Victory Groups

English

Faith in View of Christ’s Coming

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠-𝗨𝗣 • If you could be mentored by anyone, who would you choose? Why? • Have you ever received a physical letter, note, or greeting card? Tell us about who sent it and what it contained. • Recall a movie or series you’ve watched about the end of the world. What did you think of it? 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘪𝘥𝘰𝘭𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘚𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯, 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥, 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦. 𝟭 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟭:𝟵–𝟭𝟬 (Read also 𝟭 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟭:𝟭–𝟴.) Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy wrote a letter to encourage the young church in Thessalonica. This church-planting team had preached the gospel and planted a thriving church there, but were then persecuted for the gospel and had to leave the new believers. As expected, they were troubled and anxious to know how the church was doing, so they sent Timothy to check. They were finally at peace when they heard Timothy’s good report of their faith and passion for God. One of the concerns this letter addresses is how believers should live in light of Christ’s second coming, the full establishment of His kingdom, and the coming judgment and rewards for believers. Paul and his fellow church planters wanted to guide and teach the new believers, especially because they couldn’t be together. For the next few weeks, we can learn from Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, as well as the Thessalonian church. In this lesson, we will look at how the gospel transforms our lives. 𝟭. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘬𝘦. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘫𝘰𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵 . . . 𝟭 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟭:𝟰–𝟲 The believers in Thessalonica had heard and responded to the gospel in faith. As a result, they not only became imitators of those who preached to them, but also of the Lord. After encountering the Holy Spirit and having their hearts opened to the gospel, they were no longer the same. And even if that meant persecution and suffering for the gospel, they were set on following Christ. How did the gospel change the direction of your life? 𝟮. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘪𝘥𝘰𝘭𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘎𝘰𝘥 . . . 𝟭 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟭:𝟵 From serving idols to serving God, the believers in Thessalonica no longer had the same affections. Their hearts, minds, and souls were no longer set on idolatry and false worship. While we may not be involved in idol worship physically, our hearts can be captivated by pursuing our own interests and seeking after what the world has to offer. How do you think we would know if the gospel has transformed our affections? According to 1 Thessalonians 1:3, what did Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy remember about the Thessalonians? 𝟯. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. . . . 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘚𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯, 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥, 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦. 𝟭 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟭:𝟭𝟬 A follower of Christ does not just hope in God for this life. In reality, the fulfillment of our hope will be at Christ’s glorious return. Believers wait for this with much expectation, trusting that one day true joy will be experienced, rewards will be given to those who faithfully serve God, ultimate justice will be served, and His kingdom will be restored. How does the certainty of Christ’s coming affect how we live today? 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 • Has the gospel changed your life direction? In two minutes, share what your life was like before Christ, how you encountered Him, and how He changed you. To whom can you share your testimony this week? (Or provide an opportunity for everyone to respond to the gospel today.) • Where would you say your affections lie? If there are areas in your life where you or something else has been taking God’s rightful place, are you willing to surrender these to God and give Him your whole heart today? • How do you think you should live in light of Christ’s second coming? Who can you encourage to do the same this week? 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 • Thank God for the people He sends in our lives so we can know and follow God. Speak a blessing over those who preached the gospel to you and taught you to grow in faith. • Pray that you would live by faith in light of Christ’s second coming. Pray that your affections would be for Christ alone. • Ask God for wisdom, compassion, and perseverance to preach the gospel and love others as Christ has loved you.

