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Thessalonians 03b – Paul’s Personal Ministry
Paul did not preach for prestige or glory, unlike other false teachers. He has worked intensely and personally with the people to make people’s lives worthy of God. In Philippians 1:6 and Philippians 2:13, Paul speaks of how God works through us to bring His work to completion. Paul is deeply grieved by his inability…
Read MoreThessalonians 03 – Pushed by the Holy Spirit
When Saul first encountered the Christian faith, he would have been offended that a man who claimed to be the Messiah was hung on a tree, and such men are described as being cursed. Paul visits Cyprus as part of his first missionary journey, and they have a disagreement as to whether the Gentile converts…
Read MoreThessalonians 02 – Paul in Thessalonica
On Paul’s journey, he is imprisoned, but through an earthquake, he persuades the jailer to convert to Christianity. Paul is released and goes to Thessalonica, where he preaches on the subject of the messiah for three weeks. The Jewish establishment sent troublemakers to cause a riot, and Paul is forced out of the city. The…
Read MoreThessalonians 01 – Introduction
Paul’s epistles to the Thessalonians show a vivid snapshot of the church in mission. Paul was sent from the church in Antioch as a mission to the Gentiles to Cyprus. The Antiochan church was being torn apart by the question of whether Gentiles must be circumcised. The Council of Jerusalem would decide that Gentiles must…
Read MorePastoral Epistles 25 – Appealing to Philemon
Paul tells Philemon that he could be bold enough to command him to do what is required, he chooses to appeal out of love. Paul appeals to Philemon to take Onesimus back as he is useful to Philemon and to Paul, with whom he has formed a special bond. Paul also says that he will…
Read MorePastoral Epistles 24 – Philemon
The Epistle to Philemon is not strictly speaking a pastoral epistle, as it does not concern the pastoral care of a church. It is, however, a very personal letter written to Philemon, who was a leader in Colossae of some means and influence. Philemon had a slave by the name of Onesimus, who ran away…
Read MorePastoral Epistles 23 – Engaging the Faithful
Those who would pastor must remind the faithful to obey legitimate authority and engage in God’s work. Pastors must also not engage in controversies. A pastor must not drive those who hold erroneous beliefs from the faith, but must encourage all to come to the true faith from wherever they are. Download MP3 (32:59; 18…
Read MorePastoral Epistles 22 – Godly Living
All Apostolic Ministry is supposed to spark the faith, inform the faith with a knowledge of the truth and encourage godly living. Paul has no difficulty with encouraging godly living in this letter, and Paul encourages Titus and all of us to do this. We must make a break with the worldly things and live…
Read MorePastoral Epistles 21 – Character of Teachers
Priests must be able to see and identify heresy, root it but yet not draw attention to it, so as to enable heresy. These priests must be dedicated to their work. Likewise, mothers must be serious about the faith and teach it to their children so that they do not fall into the trap of…
Read MorePastoral Epistles 20 – Introduction to Titus
Titus was close to Paul, chosen as an example of how faithful Gentiles could be to Christ. Paul begins the epistle to Titus by proclaiming himself to be a slave to Christ, showing radical devotion to Christ. Paul knows that as a pastor, he must spark a faith response to God. The Church must impart…
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