1 Thessalonians (2013)

When you open a Bible are you almost overwhelmed by its complexity and vast knowledge? Listen to this lesson to learn ways to organize the contents into understandable principles. Follow a flow chart that takes a believer through the spiritual skills, beginning in spiritual childhood, moving to adolescence and on into spiritual maturity. Learn about the three phases of the Christian life and accept that testing and adversity will be a part of our experience. Rest in God's promise that we will never be tested beyond our ability to endure it and that passing these tests will result in eternal rewards.

Are you still stuck in diapers in the spiritual nursery? Or are you zooming through spiritual childhood and reaching adulthood in your Christian life? Listen to this lesson to learn that the new believers in Thessalonica were grabbing hold of the Word of God and making great strides in their spiritual lives within an amazingly short time. Measure yourself on your mastery of three valuable virtues that Paul uses to show the stages of spiritual growth. Revisit the spiritual skills that should become second nature in your life when you reach maturity.

Please note that at the beginning of the video it is incorrectly labeled 1 Thessalonians Lesson #2. This is actually Lesson #6.

"Oh God, help!" Does this sound like most of your prayers because you wait until you're desperate to pray? Listen to this lesson to learn from the Apostle Paul's prayers. See the importance of turning off all the things that distract us and setting aside time to pray on a regular basis. Discover why praise and gratitude should be the foundation for all our prayers and how learning the Word of God teaches us the spiritual blessings we should praise God for. Instead of asking God only for things for ourselves, learn how to pray for others. Appreciate why we should pray to God the Father as we realize that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are both interceding for us at God's throne.

"With all I have to do every day, how in the world can I set aside time to pray?" If that moan sounds familiar to you, listen to this lesson to learn the importance Paul placed on prayer and how he continually found time in his hectic life to offer prayer both day and night. Hear several prayers of his and apply them to your own prayer life. Learn about Nehemiah's prayer and how the Lord Jesus Christ considered prayer such an important part of his life that he sometimes prayed all night.

When an old-fashion teakettle whistles, we need to turn down the heat. The same is true when we find pressures building up in our lives and we feel ready to blow. Listen to this lesson to learn how to handle the adversities of life from a Biblical framework. See the importance of practicing the basic habits that lead to spiritual growth. Move on to advanced spiritual practices and discover the importance of grace orientation so that even in the most tense situations in life we can have peace and calmness as we express our gratitude to God.

Time for a gratitude check! Are you near the top of the gratitude gauge or sunk near the zero? If you're too stuck on thinking about yourself to notice what God and others are doing for you, it's hard to be thankful. Listen to this lesson to see how having an entitlement mentality destroys us and our culture. See how the Apostle Paul never failed to express thanksgiving in his epistles. Discover the true meaning of grace and how it impacts our gratitude.

There's no way to sugar-coat it. Studying the Bible isn't always smooth-sailing. Listen to this lesson to grasp a series of steps to help master 1 Thessalonians. Discover both the internal and external evidence about the author, the Apostle Paul. Learn about the way of life in Thessalonica that made the contents of the book relevant. See how the theology in the letter brings comfort to believers of all ages who are under oppression and suffering.

Ready to take a tour? First you need to know where you're going and what there is to see. Listen to this lesson to get ready to take a fly-over of 1 Thessalonians and learn the background for the letter in Acts 17. Find out how the Apostle Paul points out the reality of oppression and suffering for church age believers and the importance of focusing on the Lord's return for comfort.