Serving in View of Christ’s Coming

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠-𝗨𝗣 • Who is the most caring person you know? Recall some of the things he or she has done for you. • Tell us about the person in your family you feel closest to. What made you that close? • Do you know of a mom who is now caring for young children? Share a bit of what she is going through, from your perspective. 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘰𝘸, 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯, 𝘸𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘺. 𝟭 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟮:𝟭𝟭–𝟭𝟮 Acts 17 gives us the account of how the church in Thessalonica was birthed. The gospel was preached, people responded, and persecution quickly followed, which led to Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy being separated from the new believers. This letter to the Thessalonians is their attempt to encourage the church to remain true to their faith in Christ. One specific way they did this was reminding them of their love for and relationship with each other. While waiting for the fulfillment of the coming kingdom of Christ, the church at that time encountered persecution and affliction. Yet, they were called to live, serve, and persevere in community. Today, we will look at what it means to be in church community while we wait for Christ’s glorious return together. 𝟭. 𝗕𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘯𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯. 𝟭 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟮:𝟳 In 1 Thessalonians 2 alone, Paul referred to those in the church as their brothers and children. They considered themselves mothers and fathers of the new believers, caring for them, encouraging them, and charging them to follow God. While our church community does not replace our natural families, we are blessed to have leaders who love us like sons and daughters, and brothers and sisters. How has someone in your church community been like family to you? 𝟮. 𝗕𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀. 𝘚𝘰, 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘴. 𝟭 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟮:𝟴 The concern and love of Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy was genuine. They didn’t just relate with the new believers as recipients of the gospel message. They shared their whole selves and lives with them. The relationship permeated every aspect of their lives. What do you think it means to “share lives”? Why is sharing lives important in serving Christ? 𝟯. 𝗕𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳, 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘪𝘭: 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥. 𝟭 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟮:𝟵 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy worked hard to preach the gospel, tend to their own needs, and serve others. They didn’t want to burden the church with their needs. In many of Paul’s letters, we see how he placed the burden on himself for his own needs, even when others could help. And beyond that, he would serve others without expecting anything in return. What labor and toil do you see people in your church community participating in today? Why do you think they serve this way? 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 • How do you see the three points lived out in your church community? Prayerfully consider how you can emulate this example and what you can do to influence your community’s culture in order to serve God and the church. • Name three people in your church community that you treat like family. How can you be a blessing to them this week? • Do you know of new believers or those who just started being part of your church? How can you encourage them to remain true to their faith in Christ? 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 • Thank God for placing us in communities and families. Thank God for those who are like fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters to you. • Pray for those in your Victory group and church community to be grounded in the faith. Pray that you would continue to honor God and make disciples. • Pray that the church would be an example to the world of authentic community, love, and service. Pray that the church would live out Christ’s prayer for unity (John 17:21).

