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Whoops! The apostle Paul has described this new congregation in Thessalonica as being empowered by the Holy Spirit, living with faith, hope, and love—but it is clear there is tension and division. This should not be surprising. After all, there is so much diversity in their midst. There are Jews and Gentiles, rich and poor,… Read more
The apostle Paul found immediately that in the new church in Thessalonica there was no vision, no structure, no staffing. Proverbs 29 tells us that without a vision, people perish. Congregations have experimented with a wide variety of structures. I heard of one church where they decided to govern by consensus. In other words, every… Read more
Welcome to two of the least-known books of the Bible, 1 and 2 Thessalonians. We hope during these next five devotionals to change that narrative, encouraging you to read these short books several times. Our introduction to this new congregation being formed in the city of Thessalonica comes from Acts 16, where Paul has a… Read more
Actions speak louder than words … but words matter too. Before we had email and telephones, letters were the best way to communicate over long distances. In Paul’s time, there was no post office, regular mail, stamps, card shops, or stationery stores—not even street signs or house numbers! Handwritten letters were special, treasured communications from… Read more
