Content (not
sentence, direct verbiage from Scripture, fit on one line):
1.Paul, Silas&Timothy2church of Thess in G
Fr&LJC:grace&peace2u (1)
2.We always thank G4all of u&continually mention u in
our prayers (2)
3.we remember b4 G&Fr ur wk produced by faith,labor
prompted by lv (3a)
4.&endurance inspired by hope in LJC (3b)
5.4we know, bros&sis lvd by G, He’s chosen u (4)
6.bec our gospel came2u simply w/wds,but
w/pwr,HS&deep conviction (5a)
7.u know how we lived among u4ur sake (5b)
8.u became imitators of us&L;u welcomd msg in midst
of suffering w/joy gvn by HS (6)
9.so u became model2all believers in Macedonia&Achaia
(7)
10.L’s msg rang out from u only in
Macedonia&Achaia, ur faith become known everywhere (8a)
11.T4 we need 2say anything about it (8b)
12.4they rpt what kind reception u gave us;they tell how
u turned2G from idols2srv living true G (9)
13.&2wait4Son from hvn whom He raisd, J who rescues
us from cming wrath (10)
Divisions (run-on
sentence OK, direct verbiage from Scripture/Principles are Aims for each
Division):
1.Paul greets and encourages Thessalonians (1-3)
Principle: God’s
people need to encourage each other
2.Chosen by God to imitate the Lord and welcome His
message (4-6)
Principle: God’s
people need to imitate the behavior of Christ
3.A model to other believers (7-10)
Principle: God’s
people are role models
Subject Sentence (10-word
sentence with proper structure showing exactly where you are in Scripture):
Paul to Thessalonians: imitate Christ and model behavior
to believers.
Aim (“To Cause My
Audience To…” Know, See, etc.):
TCMATK Believers are the only “Jesus” some people
see. Is your behavior drawing them
closer or pushing them away?
Application (not
yes or no question. Meant to bring about
life change):
1.What will you begin doing this week to better encourage
your brothers and sisters in Christ?
2.How will you change your behavior today to be an
imitator of Christ?
3.To whom are you a role model and how will you be more
deliberate in your behavior to reveal Jesus’ love to them?
A few notes on 1 Thessalonians 1:
(1:1)Isn’t it good to have friends with whom to
minister? Doesn’t it make the workload
seem less? Have you ever been on a
mission trip and seen truly miraculous things happen because of how Christ
draws people together in His name? Paul
was traveling with Silas and Timothy.
With whom are you traveling?
I went to Italy last year with several members of our
choir. We joined up with 4 other choirs
to sing in some of the most beautiful places and minister to some of the most
beautiful people. We had 1 rehearsal
together before singing our first concert a few hours later. I was blown away at how well this choir
blended so quickly. The only way this
could’ve happened is because of Christ and the unity we have in Him.
(1:2)What’s your prayer life like? Is there anyone you are always
thanking God for when you pray? Is there
anyone you continually mention in your prayers? I want this kind of prayer life! I sense that Paul was passionate when he
prayed. He didn’t just read off a list
of demands as I often do. Paul’s prayers
were precious. I know my prayers are
precious to God as well. Since Paul was
human, I imagine he had dry spells in his prayer life, too. It’s just that I want to pray with that Holy
Spirit power and grace I hear when I read Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians
aloud. Does that make sense? How do you keep your prayer life more
purposeful and passionate and less of a list?
(1:3)What do you tend to remember about people: the good things
or the bad? Paul remembered very good
things about the Thessalonians: their
work produced by faith, their labor prompted by love, their endurance inspired
by hope in Christ. Who might you
remember for such things? How might you
encourage that individual or that group?
Or do you have a problem seeing these things in people because you’re
focused on the work driven by their arrogance, their labor prompted by ambition
and their endurance inspired by being better than everyone else? Ouch!
I am preaching to myself, here.
We must be transformed by the renewing of our minds, brothers and
sisters!
I am generally suspicious of people. I’ve been praying that I would believe the
best and not assume the worst about everyone and in every circumstance. It’s difficult for me to give this
blessing. But I will never forget
receiving this blessing from someone else.
