2 Thessalonians: Destruction and Glory
COMMUNITY GUIDE
The Community Guide below is based on Sunday’s teaching for our series: The Book of 2 Thessalonians. As your whole Community gathers (online or in-person), use the Community Guide below to give shape to your time together.
Begin by Practicing the Lord’s Supper Together (5 minutes)
Begin your time by partaking of the bread and the cup together. Have each person bring their own Communion elements or provide elements for the group. To facilitate your time, you can either ask a member of your Community to come ready with a short prayer, scripture reading or read the passage we’ve provided below. After reading (aloud), spend a few moments in silence, take the elements and then close in prayer:
For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. (1 Corinthians 11:23–26)
CHECK-IN (10 MINUTES)
As we focus on this series, we want to continue to create space for checking in on each other but doing so in a shorter amount of time. Take a few minutes to do a whole person check-in (emotional, spiritual, physical) with your Community, creating space for each person to answer the question below:
Is there a specific need in your life (family or friends) that we can pray for?
If the need arises, spend a few minutes praying for one another, asking God to meet needs and help each person carry what feels heavy right now.
Read this overview:
This Sunday, Christian taught on 2 Thess 1:5-12, emphasizing the two sides of God’s righteous judgment that will come at the return of Jesus, which will bring “relief” for those in Jesus, but “affliction” for those who do not know God. In vv. 9-10, we see that it is Jesus’ glorious presence that brings about these starkly different outcomes: His glory will bring destruction to one group of people, while another group will share in and be transformed by his glory. The difference comes down to how each person responds to the message of Jesus as King: either by believing and obeying the gospel, or by “refusing to love the truth and so be saved” (2:10).
On the one hand, the reality of God’s coming judgment should give us hope in the face of suffering and opposition, knowing that God will grant us relief one day. On the other hand, the fearsome consequences that await those who do not turn and trust in Jesus should motivate us to share the gospel with passion, boldness, and humility. As God’s ambassadors, we implore people on Christ’s behalf to be reconciled to God (2 Cor. 5:20)--not just so that they might escape future destruction, but also so they might find new life and peace now under the good rule of King Jesus!
This is a huge responsibility, which is why Paul ends this passage with a prayer (vv. 11-12), asking God to make us “worthy of his calling” and to bring to fulfillment our “resolve for good and work of faith” by His power, so that the name of Jesus may be glorified in us, and we in him. How encouraging it is to know that God can and will empower us as we seek to put him on display through our words and actions!
QUESTIONS (20 Minutes)
The judgment of God is a heavy topic to think about, which is partly why many of us tend to avoid thinking about it very often. But why is it important to meditate on both the positive and negative aspects of God’s judgment? How does it help us be faithful followers of Jesus? How might we get off track if we neglect the truth of God’s judgment, or only focus on one aspect of it (whether positive or negative)?
The truth of God’s coming judgment should lead us to feel sorrow and compassion for those we love who do not follow Jesus - it did the same for Jesus (Matt. 23:37-39; Luke 19:41-44). Take time to pray for those in your life who have not yet followed Jesus. Ask God to open their eyes to the truth of the gospel, and to give you opportunities to speak about and demonstrate the goodness of Jesus to them.
In v. 11, Paul prayed that God would “fulfill every resolve for good and work of faith by his power.” In other words, Paul prayed that the Thessalonians would not just desire what is good, but that God would empower them to put their desire into action. Consider your life: Is there something that you know you should do–and even want to do–but you haven’t acted on that desire, or you’ve struggled to follow through with it? Have you taken on something in this season of life that you know is good and right to do, but it has proven to be more difficult or time-consuming than you thought? Share about this with your group. Take time to pray for one another, asking God to fulfill your desire to do good by his power, so that Jesus might be glorified in and through you!
Christian encouraged us to consider memorizing Paul’s prayer in 2 Thess. 1:11-12, so that we can regularly pray these words for ourselves and for one another. Would you commit to doing that this week? Here are a few ideas to consider:
Write it out on a piece of paper and keep it in your purse or wallet,
Save it as a note on your phone, or take a screenshot of these verses and set it as your lock screen so you see them every time you open your phone.
Set it as a reminder in your schedule, so that you make a point to pray through these verses each day this week.
Then come back next week ready to share how this practice impacted your week.
Missionary Practice For The Week Ahead: BLESS (10 Minutes)
If you do at least one of these practices every day, you will not only become more like Jesus, but you will help others find Jesus too! In your time together as a community, ask the questions, “Who did you BLESS this week? This time of sharing will keep the Great Commission at the forefront of who we are called to be as followers of Jesus. It will also provide the opportunity to celebrate and encourage one another on the journey.
ᐅ B.L.E.S.S.
(B)egin with Prayer:
Pray for the people in your life and the places that you’re in.
People: Who do you live, work and play with that is far from God? Pray that God would create spiritual curiosity in them, and then spend time with them.
Places:
Where does pain exist here? Pray for healing.
Who makes the decisions here? Pray for integrity.
Who throws parties here? Pray for community.
Where are the pennies spent here? Pray for provision.
(L)isten:
Listen to and discover the needs of others and for the places where God is at work.
Before you can help others find Jesus, you need to listen to them first - their hopes, pains, challenges and dreams. In your interactions with others today, take the posture of a learner. Lay down assumptions and practice being present in conversations.
(E)at:
Share meals, drink coffee, and spend time with people in your life that don’t yet know Jesus.
Who can you eat with (or have coffee with) that is far from God? A co-worker over lunch? A neighbor during the day? A friend or family member over the weekend?
Is there a place that you regularly visit (coffee shop, gym, etc.)? Ask God to grant you opportunities to eat with people.
(S)erve:
Who can you serve this week? Who do you know that has a practical need? Ask them how you can help.
Before jumping into serving, have you taken the time to pray for, listen to and eat with these people? Doing these things first helps you discover the way that you really need to serve them.
(S)tory:
Share the story of Jesus and what He is doing in your life with others.
Start by sharing how God has blessed you and made a difference in your life.
Share your story in such a way that demonstrates that Jesus is also at work in their life.
Don’t feel like you have to tell your life story at once. Think “bite-size” stories.
Prayer (10 Minutes)
Spend a few minutes praying for God’s grace over each other, that we might become a people who make Jesus our Lord, and that there might be a sweeping renewal of the Holy Spirit in our city. Ask that God would stir up within us a desire to be with him in prayer and to serve him, one another, and our neighbor in love.