What Would Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Do?
We first published this blog post 12 years ago, and we find it necessary that in the divisive climate perpetuated throughout the world today, that we publish it again with great urgency. Reflecting on the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as a reminder of what his life stood for to the world. Dr. […]
Prophecy and Closings
Paul continues his closing remarks with “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.” 1Thessalonians 5:19-22 (NIV) The question now being, why did he go into prophecy? There are several presumptions, but we are leaning towards, “Paul is […]
Don’t Look at The Wind
Thirteen years ago, we shared a message “Don’t look at ‘the wind” that’s still so relevant today especially with everything going on. Scripture Reference: Matthew 14:22-33 Several months ago while studying the New Testament, I read these words, “But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, Lord save me! […]
Supplying What Is Lacking
Paul was now ready to deal with what he meant by “blameless and holy”. Paul was writing to new Christians who came from living a very different pagan life. Their morals were totally opposite to their new life. How did they transition from paganism to Christianity? How could Paul speak to people who were doing […]
Standing Firm Today
The Sending of Timothy: How do you stand firm? Are you standing firm? Let’s see what is happening in Thessaloniki. Paul, early on in the letter, had expressed his love by saying, “And you know that we treated each of you as a father treats his own children.” He also spoke of how they were […]
How Do You View the Word?
“Therefore, we never stop thanking God that when you received his message from us, you didn’t think of our words as mere human ideas. You accepted what we said as the very word of God—which, of course, it is. And this word continues to work in you who believe.” 1 Thessalonians 2:13 (NLT) Paul expresses thanks […]
Endurance in Hardship
Long Narrative – Part Three (Reference: Gorden Fee, “1 and 2 Thessalonians”) Paul in the third part of the long narrative referred again to the Thessalonians as his brothers and sisters. He reminded them not only of their persecution but the persecution of the church in Judea. He reminded them of the failure of mankind […]
Paul’s Defense – 1 Thessalonians 2
Ever been in a scenario where your character or that of someone close to you is under scrutiny? This was a situation Paul and Silas found themselves in, having to strongly defend their character against detractors. In our Sunday Podcast we explored how Paul and Silas managed to navigate this challenging situation. They didn’t just […]
Choose Christ in Happiness and In Suffering
In our continuing study of the book of 1 Thessalonians (Our reference is Dr. Gordon Fee’s “The First and Second Letters to the Thessalonians”) we come to the long narrative that is after the Thanksgiving. If you recall, the structure of this book looks like this: Salutation: 1 Thessalonians 1:1 (NIV) “Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church […]
Join Us in Our Hurricane Helene Response
In the wake of Hurricane Helene’s destructive sweep through Florida, Tennessee, and the Carolinas, countless individuals find themselves without water, food, shelter or basic communication. Our hearts ache as we think of our friends, family, and neighbors especially in North Carolina, our home state, who are in desperate need. We humbly ask for your support […]