Archive for July 2023

2 Chronicles 8-9, Psalm 141, Luke 10:38-42, 1 Thessalonians 4:11-18 1 Thessalonians 4:11-18: This section first completes Paul’s thought from yesterday, and then moves to the main thrust of this part of the text which is focused on the return of Christ. First, given Paul’s previous call to holiness, he wants to make it clear that holiness involves…

2 Chronicles 6-7, Psalm 140, Luke 10:25-37, 1 Thessalonians 4:1-10 1 Thessalonians 4:1-10: Real biblical holiness is a topic that is often misunderstood, rarely discussed, and even less often pursued! On the one hand, there are those who seem to view holiness as the list of dos and don’ts. You must do this; you must not do that.…

2 Chronicles 3-5, Psalm 139, Luke 10:17-24, 1 Thessalonians 3:7-13 1 Thessalonians 3:7-13: What are we to be grateful for and what are we to pray for? At one level, the answer to those questions seems simple. I’m to be grateful when anything good happens, and I should pray for things that are good to keep on happening.…

2 Chronicles 1-2, Psalm 138, Luke 10:1-16, 1 Thessalonians 3:1-6 1 Thessalonians 3:1-6: Sometimes evangelists present becoming a Christian as an easy option. It is anything but easy, in fact. While it is without doubt true that being a Christian is the very best life now, and for all eternity, it is also true that you must take…

1 Chronicles 29, Psalm 137, Luke 9:51-62, 1 Thessalonians 2:10-20 1 Thessalonians 2:10-20: How do you determine what is truly successful? What are the signs and marks and evidences of being successful? And what does it mean to be “successful” in the spiritual realm? In this passage there are three surprising evidences of real “success” in leadership, at…

1 Chronicles 26-28, Psalm 136, Luke 9:37-50, 1 Thessalonians 2:1-9 1 Thessalonians 2:1-9: What are the characteristics of true gospel ministry? Paul here lists 5 marks of his own ministry among the Thessalonians. First, suffering. Paul had suffered in Philippi, but persevered by God’s help. One of the characteristics of the preachers of the cross is that they…

1 Chronicles 23-25, Psalm 135, Luke 9:28-36, 1 Thessalonians 1 1 Thessalonians 1: What should we be looking to become?  What sort of goals should we set for our lives? One way to answer that is to consider what makes the apostle Paul give thanks. Here, Paul has 6 reasons for giving thanks – each of which we…