I had really messed up and put one of my ministry partners in an awkward
situation. This occurrence also had the
potential of hurting someone else’s feelings.
My thoughtless behavior added a burden to my ministry partner to verify
all future action in this area. But when
she approached me to reveal what had happened, she was so gracious and
kind. She forgave before I asked her
to. It didn’t change what I’d done or
how it would affect how she did things in the future. Because of how embarrassed I was, I don’t
think I’ll ever make that mistake again.
But what I really learned was what grace looked like. And God’s grace is even more beautiful. I would like to be remembered for such grace.
(1:4)Do you treat every person you meet as a potential
brother or sister in Christ? Let’s look
at our author for a moment: Saul was a
murderous persecutor of members of the Way before a life-changing encounter on
the road to Damascus. If Saul were
working in the cubicle next to me, I wouldn’t be popping over there to share
Christ with him. I WOULD be praying for
him. What I mean is this: don’t put yourself in harm’s way on
purpose. Check out Proverbs 22:3. But don’t write off someone’s ability to be
saved because of their behavior. Ananias
was afraid to go to the blinded Saul and pray for his sight to return because
of Saul’s brutal reputation. God Himself
spoke to him and told him, to go and not be afraid. We need to seek God’s guidance and be
obedient to His call upon our lives as we share Christ with a dying world. He is faithful to guide us to keep our
distance and pray or go into the lion’s den where He is fully capable of
locking their mouths closed.
(1:5)How did the gospel come to you? Did you experience powerful proof of God’s
existence before you heard the good news?
Did His power accompany the gospel?
Were you aware of the Holy Spirit entering you? Were you immediately convicted of your sin? What sort of experience have you had with
God’s power, the Holy Spirit and conviction since?
(1:6)How are you imitating Jesus? Do you read His Word and pay attention to
what He does and do the same? Do you
accept and welcome His message with joy even when He says you will suffer in
this life? Do you joyfully take up your
cross and follow Him? What areas of your
life look nothing like Him at all? Where
do you need to seek His help in being like Him?
Would someone accuse you of being a Christian? If all the facts were presented, could you be
convicted of being a follower of Jesus in a court of law?
My quiet time this morning was spent in Esther 3. This is the part of the book that describes
how Haman approached King Xerxes out of hatred for Mordecai to enact a decree
to exterminate all the Jews throughout Xerxes’ kingdom. He argued that the Jewish people were
different than the Persians, that they didn’t honor the king and the laws of
the land. This convicted me and led to
some good confession in my prayer time today: do I look like the world or do I
stand out as different because I believe in Jesus for my salvation?
(1:7)You are a role model to someone. Maybe your kids look to you as their source
of how to act. Perhaps it’s someone in
your church that listens to your answers in Bible study every week and wants to
be as knowledgeable as you are. Maybe
it’s a co-worker who knows you’re a Christian and is inspired to see you behave
with integrity in the workplace. We are
being watched by some we know and some we don’t. Are you modeling the behavior of Christ to
all who are watching you? How will you
work to improve what you are modeling?
(1:8)Are you one of those people who readily praises God
and shares what He’s doing in your life?
That is one way our faith is made known.
Are you a quieter witness like the person whose life is falling apart
and still shows up for church every week?
What do people know of your faith?
How are you exercising that faith?
Are you sharing your journey with transparency to encourage others? Are you asking for prayer to help you through
struggles with support, encouragement and God’s power?
(1:9)Paul said the Thessalonians were remembered for
turning to God from idols. How do you
want to be remembered? Is your behavior
such that you will be remembered as you want to be? How will you change your thinking to remember
others well? How will you come alongside
others and encourage them toward love and good deeds so they will be remembered
well? Paul also said the Thessalonians
were remembered for serving God. How are
you serving Christ?
(1:10)Jesus is coming.
His blood has already saved our souls from judgment and eternal
separation from God. Are you living in
such a way that others are coming to know Him and the power of His resurrection
through your example? If you haven’t yet
given your heart to Christ, what is delaying your decision? Don’t wait another moment. Seek a Christian friend or leader in church
and tell them you want to give your heart to Christ so they can pray with you
and put you on the path to grow in Him.
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