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[Pastor Charles]

Life Group Lesson
December 9, 2007
Mike Tarry, Life Group Pastor

Read 1 Thessalonians 1:2-10
2 We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. 3 As we talk to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and your continual anticipation of the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 We know that God loves you, dear brothers and sisters, and that he chose you to be his own people. 5 For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true. And you know that the way we lived among you was further proof of the truth of our message. 6 So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you. In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord. 7 As a result, you yourselves became an example to all the Christians in Greece. 8 And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Greece, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God. We don't need to tell them about it, 9 for they themselves keep talking about the wonderful welcome you gave us and how you turned away from idols to serve the true and living God. 10 And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God's Son from heaven – Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment.

In this passage, Paul encourages and affirms the Thessalonian believers in the way they had become a role model to Christians in other places other than their own town (vs. 7-9). Are you living as a role model for others? Are you encouraging others in their walk with the Lord? Paul commends them, saying that the way they were living was a true model and encouragement to others. If Paul knew you, could he write the same about your life right now or about Southside as a church body?

Read 1 Thessalonians 3:7-13
7 So we have been greatly comforted, dear brothers and sisters, in all of our own crushing troubles and suffering, because you have remained strong in your faith. 8 It gives us new life, knowing you remain strong in the Lord. 9 How we thank God for you! Because of you we have great joy in the presence of God. 10 Night and day we pray earnestly for you, asking God to let us see you again to fill up anything that may still be missing in your faith. 11 May God himself, our Father, and our Lord Jesus make it possible for us to come to you very soon. 12 And may the Lord make your love grow and overflow to each other and to everyone else, just as our love overflows toward you. 13 As a result, Christ will make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy when you stand before God our Father on that day when our Lord Jesus comes with all those who belong to him.

Are you standing strong even when the going gets tough? Paul commends the Christians for staying faithful in spite of the persecution they were facing, and he prays that the Lord will continue to strengthen and sustain them. What do you do when the going gets tough? If someone challenged you in your faith and gave you a hard way to go because of your commitment to Christ, would those who know you well say that you are strong like the Thessalonians? In spite of all that goes on around us today, do you recognize that God is in control and that Jesus will soon return and make all things right?

1 Thessalonians 5: 11 (11 So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.) tells us to encourage and build others up. Do you let the troubles that surround you overwhelm you and blind you to God’s promises to His children? Pray for strength and peace of mind during these last days, believe He will give it to you, and don’t give up, please don’t give up. 2 Thessalonians 3:16 reminds us that now matter how challenging the trial, God intends to provide peace for those who look to Him.

Read 1 Timothy 2 and notice that in the first verse Paul says to “pray for ALL people”, “ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf and give thanks for them.” Did you notice the word “ALL”? This is a form of worship.

How would you describe “decent and appropriate clothing? It’s obvious that in the world today there is no black and white on this matter. Paul gives up guidance in this area of worship.

Read 2:9-10 And I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes. 10 For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do.

I guess the first question is do we today in our culture understand what the word modest means? What do you think that it means? The commentaries of this scriptures say that it means “not to draw attention to oneself by the way we dress, fix our hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes”. Paul is not banning these things, but he implies that they should be practiced in a manner that does not invite undue attention. Satan has defiantly deceived the world in this area today. Our mindset in today’s times is that we want to be noticed. How about you? Is that your subconscious thought when getting ready for the day? What will others think of how this looks? Will this get me noticed? Do we hold our head up a little higher when we are told how good we look in that outfit? I want to remind all of us of this one thing, it is not the outside appearance that the Lord looks at but rather the inter appearance, the heart. He’s the only one that we are to impress. So are you noticed by Him? Are you attractive to God? Please meditate on this thought, we are so deceived and don’t even realize it and Satan is using us daily to achieve his plan.

Please, read and re-read Timothy 1 and 2 for a heads up on how God can help us be prepared to handle situations that will no doubt be facing us in the near future. Please take time and dwell on His word to help you to be victorious in the battles you face. Then give God the glory for what He has done through you.