Suffering in View of Christ’s Coming

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠-𝗨𝗣 • Recall a time you were waiting in line for quite a while. What happened? • How do you encourage your friends? What mode of communication or platform do you use? • What is one of the hardest things you endured in the last eighteen months? What did you learn from that experience? 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘪𝘵 𝘯𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳, 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘈𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘺, 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘎𝘰𝘥'𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵, 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴. 𝟭 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟯:𝟭–𝟯 (Read also 𝟭 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟯:𝟰–𝟭𝟯.) Imagine losing contact with someone you love and not knowing how the person is doing. Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy had lost all contact with the Thessalonian believers. They knew of the difficulty and persecution, but they didn’t know if the new believers would stand strong in their faith. So they decided to send Timothy and were relieved to hear his good report. Our faith, too, is tested and refined through the challenges we face. In this lesson, we will look at the reality of affliction, the necessity of community, and how God enables us to endure tough times. 𝟭. 𝗔𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁, 𝘄𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. . . . 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘸𝘦 𝘬𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸. 𝟭 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟯:𝟯–𝟰 The authors of this letter didn’t just say that affliction is real; they said that we are destined for this. Though this is a promise we would rather not claim, the truth is, all believers will face affliction for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Why do you think Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy found it crucial to tell new believers that suffering and affliction would come their way? 𝟮. 𝗔𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁, 𝘄𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆. . . . 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯, 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥. 𝟭 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟯:𝟳–𝟴 Timothy’s good report of the Thessalonian church encouraged Paul and Silvanus. Their faith was mutually built and edified when Timothy told the Thessalonians about Paul and Silvanus’s love and concern, as well as when Timothy brought back the report. In the midst of affliction, followers of Christ are to stand fast in faith together. In 1 Thessalonians 3:10, what was their prayer for the church? Why is seeing each other face to face and supplying what is lacking in our faith important? 𝟯. 𝗔𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁, 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲. 𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴, 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭, 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘴. 𝟭 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟯:𝟭𝟭–𝟭𝟯 Since the church planters could not be with the Thessalonian church, they did what they could from where they were. They asked God for a way to be with the church, committed them to God, and trusted God to complete His work in their lives. According to verse 13, who establishes our hearts 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳? What attitude do you think we should have as we wait for 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘴? 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 • Recall the most difficult experience you have had. How did you stand fast in your faith? What enabled you to endure? • How do you think the Thessalonian believers felt when they saw Timothy return, heard of Paul and Silvanus’s concern, and received their letter? Why do you think we can endure difficulties with the support and love of a spiritual community? How will you apply this in your life today? • Who can you pray for this week, with the same urgency and fervor as in this letter? Who do you long to see face to face and supply what is lacking in their faith? 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 • Thank God for the grace and strength He provides so we may stand fast in the midst of affliction. Thank Him for the spiritual community you are part of. • Pray for the body of Christ around the world that is facing affliction for the sake of the gospel. Pray that each believer would remain strong and grow in faith, even as we wait for Christ’s glorious return. • Pray 1 Thessalonians 3:10–13 for your Victory group. Pray that you would meet face to face, abound in love, and be established blameless before God.

Living for God’s Pleasure in View of Christ’s Coming

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠-𝗨𝗣 • If you have a few extra minutes before a phone call, meeting, class, or event, what do you do to pass the time? • What is your dream job? What about it do you think you would like so much? • Recall a friend or family member who encouraged you recently. What did he or she say? 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯, 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘶𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦. 𝟭 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟰:𝟭 While the first part of this letter recounts all that had happened so far, the rest focuses on instructions for the believers, especially as they waited in hope for Christ’s glorious return. Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy urged the church to walk in holiness, love, and peace, fueled by a desire to please God alone. 𝟭. 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝗚𝗼𝗱’𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. 𝟭 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟰:𝟳–𝟴 (Read also 𝟭 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟰:𝟯–𝟲.) In contrast to the impure and immoral practices at that time, the Thessalonian church was to live in holiness. The authors of the letter did not mince words when explaining that the church should live pure and holy before God. In fact, those who disregard these instructions are disregarding God, who already gave believers His Holy Spirit to empower us to live a holy life. How does our culture tempt us to disregard God? Why do you think these instructions had to be so specific? 𝟮. 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝗚𝗼𝗱’𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲. 𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘔𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘢. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘶𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 . . . 𝟭 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟰:𝟵–𝟭𝟬 The Thessalonian church was already an example of 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦, but Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy still reminded them to do this 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 . Loving others is not one event or a box we can check off our to-do list. It’s something we do in obedience to God 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦. And as we experience God’s love in greater ways, we can love others too. According to Jesus, how will the world know that we are His disciples (John 13:35)? 𝟯. 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝗚𝗼𝗱’𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗲. . . . 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘭𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴, 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝟭 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟰:𝟭𝟭–𝟭𝟮 Because the Thessalonian believers thought that Christ's return was very imminent, some of them stopped working. They became idle, and were even like parasites, totally relying on others for their daily needs. Some became busybodies, minding others' business instead of their own. But, even if we are waiting for our future hope, we are called to live in peace by working and living our lives so as not to be a burden and annoyance to others. This hard work and dependence on God becomes a testimony to those who don’t know Him yet. How have you learned to apply the instructions in this passage to your own life? 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 • Knowing that Christ will return one day, how do you think you ought to live? What did you learn today and how will you apply it in your life? • How can you walk in God’s holiness, love, and peace? Which of the three do you need God’s grace and strength for the most? Why? • How can your life be a reflection of Christ? What’s one thing you can do starting this week so 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 (1 Thessalonians 4:12)? 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 • Thank God for the motive He gives us to live: His pleasure. Pray that you would live to please Him alone, more and more every day. • Pray that you would obey God’s will and walk in His holiness. Ask Him for forgiveness for sin and pray that you would turn away from this. • Pray that you would love as Christ loves you and that you would walk in peace with others. Pray that you would diligently work with your hands and be dependent on God alone. Pray that this would lead others to know God, too.

