As we spend the first morning of the New Year together, we will look at the church’s primary mission, to make disciples. 2 Timothy 2.1-7 will serve as our primary text as we unpack what discipleship entails and think about how we can move forward together in 2023. My prayer is that we are open to taking discipleship more seriously.

Why Did Jesus Come?

God Invades Time

When God sent His Son to assume a human nature, He dignified so much of our earthly existence. Amazingly, Jesus spent the majority of His life at the carpenter’s bench. This forces us to reconsider the importance of our work. As we read 2 Thessalonians 3, and do so against the backdrop of Advent, we will explore a sound theology of work.

What is the basis of our faith, hope and love? Is it not the gospel of the Lord Jesus and the grace of God that brings eternal comfort? As we continue to prepare for the coming of the Lord Jesus at Christmas, this Sunday we look with eager hope and expectation toward the second coming. Jesus will return in power and will destroy those who set themselves against God and his kingdom. 2000 years later we continue to stand firm in the foundations of the gospel- grace, faith, hope and love!

Pastor Ian reminded us this week of just how many Christmas hymns connect Jesus’ first coming, what we celebrate at Advent, with His second coming. We cannot separate the Son who came to the manger from the Son who will return in power. So, while 2 Thessalonians may seem like an odd text for Christmas, it is quite fitting to see how it frames our mission. This week we will see how God’s justice encourages us to glorify Jesus.

When Peter Drucker said “culture eats strategy for breakfast” he reminded us of just how important it is to have a healthy ethos in a church. In what appears to be a list of injunctions in 1 Thessalonians 5.12-28, Paul actually gives us a glimpse into how a healthy church should interact. May the Lord strengthen and sustain us to this end.

Having stressed Jesus’ visible return, Paul now addresses our next question: when will this happen? In 1 Thessalonians 5.1-11, we learn that we are to prepare for Jesus’ coming rather than become distracted with its precise timing. We prepare for Jesus by practicing faith, hope, and love.

What happens when we die? We spend too little time contemplating this question because of the serious implications of the answer. While many of our peers think the answer is either unknowable or a matter of speculation, we will see that Jesus speaks authoritatively, granting the church hope and encouragement.

As we read 1 Thessalonians, we might find it shocking that Paul turns to address sexual ethics halfway through the letter. In our culture, many wonder why God would be concerned with our sex life. We will take two weeks to study this passage considering why God’s design for sex is both counter-cultural and Kingdom-oriented.