Jeff Stevens

The last chapter of 2 Thessalonians reveals some important commands for the church. In order for the church to have order and honor God, people must be held accountable. The Body of Christ is always more healthy when all members strive to honor and serve each other well. As Paul closes the letter, he prays that believers never grow weary of doing good. More importantly, Paul prays for the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is what we all need for a loving church body.

2 Thessalonians 2 is a tough part of scripture to completely understand. There are theologians who will argue whether this is a piece of history or a future series of events. But it is important to keep Paul's message clear and make sure we are staying on point with his intended message. Instead of worrying about the timing of Christ's return, we can focus on knowing we are His first fruits. He has chosen us to be saved and we are safe in Him. We should stand firm in our faith and traditions and be led to good works and words. All for His glory!

One of the things that we learn about, as Paul speaks of Jesus's second coming, is the justice of our God. This study helps us to understand just what it means that we worship a righteous and just God. He is a God that will reward us for our endurance in the faith, but also a God who will punish those who do not obey Him. This message gives us hope in our eternal security, should relieve us of the pressure of trying to get retribution and motivate us to share the Gospel with all who are lost. We worship a just God...

The introduction to 2 Thessalonians gives us great advice for our local church. Instead of focussing on how bad everything is getting, we can focus in growing in faith and in love. Not that some bad things do not need addressing. But, when we focus on our family growth, then our church growth, we learn to be thankful in all things. 

What is the measure of a believer's faith? How do you know if you have enough? How do you know if your faith is strong enough? Today we will dig in on the definition of faith, Old Testament foundations of faith, and New Testament evidence of faith. We discuss where we get our faith and what it does for us. This is a message of encouragement and hope.

In the final section of Paul's first letter to Thessalonica, he discusses how the church should treat her leaders, how to deal with difficult or weak believers and how to conduct worship. Paul closes with his prayer for believers and his command to spread the Gospel message. 1 Thessalonians has been an amazing study. The last verse could not be more fitting. "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you." 

Christ coming back is not good news for everyone. We must recognize that the Lord will judge those who are not in Him, those who are not awake, those who are not walking in the light. Knowing this should be a call to action for the church. We should recognize that we are not just called to salvation, but that we are saved from God's wrath. If you do not have Christ's peace today, I encourage you to seek and surrender to Him. That He may fill your heart with His peace and that you would find hope in the salvation that is from Him and Him alone!

This study is intended to give an understanding of the Rapture. Paul is clear in his teaching about the resurrection of the dead, then the resurrection of the living. But we need to keep focus on what the intent of Paul's message is for believers. Today, we cover some of the differing views of the rapture, when it will happen and what happens next. The intent is to be true to Paul's final words in the chapter, "Therefore encourage one another with these words." 1 Thessalonians 4:18. There is hope an joy that can be gained from this highly debated topic. 

Paul does not want believers to be uninformed about the coming of the Lord. In this 2-part study, we examine how the Lord will return to redeem the church. In an effort to remember to keep the main thing the main thing, we will focus on the hope that we have in Christ to return for those who are in Him. 

Unity in the church... How do we achieve it? It is easy to say that we love each other, while our actions may not be evidence of it. The Bible is clear what a loving church looks like. Imagine how good a church could be, when all of the brothers and sisters work to outdo each other in love.