Higher Aim with Dr. Curt Dodd

You are very important to God. It does not matter who you are or what you have gone through, God has a plan to use you as a key part of His kingdom. Many of us may not see how everything unfolds, but we can trust that He knows our past, present, and future, and He knows how to put us in the right place at the right time. Your life has a destiny, and God wants to use everything about you to accomplish His will.

In his letter to the church in Thessaloniki, the Apostle Paul encourages believers to develop a heart for ministry. This is not a call reserved for pastors or missionaries; it is for every person who follows Christ. As we explore 1 Thessalonians chapter 2, the Holy Spirit will give us clarity on how to apply God’s Word to our lives today, reminding us that we are deeply significant to His eternal plan.

In 1621, the Pilgrims and a local Native tribe came together for the first Thanksgiving. This gathering was more than a meal; it was the celebration of a new relationship, a treaty born from mutual need. The Pilgrims needed survival skills, and the tribe needed protection. Their relationship, built on shared purpose, created a bond that lasted for decades.

This historical moment reminds us of a timeless truth: nothing is more important in life than relationships.

This same principle is the very heart of ministry. True spiritual impact is not built on programs or events, but on the power of relationships. In his letter to the Thessalonians, the apostle Paul writes not about church growth statistics, but about the deep, personal love he shared with the believers. He models a ministry where success is not measured by numbers, but by faithfulness in the lives of others. As we explore Paul’s words and the powerful calling of the prophet Isaiah, we must ask ourselves: what does true, God-honoring success really look like?

If we want to be people God blesses, we must embrace and embody the characteristics described by Pail in First Thessalonians. Paul was writing to a church he had only spent about a month with, yet during that short time, he discipled them in a tremendous way. My prayer is that what we are studying will be more than information for you. It must become life-changing wisdom. Scripture tells us plainly how this church lived, what they believed, and what they were preparing for. So let’s look at this passage together so we can learn from the church God loves.

Are you ready for Jesus to come back? Are you living your life in expectation of Christ’s return? As we continue walking verse by verse through 1 Thessalonians, these are questions I want us to consider. We are going to focus on one verse, verse 10, and one defining characteristic of the church God loves, specifically as it

relates to the second coming of Jesus.

Thessaloniki was a city in Greece where Paul had a short ministry, but it was a powerful ministry. Even though Paul was only there for about a month, the Gospel stuck, and the church continued to thrive. Throughout this series, we have been studying the kind of church God loves. God loved this church because of how they lived and who they were. They brought God pleasure. They impacted their lives, their community, and the surrounding area, and Paul describes that church for us in 1 Thessalonians 1:6–10 so we can learn to emulate it.

As we have been studying “The Church God Loves,” we have already seen what kind of church captures God’s heart. As we resume our study, there is something more to uncover. I want to remind you of Ron Popeil, the father of infomercials, who famously said, “But wait, there is more!”

That phrase fits perfectly here. As we move forward in 1 Thessalonians, we uncover more phrases and beliefs we need to embody. As we look at them, we must ask ourselves, “Lord, am I that kind of person? Am I helping my church family become that kind of church?”

In today’s key passage, Paul writes to a young church that had only existed for a few weeks before persecution began. Yet, even in the middle of opposition, this church remained strong and continued to grow. One of the themes that floats through these opening verses is “the church God loves.” I want to be part of a church that God loves. From Paul’s writing, we see several key characteristics of a church that God loves.

Last year, as I sat on the ground against a stump during a hunting trip, reading from the Greek New Testament and taking notes on my phone, I suddenly looked up and realized a buck was standing just a few steps away from me, staring at me. It caught me completely off guard. I realized there are times when things will catch us off guard, and I pray that the book we are getting ready to study would catch you off guard in a good way and give you great joy.

The Book of 1 Thessalonians is a powerful book, written around 51 A.D., and we are going to walk through it verse by verse and word by word. I believe God has a word for you today, and He wants to encourage you and speak to you at your deepest need.

Scripture tells us this tension should not surprise us. God is pouring out His Spirit in the last days, yet Scripture also says terrible and evil times will come. These realities are not contradictions; they are complementary. As believers, we must live in this tension, trust God to be God, and anchor our lives not in political systems or cultural movements, but in King Jesus. This brings us to Acts chapter 2, where we see a clear picture of what

the church looks like when the Spirit of God is actively moving through the lives of believers.

Today I want to remind us why the church exists and how God designed it to function. God wants the church to grow, and He wants us to grow. He wants to use us to help other churches grow. His plan has always been to use the local church to reach the world for Christ. Our ministry together is not limited to one location; God has placed us here to impact the entire world. As we study the Book of Acts, we see that the early church was united, undivided, and completely centered on Jesus. They were hungry for the Word of God, devoted to fellowship, committed to prayer, and fully engaged in God’s mission. Let’s continue to study Acts 2 together so we can learn how to be like the early church.