God's Beauty

Will Work For Food

2 Thessalonians 3 : 6 In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching[a] you received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, 8 nor did we eat anyone's food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. 9 We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow. 10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat."

With the new national bail-out program in place many Americans are wondering why should we pay to help some who refuse to help themselves. Blog site postings are on fire with comments about the unemployed young lady who has 14 kids and lives at her mother and father's home. This week she went shopping for a 1.2 million dollar home.
Also our tax code benefits those couples who choose to live together unmarried and not work through the unearned tax credit.

How do we as Christians follow the above verses and still show compassion ?

This should be a great discussion.

Testing The Faith

TESTING THE FAITH
Where does your state rank in religious belief?
Gallup poll reveals 'Bible Belt' for real
Posted: February 15, 2009
4:39 pm Eastern

By Drew Zahn
© 2009 WorldNetDaily

A recent poll of more than 350,000 Americans on the importance of religion revealed that the nation is separated into enclaves of widely divergent viewpoints on faith, with some states and regions clearly religious and others significantly secular.

Gallup conducted a telephone poll of 355,334 U.S. adults, asking the question, "Is religion an important part of your daily life?"

As one might suspect, states from the "Bible Belt" scored the highest, with 85 percent of Mississippians and 79 percent of Tennesseeans, for example, answering yes.

The poll also revealed, however, that in addition to the Bible Belt, the U.S. also has a pair of "secular strips."

The New England states of Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Maine scored the lowest in the nation, with only 42 percent of Vermont residents – or less than half the percentage of those in Mississippi – answering yes.

The other "secular strip" can be found in the West, where Alaska, Washington, Oregon and Nevada all scored in the bottom 10 states for affirming religion's importance in daily life.

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Across the country's entirety, 65 percent of the respondents affirmed that religion is an important part of their lives.

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.