Mimic
TEACHING TEXT
1 Thessalonians 1:4-10
For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
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This Sunday, Pastor Paul 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 calls the Thessalonians to imitate (mimic) the faith that Paul, Silas, and Timothy modeled for them while they were there.
Paul calls them to:
-turn to God from idols (work produced by faith)
-serve the living and true God (labor prompted by love)
-wait for His Son from heaven... who delivers us from the wrath to come (endurance inspired by hope)Who are you imitating? Who is imitating you? Are you practicing a faith that is worthy of imitation?
The Thessalonian church is a powerful example to us as we practice our own counter-cultural faith.
SPIRITUAL PRACTICES
Read Scripture:
Read 1 Thessalonians 1-5, one chapter each day Monday-Friday
Notice the major themes of faith, love, and hope.
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) Do you have idols you need to turn from and replace with serving the living and true God?
Share these with someone you trust.
Prayer:
God, I have sinned against you in my thoughts, words, and deeds.
I turn from these idols in my life and commit to serving you.
Help me to practice a faith that is worthy of imitation.
Amen.
