Elements City Church
Living Hope week 2 - Live This Way
Join us Sundays this Fall 2022 as we walk through a powerful couple books of the Bible that the Apostle Paul wrote to a church he planted in Thessaloniki. In these works, he inspires a people that are living in uncertainty, to keep living by a dynamic faith in Christ and to persevere with hope, even as they were facing opposition and pressure from a culture that didn't believe or so much care for their beliefs. Followers of Jesus Christ should live with one foot in this world and the other in the world to come. We should be fully engaged with this life AND we should also live with an awareness of eternity. Having this double perspective - gives us wisdom for our 'here and now'. It shapes our priorities, impacts our schedules, influences our dreams and our decisions. It fuels our hearts for the gospel and for people around us to know and experience Jesus.
Locations & Times
Elements City Church
1825 N Alvernon Way, Tucson, AZ 85712, USA
Sunday 5:00 PM
Thanks for being with us...
Whether you're on-site or online, we are praying that tonight will be an encouragement to your soul. May God whisper to you and help you in taking your next steps in a journey with Him. If you're new, we'd love to have you fill out our connection card.
https://connect-card.com/yr4Y0g8VLBSqzKXeubjbFollowers of Jesus Christ should live with one foot in this world and the other in the world to come. We should be fully engaged with this life. But we should also live with an awareness of eternity.
Having that double perspective of this world and the world to come can grow us in living wisely for God…
Having that double perspective of this world and the world to come can grow us in living wisely for God…
Date: First and Second Thessalonians may be the earliest of Paul’s letters, written shortly after the evangelization of the Thessalonians, hence by about a.d. 50, within two decades of Jesus’ resurrection.
Situation. While preaching Jesus as Messiah (the Jewish king) in Thessalonica, Paul had been accused of preaching another king besides Caesar (Acts 17:7). “Jesus is Lord” > Ceaser is Lord”. The very young Thessalonian church continued to experience persecution after Paul’s departure, but he encourages them with the promise of a future hope.
Situation. While preaching Jesus as Messiah (the Jewish king) in Thessalonica, Paul had been accused of preaching another king besides Caesar (Acts 17:7). “Jesus is Lord” > Ceaser is Lord”. The very young Thessalonian church continued to experience persecution after Paul’s departure, but he encourages them with the promise of a future hope.
We’re to prioritize God’s opinion over people’s opinion
"For we speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people."
-I Thessalonians 2:4
Paul made a point of stressing the importance of pleasing God rather than being overly concerned about pleasing other people.
Q) With that truth in mind we would do well to weigh every choice by asking the question: Will this choice be pleasing to God?
"For we speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people."
-I Thessalonians 2:4
Paul made a point of stressing the importance of pleasing God rather than being overly concerned about pleasing other people.
Q) With that truth in mind we would do well to weigh every choice by asking the question: Will this choice be pleasing to God?
We’re to practice and live with integrity
Integrity is that sense of wholeness of a person and their character - not the idea of perfection, but the notion of ‘what you see is what you get’…
1 Thessalonians 2:3-6
For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed--God is our witness. We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else.
we’re called to live with integrity - a soundness of life where the values of God direct how we live - more than the values of the world…
Q) A question we might well ask ourselves is: Is what I am thinking or about to say or about to do, coming from a pure heart or a place of integrity?
Integrity is that sense of wholeness of a person and their character - not the idea of perfection, but the notion of ‘what you see is what you get’…
1 Thessalonians 2:3-6
For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed--God is our witness. We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else.
we’re called to live with integrity - a soundness of life where the values of God direct how we live - more than the values of the world…
Q) A question we might well ask ourselves is: Is what I am thinking or about to say or about to do, coming from a pure heart or a place of integrity?
We’re to live life mindful of others - investing into them…
"…but instead we were like children among you. Or we were like a mother feeding and caring for her own children. And you know that we treated each of you as a father treats his own children." -I Thessalonians 2:7 and 11
If we take just a few moments to reflect, we all have had spiritual mothers and fathers and brothers and sisters who have invested into making you, YOU.
*Friends - we are NOW to be those people for others around you…
Q) How am I being mindful and engaged in the nurture of others as they grow in their faith? Who will one day look back and remember me for the contribution I made into their life?
"…but instead we were like children among you. Or we were like a mother feeding and caring for her own children. And you know that we treated each of you as a father treats his own children." -I Thessalonians 2:7 and 11
If we take just a few moments to reflect, we all have had spiritual mothers and fathers and brothers and sisters who have invested into making you, YOU.
*Friends - we are NOW to be those people for others around you…
Q) How am I being mindful and engaged in the nurture of others as they grow in their faith? Who will one day look back and remember me for the contribution I made into their life?
We’re to continually SPEAK LIFE into others…
Our world sure needs more encouragers (in Christ)
We pleaded with you, encouraged you, and urged you to live your lives in a way that God would consider worthy for he called you to share in his Kingdom and glory. -I Thessalonians 2:12
Quote:
To truly care for people requires not caring too much about their approval or disapproval. -John Ortberg
We stay steadfast with our love no matter the emotions of the moment because we care about them MOST.
Encouragement must be selfless – it’s driven by a genuine desire to see someone else succeed. So it takes right motives, pure motives.
Our world sure needs more encouragers (in Christ)
We pleaded with you, encouraged you, and urged you to live your lives in a way that God would consider worthy for he called you to share in his Kingdom and glory. -I Thessalonians 2:12
Quote:
To truly care for people requires not caring too much about their approval or disapproval. -John Ortberg
We stay steadfast with our love no matter the emotions of the moment because we care about them MOST.
Encouragement must be selfless – it’s driven by a genuine desire to see someone else succeed. So it takes right motives, pure motives.
Recap:
4 key things we see Paul emphasize in this passage for us as followers of Jesus…to live this way:
We’re to prioritize God’s opinion over people’s opinion
We’re to practice and live with integrity
We’re to live life mindful of others - investing into them…
We’re to continually SPEAK LIFE into others…
4 key things we see Paul emphasize in this passage for us as followers of Jesus…to live this way:
We’re to prioritize God’s opinion over people’s opinion
We’re to practice and live with integrity
We’re to live life mindful of others - investing into them…
We’re to continually SPEAK LIFE into others…
Thanks for partnering with us...
Thank you for enabling us to be the Church in our city! Your gifts help fuel the mission of Elements City Church, as well as our capacity to share His love with as many as we can. You help us bring the HOPE and LIGHT of Jesus to our city! You can give online at the link below or through the Elements app.
http://elementscitychurch.org/giveWhether you joined us on-site or online, thanks for being with us tonight!
Join us next Sunday as we continue our new series: Living Hope...living as people of hope in uncertain times (looking into 1 and 2 Thessalonians)
Join us next Sunday as we continue our new series: Living Hope...living as people of hope in uncertain times (looking into 1 and 2 Thessalonians)