As we near the end of our summer study through First Thessalonians, we turn to Paul’s final instructions to this church that he loves. In 5:12-15, he gives them instructions for their life together as a church. These imperatives (or commands) are based on all of the indicatives (God’s work of grace) Paul has already explained. This week, we’ll see how our own life together is founded and sustained by God’s gracious work for us in history and in our present reality.
This week, we begin a new summer sermon series in the book of First Thessalonians: “Waiting for Jesus.” Paul’s first letter to the church in Thessalonica tackles big questions that all of us still wrestle with today, some 2000 years after this letter was first written: How can we exist in a culture that does not understand or share our faith? How can we live with one foot in the kingdom of God and the other foot firmly planted in a world in which our desires are at war with one another? How can we long for the return of Jesus when so many other things of this world occupy our thoughts morning, noon, and night? Join us this week, as we consider Paul’s introduction (1 These 1:1-10) and his gratitude for the work of God in the life of this church he loves.
