The Church of Thessalonica
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Thankfully, God Continues His Work in Us
As Paul opens his second letter to the Thessalonians, he says he owes a debt of gratitude to...
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Pray, Show Love, Proclaim
As Paul concludes his first letter the the Thessalonians, he leaves the saints with...
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Our Sanctifying God of Peace
It is God who sanctifies His people. Our participation in the process of our sanctification is...
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Present Sanctification
Our sanctification must be total and complete because our former depravity was...
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Complete and Utter Sanctification
After admonishing the saints to live sanctified lives, Paul prays to God for their...
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Hold Fast to Good, Refrain From All Evil
In 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22, As Paul brings his admonitions for preserving peace to...
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Need We Test Everything?
Paul’s command to “test everything” is simple and straightforward. Coming to...
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Do Not Despise Prophecies but Test Everything
The last five commands of 1 Thess 5:12-22 concern discernemnt. It seems that some...
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Suppress Not the Spirit
1 Thess 5:19 cautions us against suppressing the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is...
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Knowing God’s Will for Us in Christ Jesus
God’s commands provide us with the basic shape of His design for our lives. In cases where...
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God's Will Is Giving Thanks in Everything
Scripture commands the saints to give thanks in and for all things, without qualification. This requires...
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Rejoicing Always Is God’s Will for You
Scripture commands us to pray without ceasing. The Christian life is to be...
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Rejoicing Always Is God’s Will for You
The command to rejoice always is not hyperbole. This is confirmed and reinforced by the fact...
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Responding Righteously to Offenses
In 1 Thess 5:15 and Rom 12:17, Paul says we must not repay evil with evil but rather respond with good. To take...
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Congregational Life: The Work of Ministry
The work of the ministry belongs to the whole body of Christ. Pastors and elders are responsible for...
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Congregational Life: Elders and Layman
The work of the ministry is the responsibility of the whole body of Christ and...
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Encourage One Another With the Blessed Hope
Paul concludes his lengthy discourse on the Day of the Lord with a command that affirms...
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Destined to Obtain Salvation
Paul admonishes the saints to no longer live as they did when they they were sons of darkness, sleeping in...
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Living as Sons of Light
We have been rescued from the kingdom of darkness and made sons of light and sons of the day...
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Keep Awake and Be Sober
The sons of darkness and of the night are inebriated with the cares of this life and...
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Sons of Light and Day
In 1 Thessalonians 4-5, Paul encourages the saints concerning the coming Day of the Lord. That day will...
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The Wonderful, Terrible Day of the Lord
In Scripture, “the Day of the Lord” refers to God’s visitation in judgment upon sin and salvation for His people. There have...
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Christ's Glorious Return
The language of 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 does not support a “secret rapture” where Jesus covertly whisks...
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The Conundrum of Christ's Return
There is much confusion surrounding the events of Christ’s coming. After a survey of the...
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Grieving with Hope
While "the rapture” gets most of the attention in 1 Thes 4:13-18, that is not the Apostle’s main point. His concerns...
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Living Well-Ordered Lives
In 1 Thessalonians 4:11, Paul gives three admonitions in the context of living as pleases God. We are to...
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Aspire to Live Quietly
With Paul’s admonition to "aspire to live quietly,” he’s urging us to be ambitious about living a...
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Taught by God to Love the Brethren
While we are called to love (agape) everyone, even our enemies, Scripture reserves...
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Taught by God to Love
In 1 Thessalonians 4:9, Paul says the saints have been taught by God to...
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Taught by God
At several points in 1 Thessalonians, Paul reminds the saints what he taught them while...
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Called Unto Holiness
As Paul finishes his admonition for the Thessalonians to abstain from sexual immorality, he...
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Sexual Holiness is Other-Centered
We must know how to exercise self-control over sexual urges so we can behave in a manner that...
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Sexual Holiness Requires Self-Control
In 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul explains that the Lord’s will is our sanctification. Many of the converts in Thessalonica were...
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Sexual Holiness in an Idolatrous World
In 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul explains that the Lord’s will is our sanctification. Many of the converts in Thessalonica were...
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The Nature of Sanctification
Sanctification is God’s will for His people. We are being progressively sanctified through...
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God's Will is Our Sanctification
In I Thessalonians 4, Paul begins addressing the practical issues of living a life pleasing to God. In verse...
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Living to Please the Lord
Humanity was made in God’s image to glorify Him. True fulfillment is not found in pleasing...
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Made Ready for the Savior's Coming
Paul prays that he might to return to Thessalonica to provide further discipleship so these saints might...
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Revitalized!
The Apostle Paul has been overwhelmed with anxiety over the state of the Thessalonian church. When Timothy returns with...
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Mutual Comfort in Distress and Affliction
Paul brought the Gospel to Thessalonica and discipled those who came to Christ. Though he was with...
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Embracing Affliction
While Satan is the agent promoting the affliction of God’s people, his intent is...
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Destined for Affliction
In 1 Thessalonians 3:3, Paul warns against being moved by afflictions. The Apostle was concerned that...
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Coworkers of God
In 1 These 3:2, Paul refers to young Timothy as “God’s coworker in the Gospel of Christ.” The young minister is...
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Godly Anxiety?
In Philippians 4:6, Paul tells us to be anxious for nothing. However, in 1 Corinthians 12:25, he tells us to...
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The Crown Laid Up for Us
In 1 Thes 2:19-20, Paul calls these saints his hope, joy, and crown of boasting. The Apostle is...
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Though Satan Hinders, God’s Purpose Prevails
Paul’s stay in Thessalonica was very brief before being driven out. The Apostle wanted the...
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Suffering for Him Who Suffered for Us
In 1 Thess 1:6, Paul says that, by receiving the Gospel with joy despite much...
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The Gospel is the Word of God
1 Thess 2:13, Paul thanks the Lord that the saints in Thessalonica received...
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Like a Father With His Childrent
Paul uses familial metaphors to describe his ministry and motives in ministering to...
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Holy, Righteous, and Blameless Conduct
As Paul continues refuting the allegations of his enemies, he reminds...
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Motivated by Tender Love
As Paul refutes the allegations leveled at him, he reminds the Thessalonians of...
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Unassailable Motives
As Paul continues defending himself against accusations of...
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Otherworldly Motives
Paul’s detractors in Thessalonica accused him of preaching with...
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Uncommon Valor
Persecution forced Paul to leave the fledgling church of Thessalonica to...
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It’s Worth the Wait!
In 1 Thess 1:9-10, Paul says the new believers had turned from idols to...
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Living the Gospel Out Loud
The fledgling church at Thessalonica had joyfully received the Gospel in much affliction. They were...
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Contagious, Joyous Faith Even in Affliction
Paul joyously preached the Gospel with full conviction in much affliction and the Thessalonian saints imitated...
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Be Imitators, Not Impersonators
In this age of extreme individualism, many are offended by the Biblical call to be imitators of Christ and of...
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The Gospel in Word and Power
In 1 Thessalonians 1:5, Paul acknowledges that the saints received the Gospel, not in word only, but in...
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Chosen and Loved By God
Paul thanks God for the active faith, expressive love, and patient hope of the fledgling church in...
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Thanking God for Faith, Love, and Hope
Opposition forced Paul to leave Thessalonica prematurely. He was concerned for this fledging...
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In God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ
While Paul uses the standard letter writing format of his day, he redeems it and sanctifies for the glory of...
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Many Are Our Plans, But God
In Prov 19:21 tells us that, despite our many plans, the Lord's will prevails. This is not difficult to...
Speaker
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Stan McGehee, Jr.