Unmovable Community
1 Thessalonians 5:12-28
Connect:
Share how you have seen God in the Highs and Lows of your week.
Prayer:
Pray that God would lead your discussion time and bring fresh insight, conviction, and hope through your time together.
Review:
We are moving into a series on 1 Thessalonians where Paul’s basic purpose was to encourage followers of Jesus to live ‘unstoppable’ lives in anticipation of the Lord’s return.
The Grand Tour of the message: Thinking back on what you heard this Sunday…
o What did you learn about God?
o What did you learn about people?
o What did you learn about yourself?
o What do you want to commit to putting into practice?
Reflect:
Experience:
What difference does it make when we show our appreciation to those who serve well in our church? IF we did NOT do that, what would be missing in the experience of life in the Body of Christ?
Read 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13
What are the challenges to treating a leader with “honor”? Why would that sometimes be difficult, and how does this verse help us navigate those situations?
This verse calls us to “live in peace with each other”. Does that mean that all conflict is banned? If not, then what does it mean?
Read 5:14,15
Looking at verse 14 here, how can we discern the difference between someone who is idle and someone who is discouraged or feeling weak (since they look basically the same)?
Verse 15 talks about doing what is good for everyone, and seems to imply that is the right response even when we are treated wrongly! What do you think happens when a person who treats us wrongly gets treated well in return by us— what is the effect of actually doing that?
Read 5:16-18
“Giving thanks” is given prime position here in God’s will for His people! If we ‘give thanks’ in all circumstances, how does that affect our view of a difficult situation? What exactly would we be “thankful” FOR in a difficult situation?
Scott talked about these disciplines of giving thanks, prayer, choosing joy… as part of “practicing the presence of God”. What does that mean, and what difference does it make?
Read 5:19-28
Discuss how these verses bring out the interplay between God’s part and our part in making our relationships healthy. What does God do FOR us, what does He do IN us, and what part do WE play that we just need to do?
“The One Who calls you is Faithful, and He will do it”. In the context of this verse, what are we trusting Him to do, and how might we cooperate?
Respond:
Everyone needs prayer, love, truth and grace! Spend some time praying together that the Lord will lead you in speaking that into the lives of people around you this week!
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