Imitating Christ - Week 1
Chosen. Changed. Confident.
Connecting to one another
Think about a brother or sister in Christ whom you consciously imitate. State one characteristic this person possesses that you imitate today.
Context -- From Acts 17 to subsequent chapters, we see Paul moving strategically from one key city to the next starting with Thessalonians (key commercial city) and Athens (intellectual city). Then he visits Corinth (another key commercial city), Ephesus (key religious city) and finally Rome (military and political center of that world). Whenever Paul entered a city, he visited synagogues, the teaching center of God’s chosen people, taking the gospel “to the Jews first” and then to the Gentiles, those God was grafting into the family tree.
Understanding the Truth with one another
Verse by Verse ~ Topic by Topic ~ Argument by Argument
Read 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10.
1. How is verse 1 written to reflect a sense of belonging as Paul opens his letter?
2a. In verses 2-3 Paul lists a trio as evidence he constantly rejoices in before their God and Father: “work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope.” Given the context of the times and culture conflicts, what would faith, love, and hope have looked like in their relationships with God, Paul/Timothy/Silvanus, one another, and their city? What does this look like for us in our city with our people?
2b. Note the weight Paul gives with the “ands” between each descriptor and the similar idea present in his diction choices of work, *labor, and steadfastness. How as a Thessalonian would you feel encouraged by Paul’s prayer for your church?
*Labor is not the same word Paul uses for work in “work of faith.” Kopos stresses intense labor.
3. In verses 4-5a Paul layers upon the sense of belonging calling the Thessalonians “brothers loved by God” and states that he KNOWS God has “chosen” them. What trio of evidence does Paul present to support how he “knows”?
According to verses 5b-6 what was the result of their being chosen and empowered? Consider Paul’s ironic (unexpected) use of “affliction” and “joy” to further describe how they received the word as “imitators” of Paul/Timothy/Silvanus.
4. The Epistles do teach theology, but they are not written as theology textbooks. They are letters from teachers living the gospel in real time to learners living the gospel in real time. Paul does not describe the events in order, nor does he describe all of them directly. Review the passage and list the events in a general manner starting with --
a. Paul imitated Christ.
5. An author’s message can be determined by examining WHY he shifts. In verse 7 Paul shifts with the transition “so that.” This transition kicks off the climatic effect of all the events you listed in #4. List or circle the diction and the details Paul uses in verses 7-9 to illustrate this is indeed the climatic result. Now think. What is Paul’s message in chapter one that this shift upholds?
6. In Acts 17, Paul and Timothy are dragged before the city authorities and accused by man of turning “the world upside down.” In verse 10 Paul closes with reminding the Thessalonians that Jesus HIMSELF will deliver them from future accusation by God in the *wrath to come. Why is this reality a fitting close to this unit?
*Believers will not experience God’s wrath during the Tribulation, nor at the White Throne Judgment. This is a key topic in this letter that Paul hints at here. We will be discussing the Tribulation and Second Coming in more detail in future lessons.
Living the Truth as we are sent out
Overarching Question -- How can we live in FAITH, LOVE, and HOPE in light of the PAST and in view of FUTURE?
7. INward Reality -- Paul states that the Thessalonian church is IN God the Father and IN the Lord Jesus Christ (v1) and IN the Holy Spirit (v5). Think about your day tomorrow in our present time and culture and in your present circumstances. You are taking our Father, Lord, and Spirit with you into that. OUTward work -- Describe one concrete thing you will do tomorrow that reflects this reality and that a person “following you” could see or hear.
Last semester I (Karen) had my students write “strength statements” completing this sentence starter: “I feel strong when….” One of my students wrote “I feel strong when I pass the baton to the last leg who makes it to the finish line.” She elaborated by describing how she was “taught” to not slow down as she passed the baton, but to push to her full potential, and to pay attention to the “little things” to make the pass as smooth as possible. She concluded by describing how through practice she has gotten better at this, but she can still improve. When Paul wrote his letter, he wrote it to a church. This church had a legacy of “baton passing” of making disciples who made disciples.
8. The purpose of a relay runner is to “pass the baton.” This is WHY my student felt strong doing that. Our purpose is to make disciples. When believers do this, they feel the strength of God flowing through them. We are going to flesh out this little illustration more as we continue in 1 Thessalonians. For now, consider – To whom are you passing the baton?
Read through the questions below. Today your “application” will be to pray about the answers together. NEXT week please bring answers to these questions:
a. Who is someone you are willing to disciple as a work in faith, labor in love, and steadfastness of hope?
Parent? Sibling? Spouse? Child? Other relative? Friend? Co-worker? Neighbor? This can be a person who is shoulder-shoulder with you in maturity or it can be a person who is a step or more behind in maturity. Regardless “imitation” is going on.
b. How will you spend time with this person?
c. When will you do that?
Praying Through the Truth for one another
How can we pray for you in light of what you learned in 1 Thessalonians 1?
Pray about question 8 for one another.