2 Thessalonians: The Faithfulness of God
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:
At the beginning of chapter three, Paul pauses to ask the church of Thessalonica for prayer. Paul is asking the Thessalonians to pray that the word of the Lord may speed ahead as it continues to save souls. The Word of the Lord is what had brought the Thessalonians to salvation. Paul asks the Thessalonians to pray that the same word they received would be honored among others. Knowing as the Gospel is preached, they will come under persecution from wicked and evil men.
Paul goes on and reminds the Thessalonians that “The Lord is Faithful” and that He will establish and guard them as they take the gospel to others.
As Paul ends this prayer, he tells the Thessalonians, "We have confidence that you are doing and will do….” Paul is saying that he has great confidence in their love for Jesus without any doubt. He tells them, I can see that you are doing and will continue to do the things you’re supposed to do.
QUESTIONS (20 Minutes)
Paul is an amazing man of faith. He was beaten, shipwrecked, and imprisoned for his faith. Paul’s vision was that the word of God, the Gospel, would be heard throughout the world, and he wanted the Thessalonians to remember that the same Gospel that saved them needed to be proclaimed to others. How does your prayer life reflect the urgency for others to hear the Gospel? How can you be praying for your spiritual leaders?
Paul reminds us that the Lord is Faithful and that He will establish you and guard you against the evil one. Talk about how you see the faithfulness of the Lord in your life? How has He guarded and protected you as you have taken the Gospel to unbelievers?
As a faithful follower of Christ, what are the things you should be doing and will do in the future to demonstrate your love for Christ? How can you be praying for one another this 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.