Church in View of Christ’s Coming

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠-𝗨𝗣 • Do you consider yourself to be patient? Recall an instance explaining this. • Tell us about one person you know who doesn’t shy away from confrontation. Why do you think he or she is confident in speaking honestly or directly? • If you were to leave your loved ones a message, how do you think you would go about it? What would you say? 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺. 𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴. . . . 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘶𝘴 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘳, 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘮𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. . . . 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘶𝘱, 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝟭 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟱:𝟱, 𝟴, 𝟭𝟭 One of the primary themes of 1 Thessalonians is Christ’s second coming. Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy address the concerns and questions of the Thessalonian believers directly (1 Thessalonians 4:13–5:10). As believers, Christ’s glorious return and the resurrection of the dead are truths we hold on to with faith and hope. These truths should affect how we live every day. While we don’t know when these will specifically happen, the letter reminds us of who we are in Christ and the disposition we must take: We are to wait patiently and be sober-minded, continually building one another up in the faith. In this lesson, we will look at some of the final instructions these leaders gave to the church in Thessalonica. 𝟭. 𝗘𝗻𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘶𝘱, 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘥𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬. 𝘉𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴. 𝟭 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟱:𝟭𝟭–𝟭𝟯 Because we face different challenges and can get frustrated, disappointed, or even tempted to quit, we cannot live in isolation. We need one another and the encouragement that comes in community. To encourage is to give a person the courage, strength, and inspiration to persevere. Share about a person who encourages you to stand fast in your faith. What impact has it made on you? 𝟮. 𝗔𝗱𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘶𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘢𝘥𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘥𝘭𝘦, 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘬, 𝘣𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘭. 𝟭 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟱:𝟭𝟰 Believers don’t just share the responsibility of encouraging one another. We are also to admonish one another—to warn, urge, and correct. In this case, Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy were reiterating their charge in 1 Thessalonians 4:11–12 for the believers not to be idle. Though admonishing others is not easy, we can do so when we speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). What do you think will happen if we speak truth with no love, or speak with love but no truth? Recall a time when someone admonished you in a way that led you closer to God. 𝟯. 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿. 𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘬𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵. . . . 𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘶𝘴. 𝟭 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟱:𝟮𝟯, 𝟮𝟱 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy encouraged the church to 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘤𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 (1 Thessalonians 5:17), prayed for the Thessalonians, and asked the believers to pray for them as well. Lifting up our concerns to God, giving Him our burdens, and trusting Him to take care of those we love shows that we are relying on God, not ourselves. What was the final prayer of Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy for the church (1 Thessalonians 5:23)? Following this example, how can we pray for one another? 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 • Jesus Christ will return gloriously one day for His Church. How should this truth affect the way you live? • Why is it important for believers to admonish one another? In what way is this difficult for you, and how can you apply this in your life today? • Think of a family member or friend who could use encouragement and prayer. What can you do for him or her this week? 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 • Thank God for the hope we have in Him. Ask Him to enable you to pray without ceasing, be an encouragement to others, and speak the truth in love. • Pray for your Victory group, that God would sanctify you completely and keep you blameless at the coming of Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:23). • Pray that we would be patient, faithful, and sober-minded as we wait for Christ’s coming. Pray that we would preach the gospel and make disciples with urgency and courage.