it was more impressive to see people turn from such idols than simply being part of traditional Jewish monotheism and accepting Jesus as the promised Messiah. 13 1

Copyright 2004 Serendipity House

Copyright 2004 Serendipity House No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information