Christian Community

• Teaching Text

  1 Thessalonians 5:12-15

  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. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.

• Message Recap

  This Sunday, Pastor Lonnye continued our sermon series in First Thessalonians. This series is about how the Thessalonian church practiced their faith while under intense persecution by their community.

  The Apostle Paul answers this question, “What does authentic Christian community look like?”

  We are each responsible for how we act toward one another.
  The church is to be known as a counter-cultural community of peace. “Live in peace with each other.” This will change the way we act toward each other. How leaders guide the church, how the church responds to its leaders, and how all believers treat each other. The Apostle Paul tells us to warn the unruly/disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, and to be patient with everyone.

  Your actions influence the Christian community that you are a part of. What kind of influence will it be?
  We need to become the community that Paul asks, and then urges, for the Thessalonians to become. A Christ-centered community that is moving toward one another, praying for each other, and living together in peace.

SPIRITUAL PRACTICES

Prayer:
Please be in prayer for the leader’s at Faith E. Here’s a great tool for helping you remember to do this: https://prayingforpastors.com/

Read Scripture:
Read: 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22
Notice how the Apostle Paul shifts from community responsibility to individual responsibility. Write a short list of attributes for these two categories of Christian behavior.

Memorize Scripture:
Together we are memorizing 1 Thessalonians 5:8
Here are a few wallpapers for this series.
Here's a helpful guide we put together for memorizing Scripture: https://faithe.org/memorize/

DISCUSSION GUIDE

Questions:
1) What is one word or phrase that they Holy Spirit highlighted for you during this teaching? Why?
Journal your thoughts and/or share this with someone else.

2) Is there a relationship with a fellow believer that you need to repair?
Pray for that person and then go be a peacemaker.

3) Take a self assessment: look at your actions toward your Christian community.
- Are you creating disruption or peace?
- Are you being patient and grace-filled as you guide, encourage, and help others?
- Are you criticizing others or praying for others?

Prayer:
God, thank you for reminding me that my actions influence others within my church community. I desire for your peace, patience, and love to overflow out of my life toward others. I want to be a peacemaker, not a ‘peacefaker’. Help me to move toward others when I’m tempted to run the other way.
Amen.