1 Thessalonians 4
Kevin Reichle
1 Thessalonians 5:11-28 - "Learning To Walk"
This Christian walk isn’t easy, so let’s lean in and learn together. In today’s passage, we see two aspects of our Christian walk that go hand-in-hand: our walk with Christ and our walk with other Christians. We can’t learn how to walk with Christ unless we are walking with other Christians, and we can’t walk with other Christians as we should unless we are all walking with Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 - "Living With Hope"
An unclear hope is not much help to anyone. We need to better understand what Scripture says about our future as Christians so that we can wait well. Christ calls us to live hopefully, so we need to know what we’re hoping for in Christ. In today’s passage, Paul explains what we can expect in terms of a future hope, and how we should express our hopefulness in the way we presently live.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 - "Grieving With Hope"
Without God, the reality of death leads to despair. But God’s promise of life leads to hope, so we can face death without despairing.
1 Thessalonians 4:1-12 - "We Can Do Better, In Christ"
Paul reminds us that we can always do better in Christ, and so we must keep growing in love and holiness by the power of the Holy Spirit. Until we die as Christians (or Jesus comes back to get us), we can all get better and better at reflecting the character of God, and relating to others with the love of Christ.
1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 - "Staying Spiritually Connected"
Spiritual connectedness requires prayer, so let's be praying for each other! Paul models two types of loving and encouraging prayers we can share with one another to keep us spiritually connected: (1) prayers of gratitude and (2) prayers for growth.
1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:8 - "Absence And The Heart"
As Christians, we must intentionally cultivate our faith AND our friendships in the Church, because we all need faithful friends. In our passage, Paul reveals the importance of having friends who will be faithful to us and faithful to Christ.
1 Thessalonians 2:1-16 - "More Than Words"
Today’s passage calls us to live and love in a way that commends our faith to others. Christ calls us to relay the gospel fearlessly and faultlessly so that others will respond faithfully.
1 Thessalonians 1:2-10 - "Give Thanks For God's People"
God’s people reveal God’s grace, so then let’s give thanks for God’s people! In our passage, Paul gives thanks for the works and the witness of God’s people in Thessalonica. Both of these aspects of the Thessalonian church revealed God’s grace.
1 Thessalonians 1:1 - "Grace & Peace"
Paul reminds his fellow believers (including us) that God gives us grace and peace in Christ. Those two terms together are a virtual summary statement of all that we have received by trusting in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. And the order is important, since our peace is a result of God’s grace.
