Elements City Church
Living Hope week 4 - Encourage More
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…
TRUTH:
We all need encouragement - when we receive it — It’s like fresh wind in our sails.
Everyone needs someone to encourage them. …often, we are good and the world is certainly good at pointing out people’s faults and telling them how they fall short or how they should improve; but we’re not very good at encouraging the souls of people.…
God used Paul as an encourager to the Church in Thessalonica. Not only was Paul concerned about their safety; but he was also concerned about their spiritual growth. So he let his concern motivate his heart to stir him to action in order to encourage the people of this church.
Q) How can God leverage you to encourage more around you?
We all need encouragement - when we receive it — It’s like fresh wind in our sails.
Everyone needs someone to encourage them. …often, we are good and the world is certainly good at pointing out people’s faults and telling them how they fall short or how they should improve; but we’re not very good at encouraging the souls of people.…
God used Paul as an encourager to the Church in Thessalonica. Not only was Paul concerned about their safety; but he was also concerned about their spiritual growth. So he let his concern motivate his heart to stir him to action in order to encourage the people of this church.
Q) How can God leverage you to encourage more around you?
Do something.
Being concerned is not enough. Our concern ought to push us into action.
Paul had been convinced of the genuine conversion experience of these believers (1:5), but he also knew the importance of follow-up and discipleship. Faith needs to be strengthened and encouraged, so he sends Timothy went back to do just that for these believers.
Being concerned is not enough. Our concern ought to push us into action.
Paul had been convinced of the genuine conversion experience of these believers (1:5), but he also knew the importance of follow-up and discipleship. Faith needs to be strengthened and encouraged, so he sends Timothy went back to do just that for these believers.
Paul also knew that facing “troubles” because of one’s faith in Christ should be expected.
Some folks turn to God with the hope of escaping all suffering on earth.
But Jesus never promised that. Problems are inevitable for God’s people. Your troubles may be a sign of effective Christian living.
See John 15:18-19 and John 16:33
18 “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. 19 The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.
33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
Yes, God is love. Yes, grace is amazing. Yes, mercy is necessary.
*But please don't leave out that suffering is inevitable.
God only had one child without sin (Jesus); he will have no children in his family without suffering.
Some folks turn to God with the hope of escaping all suffering on earth.
But Jesus never promised that. Problems are inevitable for God’s people. Your troubles may be a sign of effective Christian living.
See John 15:18-19 and John 16:33
18 “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. 19 The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.
33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
Yes, God is love. Yes, grace is amazing. Yes, mercy is necessary.
*But please don't leave out that suffering is inevitable.
God only had one child without sin (Jesus); he will have no children in his family without suffering.
Timothy came to encourage...
The Thessalonians had the Holy Spirit, but they also needed a Timothy:
because, in this dark, fallen world, you will need someone visible, someone vocal, and someone tangible to help encourage you in your faith.
It’s one thing to have the Holy Spirit walk alongside you, but it is something else to have a brother or sister hold your hand while you are trying to make it through.
Q) how many of you have had God bring someone into your life that He has used to spur you forward in faith? To encourage you? Who are some of those folks?
The Thessalonians had the Holy Spirit, but they also needed a Timothy:
because, in this dark, fallen world, you will need someone visible, someone vocal, and someone tangible to help encourage you in your faith.
It’s one thing to have the Holy Spirit walk alongside you, but it is something else to have a brother or sister hold your hand while you are trying to make it through.
Q) how many of you have had God bring someone into your life that He has used to spur you forward in faith? To encourage you? Who are some of those folks?
At the end of this chapter - Paul writes to these believers then (and us now) praying that we be built up in love to share God's love… (ch. 3 v. 11-13)
God is the source of love,
Jesus is the proof of God’s love,
and believers must be the agents of God’s love in this world.
God has done his part, Jesus is doing his part—the question is:
are we doing our part?
God is the source of love,
Jesus is the proof of God’s love,
and believers must be the agents of God’s love in this world.
God has done his part, Jesus is doing his part—the question is:
are we doing our part?
Praying for and with people is important!
God's abounding love has no borders.
We are to be ‘active agents’ of God’s love to all around us where we live, work, play and gather.
God's abounding love has no borders.
We are to be ‘active agents’ of God’s love to all around us where we live, work, play and gather.
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 series: Living Hope...living as people of hope in uncertain times (looking into 1 and 2 Thessalonians) and make plans to join us October 23rd for our next After-Party with food trucks, jumping castles, football and fun! Wear your favorite jersey that night!
Join us next Sunday as we continue our series: Living Hope...living as people of hope in uncertain times (looking into 1 and 2 Thessalonians) and make plans to join us October 23rd for our next After-Party with food trucks, jumping castles, football and fun! Wear your favorite jersey that night!