Study 8: Under Pressure
1 Thessalonians 5:12-28
Big Idea: When things are tough, good relationships with our leaders, one another and the Lord will help us cope.
Aim: to think about the relationships in our lives and how these might grow in love.
- What difference does having a good relationship with someone make when you are under pressure?
Story So Far:
As Paul concludes the letter to this young church he is so fond of, we see some of the themes of the letter recurring in his concluding remarks. His letter has spoken of the Faith of the young church in face of persecution, the Hope of the second coming of Jesus and how we must live holy lives while we wait and the Love of Paul for the church and the family relationship we have with one another.
Read 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28 (NIV)
12 Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecies* with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil.
23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.
25 Brothers and sisters, pray for us. 26 Greet all God’s people with a holy kiss. 27 I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers and sisters.
28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
* “prophecies” at this time were more common because the canon of scripture was not complete.
First Impressions
Read the passage through a second time. What “1 Thessalonians” themes do you notice recurring in this last section of the book?
Digging in
- To help us see what the text is saying use this table to break down the content of the passage…
|
verses |
In their relationship with…. |
Summarise instruction |
What might this look like for you? |
|
12-13 |
|||
|
14-15 |
|||
|
16-24 |
|||
|
25-28 |
Paul |
------ |
Talk:
Living it out
- When the pressure is on, which of our relationships are most likely to struggle?
- What might help us to build stronger, more loving relationships?
- Can you share a time when a good relationship helped you through a hard time?
- With Carrubbers being a big city centre church, how can you – in your circles - help us grow into a more loving church family?
Pray
In what circumstances do you need to rejoice, pray continually and give thanks?
Write them on a post-it note… and swap these around so that you can pray for one another. Take one another’s notes home to remind you to pray through the month.
Going Further
This passage may have made you think about specific relationships in your life… what might you do this month to invest in those relationships? It may be time to rejoice, pray, and give thanks… or take action and move towards someone.
Maybe ask someone from the group or someone you meet with regularly, to pray with you and commit to asking you over time how the relationship is going?
Read Philippians 1:27-30 NIV
Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.
- What does this passage say?
- What timeless principle does it teach?
- How do I apply this to my life?
