Stand Firm And Wait

2 Thessalonians 2
1 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, 2 not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. 3 Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for (that day will not come) until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness[a] is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

There is coming a day when "the man of lawlessness" will be revealed and he will claim to be God. He will sway many people and win their hearts. He will do the work of Satan.

What are some of the charactics of this man ?

When will he be revealed ?

What is holding him back ?

Wow, we have alot to talk about in class. Hope to see you there.

Safety First

2 Thessalonians 1:
6 God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you 7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power 10 on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.

Do you feel safe in this world ? I have to tell you I do not. I read the news of murders and car-jackings in Memphis. I see gang signs painted on the side of buildings as I drive to work. I wonder is this the day my house is going to be broken into. As the economy get worse this may increase. This is the world we live in.

Why does God allow this to happen ?

Have we as a church failed ?

Can we as a church turn this around ?

Let's talk about it Sunday in class.

Self-Controlled

1 Thessalonians 5: 4 But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5 You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

We live in a world where self-control is sometimes hard to develop. It keeps in check self-destructive, addictive, obsessive and compulsive behavior. It enables to control moods and reject negative feelings and thoughts. Self-control strengthens self-esteem, confidence, inner strength, self-mastery and willpower.

How do we develop this self-control ?

See you in class.

Living to Please God

1 Thessalonians 4 1 Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.
3 It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should learn to control his own body[a] in a way that is holy and honorable, 5not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; 6 and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. 7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8 Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.

9 Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. 10 And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more.

11 Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody

The bible tells us to lead a quiet life and to mind our on business. In this fast paced world how are we to do that ? How can I show concern for others and mind my on business ? How can I lead a quiet life ?

Lets talk about this in class.

The Coming of the Lord

13Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18Therefore encourage each other with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

What does all this mean ? Ever since I was a little boy in church I have always heard of the rapture. Jesus is coming for the church. Jesus is coming soon. The dead in Christ will rise first.

This week we will look at the rapture of the church.

What is the rapture of the church ?

Who does it effect ?

What will happen to those who will be raptured ?

See you in class.

Psalm 83

I believe every word of the bible to be true. For the last week we have witnessed God's chosen people trying to protect their own from attacks launched from the line of Ishmael. This is a hate that has brewed for thousands of years. A tale of jealousy not only by the the Ishmaelites , but also satan's jealousy of God.

Are current Mideast events involving the Hamas and the Israelis prophetically significant?

Are we seeing the fulfilment of Psalm 83 unfolding before our eyes ?

We are living in exciting times.

We Three Kings

In Christian tradition the Magi (Greek: μάγοι, magoi), Three Wise Men, Three Kings or Kings from the East are said to have visited Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts. They are mentioned only in the Gospel of Matthew (Mt 2) , which says that they came "from the east to Jerusalem" to worship the Christ, "born King of the Jews". Because three gifts were recorded, there are traditionally said to have been three Magi, though Matthew does not specify their number. Upon meeting Jesus, the Magi are described as handing over gifts and "falling down" in joyous praise. (Wikipedia)

What were these gifts and what did they symbolism ?

These gifts were ordinary gifts for a king but they were prophetic gifts for the King of Kings.

Let's discuss these gifts in class.