1 Thessalonians – Hopefulness: The Coming of the King, Pt 3
COMMUNITY GUIDE
The Community Guide below is based on Sunday’s teaching for our new series: 1 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:
What’s something you’re looking forward to about the coming week? What’s something you feel anxiety or uncertainty about?
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:
“Hopefulness: The Coming of the King, Pt 3” | Bob Kreycik, Leader
Synopsis: Even though our passage is dealing with one topic – the Day of the Lord – there is much going on “behind the scenes.” The Day of the Lord was first described in the O.T. prophets. Its emphasis was on the actions in history by God, the Divine Warrior, going into battle against His enemies and defeating them on behalf of His people. This is the expression of His goodness and justice, not the irritation or arbitrary emotional outburst of uncontrolled anger that we see among humans. “The Day of Yahweh” in the O.T. has become “the Day of our Lord Jesus Christ”; the Lord Jesus, the God-man, has been given the divine right of all judgment by the Father, and Jesus will ultimately raise all of the dead for that judgment.
Even though the Day of the Lord ultimately refers to the final judgment of the entire human race, God in His justice does not withhold all judgment until the very end, but has both executed and is still executing judgments upon the evils perpetrated by individuals, people groups and nations once they have “filled up the measure of their sins” in history – for which we can be very grateful. Each of these instances of the Day of the Lord is a foretaste of the final day of judgment yet to come. Plus, since God is acting “on behalf of His people,” those who have suffered unjust afflictions by the wicked both have been and yet will be delivered or saved. All of this means that those who truly follow Jesus have reason to rejoice in HOPE!
The question asked by the Thessalonians was when the Day of the Lord would come, with its promised resurrection and judgment. Though that is a pertinent question to ask, Paul’s answer – like a thief in the night – suggests an unknown time, suddenness, and unexpectedness to those who are not prepared. This echoes the words of Jesus, who reminded His listeners of the unwelcome surprise of the flood to the world of Noah’s time. The point is to be aware and prepared, not leaning on the fleeting promises of “peace and security” offered by human leaders, but on the certainty that our God offers as the Prince of Peace and our strong tower. When is God’s business; ours, according to Jesus, is to be His gospel witnesses to all the earth!
QUESTIONS (20 Minutes)
Discussion of the Day of the Lord and final judgment is often seen as a “scare tactic”, but it is serious business that requires personal attention, even more than a medical diagnosis of cancer would. Have you given this question the attention it deserves, both for yourself and those in your sphere of influence? Are you and they prepared?
Did this message’s portrayal of the justice of God alter your attitude towards the seeming contradiction that exists between His goodness and His righteous judgment? Does He now seem more frightening and threatening to you, or more amazing and glorious in the perfect harmony of all His attributes?
Read Jesus’ words in Acts 1:6-8. Have you, now or in the past, become engrossed in the temptation to pursue the times and the seasons of Jesus’ return? What is your reaction to Jesus’ “redirection” of His followers to what we should really pursue?
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.