This Week The end What would you write at the end of a letter to loved ones? This weekend we come to the end of Paul’s second letter to the little church in Thessaloniki. His final subjects might surprise you, but they make perfect sense. His final words aren’t surprising at all, but they are so…

This Week Stand firm Scripture presents two seemingly irreconcilable truths: (1) we can be confident of our salvation in Christ and (2) we can reject our faith and fall away. Therefore, Paul’s encouragement in 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17 is to stand firm and hold onto the truth of Scripture. Join us Thursday night at 7 or…

This Week A secret power The thought of it conjures up images of espionage, intrigue, and shadowy conniving. But when Paul warns the Thessalonians about a secret power, he’s not referring to James Bond. He lays out for us a mystery that we can’t completely unravel, but what we can is immensely helpful. Let’s be…

This Week What do you marvel at? To marvel at something is so much more than just to admire it. It’s more than just being impressed. You marvel at things that radically exceed your expectations—whether it’s the way someone treats you or a view you never expected. Or Judgment Day? This weekend, let the apostle Paul…

This Week Your favorite Bible doctrine Ask the people around church to tell you their favorite Bible doctrine and what do you think you’ll hear? Heaven? Forgiveness? Prayer? Baptism? Here’s one I don’t think you’d hear: Judgment Day and fire from heaven. Nope, that’s not going to make it into anyone’s top ten list of…

This Week Better worshipers of the living God What do you think about when you’re not doing anything else? Where does your mind go? God has given us so much in this world; there’s no shortage of options. We don’t have to go so far as to say that where our minds go is what…

This Week Kindness to everyone A long time ago, the Holy Spirit inspired the apostle Paul to write a letter to a church in a Greek city called Thessaloniki. Even though it was specific to their situation, much of it applies to us, including Paul’s closing exhortations. A good summary of these is kindness to…

This Week That explains everything Life has a way of coming at us fast and furious. This crazy life also creates more questions than it does provide answers. Thankfully, we have God’s Word to retreat to as not only our “answer guide,” but also to provide encouragement and comfort about why things are the way…

This Week Don’t blame me Who hasn’t said that? Taking responsibility for a minor faux pas or a major accident is unpleasant at best and devastating at worst. For that and a host of other reasons, the Bible doctrine of Judgment Day is not a popular topic. But it is a prevalent one. When Paul wrote…

This Week Hope in the face of death Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a French philosopher in the Age of Enlightenment, wrote, “He who pretends to look on death without fear, lies.” What words best describe how you look upon death? Paul wrote to a congregation of people in the ancient Greek city of Thessaloniki who had lost loved ones.…